Question 88 – What is Christianity's view of the occult?

Magic is a very popular term that we come across at almost every turn. We come across various aspects of magic and witchcraft in many films, children's fairy tales, computer games, printed periodicals, alternative medicine, and possibly in some courses dealing with personal development. The Internet is saturated with various instructions showing how to discover your supernatural power, how to do magic, how to attract happiness and luck, and so on. In essence, it is a very attractive offer and an exciting concept that is being dealt with here. It is something that I formerly succumbed to. Is magic, in this case, a part of the world of evil or good?

If we are going to be able to reliably answer this question, we must define it more concisely. There is the reality of a certain complication given the fact that we are dealing with a general term here, and that it does not have a more widely acknowledged definition or division. Further more, magic merges with other terms such as occultism, hermaphroditism, shamanism, witchcraft, and so on. For this reason, I will have to commit a certain generalization and simplification that wizards themselves or followers of various groups that practice witchcraft would not agree with. Nevertheless, I do this with the knowledge that it is not necessary to understand the wide-ranged approaches to magic since there is a common nature hidden behind all magic practices.

A definition of magic

If we would like to understand magic in a rational way, we can describe it as the attempt to control and use supernatural power (potentially God himself) to fulfil personal desires and needs. In other words, the attempt to change reality according to one's own purposes. This is accomplished by using various rituals, incantations, magic formulas, and with the help of magic objects. The result can be healing or the summoning of illnesses, curses or the cancellation of curses, conjuring up love or hate, summoning riches and harvests, summoning death or blessing, and so on. The centre of focus is on the person, the wizard or witch who desires to control the individual or other people. In other words, they themselves want to be god.

Divisions of magic

Cultural anthropologists and wizards themselves promote/propose various divisions of magic according to multiple aspects. Sometimes the geographical aspect is determinative, at other times it is the goal itself or the means that are necessary for that specific goal. I have allowed myself to divide magic as follows:

1. White magic – This is the type of magic that is considered to be ethical and good – the goal is to either help someone else or to induce one's own personal benefit without hurting anyone or causing damage in any way. One can come across the practice of this type of magic by so called "healers".
2. Black magic – using magic in an aggressive way with the goal of hurting someone against his/her will, harming someone, calling curses on another, or actually killing someone. Voodoo is one specific sphere that is probably the most feared form of this evil magic.
3. Love magic – People try to summon love, renew and spice up relationships, or negatively influence, destroy or break down relationships by this method.
4. Magic of prosperity (money) – The attempt to gain prosperity, riches, or harvests.

What is the origin of this magic?

"When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God, for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and diviners. But as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do this." (Deuteronomy 18:9-15)

If we were to look for a word that is opposite to magic and give a more detailed definition to show the contrast, the word would be prayer. Prayer, in and of itself, is an expression of submission to God and a relationship with God through which personal needs are placed as desires and requests. It is never an attempt to manipulate God. Jesus' example, "not my will but Your will be done." is the heart of prayer. Even from this definition and the verses quoted above, it can be clearly seen that magic, as such, is irreconcilable with Christianity and objectively expresses its polar opposite! Witchcraft and the use of magic is, therefore, either consciously or unconsciously co-operation with the demonic world. Many wizards openly confess that they use the power of spiritual beings or even say they use demons outrightly. Others try to ascribe a different origin, for example, a hidden inner power, cosmic energy, and so on. However, if we look at this sphere through the lens of Christianity, it is immediately clear that demonic powers are being dealt with here. The conviction that the magic that helps people (white magic) must be good because it brings people love and good is not even a valid point here. I am not denying that it can certainly bring some short-term advantages, however, it will certainly take its toll. Magic sometimes even comes as a form of Christianity. Witches can use expressions like "God" and "Jesus", or they may even use Christian symbols and such. However, the person who knows the Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ can be quite clear that he/she is dealing with a false attempt to join the irreconcilable. It is, therefore, a very sad reality that magic has made its way into many Christian circles. It is important to note that this is often the case where the message of the Bible has not been taken too seriously and a hypocritical religion is being conducted/practised.

These words of the apostle Paul are a warning for such people:

"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5: 19-21)

Therefore, there is no such thing as good or bad magic, because both of these "forms" carry the desire to control God, manipulate him for their goals and become gods themselves. Seeking the right goals in the wrong way is destructive for both the one who practices it as well as for those who find themselves under the influences of its spell.

