Young People Ask . . .
Why Should I Avoid the Occult?
“I WAS very attached to my grandpa,” said the young girl, “and when he died, it hit me terribly hard. I wanted to know if it was possible to get in touch with him again.” The young girl thus began dabbling in the occult.
A recent report claimed that “at least 200,000 children and youths in the Federal Republic of Germany have had experience with various forms of the occult.” Japan has a crop of amateur spiritists in school, some specializing in telepathy, others in hypnosis, and still others in exorcism. In Nigeria it is not unusual these days to hear of primary-school children practicing witchcraft. And, sad to say, even some youths raised by Christian parents have, perhaps unwittingly, toyed with the supernatural.
Why does the occult hold such a fascination for youths? And why is getting involved with it so dangerous?
Why They Become Involved
Occultism involves the supernatural, an exploration of the spirit world by means of astrology, divination, witchcraft, magic, and the like. And why are so many youths eager to peer into such things? Dirk had a deep desire to contact his dead father. Convinced that he could do this if he developed his mental powers, he set out on a routine of meditation in which he tried to make objects move without touching them. Such meditation, said Dirk, brought him to the threshold of the spirit world!
Other youths fear the future. They want advice regarding their grades or marriage prospects and reckon that the spirit world can help them. Particularly disturbing is the worship of Satan himself! The appeal of this gruesome religion? “I’m into it for power,” explained one Canadian youth who practices Satanism. “It gives me the power to hurt people.”
Most investigators believe, though, that the major reason youths get involved with occultism is simple curiosity. “I was so curious,” confessed one girl who became involved in the occult. Another girl put it this way: “I felt very skeptical at first, but I thought, ‘At least you’ll know what it’s really like.’” So she accepted an invitation from a friend to join in an occult session.
Driven by curiosity, some youths try their hand at the Ouija board or improvise by studying the movements of an upturned glass. From there it is but a short hop to deeper involvement in spiritism by the use of crystal balls, tarot cards, pendants, tea leaves, and horoscope books. Some even begin consulting professional fortune-tellers or medicine men. Many professionals, though, prove to be little more than tricksters. For example, to improve his grades, Alexander contacted a medicine man. Not only did he not improve his grades but he lost out financially. His money was split between the phony medicine man and the so-called friend who recommended him.
For many a youth, though, a venture into spiritism results in something far more injurious than financial loss.
‘Unbelievable Torment’
“If only I’d known” is a phrase commonly heard among those who came to regret playing with the supernatural. So observed Personality, a South African magazine. Typical is the lament: “If only I hadn’t been so naïve. . . . I have suffered unbelievable torment, voices, nightmares, threats, and I have been tortured mentally and physically by other satanists when I tried to get out.”
Fully 24 percent of teachers surveyed in Germany noted the disturbing influence of occultism on pupils. Some students were withdrawn, had problems learning, lived in fear, suffered from depression, and developed a tendency to inflict harm on themselves or others. Dirk often could not sleep at night. He recalls: “Gripped with fear of being possessed by demons, I didn’t dare close my eyes. I winced at every sound.” A youth named Michael similarly suffered “sleepless nights with demon harassment” after taking potions prescribed for him. Other reports describe ominous personality changes in persons participating in occult practices. One girl alarmed her mother by informing her that in the future she would dress in black (the color she also wanted to paint her room) and sleep in an open coffin!
The Real Inhabitants of the Spirit World
The scriptures make plain that “the dead . . . are conscious of nothing at all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5) The spirit world is therefore not inhabited by souls of departed loved ones. What, then, is the reason for such frightening experiences? Wicked demons! According to the Bible, these are rebel angels, followers of Satan the Devil. (1 Peter 3:19, 20; Revelation 12:9) They have a history of perpetrating mischief and mayhem among humans.
Luke 9:42, for example, tells us of a demon-possessed man whom “the demon dashed . . . to the ground and violently convulsed.” How sadistic! Acts 19:16 similarly describes how a demon-possessed man made a violent attack upon seven would-be exorcists. Modern-day experiences clearly confirm that the demons have not changed their vicious ways one bit.
A youth who begins toying with ESP, astrology, tarot cards, or any form of the occult may thus be opening the door to horrifying experiences. The magazine Personality said: “A common thread running through the experiences of all those we spoke to [who had got involved with the occult] was that they had been sucked deeper and deeper into the satanic whirlpool through channels clothed in a thin veneer of respectability.” Yes, the occult is nothing more than a stepping-stone to contact with Satan and the demons!
‘Honey on a Sharp Knife’
God’s Law to the Israelites therefore prohibited any form of spiritism, saying: “There should not be found in you . . . anyone who employs divination, a practicer of magic or anyone who looks for omens or a sorcerer, or one who binds others with a spell or anyone who consults a spirit medium or a professional foreteller of events or anyone who inquires of the dead.”—Deuteronomy 18:10, 11.
Christians in the first century cleansed themselves of any connection with spiritism, destroying all demonistic paraphernalia. (Acts 19:19) Youths today who desire Jehovah’s friendship will similarly steer clear of anything associated with the occult. That would include all films, books, comic books, and posters with spiritistic overtones. