Going Against God.."Just For Fun"

[Bonnie]

In your opinion are the two related or not?



By Marsha West (08/22/2006)

Today we’re hearing a lot about Spiritism or Spiritualism, not to be confused with spiritual or spirituality, as in “I’m not religious, I’m spiritual,” or “I’m into spirituality.” The term Spiritism has replaced what was once called animism and other religious practices involving the invocation of spiritual beings. Some religions meld Spiritualism with Christianity. For example, a blend of Christian and African folk beliefs that originated in Brazil is now practiced in the U.S. Spiritualism is much the same as Spiritism only it has adopted Christian rites and prayers. People visiting Spiritualistic services can be misled into thinking they’re Christian churches. The problem is, Christianity cannot be melded with any other religion or practice.

One of the major tenets of Spiritism is reincarnation. The classic form of reincarnation originated in India in the 9th century BC. In our modern world reincarnation has become a hot topic. There are a variety of beliefs on reincarnation the most popular being that upon death the spirit leaves the body and seeks another body to enter. Belief in reincarnation gives hope for continuing one’s existence in further lives to work off one’s karma.

Ask Christians flowing out the doors of a Sunday worship service if they believe in reincarnation and many will give you a cavalier “Yes,” like its no big deal. But it is a big deal. The big deal is that reincarnation rejects the Christian belief of the soul’s final judgment by a holy God, with the possible result of being condemned to hell for eternity. Nowhere in the Bible does God give us the option of working off our karma. The Bible clearly explains what happens upon death: “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

Christians must view sorcery as evil. When the Apostle Paul came face to face with Elymas, a Jewish sorcerer, he called him a “child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right.” Paul accused Elymas of perverting the right ways of the Lord. (Acts 13: 10) Through the Holy Spirit, Paul caused Elymas to go blind. Not only did he put out the sorcerers eyes, he put him out of a job. When it came to confronting evil, Paul never backed down, never hesitated, wavered or vacillated. He had all the subtlety of a sledgehammer when going after evildoers.

God forbids participation in occultism for our own protection. Its roots are steeped in pagan idolatry and drug use. Sorcery is all about the quest for ‘hidden wisdom’ or ‘deeper truth.’ This sort of supernatural knowledge is only meant for certain people, of course. We call those who possess supernatural power (power is what its all about) shamans, witchdoctors, clairvoyants, trance channelers, spiritists, and the list goes on. So, how does a spiritist go about getting in contact with the spirit world? They claim they receive radiation, frequencies or vibrations from the dead. “Communication from the spirit world manifests itself in psychical phenomena (e.g., telepathy, clairvoyance, trance speaking, and apparitions) and in physical phenomena (e.g., levitation, automatic writing, and poltergeist and ectoplasmic activities).” (1)

In the Bible God instigates the communication, not man. Generally He uses angels as His envoys to humans. Not a lot is known about angels, either the elect or the fallen. What we do know from biblical accounts is that on occasion God sent His holy elect angels to Earth to deliver messages. He also sent angles to minister to people, protect them, and execute His judgment. Their only aim is to glorify God’s holy Name and to accomplish His will.

There are also fallen angels. Lucifer/Satan is the most notorious of the lot. The Bible refers to the fallen angels as demons, spirits of darkness and evil spirits. They rebelled against God and fell from grace. As a consequence they were hurled out of heaven, lock stock and barrel. Theologian John Mac Arthur tells us what happened next: “At that point, Satan gained the rulership of the world, and the term world took on a third meaning: the evil system opposed to God that now dominates this planet. The system that Satan began will continue to develop up to the time period known as the Great Tribulation.” (2)

Christianity and Spiritism have nothing in common whatsoever. Can you trust God and Satan at the same time? The Apostle Paul put it this way: “What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? What fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Beliel?” (2 Corinthians 6:13-15) The answer is obvious: Nothing.

Christianity is defined by relationship, not religion. Christians are those who have a personal relationship with the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Spiritists have a relationship, not with Jesus Christ, but with disembodied spirits. Instead of choosing to serve the Son of God, they choose instead to serve the Prince of Darkness -- aka the devil.

More than likely the spirits who speak through the mouths of the willing are demons or evil spirits. People who get themselves into a trance state with the purpose of channeling spirits are inviting spirit possession. Granted, some channelers are nothing more than good actors, writing a script as they go along. They are charlatans who are in it for money or fame or both. But many channelers are dupes that allow their bodies to be used by spirit entities to spew anti-Christian propaganda.

The Bible tells us to, “Test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). We are also told to flee (run like a maniac) from the devil who “prowls around like a roaring lion waiting to devour.” Picture a lion hiding in the bush waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting wildebeest. The devil’s the hungry lion, only he’s waiting to pounce on God’s people! Unfortunately Christians don’t obey God’s command to flee from the devil, which is why Christianity is in the sorry state it’s in today.

