Difference between revisions of "Occult"

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:“When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire [an ancient occult practice], or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination [detestable] to the LORD…”<ref>Deuteronomy 18:9-12a (KJV).</ref>
 
:“When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire [an ancient occult practice], or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination [detestable] to the LORD…”<ref>Deuteronomy 18:9-12a (KJV).</ref>
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A '''wizard''' is a person that possesses occult powers. The term is derived from the Middle English word for "wise". Wizards are condemned by the Bible:
 
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:"And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people."<ref>Leviticus 20:6 (KJV), although this verse refers more properly to "those who would seek special knowledge through the spirits of the dead, whether the dead in general or dead relatives in particular" (NET, Leviticus 19, note 52).</ref>
 
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==

Revision as of 03:29, October 27, 2008

An occult thing is something that is clandestine, hidden, or secret. The word comes from the Latin occultus, meaning "knowledge of the hidden". Webster's defines the verb occult thus: "To shut off from view or exposure."[1]

In modern usage, "occult" refers to any one of a number of supernatural practices. These may include tarot cards, ouija boards, psychic powers, witchcraft, charms and spells of various forms, voodoo, some pagan rituals, demonology and divining for resources. (This list is not exhaustive.)

Many of these practices are widely regarded as superstition with no functional basis, and thus ineffective - the divination rituals will provide no insight into the future, the spells have no influence and the demons will not appear. However, the occult does have fervent believers. Further, the presence of warnings in the Bible against various practices that would now be regarded as occult demonstrates there is a level of truth and real danger behind them.

Many Christians see the occult as being profoundly evil, criminal, destructive, life threatening, and/or Satanic. Some Christians take this further, and argue that even fictional depictions of occult practices (such as fantasy books) or non-supernatural recreations (magicians' performances) may be dangerous.

Concerning occult practices, the Israelites were told:

“When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire [an ancient occult practice], or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination [detestable] to the LORD…”[2]

Notes

  1. ↑ http://m-w.com/dictionary/occult
  2. ↑ Deuteronomy 18:9-12a (KJV).
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