I've noticed some confusion in our society over the difference between magic and religion, namely that people tend to attach to religion the chacteristics of magic. I found the following under Frederick Buechner's entry on "Magic" in Beyond Words:
"Magic is saying 'Abracadabra' and pulling the rabbit out of the hat, is stepping on a crack to break your mothers back, is a dashboard Jesus to prevent smashups. Magic is going to church so you will get to heaven. Magic is using mouthwash so everybody will love you. Magic is the technique of controlling unseen powers and will always work if you do it by the book. Magic is manipulation and says, 'My will be done.' Religion is propitiation* and says, 'Thy will be done.'The adventure of religion is really our only option. The God who gave us free will also remains free.
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If security's what you're after, try magic. If adventrue is what you're after, try religion. The line between them is notoriously fuzzy."
*Wikipedia currently has a good defintion of propitiation at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propitiation
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