With recent Events and Bill Johnson Church again trying to pass off a myriad of Occult Divination techniques and Christianizing them!… Here is but a small sniglet of “The Bethel Board”… And then an excellent expose by ministry friend James Fire just below. -Josh Toupos
Is there a link between Bethel Church in Redding CA and occultism as some discernment ministries have been reporting (here)? Steven Kozar of Messed Up Church presents the shocking evidence that the claims made by discerners are indeed true. Here’s Kozar’s report:
We all know how important it is to have massive encounters with God, right? Well, now it can be fun, too! Introducing the brand new board game from Bethel Church in Redding, California: “The Bethel Board!” (And it’s just in time for Christmas!)
Since the prophet Kris Vallotton decided that “Christian Tarot Cards” were okay (as long as we call them “Destiny Cards”) we are now free to welcome any Occult, New Age, or fortunetelling practices into the church and into our living rooms! Imagine all the fun you’ll have as you get direct downloads from the Third Heaven! With this spiritual-but-not-religious new board game, you’ll be just like Bill Johnson himself (and without his vacuous, rambling, and incoherent speeches to spoil all the fun).
And don’t keep all the fun to yourself, invite your pagan friends over to play the game so they can get a “reading” on their “destiny!” They’ll never know you’re a Christian! What a great way to reach the lost with the message of Destiny, Presence Therapy, Dream Interpretation, and Relationship Alignment.
The Bethel Board BereanReasearch.org
By James Fire
The word “Ouija” (pronounced ‘WEE yah’) is a contraction of two words, French and German (oui and ja), both meaning “yes” and no doubt referring to the planchette (the flat, heart-shaped device that’s used to indicate letters and numbers on the Ouija board; see image to the left) providing answers by spelling them out or by indicating the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ printed on the board.
Certainly, the producers of the upcoming film OUIJA, directed by Stiles White and starring Olivia Cooke, Ana Coto, and Daren Kagasoff are hoping for some positive answers by way of ticket sales when moviegoers line up to see a story about “A group of friends must confront their most terrifying fears when they awaken the dark powers of an ancient spirit board.”
OUIJA movie synopsis.
According to Wikipedia, the Ouija board by name has been around since the late 19th century. Such devices were originally called spirit boards; a form of divination, like crystal balls, tarot cards, and similar devices used to divine or foretell the future or any kind of unknown knowledge or information.
Early History of Ouija Boards
Early accounts show the use of such spirit boards as early as 1100 AD in “…China in historical [such] documents [as] the Song Dynasty. The method was known as fuji, “planchette writing”. The use of planchette writing as an ostensible means of contacting the dead [necromancy] and the spirit world continued, and, albeit under special rituals and supervisions, was a central practice of the Quanzhen School, until it was forbidden by the Qing Dynasty. Several entire scriptures of the Daozang are supposedly works of automatic planchette writing. Similar methods of mediumistic spirit writing have been widely practiced in ancient India, Greece, Rome, and medieval Europe.”
The Ouija was produced commercially as a ‘parlor game’ in 1901by William Fuld (who later sold the rights to the board to Parker Bros, who in turn sold it to Hasbro in 1991 who still holds all the patents and trademarks) and experienced an enthusiastic and wide following between 1920-1960 in America.
According to the scientific community the results of such paranormal experiences from using the Ouija can be explained in purely physical and psychological terms:
The Ouija Phenomenon Critics
“The Ouija phenomenon has been criticized by many scientists as a hoax related to the ideomotor response. Various studies have been produced, recreating the effects of the Ouija board in the lab and showing that, under laboratory conditions, the subjects were moving the planchette involuntarily. Skeptics have described Ouija board users as ‘operators’. Some critics noted that the messages ostensibly spelled out by spirits were similar to whatever was going through the minds of the subjects. According to Professor of neurology Terence Hines in his book Pseudoscience and the Paranormal (2003):
‘The planchette is guided by unconscious muscular exertions like those responsible for table movement. Nonetheless, in both cases, the illusion that the object (table or planchette) is moving under its own control is often extremely powerful and sufficient to convince many people that spirits are truly at work… The unconscious muscle movements responsible for the moving tables and Ouija board phenomena are seen at seances are examples of a class of phenomena due to what psychologists call a dissociative state. A dissociative state is one in which consciousness is somehow divided or cut off from some aspects of the individual’s normal cognitive, motor, or sensory functions.”
