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Vatican acknowledges rise in occult

Headline fresh off the newswire: Vatican sets up exorcism squads 

ROME, Vatican City, Dec. 29, 2007
 

The Pope ordered his bishops to set up exorcism squads to tackle the rise of Satanism, concerned at what the Vatican sees as an increased interest in the occult.

I would like to comment that I don't think it all that alarming to hear about "the rise of Satanism" or "an increased interest in the occult."  First, we have a whole proliferation of movies, as of late--including those for children--that surround the subject. Then the thinly disguised occult under the label of "New Agism" which is simply a rehash of ancient mysticism (occult).

We also know, courtesy of the Apostle Paul, that the spirit of the anti-Christ will cause a great apostasy from the church in the Last Days and the occult, and the Satan-inspired cults, have certainly seen to that. In fact, I was recently told by a friend in a deliverance ministry that she has been working with a lady who came out of Christian Science and that this woman claims that the cult is a front for witchcraft--a "getting one's feet wet" forum.

If that isn't enough, we have Rev. 21:8 and 22:15 that lists sorcerors as being severly judged by God, once He restores His theocracy. The sorcerors are mentioned right along with other things that people have continued to practice down to this day: fornicators, liars, murderers, idolaters, etc. Sorcery, just like these practices, is still alive and well at the end of the church age and will be dealt with when Christ returns.

Christians should not be surprised by any of this, only sure to keep on the spiritual armor from God, as protection during the battle, and to keep praying incessantly for one another (Eph. 6:18).

Yoga IS "unChristian"

I agree wholeheartedly with the priests in the article below. All ofthe New Age stuff is creeping into the church to its detriment and when there is no dividing line, it appears that the church is sanctioning these practices which are, in fact, based on ancient mysticism, which is occult. It is just the lie that Satan told Eve in Eden, repackaged in different formats down thru the ages. Any philosophy which promotes human will and the ability of humans to usurp God's providence has no place in the life of a Christian.

Priests ban yoga class as 'un-Christian'
TAUNTON, England, Aug. 31

Two priests in southwest England banned a yoga instructor from using their churches for her children's classes because they said yoga is "un-Christian."

Tim Jones and Simon Farrar of Taunton, Somerset, banned yoga instructor Louise Woodcock from using their rooms, saying the ancient Hindu and Buddhist meditation and exercise is a "sham"and "un-Christian," IANS reported Friday.Woodcock told the Daily Mail their position as "ridiculous," sinceher Yum Yum Yoga classes involve music and movement with no spiritual teachings.

"The church has completely misunderstood it and I think they are being narrow-minded," she said.The yoga instructor was originally given permission to use the hall at Baptist Church in Taunton for a children's class, the Mail reported, but Rev. Farrar withdrew his consent after discovering the class was yoga. Days later she was turned away from St. James church as well.

Farrar said, "We are a Christian organization and when we let rooms to people we want them to understand that they must be fully in line with our Christian ethos. ... If it were just a group of children singing nursery rhymes, there wouldn't be a problem. But she's called it yoga and therefore there is a dividing line we're not prepared to cross."

Jones, vicar of St. James, said "Any alternative philosophies or beliefs are offering a sham - and at St. James we want people to havethe real thing. ... Yoga may appear harmless or even beneficial, but it is encouraging people to think that there is a way to wholeness of body and mind through human techniques - whereas the only true way to wholeness is by faith in God through Jesus Christ."
I agree wholeheartedly with the priests in the article below. All of
the New Age stuff is creeping into the church to its detriment and
when there is no dividing line, it appears that the church is
sanctioning these practices which are, in fact, based on ancient
mysticism, which is occult. It is just the lie that Satan told Eve in
Eden, repackaged in different formats down thru the ages. Any
philosophy which promotes human will and the ability of humans to
usurp God's providence has no place in the life of a Christian.

Priests ban yoga class as 'un-Christian'
TAUNTON, England, Aug. 31

Two priests in southwest England banned a yoga instructor from using
their churches for her children's classes because they said yoga
is "un-Christian." Tim Jones and Simon Farrar of Taunton, Somerset,
banned yoga instructor Louise Woodcock from using their rooms, saying
the ancient Hindu and Buddhist meditation and exercise is a "sham"
and "un-Christian," IANS reported Friday.

Woodcock told the Daily Mail their position as "ridiculous," since
her Yum Yum Yoga classes involve music and movement with no spiritual
teachings. "The church has completely misunderstood it and I think
they are being narrow-minded," she said.