Far too many Christians are unaware that the Lord quite literally detests all forms of sorcery. There are no exceptions. Even astrology is banned for believers. Doesn’t matter if it’s done “just for fun.” One cannot be a Baptist on Sunday and a spiritist the rest of the week.
Which brings me to two blogs I recently stumbled on. Both bloggers say they’re Christians. They also share their Zodiac signs with visitors to their site. One studies Christian apologetics; the other is a youth pastor. Gullible young people visit this pastor’s site and learn that he’s a Gemini. Fortunately he doesn’t include discernment as one of his “spiritual gifts.” It’s pretty obvious that neither one of these men have taken the time to read Leviticus 19:26, Deuteronomy 18:9-12, Exodus 22:18 and other such passages. Apparently they do take the time to read their astrological forecast.

http://americandaily.com/article/15212

 

[Nienna]

I know and believe that God detests sorcery. But, here's a weird thing... It seems to me that many people's personalities really DO follow their astrological signs. Not that I believe in foretelling the future, but I wonder why it seems like the personality part of astrology seems to fit many times.

 

[Bonnie]

I know and believe that God detests sorcery. But, here's a weird thing... It seems to me that many people's personalities really DO follow their astrological signs. Not that I believe in foretelling the future, but I wonder why it seems like the personality part of astrology seems to fit many times.

Maybe it's just so generic it could apply to any one of us??

 

[Nienna]

Maybe it's just so generic it could apply to any one of us??

Certainly possible, although I have read pretty detailed descriptions of personality traits of the astrological signs. (I dated a guy who was into it.) And people I know who have some very similar personalities turn out to have birthdays near each other.

However, I do not advocate relying on astrology. Just wondering if there actually IS a correlation.

 

[Abbey Normal]

I think Horoscopes in themselves are pretty harmless, but as with many things, it's important not to get pulled in to getting involved with the more serious stuff.

 

[CharlestonChad]

So does the Bible acknowledge that sorcery is an actual power that the devil uses?

 

[Hobbit]

So does the Bible acknowledge that sorcery is an actual power that the devil uses?

I looked it up once. Sorcery just isn't that good of a translation of what they're talking about when the English version says 'sorcery.' However, the word doesn't really translate into English, so they left it as is and some Bibles put in a footnote. When it says 'sorcery' in the Bible, it's talking about either a certain set of pagan rituals or poison making. I can't remember which.

 

[Nienna]

I looked it up once. Sorcery just isn't that good of a translation of what they're talking about when the English version says 'sorcery.' However, the word doesn't really translate into English, so they left it as is and some Bibles put in a footnote. When it says 'sorcery' in the Bible, it's talking about either a certain set of pagan rituals or poison making. I can't remember which.

Do you remember the verses? I would like to look it up.

 

[Nienna]

This was kinda interesting...

http://www.doesgodexist.org/SepOct05/ChristianityandtheScamofSorcery.html

 

[Bonnie]

This was kinda interesting...

http://www.doesgodexist.org/SepOct05/ChristianityandtheScamofSorcery.html

It is interesting how the Wican's see themselves as benign when they practive witchcraft (sorcery) yet christianity tells us we are not to use witchcraft, because that is replacing prayer and elevating ourselves to the level of God (pride which is the Devils domain). It's very easy to give into temptation and want total control over our own lives by using means other than prayer. I suppose it's a matter of trust, faith, and humility not to give in.

 

[1549]

Sorcery, superstition, and even astrology can be very powerful on a person's mind. A sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. It is not that they actually work...it is that the mind makes them work.

If a person is told that they are cursed to die, they may very well cease normal living functions...maybe to the point that they actually do die. Superstition is probably not real, but I can remember when I played baseball that I did not want to step up to the plate without a routine. Breaking the routine led to a drop in confidence which meant a decline in results.

 

[Hobbit]

There's a fine line between parlor trick and a scam. I see so many Christians who live in mortal fear of violating some petty witchcraft rule by watching David Blain be wierd, but I say that if you realize the Statue of Libery didnt actually dissappear, that a Ouiji board is just cardboard and plastic, and that Dungeons and Dragons is just paper and dice, its no big deal. Its when people start believing crap like Miss Cleo and John Edward (biggest douce in the universe) that you're crossing a dangerous line.

I think that article is dead on. Since the decline of Christianity in the West, we have seen a huge rise in phone psychics and douces like John Edward claiming to talk to the dead. People's faith is so weak that they even bought all that BS in The DaVinci Code. It's sad what people will believe while at the same time claiming that Christianity is a bunch of rubbish.

 

[1549]

There's a fine line between parlor trick and a scam. I see so many Christians who live in mortal fear of violating some petty witchcraft rule by watching David Blain be wierd, but I say that if you realize the Statue of Libery didnt actually dissappear, that a Ouiji board is just cardboard and plastic, and that Dungeons and Dragons is just paper and dice, its no big deal. Its when people start believing crap like Miss Cleo and John Edward (biggest douce in the universe) that you're crossing a dangerous line.

I think that article is dead on. Since the decline of Christianity in the West, we have seen a huge rise in phone psychics and douces like John Edward claiming to talk to the dead. People's faith is so weak that they even bought all that BS in The DaVinci Code. It's sad what people will believe while at the same time claiming that Christianity is a bunch of rubbish.

