![]() Participation in the occult does not have only internal, spiritual consequences. Communicating with spirits can show a lack of focus on God, believing that a relationship with Him is insufficient. And in the New Testament, Paul condemned the magicians and encouraged them to destroy their idols (Acts 19:18-20). His death the next day indicates God’s displeasure: “Saul died because of his treason against the Lord in disobeying his word, and also because he had sought counsel from a ghost, rather than from the Lord” (1 Chr. Anyone who does such things is an abomination to the Lord” (18:10-12).Įlsewhere in the Bible, we see the example of King Saul communicating with the dead through a medium. ![]() The Book of Deuteronomy, for instance, offers an explicit condemnation: “Let there not be found among you anyone who causes their son or daughter to pass through the fire, or practices divination, or is a soothsayer, augur, or sorcerer, or who casts spells, consults ghosts and spirits, or seeks oracles from the dead. ![]() The Scriptures frequently warn against it as a form of idolatry that is contrary to the First Commandment. They contradict the honor, respect and loving fear that we owe to God alone” (CCC 2116).Ĭommunicating with the unseen world, often called the occult, is as old as time. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. The Catechism teaches, “All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to ‘unveil’ the future. These activities, whether communicating with spirits or relying on horoscopes and tarot cards to tell the future, can have a negative spiritual impact. And if people look to the spiritual, they too often turn to superstition, magic or the occult. In an increasingly secular society, we can easily fail to see spiritual realities – whether good or bad. These always seemed to me to be just entertainment, but now I understand the Church believes these can be dangerous. ![]() A long time ago, as a young person, I played with tarot cards and a Ouija board. ![]()
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