▁to ▁threaten ▁pract ition ers ▁of ▁mag ical ▁activities ▁with ▁pun ishment ▁for ▁the ▁cr imes ▁of ▁di abol ism ▁and ▁w itch craft , ▁and ▁instead ▁threatened ▁them ▁with ▁the ▁accus ation ▁that ▁they ▁were ▁def ra ud ing ▁people ▁through ▁prom ising ▁to ▁provide ▁things ▁which ▁they ▁could ▁not . ▁ ▁This ▁spread ▁of ▁European ▁colonial ▁power ▁across ▁the ▁world ▁influenced ▁how ▁academ ics ▁would ▁come ▁to ▁frame ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁magic . ▁In ▁the ▁nin ete enth ▁century , ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁sch ol ars ▁adopted ▁the ▁traditional , ▁negative ▁concept ▁of ▁magic . ▁That ▁they ▁chose ▁to ▁do ▁so ▁was ▁not ▁in ev itable , ▁for ▁they ▁could ▁have ▁followed ▁the ▁example ▁adopted ▁by ▁prominent ▁es oter ic ists ▁active ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁like ▁Hel ena ▁B lav at sky ▁who ▁had ▁chosen ▁to ▁use ▁the ▁term ▁and ▁concept ▁of ▁magic ▁in ▁a ▁positive ▁sense . ▁Vari ous ▁writers ▁also ▁used ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁magic ▁to ▁critic ise ▁religion ▁by ▁arg uing ▁that ▁the ▁latter ▁still ▁displayed ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁negative ▁tra its ▁of ▁the ▁former . ▁An ▁example ▁of ▁this ▁was ▁the ▁American ▁journalist ▁H . ▁L . ▁Men cken ▁in ▁his ▁po lem ical ▁ 1 9 3 0 ▁work ▁Tre at ise ▁on ▁the ▁God s ; ▁he ▁sought ▁to ▁critique ▁religion ▁by ▁comparing ▁it ▁to ▁magic , ▁arg uing ▁that ▁the ▁division ▁between ▁the ▁two ▁was ▁mis pla ced . ▁The ▁concept ▁of ▁magic ▁was ▁also ▁adopted ▁by ▁the or ists ▁in ▁the ▁new ▁field