# Is this magic to be avoided?



## xirtam (Nov 28, 2013)

As an ESL teacher in a foreign country, my job has basically consisted of acting like a clown without the red nose. Most times I feel like a monkey in a zoo or in a vending machine as they put in a coin and I dance. 

That is all fine and well, because most times I am having some fun, but it does get old sometimes. 

Two things came up over the last month. The first being that I was forced to wear a magician's costume for the kids during Halloween. When I say forced, I mean that I said, "I'm not going to wear that costume." and the teacher said, "You must wear the costume." They put the coin in and I danced. 

The second is a special event class that I was asked to do for next week. Part of this hour and a half class has me doing a "magic show". They bought a whole magician's bag full of stuff. It is all slight of hand stuff, of which I have not begun to practice, but apparently this is a big part of the class as I am told to "make the kids happy". It comes with a little bow tie too, so they will put in the coin and I will dance. 

Is this magic to be avoided? 

In Christ,


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## RamistThomist (Nov 28, 2013)

As to the second, no. I see it as no different than juggling, unless the audience thought it was dark magic. Joseph told his brothers that he practiced divination


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## THE W (Nov 29, 2013)

Did you explain why you did not want to wear the costume?


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## SolaScriptura (Nov 29, 2013)

Dance, clown! Dance!


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## Edward (Nov 29, 2013)

xirtam said:


> so they will put in the coin and I will dance



Do you get to keep the money?


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## Cymro (Nov 29, 2013)

Was there not a song, "Put another nickel in?"
Nothing wrong with entertaining with sleight of hand, and even
showing the kids afterwards how its done. But I think you should 
draw the line about recognising Halloween.


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## xirtam (Nov 29, 2013)

Cameronian said:


> As to the second, no. I see it as no different than juggling, unless the audience thought it was dark magic. Joseph told his brothers that he practiced divination



...I have been known to throw random inanimate objects around in the class and call it juggling.


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## xirtam (Nov 29, 2013)

THE W said:


> Did you explain why you did not want to wear the costume?



Yes, I did.


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## xirtam (Nov 29, 2013)

Edward said:


> xirtam said:
> 
> 
> > so they will put in the coin and I will dance
> ...



No, I give it to my lovely wife. I should ask for bananas.


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## xirtam (Nov 29, 2013)

Cymro said:


> Was there not a song, "Put another nickel in?"
> Nothing wrong with entertaining with sleight of hand, and even
> showing the kids afterwards how its done. But I think you should
> draw the line about recognising Halloween.



The funny (sad) thing is that I have been teaching ESL here for eight years and these two occurrences never happened before.


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## xirtam (Nov 29, 2013)

SolaScriptura said:


> Dance, clown! Dance!



I should invest in the nose and shoes. It might prove valuable down the road.


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## Mushroom (Nov 29, 2013)

In some ways we're all dancing clowns. For whom and for what we dance is the crux of the matter. Entertaining children for a fee seems far less corrupt than many pursuits that come to mind.


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## MarieP (Nov 29, 2013)

Cymro said:


> Was there not a song, "Put another nickel in?"



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gUNZAmFfKA


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## Cymro (Nov 30, 2013)

Nice one MarieP, brought back memories of entertainment when
it was more innocent, understandable and gentle. But I am so grateful
to God that I was converted at that time, and brought by His grace to make melody
in my heart to him and to sing His praises from the sacred Psalter.
Our soul's escaped, as a bird
out of the fowler's snare;
The snare asunder broken is,
and we escaped are.
Sorry Brian, the psalm is meant for you, excuse our levity.


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## xirtam (Nov 30, 2013)

Cymro said:


> Nice one MarieP, brought back memories of entertainment when
> it was more innocent, understandable and gentle. But I am so grateful
> to God that I was converted at that time, and brought by His grace to make melody
> in my heart to him and to sing His praises from the sacred Psalter.
> ...



No harm done. I had to look up "levity".


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