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Christian Fellowship Network |
| The Occult | |
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Halloween
I chose the picture at the top of the page as a pointed comment. To me, it sums up the attitude of society that the devil is an imaginary figure and that witches are to be embraced as another minority group. Halloween is the public relations image of the occult. It promotes an acceptable face where children dress up - just for fun - as devils, witches, skeletons. There is no harm in it because it is fantasy.
Halloween is now associated with "Trick or Treat" and "Mischief Night" and is promoting undesirable standards of behaviour. The message is "Be nice to me...or else!". The police dread the night. We've had eggs thrown at the house; car aerial broken; and a four letter expletive scratched into the bonnet of a car. The test must surely be - does anyone have any good experiences of Halloween to set on the balance against the negative effects?
The Devil
Many people refuse to believe in God because they can't see Him - they shout His name and He doesn't answer. Many people refuse to believe in the Devil because they can't see him either. The reason God doesn't appear to order is that (per Hebrews ch1v1) "God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets has in these last days spoken to us by His Son". Jesus is God's final word to mankind. There is no more to be said - the message has been given and a response is required. The reason the Devil doesn't appear to order is that the most successful strategy for him is to appear not to exist. The best way to sabotage a plan is to act covertly, under cover. That is what the Devil is doing.
Unfortunately some churches are equally ambivalent to the Devil. I remember a sketch in the TV series 'Not The Nine O'Clock News' in which Mel Smith portrayed a 'trendy' vicar who commented that too many churches say "Get thee behind me Satan" when they should be saying "Come on in Lucifer me old mate". Many modern theologians believe the Devil to be a symbolic representation of evil rather than an actual individual. The Church has forgotten an important rule of warfare - Know your enemy.
Witchcraft
The bible speaks plainly that witchcraft is a sin (1 Samuel ch22v23). The modern trend is to make witchcraft acceptable by referring to it as 'Wicca' and emphasizing the good deeds of 'white' witches. In the cited verse witchcraft is equated to rebellion. In the book of Genesis, Adam disobeyed God and placed himself under the authority of the Devil. There are only two power sources recognized in the Bible - God and Satan. God's power is manifested through the Holy Spirit and glorifies God and acknowledges the deity of Jesus Christ. The other source is through Satan and demons under any guise that is not associated with God. These can be 'rediscovered' supernatural gifts (such as ESP, telekinesis); a variety of 'lesser gods' such as Baals or the Goddess; or Ascended Spirits (via mediums or shamanism).
Horoscopes
A socially acceptable form of witchcraft. Moses was well aware of astrology since he was raised in the royal household of ancient Egypt. Astrology denies that God is the ruler of the world and says that our fates and dispositions are ruled by planetary movements. Astrologers know the 'How' of casting horoscopes and are keen to explain the 'Portents', but are less forthcoming over the 'Why'. There is no way of rationalising Horoscopes other than by probability. Given 12 star signs then any prediction may well turn out to be true on a particular day for one in twelve of the population. Horoscopes are acceptable as "a bit of fun". Except of course by those who take them seriously and permit it to rule their lives.
Mediums
If I make a phone call than I know whom I am calling. If someone phones me then they will tell me who they are. But...what if the person at the other end of the phone is unknown to me? They may say that they are X and that they work for company Y and want to offer me Z. I will only know the truth if I make further exploration. A medium announces to the supernatural world "I have a telephone - you can call me". And so a demon calls and says that they are X who was married to Y and they have a message Z. How does the medium know the truth? The demon will know the facts and will be able to convince all present that theu are in fact the deceased person.
What will the message be? It certainly won't be that the individual needs to confess their sinful state, ask for forgiveness and for Jesus to come into their life. No - that's the message of the church to the world. The demon's message will be that they are happy 'on the other side'; that they are with the grieving party 'in spirit'; that there is nothing to fear. Do nothing, everything is fine,,,and be consigned to Hell when you die.
The Supernatural Realm
The essence of occult is hidden knowledge. Secrets revealed. It's regrettable that those who seek these avenues are those who are seeking something beyond the generally accepted order of things. The world is giving the message "Eat, drink and be merry - for tomorrow you may die" - and these people are not satisfied and are looking for something more. If only they would look in the right place - if only the church were more aware of it's role, and its responsibility.