What Is The Occult? - Part 1
“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness,
but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11)
A few weeks ago I posted a short write-up on Facebook
about the Occult. There was a great deal
of interest expressed and several people requested that I write a more in-depth
article on this subject. So now, I bring you Part 1 of a two Part series on the occult.
I have studied this topic at some length and, although
I’m not proud of the fact, I experimented with the occult for a couple of years
early in my life.
Even today, many people dabble in the mystical, occultic
arts. Is there anything wrong with being
involved in these practices? Yes! The Bible
takes a clear position on this subject, strongly denouncing these practices. God created us and therefore owns us. He has a right to set the rules for our lives.
God’s Word indicates that these practices are part of Satan’s
strategy of evil tricks and deception,
designed to lead us astray.
Satan
and his demons
are real beings set on our destruction. Christians
are warned to, “Put on the full armor of
God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:11-12)
So, what is the Occult?
The word, “occult,” is derived from the Latin word, occultus, which means things that are “mysterious,
hidden, and very secretive.” Angelic and
demonic forces play a large part in the practices which make up a part of the
occultic world. Some of those practices involve
the use of astrology, fortune telling, the Ouija Board, spirit channeling, witchcraft,
spiritualism,
extra-sensory perception and numerology.
There
is often a strong religious element to these studies and beliefs, and many
occultists profess adherence to religions such as Gnosticism, Satanism, and Neo-paganism
because all of them fall into the category of being practiced in secret, and
considered very mysterious. By one’s
involvement in these they hope to gain power and/or ability to make decisions
and reach any number of goals. Some
occult practices rely on demons or “spirits” to achieve those goals.
Practitioners of the Occult are rapidly increasing
throughout the world. There are now
thousands of publishers of occultic books and magazines, not to mention Web
sites. Interest in the occult has been
promoted by the New Age movement, the rise of Neo-paganism, and in movies and
music. There are countless practices
around the world that might be labeled as the occult.
The occult can be divided into the categories of
sorcery/magic, divination, and Spiritism. Adherents of these various occultic practices
mix various aspects of these so you
will often see an overlap between many of them. Let’s look at a few of those:
Sorcery/magic: Calling on spirits
for power; practicing techniques or doing rituals to gain unseen power(s)
and/or to manipulate energy in order to bring about a desired result. Occultists may consider these powers to be
natural forces in the universe, not supernatural. The concept is that it is one’s belief,
vision and/or spiritual status which enables one to access and use these
forces.
Divination: Using a tool or method
to access information beyond the five sense about the past, present &
future; and/or reading hidden meanings into symbols or pictures such as the use
of tarot cards; crystal balls; astrology: (predictions by the planets or moon;
horoscopes; sometimes referred to as “observing times” in the Old Testament);
psychic techniques; numbers (numerology); tea leaf reading; geomancy; automatic
writing; reading the symbols of Runes or the I Ching and looking for omens. Fortune-telling, necromancy,
familiar spirits, wizardry, channeling, clairvoyance.
Spiritism:
Attempting to contact spirit beings such as angels, demons, the dead, ascended
masters, or others thought to be in a non-physical form. Tools and techniques include the Ouija Board,
channeling, meditation, visualization, drugs, or automatic writing. Channeling is when a person allows a spirit
to speak through him/her.
A self-induced
hypnosis or trance state: Considered necessary for many occult
practices. This trance state, also
called an altered state of consciousness, is often achieved through meditation,
drugs, chanting, yoga body positions, breathing techniques, repetitive motions
or words, or focus on a divination tool.
Energy Healing: Summoning,
manipulating, or channeling a non-physical energy for healing overlaps with
both sorcery and Spiritism. Energy
healers have spirit guides (fallen angels whom they believe to be
benevolent). Some forms of energy
healing include Reiki, Healing Touch, and Therapeutic Touch.
Drugs:
Especially hallucinogens, are used to cause an altered state of consciousness
or hypnotic trance in many occult practices as a way to enhance supposed vision
and paranormal ability, or as a way to contact spirits or gods. This state is perceived as a higher spiritual
awareness than normal daily awareness.
Witchcraft/Wicca and Neo-paganism: Neo-paganism or paganism is an umbrella term for a variety of contemporary
belief systems, including witchcraft & Wicca, which revere nature and which
practice goddess worship and/or polytheism. Nature is viewed as sacred and the earth is a
living organism. All living things and
people are linked by one unseen life force, sometimes interpreted to be the
goddess. Rituals are performed to harmonize one’s self with nature by observing
seasonal changes and moon phases, and occult practices such as divination and
casting spells are common. There is no belief
in Satan or sin, and the goddess is sometimes considered symbolic.
