Saturday, 30 October 2010
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Paranormal Fascinations: The Truth About Ghosts, Witches and the Occult
By Bonnie at Faith Barista“Any paranormal event is honestly nothing more than smoke and mirrors, designed to frighten but with no real power to harm you or your family.
The real danger is giving demonic spirits more attention than they deserve. Choose to focus on God instead.”
~ Kristine Mcguire from “Escaping The Cauldron”
Have you ever wanted to reach beyond the living world and make contact with the supernatural?
An old fashioned word for seeking out paranormal activity is ghost hunting. It’s actually in vogue nowadays with successful cable shows like VH1’s Celebrity Paranormal Project and A&E’s Paranormal State. It’s big business hiring people as professional ghost busters, except it’s not a comedy starring Bill Murray or Harold Ramis as Egon.
As first time author Kristine Mcguire chronicles in her book, “Escaping The Cauldron“, becoming a Christian witch and ghost hunter started out exciting, but eventually led to an eight year life ensnared in the occult, obsessed with dangerous demonic spirits.
When I first got a review copy of ETC, I was skeptical of the pairing of words “Christian” and “witch”. Why would a real believer in Jesus Christ pursue powers of darkness or want to dabble with sorcery?
As the author described her desire for something beyond the mundane and isolation of everyday life, I began to understand how mystery and adventure enticingly deliver the allure of the supernatural.
While searching on the internet for paranormal activity, Mcguire stumbled onto a website that offered the promise of combining Christianity with witchcraft. It was the match that ignited a long standing curiosity, giving license to hold onto Jesus while falling headlong into engaging with spirits, which she later admits could only be demonic.
“Do not turn to mediums or seek out
spiritists, for you will be defiled by them.
I am the Lord your God”. ~Leviticus 19:31“So do not listen to your prophets, your
diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your
mediums or your sorcerers…”
~ Jeremiah 27:9The book reads like a powerful testimony, which I would have loved to hear her present live. Although the author doesn’t get into the how-to’s of deliverance from the occult, she offers credible witness, having given “reading parties” and capturing ghost activity on recorders and video clips.
The most powerful climax of the book peaks at the end. After spending nearly a decade of work in paranormal activity, Mcguire quit that life in a split second.
The life turning event stunned her on what became her final ghost hunting project. Mcguire altered her course and now dedicates herself to revealing the truth about the occult through her writing and speaking.
Don’t be fooled, demonic spiritual activity is real and dangerous, but the following myths are debunked in “Escaping The Cauldron“.
The Truth About Ghosts & Witches: Myths Debunked in ETC1. We cannot communicate with the dead. They are in fact dead and cannot be reached by the living. “Ghosts” are evil spirits masquerading as the dead. (Luke 16:19-31)
2. Messages passed on by “mediums” (who seem to know secret things about you) operate under the control of evil spirits, whose goal is to gain your trust, in order to guide your decisions. (2 Cor 11:13-15)
3. Ghost activity is not “good” spiritual activity. It is used as distraction tactic by Satan to pull you away from seeking God who is the only source of goodness and wisdom. (2 Cor 11:13-15)
4. If you suspect or experience a haunting, Mcguire gives this advice: “Don’t bother with an investigation or seeking evidential proof [of] a hostile spiritual take over. Kick the deceptive spirit to the curb in Jesus’ name.“ (Mark 16:16-17)
Why I Stay Away From The DarkAfter finishing ETC, I wished the author spoke more about the dangers of the occult.
The author was amazingly fortunate having escaped unharmed by demonic attack during her years in communication with the paranormal. Maybe in her case, it was the devil’s way of keeping her one foot practicing the occult, because it appeared harmless. Thank God she escaped when she did. It’s scary to imagine how the story could have continued.
There’s an old Chinese proverb, “Once you’ve seen ghosts, you’re always afraid of the dark.” I stay away from dabblings with the dark side of spiritual activity because I have looked into the eyes of people attacked by an evil spirit.
Paying respects by burning incense and bowing down to dead ancestors is a common practice in the Chinese culture. Incense candles are burned as prayers in Buddhist temples, food and drink offered, as spirits are summoned and actively invited to guide decisions to avoid the bad or ensure the good.
Westerners have even popularized feng shui, which is the rearrangement of furniture or building design in order to please the gods, to bring good fortune and avoid bad energy. What is dangerous about even these seemingly superstitious activities is that it gives the devil permission to speak into and influence your life.
