Introduction t d ti to the Occult - Richard G. Howe

Introduction
ti
to the Occult
by Dr. Richard G. Howe
The Many Faces of the Occult
Extreme Occultism: Satanism
Moderate Occultism: Witchcraft
Mainstream Occultism: New Age
ʺChristianʺ Occultism: Word of Faith
1

The Many Faces of the Occult
Extreme Occultism: Satanism
Moderate Occultism: Witchcraft
Mainstream Occultism: New Age
ʺChristianʺ Occultism: Word of Faith
Introduction to the Occult
I. Scriptural Background
‣1 Thessalonians 5:21‐22
We must test all things, cling to the good, and abstain from
evil, no matter how ʺinnocentʺ it may appear.
‣2 Corinthians 11:13‐15
Satan is able to appear as righteous and holy.
‣Acts 16:16‐18
Evil can hitchhike on the good Paul would not let a demon
Evil can hitchhike on the good. Paul would not let a demon
testify of the truth of the Gospel.
2

Introduction to the Occult
I. Scriptural Background
‣Jeremiah 44:17‐18
We donʹt test truth on the basis of what ʺworksʺ in our lives.
Just because something brings good things to us, such as stress
reduction or peace of mind, doesnʹt mean that it is true or holy.
‣Acts 20:29‐30
The attack is from two sources ‐ inside and outside.
‣Rom. 1:18ff; Ps. 19:1ff; 1 John 4:6
We test all things by sound reasoning (General Revelation) and
the Word of God (Special Revelation).
Introduction to the Occult
II. The Meaning of ʹOccultʹ
‣not to be confused with the word ʹcultʹ
‣comes for the Latin meaning ʺhidden or secret. ʺ
‣other terms one might encounter related to the occult:
Satanism
Witchcraft
Shamanism
Sorcery
Spiritism
Mysticism
magic
Esoteric beliefs
Zen, Hinduism
Eastern philosophy
Daoism
3

Introduction to the Occult
II. The Meaning of ʹOccultʹ
‣Though there are very important differences among
these belief systems, there is a very important
common ground which makes them all properly
called ʹoccult.ʹ
‣This common ground is the maintaining of two
doctrines
‣These doctrines, regarded by occultists as ʺhidden or
secretʺ from the general population, lti are:
Introduction to the Occult
II. The Meaning of ʹOccultʹ
(1) There is a hidden force or energy which one can tap
into to use for healing or harm.
Exactly what this force is, according to the
occultists, and what is the best way to tap into it,
is what makes the difference between different
occult groups.
This notion of the force serves as the basis of all
occultism.
(2) Human beings are really gods.
Discovering oneʹs own ʺdivinityʺ and being oneʹs
own god serves as the goal of all occultism.
4

Introduction to the Occult
III. The Basis of the Occult: The Force
Sometimes youʹll hear impersonal terms to refer to this
force, such as:
getting in touch with mother earth or mother nature
(Witchcraft, Wicca or Paganism),
the life force (eastern philosophy),
the prana (Hinduism),
the ki or chi (martial arts)
adrenal and emotionally induced energy (Laveyʹs Satanism)
the ʺright brainʺ (pop psychology)
the universe (New Age)
the Force (Star Wars)
The Force is an Energy Field
ʺThe force is what gives
a Jedi his power. Itʹs an
energy field created by
all living things. It
surrounds us; penetrates
us. It binds the galaxy
together.ʺ
Obi‐Wan Kenobi
5

The Force is an Energy Field
ʺSize matters not. Look at me.
Judge me by my size do you
Humph And well you should
not. For my ally is the Force,
and a powerful ally it is. Life
creates it, makes it grow. Its
energy surrounds us, and
binds us.ʺ
Yoda
Introduction to the Occult
III. The Basis of the Occult: The Force
Sometimes youʹll hear personal terms to refer to the
force, such as:
getting in touch with my higher self, my deeper self, or my
subconscious (pop psychology)
the collective unconscious (Jungian psychology)
inner counselors (Silva Mind Control and dozens of ʺselfhelpʺ
programs)
spirit iitguides or the spiritual iit lhierarchy h (New Age and
Shamanism)
Extra terrestrials or ETʹs (UFO cults, Whitney Strieberʹs book
Communion)
6

