"But such beings DO exist. But like most others of fundamentally criminal intent, they like to operate in a relatively behind the scenes way if possible"
Well, that is my point. Powers such as witnessed by your friend are relatively easy to conduct "behind the scenes". You say that they are of "fundamentally criminal intent" so why don't we hear on a daily basis about fundamentally criminal activities occurring such as girls being raped (all by the same guy in separate locations around the world at the same time) when he came into their room and left in some instantaneous fashion...even though the papers would find that he died last week. What benefit is it to one of criminal intent or evil to forego using their powers to satisfy their fundamentally criminal nature??
I read chapter one of your link; I then searched through all other chapters for the word "evil", thinking that I could thereby discover some useful answers to my concerns. I did find rather interesting claims, but no commentary that weighed specifically on the questions I asked you. Here is an example of some of the interesting powers at the service of people with criminal intent:
"These people require for their sorcery, charms and fascination, certain phases of the moon or seasons of the year, caves or mountains, forests or groves, fires, sounding of instruments, chanting, dancing, blood-letting, incense and symbols, which have a magic power.
In every case the phenomena are produced by mysterious powers, that is, an unusual development of feeling and desire, and a manipulation of the breath by feeling and desire. In some cases feeling and desire, in addition, compel the four senses to obey them, thereby reversing the usual relation, which is a control of feeling and desire by these senses. In some cases feeling and desire and the breath, working through these senses or some of them, control elementals and through them parts of the elements. In almost every case thinking is necessary and it also is controlled by feeling and desire. Certain organs of the body and symbols are also used. So are produced such phenomena as eating coals of fire from a burning stick, walking through flames or over red hot coals, making people see living pictures of persons and scenes, rising or
floating in the air, traveling through it, producing without instruments sounds in the air, ringing astral bells, transporting huge stones through the air and precipitating flowers, letters, pictures, food and other objects out of it. So, too, are performed walking on water, precipitating rain, locating springs, increasing or decreasing a quantity of water in a vessel. Making the earth to undulate, causing a landslide, making precious stones, transmuting lower metals into gold, making plants grow rapidly to giant size, or dwarfing trees like pines to the size of mushrooms, and passing one solid object through another, are done in the same manner. And so also men are enabled to slash the flesh and pierce the bones of their own bodies or those of others, without pain and without leaving an injury; to be entombed or buried in the ground, to become as a wolf or a tiger, to reanimate a dead form, to take possession of another's body and operate it, to summon elementals and compel them to render service, to have them as familiars, messengers, reporters and as guards, to cast evil spells over people or places and to bring back the dead by necromancy." |