The above information is provided by Wikipedia, Ouija/spirit boards article.
There are Christians who have had experiences while practicing the occult prior to their conversion to Christ; whether one is talking about New Age or Hindu mysticism like Warren Smith, or psychic healing like Johanna Michealson or Satanic/occult power as in Greg Reid’s case, its all derivative of the same source – that is, Satan and his kingdom of darkness.
So-Called Scientific Explanations
I asked Dr. Greg Reid for his own view on the so-called scientific explanation of the Ouija board and occult power, and this is what he had to say on the matter:
“First, I had to chuckle at the ‘scientific’ evidence that shows people move the Ouija board with their minds. Talk about voodoo science. So they don’t believe in spirits or demons, but somehow we are supposed to believe that some weird unproven kinetic mind power does it? From the same folks that brought you unproven Darwinian ideas…
“It really comes down to fear, and the God equation. Fear, because if you acknowledge something ‘Other’ is working the board, then you will fear because it means there is a hidden dimension in which demons dwell…
“…the God equation because if you acknowledge that that world is real, then you have to consider the possibility that the Bible might actually represent God’s word and opinion on these things, which means either rebel or obey…right?
“Personally, of course, I found these scientific tests completely invalid, precisely because one of the principles of science is visual, verifiable evidence…and I have experienced both. When first introduced to the Ouija, we asked it about when our grandmother would come to visit, and it said “tomorrow night.” Impossible, she lived a state away! The next day, our neighbor, unbeknownst to us, had been on a business trip and decided to bring her to us as a surprise. Not one of us knew about it, so from what part of our mind did we get this if we supposedly were doing this with our own subconscious? Pretty obvious that something else was at work.
“I quickly became adept at playing it solo, and found a “spirit guide” (or it found me) through it. When I received Jesus, I played it one more time, and watched as it spelled out ‘Satan’ when I asked who was behind the board, and then watched it fly off the board onto the carpet landing upside down.
“All that communication was completely independent of my own ‘powers’ or ‘brain thoughts’. I know now that it was in fact familiar spirits which always look for opportunities to demonize unsuspecting people who play the thing thinking it is just a game.
The Exorcist was true, except it was a boy, and he played a Ouija board and thus got taken over.
“Even people in the new age, the occult, spiritualism and even Wicca will tell you that it is a dangerous thing not to be played with. How come they end up being smarter than a lot of Christians who think it’s a game, or worse, play it?”
The following are three Q & A from NEW CHRISTIAN website. Providing answers is Gregory Reid whose website is YOUTHFIRE and authors the Cutting Edge newsletter online as well:
“Q #1: Is the Ouija board actually the devil speaking to you?“
G.R. Answers: I think the devil is too busy to make an appearance at every Ouija board gathering. However, make no mistake about it – if you play it, and something responds, it is not God. It is a demon – what the Bible calls a “familiar spirit”* – whose purpose is to gain entrance in your life through your own curiosity, in the hopes of being able to take over your body. Remember the Exorcist? It was based on a true exorcism in the Catholic church, except that it was a boy and not a girl, who became possessed because of playing the Ouija board.”
* LEV. 19:31; DEUT. 18:11; 1 SAM 28:3; 2 KINGS 23:24; ISAIAH 8:19 and other passages.
“Q #2: How powerful can an Ouija board be?”
When my sister was about 17 or 18 she spent the night with a group of girls in a little cabin near one of the girl’s homes on their fishing boat. I remember her telling me they played with an Ouija board and saying they had gotten really scared. I don’t remember exactly what they were doing with it. I have wondered if she might have had some spirit go into her that may have caused her to be so extremely ill with Rheumatoid Arthritis. She has had doctors tell her they have never seen anyone so bad. I realize people get sick with things often, but I also feel unconfessed sin or unawareness of something we have done can keep us from being healed. What do you think?