Did you read The DaVinci Code?

 

[Bullypulpit]

It's just another case of religious demagoguery. The Bible is a wonderful piece of allegory, but don't take it or any other religions writings, literally. That's when the yahoos start making trouble by claiming their way is the only way and everyone else can go to hell...literally.

 

[CharlestonChad]

This was kinda interesting...

http://www.doesgodexist.org/SepOct05/ChristianityandtheScamofSorcery.html

Anyone who starts off an article with such an unintelligent comment should not be take seriously. I read the first sentence and then quit.

 

[mattskramer]

It is all a bunch of wishful thinking coupled with overactive imaginations. I often asked fortunetellers and the like for specifics. They tried to lead me in providing some information for one reason or another, but I kept myself pokerfaced. They could not tell me anything specific. Look. Why have practically none of these “gifted” people won the lottery? I’m sorry but it really gets to me when I see these psychics practically rob the most desperate and gullible of people from their money. Everything remotely associated with them (star readers, those who speak with the dead, quigi boards, tarot cards, fortune telling, palm reading, séances, horoscopes etc. is, at beat, a silly expensive waste of time. At worst, it is a tool for cruel and opportunistic people to use for nothing less than thievery.

Check out http://www.randi.org/

Also see http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/

 

[CharlestonChad]

It is all a bunch of wishful thinking coupled with overactive imaginations. I often asked fortunetellers and the like for specifics. They tried to lead me in providing some information for one reason or another, but I kept myself pokerfaced. They could not tell me anything specific. Look. Why have practically none of these “gifted” people won the lottery? I’m sorry but it really gets to me when I see these psychics practically rob the most desperate and gullible of people from their money. Everything remotely associated with them (star readers, those who speak with the dead, quigi boards, tarot cards, fortune telling, palm reading, séances, horoscopes etc. is, at beat, a silly expensive waste of time. At worst, it is a tool for cruel and opportunistic people to use for nothing less than thievery.

Check out http://www.randi.org/

Also see http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/

How is any of that different than any other religion in the world? Exploitation of the poor and uneducated seems to be a common theme.

 

[Hobbit]

Did you read The DaVinci Code?

Yeah, and it was a mediocre mystery novel with a whole bunch of horse hockey in it. Even the 'facts' page was wrong. I don't even see why people like the book. It isn't even well written, yet it spawned all this talk about Jesus and 'his decendants' and the early church and some huge cover-up about Jesus' divinity of all things. There was even a resurgance in sales of the gnostic gospels, which are about as credible as if somebody today wrote what 'really' happened at the Lincoln assassination. What's worse is that sooooo many people think it's true, and when I get irritated about it, so many people try to tell me, "It's just a book." That's what I keep trying to tell the numbskulls who believe it, and it isn't even a good book.

 

[Eightball]

Sorcery, superstition, and even astrology can be very powerful on a person's mind. A sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. It is not that they actually work...it is that the mind makes them work.

If a person is told that they are cursed to die, they may very well cease normal living functions...maybe to the point that they actually do die. Superstition is probably not real, but I can remember when I played baseball that I did not want to step up to the plate without a routine. Breaking the routine led to a drop in confidence which meant a decline in results.

I think that is an astute observation.

 

[Eightball]

Getting back to the original article, the term "being spiritual" has morphed into a state of being with individuals where they seem to think that they have some sort of sensitivity to the invisible world.

Just tune into George Norrey, or Art Bell, and this mish-mash of spiritualism is growing at phenomenal rates.
*
I know that in the bible, it specifically states that in the end times, many people will be led-away by false Christs, false doctrines, false miracles(UFO's)..........deceptions of all sorts, yet these folks will emphatically reject the real God, Creator, Saviour who humbly entered human life 2,000 years ago, to fullfill a marvelous plan to save their very souls.
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The funny or sad thing about us humans is that humility or humbleness that seems to characterize true Christian conversion, doesn't seem to typify those that brandish a type of self-proclaimed spirituality.

In fact, many that proclaim to have a spiritual temperment seem to reject Christian doctrine more-so than those that live agnostically.

Knowledge can be a good thing, but it also can "puff" up a person too. The same goes with those that feel they have some kind of spiritual connection with the unseen.
......
Spiritualism follows the typical mantra that "I'm ok, and your ok". There's no judgement or identifying of sin or evil; people just live at levels or degrees of connectiveness with a vague creator power/presence.

In many ways, the current spiritual interest in non-Christians, seems to have similiar characteristics to animism, and or witchcraft. Basically it's a worship of the earth, as though this terrestrial ball has some life in itself. This gradually leads to conjuring, of spirits.....etc.

Spiritualism leads to a hardening of the soul towards the acceptance of a Christian doctrine. Why? As stated in the bible, "darkness and light" can't exist in the same place.

Christ's life was like a bright, white light, that illuminated all the darkness in man's soul. Man either hardened his soul or fell down and wept at the knowledge and truth of his revealed, and fallen spiritual condition.