Years ago, I picked up a free magazine called
Well-Being Journal in a local health food store. I threw it away, but
not before saving a quote by a woman who received this bit of "wisdom" from her inner guide. She wrote,
"Many people believe in evil, sin, and dark
forces. It is your purpose to teach the opposite which is the
Truth: there is no devil, no hell, no sin, no guilt except in the
creative mind of humankind."[1]
The fact that people believe this lie suits the
devil just fine. He has always tried to blur our view of evil and sensitivity to sin. So while evidence for supernatural evil multiplies
around us, the masses deny it. Sure, they may believe in cosmic forces and
bad vibes. But sin or Satan? Such old-fashioned notions simply don't fit the
new paradigm.
Back in the nineties, our local school district held a
large public meeting to discuss Halloween festivities. Most parent were
upset by some proposed limitations on the traditional in-school celebration
of a "harmless holiday." After all, why should they listen to a small minority
of Christians who felt offended by a dead pagan religion?
A
former Wiccan priest explained that the old Celtic witchcraft that gave
birth to Halloween is anything but dead. Flourishing in today's pagan
revival, it has become an official religion with tax-exempt status.[2]
Then a few
Christian parents shared their concerns about programs that compelled
children to celebrate occult themes. They knew well that pagan symbols and
occult amusement were desensitizing children to a fast-spreading subculture
obsessed with death, spells and black magic -- not just at Halloween but all
year long.[3]
The majority booed, jeered, and refused to
listen. "These are religious objections to secular events," declared the
president of the board, Phil Faillaice. Everyone seemed to have forgotten
that a different minority had, only nine months earlier, banned Christmas
songs as offensive to their beliefs. But times have changed. By the
end of the evening, the pro-Halloween group had won its case, and the media
spread the "good" news from coast to coast.
"We have the holiday back again," declared Bay
Area witch, Zsuzsanna Budapest. "These pagan calendars are imprinted in our
genes. They cannot be taken away."[4]
"It's hard to give up a good party," added
Daniel Melia, UC Berkeley professor of Celtic languages. "Satan is a
Christian notion. This is a pre-Christian celebration."[5]
He was wrong about Satan. The Old Testament
mentions Satan fourteen times, and that doesn't include all his other names.
From beginning to end, the Bible shows how Lucifer has always been stirring
rebellion against God and hatred for His people. But then as now, the good
news outshines the bad: the evil one could never cause more trouble than God
would allow.
The clash between two worlds at Halloween is
part of the war raging in the unseen, and the enemy's strategy hasn't
changed since the Old Testament days when God warned,
"Woe to them that call evil
good, and good evil;
who put darkness for light, and light
for darkness." (Isaiah 5:20)
Merging the Minds of Man and Beast
One of today's most effective "change agents" is
Scholastic Inc. which published the Harry Potter series a decade ago. This
year it offers our schools and our children a new reading series titled
Spirit
Animals, which may prove to be just as seductive as
the Hogwarts tales. Authored by
Brandon Mull, its first book is titled Wild Born. Its back cover offers the following summary:
"In the world of Erdas, four children are
about to discover if they have a spirit animal bond, a rare
link between human and beast that gives great powers to both.
Separated by vast distances, Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan each see a
flash of light... and then the animals emerge.
"Wolf, leopard, panda, falcon. Each of the
children has summoned a beast from legend. Now their fate is set. The
four new heroes and their animals just band together on a
dangerous quest. A dark force from the past is rising and only they have
the power to stop it."[6]
In the first chapter of Wild Born, the people of Trunswick
(in a world called Erdas) are gathering in the square to watch the rare but
magical Nectar ceremony. The goal of this most sacred rite was to witness
the mystical calling of a spirit animal. If indeed the mysterious
animal appeared, the chosen person would be bound to that animal for life.
Through their mystical union, they would strengthen and equip each other for
the battles ahead.
Young Lord Devin, the spoiled son of the earl of
Trunswick, was the first to drink the mysterious Nectar. Hoping that a
spiritual transformation and a public celebration would follow, he was
angry and embarrassed when no animal answered his call.
Conor, Lord Devin's servant, did better.
When he drank the mystical, sweet nectar, a burning sensation spread through
his chest and the ground began to tremble. The sky darkened, and a brilliant
flash of light pierced that darkness. A tingling sensation spread through
his body and filled him with joy.
Suddenly a massive wolf with strange blue
eyes appeared. It padded toward Conor and licked his palm as
if he recognized the boy as his new partner. This was no ordinary wolf, for Briggan the Wolf was
already known as one of the "great Beasts."
A voice rang out in celebration: "Good people of
Trunswick! News of this day will echo across all of Erdas! In our hour of
need, Briggan has returned!"[7]
And just in time! A war was
spreading fast, and the "good" masters of magic -- be they man or beast
-- must
take their stand.
This deadly war between "good" and "evil" continues throughout the series. But remember, from a Christian perspective,
both sides are occult. The main difference is simply the fact that the
"good" side of evil seems far more less threatening to children than
the dark and scary side.
This is spiritual warfare! In reality, there's
no real separation between the light and dark side of the occult. Both lead
to corruption and separation from our God. Starting in Chapter 3 in Genesis (first book in the
Bible) we catch a glimpse of the evil forces that continue to oppress
mankind around the world.