The experiential aspect has a very strong appeal. The “moral code” of witchcraft/Wicca
is, “If it harms none, do what you
will…” (Scott Cunningham, The Truth About Witchcraft,
[Llewellyn, 1994], p. 46; Teresa Moorey, Witchcraft, A Beginner’s Guide,
[Hodder & Stoughton, 1996], p. 6). Neo-pagan religions are sometimes called
earth religions. There are many
variations in practices among the followers of these beliefs, and the structure
varies from very loose to a more traditional hierarchy of leaders, teaching,
and initiating novices. Beliefs might
incorporate Eastern religions, or Celtic paganism. Beliefs and practices tend to be fluid. Some followers are lone practitioners and are
not affiliated with any group. While
Neopaganism is a distinct category from the occult, occult practices are
popular among Neo-pagans/Witches/Wiccans.
Satanism: Contemporary
Satanism is mostly atheistic, having been influenced by Anton La Vey (founder
of the Church of Satan in San Francisco, 1966) and his Satanic Bible,
although there are Satanists who worship Satan or honor him. Satanists who see Satan
as symbolic distinguish themselves from those who worship Satan, whom they may
call “devil worshipers.” To
atheistic Satanists, Satan represents serving the self and the rejection of
rules or morals imposed from without.
Individualism is extolled. Rock star Marilyn Manson said that Lucifer
was cast out of heaven because “he chose to be an individual instead of
mindlessly following the herd….Be your own leader; think for yourself,”
(Propaganda, Issue No. 24, p. 40), an attitude that fits the postmodern age of
no absolute truth or moral standards.
Some Satanists are involved in ritual magic (sorcery),
drugs, and occult divination. Modern
Satanists who practice ritual magic often follow the teachings of
occultist/magician Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) whose most significant work, The Book of the Law, contains the Law of
Thelema: “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law,” (Rosemary
Ellen Guiley, The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft, [New York: Facts on
File, 1989], p.76). Satanism is a distinct category from the occult but some
Satanists use occult practices.
Pantheism: It
is the view that God is everything and everyone, and that everyone and
everything is God. Pantheism is similar to polytheism (the belief in many
gods), but goes beyond polytheism to teach that everything is God. A tree is God, a rock is God, an animal is
God, the sky is God, the sun is God, you are God, etc. Pantheism is the supposition behind many cults
and false religions (e.g., Hinduism and Buddhism to an extent, the various
unity and unification cults, and “mother nature” worshipers).
Polytheism: Polytheism is the belief
that there are many gods. Breaking the
word down, “poly” comes from the Greek word for “many,” and “theism” from the
Greek word for “God.” The best-known
example of polytheism in ancient times is Greek/Roman mythology (Zeus, Apollo,
Aphrodite, Poseidon, etc.). The clearest
modern example of polytheism is Hinduism, which has over 330 million gods.
Although Hinduism is, in essence, pantheistic, it does hold to beliefs in many
gods. It is interesting to note that
even in polytheistic religions, one god usually reigns supreme over the other
gods, for example, Zeus in Greek/Roman mythology and Brahman in Hinduism.
Syncretism: Religious syncretism
often takes place when foreign beliefs are introduced to an indigenous belief
system and the teachings are blended. The
new, mixed religion then takes a shape of its own. This has been seen most clearly in Roman
Catholic missionary history. Take, for
example, the Roman Catholic Church’s evangelizing of animistic South America. Sometimes Christianity is mixed with
occult, New Age or Eastern beliefs. The
occult often misuses Christian prayer, phrases, or concepts.
Syncretism relies on the whim of man, not the standard of Scripture. The Bible makes it very clear what true
religion is. The scriptures remind us
to, “Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Deuteronomy
6:5; Matthew 22:37) and in John 14:6, Jesus
replied, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me.” (John 14:6)
Animism: Elements
of animism are present in many false religions including Hinduism, Mormonism
and all New Age cults. False religion
always teaches in some way that the spirit within human beings is really God
and the practices of the religion will help us to realize this and develop the
god-spirit so that we, too, may be God. This is the same old lie Satan has been
propagating since the Garden of Eden when he tempted Adam and Eve by telling
them, “…and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5)
There are many more beliefs that fit under the “occult”
heading, but too many to cover here. I
hope this broad overview gives you enough information to understand the issues
we struggle with as believers in the One True God.
Can God change your life?
God has made it possible for you
to know Him, and experience an amazing
change in your own life.
Discover how you can find peace
with God.
