In a book I am currently reading (more anon) attnetion is drawn to a strange statement in one of the standards of the Lutheran church. In the Epitome of the Formula of Concord we read (See here)
5. Also, that original sin is only an external impediment to the good spiritual powers, and not a despoliation or want of the same, as when a magnet is smeared with garlic-juice, its natural power is not thereby removed, but only impeded; or that this stain can be easily wiped away like a spot from the face or pigment from the wall.
The idea that garlic destroys magnetism was a popular superstition that began with the Greeks. In the 16th Century sailors were not allowed to chew it around a compass - just in case. By including this idea in their formula the Lutherans have made themselves look rather silly, though at the time it seemed so helpful. Easily done.
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