The yoga instructor was originally given permission to use the hall
at Baptist Church in Taunton for a children's class, the Mail
reported, but Rev. Farrar withdrew his consent after discovering the
class was yoga. Days later she was turned away from St. James church
as well.

Farrar said, "We are a Christian organization and when we let rooms
to people we want them to understand that they must be fully in line
with our Christian ethos. ... If it were just a group of children
singing nursery rhymes, there wouldn't be a problem. But she's called
it yoga and therefore there is a dividing line we're not prepared to
cross."

Jones, vicar of St. James, said "Any alternative philosophies or
beliefs are offering a sham - and at St. James we want people to have
the real thing. ... Yoga may appear harmless or even beneficial, but
it is encouraging people to think that there is a way to wholeness of
body and mind through human techniques - whereas the only true way to
wholeness is by faith in God through Jesus Christ."

WICCA/WITCHCRAFT AND "THE SECRET" ARE CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH!

Recently, I published some posts on "The Secret", a new rave that is sweeping the nation and has been promoted on the Oprah Winfrey show. In these posts, I have noted many parallels between its inherent philosophy and occult beliefs. Below, you will see 12 Parallels that I have found between ritual Witchcraft and the philosophy of The Secret. I’m sure there are more, but I am working on so many other research projects at the moment . . . But, hey, don’t let that stop you from doing your own research! When your research is done, ask yourself: Does The Secret sound like an ideology that a Christian should be following, in spite of arguments presented by its promoters on the Oprah show?

Here are just a few parallels between Witchcraft and the Secret:
  1. Both emphasize the importance of "vibrations" in achieving what you want in life. Witchcraft defines vibrations as magical radiation found in all things and in feelings. The vibrations radiate from people and things.
  2. Both believe that the proper vibrations can elicit help from the "universe".
  3. Both believe that the universe is made up different energy spheres or levels.
  4. Witchcraft practices rituals for "attraction", allowing the practitioner to attract to his/herself the things he/she wants in life. The Secret, while not performing rituals of attraction, does hold to the "Law of Attraction".
  5. Witchcraft practices rituals of "harmony", which bring the practitioner into harmony with the universe. The Secret, while not performing such a ritual, does believe that a person needs to be in harmony with the universe to achieve a desired result.
  6. Witchcraft practices rituals to bring health, happiness, and material wealth to the practitioner. The Secret believes that our words and attitudes can be used to bring such prosperity to the practitioner.
  7. Both believe in "auras".
  8. The practice of Wicca Witchcraft is aid to enable the practitioner to rid his/herself of unfortunate coincidences. The Secret says there is no such thing as coincidences.
  9. The practice of Wicca Witchcraft is said to enable the practitioner in bringing positive "karma" to his/herself. The Secret teaches that, if used properly, positive vibrations will be returned to the individual.
  10. Both would have you believe that, by practicing their techniques, you can live the life of your dreams.
  11. Both believe in releasing negative energies that keep you from reaching your desired goals in life.

Wicca Witchcraft practices "Moon Magick" as a weight loss technique. The Secret teaches that, by putting its techniques into practice, you can attain your goals, including weight loss.

Jehovah's Witnesses and the Occult

Another JW/occult link I just discovered today:

As I previously mentioned on this page, there was a time when the Watchtower Society of the Jehovah’s Witnesses taught that the medical practice of vaccination was unbiblical. Medical practitioners were consistently and severely denounced, in WT literature, for promoting vaccinations. In fact, the Golden Age of September 23, 1936, p. 810 (former name of the "Awake!" magazine, put out by the Jehovah’s Witnesses), even attempted to dispute the existence of germs and their ability to cause disease. The Watchtower Society even went so far as to teach that diseases result from "wrong vibrations".

It is telling, I think, that the term "vibrations" is used here in WT literature. If you check out my previous article on "the Secret", and how it’s promoters use this very term, and within the same context, the plot thickens. It gets more interesting still when you follow the path back to the root of it all. In so doing, you discover that the whole idea (that the "vibrations" we send out into the universe return negative or positive results accordingly), springs from ancient occult beliefs. Here, we have uncovered yet another link between the teachings of the WTS and occult beliefs. See my posts that immediately precede this one, to discover more parallels. See the post on "the Secret" to see how this belief traces back to the occult.