At first glance, superstition might appear harmless. But once a person’s heart is intrigued, a trust builds as the lure of palm readings, horoscope checking and other supernatural interests begin.
This is how I have seen people, even Christians who are curious in the paranormal, harmed by demonic intrusion. In other words, just like Christians can be addicted to drugs or any other sin, a believer can become susceptible to demonic activity.
Although the Holy Spirit lives in a believer and is sealed into eternity (Eph.1:13-14), we have freedom over how we use our minds, where we place our trust (our will), and what we attach to our hearts (our emotions). We still decide the degree to which we give ourselves over to the Holy Spirit, our own desires, or in the case of the paranormal — evil spirits.
Why We Have Power In JesusI can’t emphasize enough the greater power of Jesus Christ in us. I have exercised the spiritual authority in Jesus to see God free people from demonic strongholds. The name of Jesus — even if prayed silently — in a believer’s heart will cause the demons to flee. Immediately.
If you happen to be experiencing anxieties about the spiritual realm, I encourage you to unashamedly reach out to spiritually mature believers. Talk through what’s going on and get prayer and support. You can live free, with peace of mind.
This HalloweenWhenever the topic of the paranormal comes up, it’s a great chance to talk about the supernatural. It’s a popular topic around Halloween. People are open to a conversation about spiritual realities.
I once had a roommate in college who was an atheist. I had witnessed to her for three years, making zero headway. One night, having heard about a true “ghost” story, my friend confessed she had always been afraid of ghosts.
When she learned she could put her trust in a God who loved her and had authority to protect her from anything evil, she gave me the biggest shock. She announced she wanted to become a Christian and accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.
After she prayed, she cried tears of joy, expressing a deep peace and the presence of God in her heart.
As the supernatural takes front and center stage this Halloween, engage confidently on the topic of paranormal happenings. Listen and ask questions. You might find yourself presented with an opportunity to share the greatest spiritual pursuit. Pursuing the presence of Jesus Christ is the most loving and powerful life-changing choice to make. It’s out of this world.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
~ James 4:7
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit,
but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…
God who is in you is greater
than the [evil] one who is in the world.”
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- From: faithbarista
- Name: Bonnie
- About Me: Welcome to Faith Barista – a blog that serves up shots of faith for everyday Christian living. Are you after that fragrant aroma of Christ in your daily cup? If so, there's a chair here with your name on it. Stay and comment awhile, won't you?
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Comments (9)
I couldn't agree more with the first paragraph of the McGuire quote.
It's just that I categorize religious symbols (angels, demons, God, the Devil) in with the fairies and such of any perputed paranormal event.
Amen, what a great article!!! Yes we need to focus more on the Lord and not on evil spirits. If you spend more time seeking demons than you do seeking God, then something's wrong.
As my mother-in-law always said: "You always have access to the supernatural. It's called prayer. You know where the good spirits [saints and angels and God] are found, and when you start turning to other means, you know exactly where those powers are coming from" -- ie not-so-good spirits.
Great post!
That all being said, I don't think normal Halloween stuff is too occult. Read about Halloween's Christian's history in my post here, "Halloween's History: An Odd Combo of Medieval Catholic Piety."
It is actually a very helpful practice to let go of materialism as is states to get rid of your boxes and unnecessary items, even in your closets.
It's a bit like the extremist view that Christians shouldnt practice yoga because it has Hindu roots when really yoga is incredibly healthy for your mind a body. Feng shui can create a more productive space and it's great to come into a room that I can keep my focus on my Bible study and not how stuffy or ill-arranged the room seems.
In my religion, we believe in spirits that protect us... so.. =/. yea.. no further comment.
This answered a lot of questions. :) x
Ooo this looks like an interesting book.
Good job insulting those of different cultures and religions.
Parapsychology is a farce. There are no ghosts. When you go out and play with things that you think are people who have passed on, you’re just the butt of a joke. I can guarantee that they’re laughing at you everything step of the way. You’re never going to find any answers from that, just more false promises that take you farther and farther down. Most other Christians tell me that Satan is all smoke and mirrors and that I shouldn’t take him seriously. Well I do, because I’ve been up close and personal with him. That’s smoke that will blind you and send you face first into a reflection that’ll cut you up beyond recognition. From recent experience, don’t try to argue or use logic with him when he comes knocking on your door. Just starting talking about Jesus and he tends to want to end the conversation.