Introduction to the Occult
IV. The Doorway into the Occult: Altered
State of Consciousness
yoga or meditation
relaxation or breathing exercises (The term
sometimes used in public schools is centering.)
hypnosis
visualization or imagery
certain psychoactive drugs, such as marijuana,
LSD, and mescaline.
Introduction to the Occult
V. The Techniques of the Occult
The beliefs and practices of occult techniques to use the
force generally fall into these three categories:
1. The Power of Positive Thinking
2. The Power of the Spoken Word (spells,
incantations, charms, mantras, ʺpositive
confessionʺ)
3. The Power of Creative Visualization (creative
(
imagination, guided imagery, meditation, yoga,
relaxation or breathing exercises)
7

Introduction to the Occult
VI. The Goal of the Occult: Godhood
Realizing ones own ʺdivinityʺ is the goal of the
occult.
Introduction to the Occult
8

Introduction to the Occult
Introduction to the Occult
9

Introduction to the Occult
Introduction to the Occult
10

Introduction to the Occult
Introduction to the Occult
11

Introduction to the Occult
Introduction to the Occult
12

Introduction to the Occult
Introduction to the Occult
13

Introduction to the Occult
Introduction to the Occult
VI. The Goal of the Occult: Godhood
‣Realizing ones own ʺdivinityʺ is the goal of the
occult.
‣Occult beliefs and practices serve as a counterfeit
for the true God of the Bible.
‣Most occult beliefs and practices can be placed into
these three categories:
14

Introduction to the Occult
VI. The Goal of the Occult: Godhood
1. Knowledge ‐ e.g. clairvoyance, fortune‐telling, mind
reading, ESP, Ouija Board, Tarot Cards, crystal balls,
dowsing rods, palm reading, spiritism, necromancy,
channeling, etc.
This is the occult counterfeit of Godʹs omniscience.
2. Location ‐ e.g. astral travel, out‐of‐the‐body experience,
time travel, remote viewing.
This is the occult counterfeit of Godʹs ʹ omnipresence.
3. Power ‐ psychokinesis, mind power, mind control,
spells, incantations, visualization, creative imagination,
guided imagery.
This is the occult counterfeit of Godʹs omnipotence.
Introduction to the Occult
VII. The Antiquity of the Occult: The
Garden of Eden
The doctrines which comprise the occult view of reality
find their origin from Satan in the Garden of Eden.
1. The denial of death (Genesis 3:4)
Hebrews 9:27 says ʺIt is appointed unto man to
die once, and after this the judgment.ʺ
There are two ways the biblical doctrine of death
is denied:
‐ You die more than once. This is reincarnation.
‐ You die once, but there is no judgment. This is
what the Satanic Bible teaches.
15

Introduction to the Occult
VII. The Antiquity of the Occult: The
Garden of Eden
The doctrines which comprise the occult view of reality
find their origin from Satan in the Garden of Eden.
2. The divinity of man (Genesis 3:5)
Introduction to the Occult
VIII. The Problem with the Occult
The problem with the occult is threefold:
1. The beliefs and practices of the occult involve a
false view of the nature of reality.
Examples:
Occultism teaches that human beings are
gods. The Bible teaches that this is not true.
Human beings are not gods. We donʹt have
an ʺunlimitedʺ potential.
There are no neutral forces into which one
can tap to heal or harm.
16

Introduction to the Occult
VIII. The Problem with the Occult
The problem with the occult is threefold:
2. The beliefs and practices of the occult serve as a
substitute in oneʹs life for the true God.
Example:
The New Age Movement offers certain
ʺmind dynamicsʺ as a means of reducing
stress. According to the Bible, there is no
need for relaxation exercises in order to
reduce stress since it already tells us how to
deal with stress (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians
4:6‐7).
Introduction to the Occult
VIII. The Problem with the Occult
The problem with the occult is threefold:
3. The beliefs and practices of the occult open one up
to demonic powers.
Example:
The use of relaxation techniques or
meditation can open one up for an
encounter with what the occultist may call
your ʺinner voice or counselorʺ but what
may really be a demon.
17

Introduction to the Occult
IX. The Truth about the Occult
Despite what the occultists might believe and teach
about their own system, the Bible tells us the truth
about the occult.
1. The Bible teaches that the occult is real. Acts 8:9,
11; 13:6‐8; 16:16; Revelation 18:23
2. The Bible teaches that the occult is forbidden.
Deuteronomy 18:10‐12
3. The Bible teaches that the occult is from Satan.
Genesis 3:1‐6; 2 Thessalonians 2:9‐10; 1 Timothy
4:1
18