The gate of evil

Let me dare to say that magic as such has been the primary weapon of Satan and all demons since the beginning of human history. The supernatural abilities that have been granted these fallen angels and by which they rule is, for them, something like a spiritual loan-shark business. They provide a small loan, however, they take back multiple times more, almost more than those who have been deceived are able to pay back. Then a series of spiritual bailiffs come, then bankruptcy and death. I have already said that God has greatly limited their activities and has set boundaries on their influence on humanity which they cannot cross. Nevertheless, magic is one of the primary gates through which demons enter the realm of humanity and into individual lives. The more that we are under the influence of magic and the occult, the greater right the demons have of influencing our lives. Sorcerers want to gain supernatural power that belongs to God alone. If a person places himself/herself in God's place and claims this power, he has made his/her way into forbidden territory. No matter how convinced a person is that he/she controls the magic powers, the sad reality is, however, the fact that rather than controlling these magic powers, a person gradually becomes controlled more and more by these occultic powers themselves.

In the introductory question of this chapter, several basic questions by which we can measure the compatibility of any kind of supernatural experience with Christianity were given. If we ask these questions in relation to magic, we discover that almost all show themselves to be clearly and entirely against Christ. Magic does not glorify God; it looks for its own good; it circumvents God; it does not point others to the person of Jesus Christ, and denies the necessity of his sacrifice. At the same time, it produces destructive fruit in the lives of the sorcerer as well as the people in his/her sphere of influence.

There is another way

Does the supernatural fascinate you? Would you like to help others? Are you tired of materialism and desire something that is greater than you are? If you are looking for all of this in the occult simply because you do not know of anything else, I want to show you another way. It is life with God. He is the only legitimate source of supernatural power. God gives his faithful and obedient children the authority to exorcise demons, heal and do many other things in the name of Jesus. This power does not come from us but is bestowed on us by God. Not even this reality, however, should be the motivation for people to become Christians. The primary motivation should be the desire for forgiveness and for God himself. All other advantages that flow from this relationship are secondary – by-products of faith. God does not give this power to us for our own pleasure/enjoyment or to raise our egos, but for building his kingdom and the salvation of the lost. If then, you become a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will not have a boring life without a supernatural reach.

Scientific scepticism

I would like to comment, at least in brief, on the materialistic viewpoint that disputes that there is any kind of supernatural world, including the existence of God as such. Many scientific gurus and sceptics claim that there are no supernatural abilities and that no such phenomena exist. Summons challenging people to demonstrate occultic abilities and promising large sums (in one case $1,000,000) have even been given [1]. Despite this fact, there are no known results made public that the scientific community has accepted as a witness of supernatural power as far as I know. Sceptics very often start their arguments from experience with charlatans in the area of sorcery. Nevertheless, I believe that the supernatural is real. How then should these arguments be settled?

There are occultists who make references to many successful attempts of proof on the other hand. Despite many phenomena being caught in photos or on videos, they cannot be recognised as real because to belong under the heading of scientific proof/evidence means that it is something that can be be repeated and verified under specific conditions. It is also necessary to realise that it is possible that most occultists do not desire publicity. Along with these points, in my opinion, the answer is basically quite simple – the fact that supernatural abilities are not acknowledged/substantiated by rational science would indicate that no unintelligent and impersonal supernatural abilities exist. Of course, not even Christians believe this. We Christians believe that these abilities are the activity of intelligent spiritual powers. Therefore, as long as someone thinks that he/she can put a demon in a test tube, he/she is mistaken. It is like making a public announcement that we are expecting a burglary, placing cameras throughout the house, dispatching a unit of policemen to surround it and then expecting the burglar to come and burgle the house. As I stated earlier, supernatural phenomena are used by demons to mask themselves, their deception, and intentions. To be honest, I do not know why they use this camouflage and do not want to let themselves be caught. We could certainly find many possibilities to solve this interesting question, however, I do not consider it to be important. The fundamental truth is that in spite of the high number of charlatans and deceivers, powers and abilities that are not natural to people exist but are very dangerous for them.

Summation

The occult is a very popular phenomenon rooted in ancient times and has gained popularity in our days. It deals with behaviour condemned by God because it is through the occult that people come into contact (whether aware of it or not) with the unseen world of demons and unfriendly powers against God. Therefore, Christianity stands against it absolutely and rejects it. Christians serve a living God and they cannot have any part in it.