Counseling Through Your Bible Handbook (46 page)

Occult involvement often begins with unfounded beliefs—based on
tradition
—regarding items or practices assumed to have supernatural power. Colossians 2:8 says, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy…which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world.” Examples of traditions include:

—
Bad luck
—assigning supernatural power to black cats, breaking a mirror, walking under ladders, the number 13, evil eye

—
Good luck
—assigning supernatural power to rabbits’ feet, four-leaf clovers, horseshoes, knocking on wood, crystals, amulets, talismans, religious items

Divination is an attempt to “divine” or foretell the future. Jeremiah 29:8 warns against this, saying, “Yes, this is what the L
ORD
Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have.’” Here are some different forms of divination:

—
Astrology
—the study of the positions of the stars and planets to reveal their supposed influence on people and events

—
Cartomancy
—the reading of tarot cards or a deck of 52 cards

—
Horoscopes
—the forecasting of the future based on dividing the year into 12 sections according to the signs of the zodiac and determining supernatural influences by time, date of birth, alignment of the stars

—
Numerology
—the assigning of power to numbers such as the date of your birth

—
Palmistry
—or chiromancy, the reading of lines in the palm of a hand

—
Psychic games
—the use of games such as the
Ouija
board and the magic eight ball for answers

—
Rod and pendulum
—the use of which is alleged to locate lost objects, persons, or diagnose diseases

—
Scrying
—gazing into a crystal ball, water, or mirrors

—
Sortilege
—the casting of lots

—
Tasseography
—the reading of loose tea leaves on the sides or base of a cup

—
Water witching/dowsing
—the use of a divining rod to locate water, minerals, or oil

“Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you”

(J
EREMIAH
29:8).

With regard to astrology, there is proof that such readings are not valid. More specifically, astrology has three major problems.
⁴
The scientific problem:
Astrology is based on the ancient belief that the sun circles the earth; however, science has proven that the earth circles the sun.
⁵
The sociological problem:
Since astrological readings are based on a person’s exact date and place of birth, identical twins should have identical futures—but they don’t. One might be a college professor and the other a high school dropout! Then there is
the biblical problem:
Astrology violates the Word of God.

“Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month…Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up”

(I
SAIAH
47:13-14).

Spiritism is an attempt to communicate with the unseen world through various practices. Leviticus 19:31 says, “Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the L
ORD
your God.” Here are the major forms of spiritism:

—
Channeling
—a spirit guide or medium channels information from the spirit world of the dead person to the living person seeking communication. This channeler is in the middle position between both worlds.

—
Familiar spirits
—a “familiar” companion spirit is usually embodied in a small animal and is held to serve and protect a person.

—
Halloween
—a day on which the spirits of the dead are believed to roam the earth and commit violent acts and when occult practices are used for power and protection.

—
Materialization
—the physical manifestation of spirits, ghosts, or apparitions

—
Necromancy
—communication with spirits of the dead

—
Psychometry
—knowledge gained through contact with personal possessions

—
Reincarnation
—the belief a person’s soul migrates from one body into another through numerous death and rebirth cycles. This belief is prevalent in Hinduism and Buddhism.

—
Séances
—meetings designed to receive spirit communications

—
Sexual spirits
—sexual contact with unseen spirits

—
Shamanism
—ancestral spirits

—
Spirit writing
—automatic writing under the influence of spirits

—
Spirit guides
—a demonic spirit that appears to befriend and protect a person

“When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?”

(I
SAIAH
8:19).

Can dead ancestors bring either help or harm to the living? No. The dead know nothing. According to the Bible, the dead have no knowledge or feelings about the events on earth, and they have no ability to be involved in this life. A demonic spirit, however, could be a counterfeit of a deceased person.

“The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun”

(E
CCLESIASTES
9:5-6).

Is channeling mentioned in the Bible? While it is not mentioned by name, channeling makes a dramatic entrance in the Garden of Eden immediately following the creation of Adam and Eve. The serpent channeled a message to Eve from Satan himself. But true to Satan’s character, this message was a lie.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the L
ORD
God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’…
‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman”

(G
ENESIS
3:1,4).

“The great dragon was hurled down…that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray
.
He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him”

(R
EVELATION
12:9).

Magic and sorcery involve attempts to control the natural world by invoking supernatural power from the spirit world through various practices. Ezekiel 13:20 says, “This is what the Sovereign L
ORD
says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds.”

Objects
such as voodoo dolls, talismans, amulets, potions, locks of hair, chicken bones, clothing, shells

Sayings
such as chants, charms, spells, curses, incantations, calling up of spirits

Black magic
is intended for evil and uses spiritual powers “for evil ends, such as selfish gain or to harm rivals and enemies.”
⁶

White magic
is intended for “good” and uses rituals to bring about healing, fertility, and divining information.
⁷

Modern magic
includes books, videos, and computer games with characters that possess magical powers, and those who use or play with these players or leaders call upon these same powers.

Modern magic is rooted in the “Old Religion” sometimes called the “craft” of witchcraft.
⁸
Many engage in modern magic without realizing they are drawing from the same power source as witchcraft.

Satanism
is the worship of Satan. It is marked by the mockery of Christianity or exaltation of the powers of evil and baseness. Satanism is practiced by a broad range of individuals. Some declare allegiance to a personal Satan and practice black magic, vengeance, and ritual sacrifice. Others deny Satan as a personal being yet practice Satanism as a way to live out their desire for personal power, as well as an outlet for an indulgent and hedonistic lifestyle.
⁹
Satanic practices include black magic, dismemberment, sexual sacrifices, the killing of animals and humans, eating human flesh, and drinking blood.

“Do not paractice divination or sorcery”

(L
EVITICUS
18:19-26).

What is the truth about witchcraft?

— Witchcraft is forbidden by God.

“Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft”

(D
EUTERONOMY
18:10).

— Witchcraft angers God.

“He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the L
ORD
, provoking him to anger”

(2 C
HRONICLES
33:6).

— Witchcraft will be destroyed by God.

“I will destroy your witchcraft and you will no longer cast spells”

(M
ICAH
5:12).

— Witchcraft destroys peace.

“‘How can there be peace,’ Jehu replied, ‘as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?’”

(2 K
INGS
9:22).

— Witchcraft enslaves people.

“The wanton lust of a harlot, alluring, the mistress of sorceries…enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft”

(N
AHUM
3:4).

— Witchcraft is a barrier to entering the kingdom of God.

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God”

(G
ALATIANS
5:19-21).

These are the appearances or manifestations of things beyond the natural realm. Parapsychology is a field of study investigating appearances of
paranormal psychological phenomena
, or supernatural mental manifestations.
¹⁰