Paul in Galatians 5:19-21 ascribes witchcraft as a deed of the flesh. “Now
the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, 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.”
It is interesting to note that Paul’s warning is to the churches of Galatia whose members are already Christians.
They are warned that by engaging in sinful conduct they would not
inherit the kingdom of God. The warning is to those who have accepted
Christ. The modern day Christian who is entertained or allows his or
her children to be entertained and/or participate in the works of the
flesh, which includes witchcraft, should give serious heed to this
warning.
White magic and black magic are not acceptable in Christianity and there is no such thing as “cheap grace”.
Christ died on the cross to forgive us for our sins, yet there is no
excuse to take sin lightly. Engaging in any sin including sorcery opens
one to demonic oppression and with persistent sinful conduct
possession.
One
cannot rationalize that one is not engaged in witchcraft but merely
being entertained by books or movies whose characters participate in
witchcraft, even though the protagonists are “good” witches.
The protagonist Harry Potter in the best selling Harry Potter series
of books and current movie attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry to become a wizard. Harry and his friends are taking classes
in casting spells, magical drafts and potions, transfiguration, history
of magic, magical theory etc… They are learning to become “good”
wizards and witches. Evil is represented by the “Dark Side,”
reminiscent of the “Dark Side” of the Force in “Star Wars,” and embodied
(or disembodied and seeking to re-embody) in Voldemort, the evil wizard
who killed Harry’s parents.
Harry
is characterized as an average boy who has been oppressed by his very
normal aunt and uncle and his cousin, reminiscent of Cinderella’s
oppression at home. The very normal family members are exaggeratedly
oppressive.
From
a Christian paradigm the problem with Harry is that salvation from his
predicament comes from leaving home learning witchcraft, a condemned
practice. Children interact with ghosts such as the Friar and
Professor Binns, a ghost who teaches the History of Magic. Professor
Binns was a very old professor who had fallen asleep by a staff room
fire and went to teach the next morning, leaving his body behind.
Christianity
teaches that witchcraft, even charming, candy coated witchcraft, is
evil and that redemption only comes through Jesus Christ and certainly
not from the occult. Communication with the dead is actually
communication with demons or “fallen angels.” Casting spells is
prohibited.
In
Christianity, salvation does not come through witchcraft but by
accepting the Son of God. Good is what is of God and comes from
worshiping Him. “Innocent” or “mechanical” witchcraft is still
witchcraft and as such dark. Exposing one’s children to a heavy dose of
the supernatural, even if portrayed through the activities of appealing
characters, is not acceptable. The siren call of the occult in
children’s movies and cartoons can be appealing. Poltergeists, ghosts,
flying broomsticks, werewolves, vampires, witches, giants, bats,
goblins, haunted hallways may be captivating but they can instill a
spirit of fear. They can certainly be “dark and heavy” and exposure to
the occult can be addictive. This writer is a case in point having been
involved in séances, palmistry, astrology and eastern meditation prior
to accepting Jesus Christ. Interest in the occult started with late
night “Chiller” movies and supernatural comic books.
Aside
from a dark supernatural dimension there is the good supernatural
dimension represented by the Heavenly Kingdom (God, His cherubim and
the angelic host). For the most part this good supernatural dimension
is rarely portrayed in children’s cartoons or recent popular
literature. How often do we see angels on Saturday morning cartoons?
The elves in the “Lord of the Rings” are such angelic type beings who
frighten Sauron’s Black Riders pursuing Frodo.
Parents
have a responsibility to screen what their children watch. Studies
have shown that children and adults who watch regular violence on the
screen become desensitized to it. The same applies with intensive
exposure to the occult. Jesus said, “Temptations to sin are sure to
come; but woe to him by whom they come! It would be better for him if a
millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than
that he should cause one of these little ones to sin” (Luke 17:1-2).
So
what can be said of the Christian entertained by the occult? The
analogy can be drawn to the person who is not engaged in immoral sex but
is being entertained by pornographic books or magazines. There is no
such thing as a Christian “voyeur.” What is sinful to a child is
sinful to an adult. Christ does not respect the “adult” bookstore nor
the “adult” voyeur. Those who deal in darkness will be engulfed by it.
Poison is poison. A little recreational poison can be as lethal as a
lot of poison from the hand of an assassin. There is no such thing as a
recreational séance (channeling session).
For
all those who have engaged in sinful conduct including occult or sexual
voyeurism there is only one avenue for cleansing, nothing less than the
atoning blood of Jesus. Both the non Christian and the Christian need
to repent of their sins by asking God to forgive them. The non
Christian needs to invite Jesus through a simple prayer to take charge
of his/her life (“Jesus I accept your sacrifice for me on the cross.
Forgive me for my sins. Please come into my life and take charge. Help
me walk in your light”).
Take a lesson from the sorcerers and witches who came to a saving knowledge of Christ in Acts
19:19, “And many of those who practiced magic brought their books
together and began burning them in the sight of all; and they counted up
the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.”
All
occult objects should be destroyed as these items are vehicles or
“windows” for occult activity and oppression. They are literally
magnets, which draw the demonic host.
God
is not an evil God. He is not vengeful, but in the Bible he has given
us a mechanic’s manual for our well being. If we insist on placing
lemonade in our engine instead of oil we’ll destroy it. If we don’t
obey God’s admonitions against witchcraft, sexual conduct and
promiscuity, rage, envy, and substance abuse we’ll destroy our bodies
and condemn our souls for eternity. You may not believe in God, but
violation of his principles will nevertheless bring destruction.
Witchcraft may be very alluring and comforting for you. It may give you
success and power. It may give you the “warm fuzzies.” Nevertheless
it’s evil and dangerous just as the serpent was to Adam and Eve in the
Garden.
For
those who have had extensive occult involvement including the actual
practice of witchcraft it would be advisable to seek the counsel of a
pastor of a spirit filled Christ centered church involved in the
deliverance ministry. Keep in mind that you have power over all demonic
principalities in the name of Jesus once you have accepted Christ as
your personal Savior and are covered by His blood (“Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name” Luke 10:17).
In
the 1950’s Science replaced God. There was an ensuing spiritual
hunger, which sought expression in the counterculture of the 1960’s and
1970’s through drugs, Eastern religions, and sexual promiscuity. This
led to materialism and the cult of the self of the 1980’s and 1990’s.
None of these substitutes can replace man’s deep spiritual hunger. The
absence of God can only be replaced with the presence of God, and
certainly not by a counterfeit such as witchcraft. Witchcraft is like
illicit sex, it may offer thrills and gratification for a time but only a personal relationship with the
God of the Universe through his Son Jesus Christ will satisfy, bring joy, and life eternal.