G.R. Answers: The problem with playing the devil’s games – whether one knows it is wrong or not – is that the consequences can be severe, and they also can be unpredictable. I have talked to plenty of people who have played the Ouija once without dire consequences – and even more who have suffered in their spirit, marriages or families, finances or health as a result. I don’t claim to know why some suffer more and some seemingly very little. But it is a Russian Roulette in any event, and I wouldn’t rule out that your sister’s condition may in fact be connected somehow to that incident. I hope she can come to realize how dangerous what she did was and make a full confession of it, receive cleansing and deliverance, and hopefully, healing. I will be praying for her.”
“Q #3: I don’t believe in demons and I’m a Christian. What’s wrong with that?“
G.R. Answers: Well, you have to throw out several passages from the Gospels and the Book of Acts as well as dozens of references to the demonic and the devil in the New Testament in order to form that conclusion. In which case, you might as well throw out the rest of the Bible and stop deluding yourself into thinking you are really a Christian.”
NOTE to READER: Secular sources such as psychiatry and biology will assert that what looks like demon possession is merely a psychological illness such as schizophrenia or biologically speaking a chemical imbalance (typically in the brain); yet if one believes and understands that the Bible is the very Word of God, and the source of His truth for us, then one must make the distinction between physical sicknesses, and abnormalities of the mind with demonic possession.
Consider the following passage:
MATTHEW 4:24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
Jesus Came to Deliver those with Spiritual Afllictions
The LORD healed all that were sick with various diseases and afflictions, those who were lunatic and had the palsy; among these however there is the distinction of healing those who were possessed of demons (“devils”). This is a spiritual affliction caused by a non-corporeal entity of evil and not a psychological or physiological problem and must be dealt with spiritually, by the Spirit of God, just as our LORD demonstrated.
The word “lunatic” is translated from the Greek word seleniazomai and refers to one who suffers epileptic seizures; those who suffered “palsy” were those that suffered from any form of paralytic ailments as a result of non-responsive or damaged nerve tissues.
People who suffer from any form of derangement are not able to perceive things beyond the normal five senses, yet those that we see in Scriptures as possessed of demonic spirits are capable of preternatural discernment; they knew who Jesus really was on sight (LUKE 4:33-35; MATT. 8:28-29; MARK 5:7), they are supernaturally strong (MARK 5:1-4); prone to isolation and self-destructive behavior (MARK 5:5); they are aware of their eventual fate as being eternal torment in Gehenna (MARK 5:7; MATT. 8:29); and have conscious personality and identity (MARK 5:9).
For a comprehensive examination concerning demons see the following notes from Dr. Scofield.
The Bible has much to say about divination, necromancy (communication with the dead, known later as being a ‘medium’ and today as ‘channeling’), witchcraft, and practices commonly categorized as occult:
1 SAMUEL 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord . . .
Note that in the above verse, witchcraft is seen as a sin, and the LORD equates rebellion and stubbornness against His will, which we have recorded in Scripture as something that’s just as evil. If the Word of God tells us to stay away from such occult practices, even a ‘harmless’ reading of your horoscope or getting your palm read at a local carnival ‘just for fun, then we are to stay away from them!
DEUTERONOMY 18:9-14 When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations, the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God. For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.
Communicating with the Dead (Family, Friends, or Influencers)
There are some who might object to communicating with the dead as being demonic or evil or wrong because of their personal experiences. In a hypothetical situation, being grieved at the death of a loved one, a seeker might want one last conversation with them and find a channeler to make contact with them. They are seeking their loved ones, not a demonic spirit. Perhaps a teenage boy is wanting to contact his deceased Uncle Robby who used to take him out fishing all the time and developed a very close relationship with him, even calling him a secret pet name that only the two of them knew.
Contact is established and the form before the boy is that of Uncle Robby – he looks like him, sounds like him, acts like him. Yet to be sure it really is him and not some parlor trick, the boy asks the spirit what was his secret pet name, and the spirit provides the answer!
No one else knew that name but he and the boy! It must be Uncle Robby, right? Wrong!
