STORY: During my third year in the Chinese University of Hong Kong, I lived in the university domitory in a room for 5 people. I used to study in the public studying room until 2 or 3 am. One night after my studies, I went up to my room; all my roommates were asleep. While I was putting on my pyjama at my bed, I had a strange sensation that someone or a presence was somewhere about 5-6 metres behind my back. I looked behind me but no one was there. But that eerie feeling did not stop and I looked behind me a few more times. I never had that strange feeling before or anytime since that night. The next day while talking to my roommates, I found out that a group of people had played the Ouiji board in our room in the previous evening. That is the closest I got with the world of spirits.
Background:
· The Church of Satan was founded in the US in 1966. They worship their Prince of Darkness Satan. It owns numerous “churches” and shops across the US including New York, California, Florida. There are other similar satanic churches.
· An International Witches Meetup Day is organized every month for witches in over 600 cities in the world. In one meetup in 2004, almost 30,000 self-professed witches signed up to participate.
Reality of Satan and demons in the Bible:
Eze 28:1-17; Isa 14:12-21: Many theologians believe that these verses refer to Satan. However, the evidence is not definitive. They may simply be hyperbolical descriptions of the King of Tyre and the King of Babylon respectively.
Jude 6: “angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home”
2Pe 2:4: “God did not spare angels when they sinned but sent them to hell. (may have referred to the heavenly beings in Gen 6:1-14)
Ro 8:38: demons
Eph 6:12: rulers, authorities, powers, spiritual forces
Col 1:16: thrones (or principalities) and powers
Wicca and Paganism
Wicca: ancient paganism (a religion), white witchcraft, may or may not involve the occult
Paganism: anti-Christian religion, often polytheistic
Witchcraft: the art of using magic and the casting of spells (the practice of a religion)
· The NT shows no interest in demonology. We don’t know how the demonic world works and we don’t need to know. We should counteract “demonomania” (too much interest in demons) and “demonophilia” (seeing demons all over the place, blaming Satan for anything bad).
· C.C. Lewis in the preface to The Screwtape Letters (1942): “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”
o It involves foretelling events on earth by interpreting relative positions of heavenly bodies; originated from star worship.
o Astrology is forbidden by Mosaic Law (Dt 18:10-14); but still occasionally practised (2Ki 23:4-5), such as wise men of the east (Mt 2:1-2).
o It involves forecasting by laying of cards; similar to other kinds using different mediums, such as Chinese fortune telling and life prediction.
o Some are purely guesses based on deduction; some psychics may actually be accurate.
o Jews used Urim and Thummin (Ex 28:30) and casting of lots (Ac 1:26), but the intent was to know God’s will, not future events.
Benefits of a hidden future
The details of our future is not known to humans for our benefit. Imagine, if a person knows the date of his/her death, there may be two possible consequences: overly worried and feeling helpless, or living irresponsibly.
The destiny of the world is, however, known to us through God’s Word. We know that God’s plan will prevail in the end, that evil will be conquered, and that we have eternal life. Such knowledge is sufficient for us.
· It is the domination of a person by evil spirits and is often demonstrated through abnormal behaviour. There is great differences between demonic possession and insanity. The two must be distinguished. Jesus commanded the demon to leave but without touching. Yet He customarily touched the sick.
· Signs of demonic possession (Mk 5:2-5) include change of facial form, change of voice, and displacement of usual personal identity by a new and alien self.
· It may be spontaneous (invaded by evil spirits) or voluntary (yielded to or induced by the person involved). The Christian Exorcism Study Group reported that possession by an evil spirit is possible only when the individual puts him or herself in a vulnerable position and deliberately invites invasion.
· A true Christians (with the indwelling Holy Spirit) cannot be totally “possessed” by evil spirits as evil spirits could not peacefully co-exist with the Holy Spirit.
· However, it is possible that the body and the outer areas of personality can be infested or oppressed. This can occur if a Christian is voluntarily involved in the occult, but only temporarily (1Ti 1:20; 1Co 5:5).
· It is wise to be highly reluctant to conclude that a person is demonized; the situation must be explored carefully before coming to a conclusion.
· Christians are cautioned against amateurish attempts of exorcism. Only devout persons of great piety, spiritual strength, and moral courage (preferably also with psychiatric training and experience) should be involved. It should never be attempted alone. There should be at least two mature and experienced Christians present. In addition, permission must be gained from a higher church authority before any exorcism is conducted.
