The modern tendency in the West is toward naturalism, which is the drive to give a naturalistic explanation for any and every phenomenon or event which at first sight seems to be spooky or spiritual in nature. There is some obvious benefit to this approach with the development of science and research. There are many natural phenomena which have a perfectly reasonable scientific explanation. Most notably, in the middle ages there was a lot of myth and unnecessary spiritualizing of phenomena which have since been de-mystified by advancements in scientific knowledge. But this tendency toward naturalism has come at a huge cost, especially within the Church.
In many churches there has been a massive decline in seeing the power of God setting people free from demonic captivity. There is a tendency toward psychologizing and counselling rather than prayer and deliverance. This shift is also a shift from dependence on God’s power to a dependence upon modern counselling techniques.
But there is another significant danger that has come along with this naturalistic approach, and that is a growing ignorance regarding how the demonic operates and the war which is being waged between God’s powers and Satan’s powers.
With regard to the occult, there seems to me to be a growing tendency within society and thus within the church to regard witchcraft and the occult in the category of children’s fairy-tales and fantasy. Depictions in literature and movies of the occult are presented as harmless, funny and even charming.
Within the modern feminist movement, the witch has been taken on as a symbol of the powerful, resurgent woman who now refuses to be burned.
To every Christian reading this I would say “Wake up!” When Jesus went about his ministry, he was confronting demonic agency at every turn, with spectacular exorcisms happening regularly all around him. We see the same thing in the ministry of Paul. Do you really think Satan and his demons have gone dormant since then?
Paul says in his letter,
“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.” Eph 6:12
Not only is Satan still very active in the world through deception and through persecution of the Church, Satan has human agents who do his bidding. Some of those agents do so willingly by engaging in the occult and engaging with demons very intentionally.
There are others that get drawn into the occult without always knowing what they are getting themselves into. Paul speaks into this in another of his letters,
“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.” 2 Cor 11:14,15
Satan and his demons frequently disguise themselves and conceal their true intentions and their true identity. He very rarely presents himself in all his dark evil. Like the snake in the garden, he presents himself as a sympathetic guide toward empowerment and freedom.
But make no mistake, there is absolutely nothing harmless, cute or charming about Satan and his demons! Their intent is the harm and ultimate destruction of all humanity. We need to have our wits about us and discern carefully when it comes to anything connected to the occult.
I am frequently quite shocked to see how the modern church trivializes what is quite obviously occultic in its origins and dismisses it as harmless children’s fantasies. Take Halloween for example, or Harry Potter. Both have quite overt occultic influences and origins and yet many Christian parents are happy to allow their children to participate and enjoy these in the name of harmless fun.
In the research that went into her books, Rowling (author of the Harry Potter series) references many historical occultic practices quite deliberately.[1][2] Whether or not she is aware of the dark, evil reality of witchcraft and the very real agency of Satan behind it, I cannot say. What I do know is that the effect of her literature and other media like it has been to desensitize a whole generation to the dark, evil agency of Satan at work in the world.
It is common for people who have not been informed by the truth of Scripture to be mis-informed about the realm of the occult. For example, certain occultic practices are dismissed as ‘cultural’. This often happens here in Africa where traditional ceremonies often include occultic practices such as consulting with the spirits of the dead. Witch-doctors are sometimes referred to as ‘traditional healers’.
In literature and movies there is often the false-assumption that there are good witches and bad witches or those that use their power for good and others who use it for evil. But we need to be clear on this, any spirit which is invoked for blessing or cursing that is not the Holy Spirit is – by default – an evil spirit. In the spiritual realm there are only two teams: God’s team and Satan’s team.
Mediums and spiritists have been with us from ancient history but God has always called for a clear distinction between his holy people and those who practice the occult or consult with those who practice the occult. Consider this injunction in Deuteronomy 18:10-14,
“Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD; because of these same detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.”
However mis-informed the people of this world may be regarding the occult, we as God’s people need to maintain the clear distinction between what God calls good and what he calls evil – no matter how cute or cuddly or harmless these agents of Satan may be presented to us in the media. If our children have a natural curiosity toward the world of the supernatural, let us educate and encourage them toward the only good spirit and the only power for good in the world – the one true God, revealed to us through his son, Jesus Christ.
[1] https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-20-years-tracing-history-harry-potters-witchcraft-wizardry
[2] https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-magic-that-inspired-jk-rowling-to-create-harry-potter
Epiphanies and Orthodoxy 