We don’t see the spiritual realm around us, but there are angels and demons all about us working for the respective kingdoms of God and Satan. Demonic spirits can appear as anything they wish (2 COR. 11:14): deceased loved ones, or space aliens, or gods of the ancient pantheon, or anything else that would deceive and seduce people into believing lies instead of the truth. Certainly, when Uncle Robby spoke his pet name to his nephew, there would have been demons about, eavesdropping on the conversation, and could easily relate that name at the seance the boy initiated some time after the demise of his uncle.
The dead are actually forbidden to have anything to do with the living as demonstrated by Lazarus and the rich man after they died in LUKE 16:19-31. The one possible exception may have been 1 SAM. 28:7-20, but considering the preponderance of Scripture that strictly forbids communicating with the dead, this incident with King Saul and the witch of Endor would be the only exception.
There was a time when the LORD opened the eyes of a servant of Elisha to perceive the spiritual realm that he couldn’t see previously (2 KINGS 6:15-17); the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam to see an angel wielding a sword in the path that he rode upon (NUM. 22:31).
There is a rank and file of demonic spirits ‘generals’ as well as ‘foot soldiers’ listed in EPHESIANS 6:12 that work the will of Satan on this earth. They as well as Satan himself are not currently residing in hell as is depicted in Milton’s and Dante’s works; they are very much about this world and seeking to draw as many as possible into perdition and destruction (JOB 1:7).
2 KINGS 17:16-1816 And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. 18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
JEREMIAH 14:14 Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
Some might equate the works of God’s prophets with psychics and other visionaries such as Edgar Cayce and William Branham – but according to the above verse, these prophets are false, and not answering by the Spirit of God but through false visions and the forbidden practice of divination with the intent to deceive!
ACTS 16:16-18 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
ACTS 19:18-20 And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. The Gospel was preached in Ephesus by Paul and his co-laborers and many people repented and turned to the LORD for salvation. As a demonstration of their turning away from their old ways, they brought their books on “curious* arts” and had them burned.
* The Greek word used for “curious” implies something meddlesome, and knowledge attained by study, and refers to the use of magic.
1 TIMOTHY 4:1Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
(See also: NUM 22:7; LEV. 19:31; 20:6; 1 SAM. 6:2; JER. 27:9; ZECH. 10:2; MATT. 7:22; ACTS 8:11; 13:6; 2 THESS. 2:3-12; REV. 13:13-18).
We are living in the last days before the return of Jesus Christ, and as is mentioned above and abundantly in the Scriptures, (see references in 2 Thessalonians and Revelation above) one of the leading indicators and phenomenon of these days is spiritual deception (MATT. 24:4,5,11,24) and the rise of occult beliefs, doctrines, and activities.
Author and noted speaker Dave Hunt wrote a book called The OCCULT INVASION where he documents the alarming increase in occultic and esoteric activities not only in the world in general but even in churches across the world!
See the short clip where Dave Hunt and T.A. McMahon discuss this subject (you can click on the 2nd clip on youtube on the sidebar):
Occult Invasion with Dave Hunt & T.A McMahon
Will a person become demon-possessed if they go see this film OUIJA? Or using a Ouja board? Not necessarily, but it can and in many cases likely will open a door out of a sense of curiosity and lead to further involvement into occult books and materials. Satan is a patient predator and will bide his time in slowly, but surely leading a spiritual seeker into darkness (he did with me, prior to becoming a Christian!) and thus bring them into terrible oppression and bondage.
We would strongly advise parents to supervise the films seen by their children, to use such Scripture and materials to show the very real danger of the occult, and teach them why Christians should never get involved in such things . . . even something as seemingly harmless as a movie.
LORD willing, I will attend a viewing of this film and address the issues and situations portrayed there from a biblical perspective. This will be a movie review and Part II of this article. Your prayers for this endeavor are deeply appreciated. Until then, whether you are talking about the occult, or just simply sin, always say “No, No” and never “Oui, ja” or yes for that matter!
OUIJA BOARDS: PORTALS LEADING TO PERDITION
(Part II of the article, SAY NO, NO to OUIJA)
By James Fire
Death: it is the thing that we mortals seem to fear the most; Hamlet pondered it, and thought about whether “to be or not to be, that is the question” – a Shakespearean query about suicide, yet was also apprehensive of what he would find in that “undiscovered country”.