· Deliverance should never be undertaken under pressure either from the individual concerned or from a group. It should only be attempted if there is a clear sense of direction and conviction from God.
· Exorcism is done with the power of Christ (Ac 16:16-18). Persons involved must be armed with prayer (Mk 9:29), preferably corporate prayer.
· During exorcism, aggressive words, gestures or expressions should be avoided. Demons should not be talked to, argued with or given any attention other than that of rejecting, refusing and scorning them with the name of Jesus Christ.
· After exorcism, the affected person must: receive Christ, confess sins, renounce the devil and his works, remove occult objects and connections, resist the devil (1Pe 5:8-9), submit to Christ and cultivate a spiritual life (Jas 4:7).
· The incident should be subject to the same ethics of confidentiality as any counselling.
· We cannot avoid the issue and walk away because the Potter books are popular and many children are reading them. The books have caused a controversy in many churches.
· The question is not one with a simple one-sided answer.
· Even major evangelical Christian organizations such as Focus on the Family and Christianity Today published both positive and negative reviews by different authors.
o The books glorify witchcraft (against Dt 18:9-12) and describe some witchcraft as good.
o They include terminology representative of occult practices (1Ti 4:1), including consulting the dead (Dt 18:10-11; Isa 8:19).
o They produce subtle desensitization to witchcraft, leading to fascination with the supernatural or even to trying magic.
o The world in the books resemble a kind of dualism, with two equal, uncreated, antagonistic forces. Witchcraft is neutral.
o The world in the books is a morally confused world. Choosing between the two is purely a matter of personal opinion.
o The theme is the fight between good and evil; evil is presented as evil and good as good.
o Harry Potter displays virtues including courage, loyalty, compassion, joy, humility, friendship and love.
o The witchcraft in the books is purely mechanical, as opposed to occultic. It has no resemblance to the supernatural witchcraft in occultism.
o There is no contact with a supernatural world.
o The presence of mythological creatures and characters is a sure sign that it is a fantasy.
o The portrayal of magics not overly positive, as they are sometimes potentially dangerous.
o The books could be a springboard to fruitful discussion to understand occultism.
o The stories are rich in parallels to the Judeo-Christian faith (see below). It can act as a tool leading to the gospel.
o There were also good magic, good witches and good wizards in the Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins, or Lord of the Rings. The objected astral projection or leaving one’s body to traverse space and time is also found in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. The reason for the acceptance of these books is that the central themes of these books are not about magic or astral projection, but neither are the Potter books.
o Spirits and supernatural powers are literary devices used by the author to tell a story, not a subtle attempt to lead unsuspecting souls into occult practices.
o hope that comes in the form of wishes that might come true
o a sense of control or empowerment
o self-esteem that comes from accomplishment
o affirmation of their emotions and tools to help deal with them
o knowledge that they can face fear and conquer it
o a strong sense of identity, of belonging, and of destiny
o love that is found in loving families
o the company of good friends
· This is a disputable matter with no simple right or wrong answer. Each Christian can make their own decision on whether or not to read the books.
· It is advisable to allow only those children aged 10 and older to read the books. In addition, it may be necessary to relate the following important messages to the children.
o Have confident assurance that God is greater than all the forces of evil and fully committed to protecting those who take refuge in Him.
o Don’t be afraid of dark powers because God keeps His promises.
o Whenever we feel afraid, sense danger, or see the influence of evil, use the 3 spiritual weapons (Eph 6:10-18): (a) shield of faith – believe God’s Word and His promises, (b) sword of the Spirit – quote Bible verses out loud, (c) prayer to God in Jesus’ name, or memorize the Lord’s Prayer.
o Memory verses: Jas 4:7; 2Th 3:3; Rev 3:20; 1Jn 4:4; Jn 14:27; Jas 2:19; Dt 31:6
o offer human sacrifice
o practise divination (Ouiji board, psychics, tarot cards, crystal ball), interpret omens to discover hidden knowledge
o practise sorcery or try to use magic powers, cast spells, engage in witchcraft
o consult a medium or spiritist, offer yourself as a medium through which a spirit could communicate to others
o consult the dead
o Courage, loyalty, sacrifice, and love are treasured virtues.
o There is a reality beyond the physical existence.
o The love and sacrifice of Harry’s mother broke the power of Voldemort. Similarly, Jesus’ love and sacrifice broke the power of death.
o People search the Philosopher’s stone which gives eternal life. There is eternal life in God, and it is a free gift.