While America's God-given Christian roots built
a moral foundation that lasted through its first centuries, that foundation
is sinking fast. Our children have a choice. If they trust God and follow His
way, they will find the peace and strength to persevere each day. But those who reject His Word
may well face the dangers below:
"We're in an impossible situation," Tarik
said. "We will not find these talismans without the great Beasts. If the
Devourer gets them, that will be the end of Erdas (the world) as we know
it."[8]
The Deadly Repetitions of the Occult
Few contemporary Christians understand Satan's
schemes better than Valerie
Duffy, a former witch. "The feast of Samhain
(sah-ween) is an unholy Sabbath observed by occultists worldwide," she told
me. Freed from the demonic forces that once controlled her life, she now
lives in an "upstate New York" community that often publicizes Wiccan coven
meetings and "full moon" celebrations. Each October, she fights -- and wins
-- a spiritual battle against oppressive forces that intensify their attacks
with the approach of Halloween.
Valerie knows all too well why Neopagans love
their unholy day. The old Celtic "sabbat" is their main feast -- a window of
time when the walls between the physical and spiritual worlds supposedly
become thin enough to allow easy crossovers. But don't think the Vigil of
Samhain was just a fun holiday. The "Lord of the Dead", Samhain himself, is
no deity to laugh at. Valerie tells us why:
"On October
31, black-cloaked Druids bearing torches would go door to door to select
humans for their New Year's sacrifice to the Lord of the Dead. In return
for the child or infant, they would leave a hollowed turnip with candle
light shining through the carved face -- a satanic counterfeit for the
biblical Passover."[9]
In the reveling that took place during
Samhain, the demons would pass over the homes "marked" by the carved
lantern. Those families had provided the required gift or sacrifice. Other
homes could be hit -- sometimes with sudden death.
Children selected for the gruesome sacrifice
were tossed into a bonfire. The Druids called it a bone-fire since only the
bones were left. From the agonizing screams of the dying, the divining
priests would foretell the future of the village.
Does the last statement sound familiar? Remember
how the shaman or medicine man in Disney's Pocahontas read the future in the
smoke from his ritual fire. When you look behind today's idealized images of
the world's pagan religions, you find some interesting similarities. Small
wonder since Satan, the mastermind behind the Druid rituals, would often
repeat the same basic strategies in many parts of the world.
|
SATAN
|
|
Genesis 3:1-7
|
Twists truth to seduce God's people
|
|
1 Chronicles 21:1
|
Prompts people to sin
|
|
Isaiah 14:12-14
|
Determines to "be like the Most High"
|
|
Luke 4:13
|
Waits for "opportune" times when we are
vulnerable |
|
Luke 8:12
|
"takes away the word out of their
hearts" |
|
Luke 13:16
|
Puts people in bondage
|
|
Luke 22:3
|
Can enter into those who reject God
|
Evil is back
Throughout history, whenever God's people traded truth for myth, they slid back into decadence.
Today we see the same downward trend reflected in newspaper headlines week
after week.
Some of the most shocking stories deal with
children who run wild. Lacking any sense of shame, three teenage boys
stabbed, strangled, and beat a 55-year-old man crippled by multiple
sclerosis -- then feasted on the spaghetti in his refrigerator. He "didn't
have a chance," concluded the Newsweek story. "The boys who allegedly
attacked him. . . were ruthless."[10]
The lack of remorse baffles law officers. Why
are both children and adults losing the old sensitivity to the horrors of
evil? Why can't they tell right from wrong?
The answer is: all of the above. People delight
in
evil. Children gleefully watch televised death scenes that might have
shocked hardened spectators in the old Roman coliseum. To those who reject
God, it feels exciting, not repulsive. And Satan is pleased.
Fictionalized evil separates people from the
reality of human suffering, which is just what the evil one intended.
Many become spectators rather than participants in real community life.
Eventually, both real and imagined violence becomes significant only as
entertainment.
Some years ago, I talked with a nurse involved
with holistic medicine. Jane and her husband had learned an holistic form
of massage therapy that seemed to relieve her back pain, at least for a
while. Like the Chinese
ch'i
and the Hindu prana (taught at a
Re-Imagining conference), a spiritual force would flow through
their hands, bringing healing by balancing their energies. But as the time
passed, Jane grew more and more dependent on her husband's treatment. Each
time he massaged, the pain would fade. But the pain-free periods between
massages grew shorter while the pain that soon followed grew more intense.
She became desperate for lasting relief.
Lying in bed one night, Jane sensed something
dark approach her. Terrified, she cried out, "In the name of Jesus, get out
of here!" The unearthly presence left, but Jane and her husband realized
that something was terribly wrong. What had they done to invite this kind of
demonic manifestation?
After a brief search, they found a pastor who
helped them understand the occult links to holistic healing. Like Valerie,
they had to confess, renounce and stop all the practices they had learned to
trust. Guess what happened to Jane's back? God healed it. When she chose to
trust and follow Him, He set her free.
"Now thanks be unto God, which
always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour
of his knowledge by us in every place."
2 Corinthians 2:14