We grieve and rage against the pain and seemingly unfair death of our loved ones. How many of us had wished we could have had one last moment of time with them to say goodbye (especially if our last words with them were less than kind!).
This film plays on the angst and sorrowful frustration of these teenagers who were stunned and mystified by the apparent suicide of their dear friend, Debbie; particularly her best friend, Laine who desired just such an encounter with their dearly departed.
Below is a plot summary of the film itself:
Everything is set in motion when two little girls play an Ouija board (just for fun) with the ground rules being: 1) Never play alone 2) Never play in a graveyard and 3) Always say ‘Goodbye’ before ending the game. This source of ‘entertainment’ established an emotional bond between the two girls and later, one of them finds an antique board in the attic of her old house: the teenage golden girl Debbie (Shelley Hennig) makes the cardinal mistake of playing it alone (and unbeknownst to her, is doing it in a ‘grave yard’ as there is a corpse hidden in a secret room in the basement. She not surprisingly winds up dead shortly thereafter, an apparent suicide, and her grieving friends decide to attempt to contact her in the (so-called) ‘time-honored tradition’.
The group, led by the intrepid Laine (Olivia Cooke), seems to hit pay dirt at first, getting in contact with a spirit calling itself “DZ” which moves the planchette under the fingers of all the teens gathered and spells out “HI FRIEND”. But afterward, things become spookier when each receives the same message, in various forms: one on his bicycle going down a darkened tunnel hears the tapping and scratching of chalk on the stone wall; another sees these words on a car window covered in dew (and then a claw-like hand smacks the window from inside the vehicle); another sees those words scratched into the top of his wooden desk and then last of the four friends sees it on a flashing computer screen. And the spirit soon turns murderous, dispatching its victims in gruesome ways like levitating one of the girls into the air and then sending her headlong crashing against the bathroom sink, killing her on impact; another being pushed into a swimming pool by invisible forces and drowns: floundering helplessly in the pool cover; another seems simply taken over by the spirit and his heart stops.
Laine’s search for answers leads her to a former resident of Debbie’s home, Paulina (Lin Shaye) now confined in a forbidding mental institution. The elderly woman informs her that the spirit she and her friends contacted was not in fact Debbie, but rather her own little sister, Doris Zander (DZ) who was used by their mother, a practicing medium as a conduit by which she was able to communicate with the dead and herself a victim of possession by evil spirits.
The solution to this demonic dilemma as portrayed in this film is hardly viable as we shall see.
“Do not go seeking answers from the dead,” warns Laine’s grandmother at one point in the film. That advice naturally goes unheeded by the reckless teens. (This summary is largely based on the review from The HOLLYWOOD Reporter).
There were quite a few paranormal and ‘spooky’ films in the previews prior to the feature film, and many, many more to come as one scans the Internet; a movie released a little over a year ago was just such fare (as can be expected the rest of this year and next) called The Lords of Salem
What struck me about this film was not the situation of such fearful circumstances – the ‘real deal’ is of course far, far scarier than any Hollywood production could ever hope to capture (though the film, The Exorcist did come rather close) but the supposed solution to end the rampage of the vengeful spirits. What Laine was counseled to do by her grandmother was to take both the board and the decrepit body of the long-deceased little girl Doris (found in a secret room in the basement of Debbie’s house) and burn both of them together in order to “break the connection” to the evil spirits (which she eventually succeeds (apparently) in doing, with the help of Debbie’s apparition that appears at the end of the film to lend aid in sending the malevolent Doris back to where she belongs along with the host of demonic spirits that control her).
There was absolutely no sign of a Bible, or the mention or pleading for help from God, not even the typical Roman Catholic priest with some ‘holy water’ – nothing of the kind was seen anywhere in this film. To solve the problem of these invading, violent spirits, the girls (Laine and her younger sister Sarah) had to take matters into their own hands. In a vain attempt to learn more about the demons, the board was further used as a means to obtain such information and possibly end the cycle of death.
On the outside this might seem like a rational solution to the common person; just as you would use a key to open a door, that same key must be used to lock it again – but in the spiritual domain such thinking is an abject disaster!
Occult Symbolism Evident Everywhere
Not only was the board used to explore these forbidden realms, but the planchette (the somewhat triangular-shaped device with a circular crystal in the middle that’s moved by the spirits to spell words out on the board) is held up to the eye by Laine and then she can see into ‘the other side’. The imagery of her eye looking through the round crystal of the planchette was not wasted on me: the stark resemblance of the All-Seeing Eye and Pyramid was unmistakable. That is another image (as well as Ouija boards appearing on backpacks, clothing, and candy tins) that is being proliferated everywhere we see. The Eye over the Pyramid is an ancient symbol used by the Illuminati as well as the Gnostics before them, and even older esoteric societies founded in antiquity.
This is a recurring theme in today’s culture, and such images are printed upon clothes, backpacks, even candy tins are not without purpose. It seems that those of the secret/esoteric orders and societies are quite motivated to see the populace accustomed to such things as our culture is nudged deeper into occult theologies found not only in schools, social networks of various kinds, the entertainment industry in films and music but even in our churches!
The actual solution to ‘breaking connection’ with demonic spirits will be examined momentarily; if anyone who has read this article and the links contained therein has experimented with the spirit board known as the Ouija, or other occult forms of divination and believe that they may have obtained demonic influences over themselves or others that they know, please understand that there is freedom from Satan’s oppression and possession! You can in fact be freed from such enslavement.
The Bible Forbids Communication with the Dead and Angels
Previously in the first article (Say NO, NO To OUIJA) we examined why any such communication with the supposed dead is forbidden by the LORD God; precisely because the departed souls of this world are no longer here in this world, nor can there be any contact between the living and the dead, but are confined to that place of waiting (Hades) until the judgment and any such communication is actually between the living and demonic spirits merely masquerading as the dearly departed:
ECCLESIASTES 9:5-65 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun. (See also: 2 COR. 11:14; LUKE 16:24; DEUT. 18:11)
It is believed in various pagan cultures that the time of Samhain (what we know today as Halloween) is the time of year in which “the veil between the living and the dead” is at its thinnest. Halloween may be a time of trick or treats for children who love to dress up in costume and ‘haunt’ from house to house in search of candy and other treats, but it is also a time of darkness, and a day recognized by many belief systems as one of the most spiritual times (read that demonic) of the year.
This is probably why Ouija boards are enjoying higher sales this time of year and why so many embark in the ‘exciting and adventurous’ experience of participating in seances, tarot cards, and spirit boards. Here is an article from the blog by Belle Ringer, SALVATION and SURVIVAL entitled The FRIGHTENING MIX OF HALLOWEEN, OUIJA, and the SOULS of the DEAD.
For a Q & A with Greg Reid*, a born-again Christian pastor, expert speaker, and author on the occult and spiritual warfare about The DANGERS of the OCCULT visit this page.
*We asked for some input by Greg Reid in part I of this article regarding the Ouija board as well as some general questions regarding demonic activity.
It is for the reasons outlined above in the article and interview both of which underscore the biblical commands to have nothing to do with the spiritual darkness that we expressly admonish all Christians to abstain from being involved, even in the so-called more ‘innocent’ aspects of Halloween, and everything that has come to be associated with it.
Ouija Film Review “Keep telling yourself that it’s just a game”
In the OUIJA film, a slogan used in previews and advertisement is “Keep telling yourself that it’s just a game”. Obviously, this lends to the suggestion that this board is anything but a game, and this suggestion is absolutely correct! We covered in the first article that the Ouija, a spirit board, has been a tool of the occult for thousands of years in many different cultures and has been banned by some countries when their dangers became known! While it’s packaged as a game (formerly by Parker Bros and now Hasbro) and chances are that the majority of those who ‘play the game’ may do so with no obvious and immediate ill effects (not to suggest that there aren’t significant long term effects that are highly detrimental to the soul), however, there are those who will experience such and discover to their dismay that demonic and Satanic forces are all too real. And malevolent!
Skeptics might say that if such spiritual forces are real then why don’t demons possess and, or attack us humans on a regular basis? Why are they so secretive and covert*, engaging themselves in some supposed guerrilla warfare? There are many that scoff at the idea of the Ouija (and things in general regarding the occult) being demonically empowered, and those who engage in such things are in spiritual danger. Many believe that the subconscious mind is the prime motivator of these things and ridicule the notion of “the devil made me do it”. Such ideas have been expressed by people who wrote comments about the Ouija film; here is one such comment for your perusal.
I’m persuaded that Satan’s hatred of the human race is so volatile and intense that if he could, he would destroy us all, but its quite reasonable to assume that the LORD God has established His drawn lines around the human race (such as He has done for Job; see JOB 1:10) for our protection, but these barriers may be broken if we participate in ‘gateways’ or channels by which we might breach those protections to reach into spiritual darkness – such as involvement in the occult (even simply reading palms, getting one’s fortune read, tarot cards, horoscopes, and other seemingly harmless activities); which is why the Bible warns against such things!
*Such covert activity is more common in our Western culture, however, if you visit the Far East or in substantial tribal societies in Africa or South America where blatant spiritual activity is witnessed on a regular basis and the dire hopelessness of people there that are enslaved to the demonic, you will have a far greater perspective on the reality of these things!
From the website BIBLE KNOWLEDGE we have the following article: DANGERS of the OUIJA BOARD:
“For those of you who want to see just how dangerous and deadly this occult device really is, I would highly recommend that you read this book: “The Ouija Board – A Doorway to the Occult” by Edmond C. Gruss.
In this book are real, live, documented cases of people who literally drew in evil demonic spirits in their lives as a result of engaging with the Ouija board – and in many of these cases, these demons actually entered into the person’s body.
This device is so deadly and dangerous, that even many mediums will not try and dabble with it. Mediums are those people who will try and contact the dead for the people who want to make contact with them. They conduct what are called basic seances.
The Bible tells us that we are not allowed to communicate with the dead and that if we try and do it, God will set His face against us.
This kind of occult activity is a complete and utter abomination before the Lord and none of His children are to try and dabble in it in any way, shape, or form. Please refer to our article ‘Dangers of the Occult’ in the Spiritual Warfare section for the specific verses on this topic.”
Also from the: EVANGELICAL OUTREACH web site:
“Some critics contend that such contact is inherently dangerous and that any beings who communicate through such a device are likely to be demonic and attempt to possess the user… The entity Seth, popularized by the writings of Jane Roberts in the 1960s and 1970s, initiated his communication with Roberts through an Ouija board. The communication then rapidly progressed to direct automatic writing with a pen and then into trance mediumship in which Seth allegedly used Roberts’ vocal cords to speak.
The Ouija also served as the initial means of communication with alleged spirits of the dead in 1913 for Pearl Curran (see WORTH, PATIENCE), and in 1919 for Stewart Edward White and his wife, Betty. The Whites spent 17 years studying Betty’s mediumship with a group of discarnate beings who called themselves “the Invisibles.” After initial contact was made through the Ouija, Betty began using automatic writing and then trance mediumship, in which the spirits allegedly used her own vocal cords.(4)”
Further, the well-renowned film, The Exorcist was based on a novel by William Blatty of the same title and based on a true-life case study, which you can read about on Wikipedia at the following link, The Exorcism of Roland Doe.
(Note: this link is provided for the purpose of documentation regarding the use of the Ouija which resulted in potential spiritual and demonic activity and we at TTUF do not necessarily agree with claims made by various psychiatrists, sociologists, and Roman Catholic priests) The boy possessed by demonic spirits was introduced to the Ouija board by his aunt who was a spiritualist.
What if we called Ouija Boards, Angel Boards?
Some who would dread using an Ouija board and contact the dead or demons might find another spirit board more to their liking; would you believe that they have ‘Angel Boards’ now? I don’t know of any verse in the Bible where an angel used any device, much less a board that even remotely resembled a spirit board. Regardless, the beings contacted by the Ouija are actually angels . . . of the fallen sort, that followed Satan in his rebellion against God! So it really makes no difference at all what the board is called, does it?
My great concern for people, Christians, and non-Christians alike is that after seeing this film (and if you are a Christian, why are you seeking films like this for entertainment?!) their curiosity might be aroused, and they will venture to ‘play the game’ and perhaps open a door that they will not be able to close or use such lame techniques as demonstrated in the film in an attempt to rid themselves of unwanted demonic attention. I would admonish any who are reading this article to stay away from the Ouija board, and any other form of occult devices, books, films, etc. Again, not everyone who engages is such things will encounter or become influenced by demonic spirits, but it’s a spiritual form of ‘Russian Roulette’ and so, why take a chance?
If you are not yet persuaded that the Ouija is dangerous or at the very least something that you should leave well enough alone, perhaps this article will prove worthy of your read; this is written by Marcia Montenegro, a former astrologer who is now a Christian and an impeccable researcher: (Please take note of the accompanying links found in the gray box under the image of the Ouija board and consider reading these as well!)
Now for those of you who have already engaged in the occult, and have, to your dismay discovered that you have been invaded by a malevolent mind of the otherworldly domain and to your horror found out yourself that demons (and Satan) are all too real:
The Bible speaks of Satan a.k.a. The Devil in terms that express him as an actual person (not a force or a ‘collective conscience’ of the cumulative evil of man’s own making), but an angelic being that has fallen from his holy station in heaven, and has become the chief adversary of mankind, seeking our destruction and attempting to ruin human souls chances of finding redemption in the LORD Jesus Christ.
The Bible is indeed the Word of God, the Word of Truth and its teachings are entirely reliable; one of the primary methods of determining this is what is known as prophecy – the plan of God outlined in advance, describing future events in detail before they occur. There are many websites that are dedicated to apologetics (defending the faith and support of the Bible as the very Word of God) and lots of pages from these sites such as these from C.A.R.M. (Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry) www.carm.org
The BIBLE
PROPHECY, The BIBLE and JESUS
Jesus Christ is the Word Incarnate, that is God made flesh; He came into this sinful world to declare to us God’s Word, to preach the Gospel and ultimately to die for the sins of mankind; He resurrected from the dead, having paid the penalty for sin that was our debt owed to the holy God, and has established the Kingdom for us to enter into as citizens and children of God, by means of the spiritual new birth (JOHN 3:3-5).
Here is a video by Ray Comfort of Living Waters ministry http://www.livingwaters.com/ as he explains to his interviewee, Kevin all about the Gospel:
The power of Jesus Christ is well able to “break the connection” not only to demonic spirits but from the even deadlier power of sin; consider this – sin is such a powerful force of evil that it took no one less than God the Son, to come here in flesh and blood to vanquish it! You and I are powerless to defeat sin or demons for that matter. There is NOTHING we can do to help ourselves or others. It’s only through Jesus Christ that we find deliverance from evil.
Jesus He is LORD over all the power of the enemy
LUKE 4:33-3533 And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,34 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
He is the Savior of all the world:
1 JOHN 2:1-2My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:2 And he is the propitiation [satisfactory payment] for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
He is the only way to heaven where the Father dwells:
JOHN 14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
There is coming a day when all the world will be judged by Jesus Christ (JOHN 5:26-27) which includes the angelic race as much as the human race; this means that one day Satan will be judged and sentenced to Gehenna (hell, the lake of fire) as its chiefest prisoner; hell was never nor ever will be the domain of Satan’s rule. All of the kingdom of darkness under Satan’s command will be sentenced there as well. Those who follow Satan’s lead either by engaging in occult or Satanic practices, or simply attempting to gain entrance into heaven by any means other than through Jesus Christ (by religion, self-effort, or any other way) will likewise be sentenced there, bearing the penalty for their own sin because they rejected Jesus Christ Who willingly bore our sins for us.
Instead of engaging the spirits from the Ouija, why not engage the Spirit of the LORD by opening up His Word and praying to Him, asking for Him to reveal the truth to you? If you are sincere and genuinely seek Him, the Bible promises you will find Him (JERE. 29:13)!
MATTHEW 11:27-3027 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
If you find that you are in need and desire help either in understanding the Gospel or believe that you need deliverance from the power of Satan, please contact me via email: [email protected]
MAY THE LORD JESUS CHRIST LIGHT YOUR PATH TO HIM, AND MAY YOU FIND SALVATION, PEACE AND WHOLENESS THROUGH HIS ETERNAL GRACE!
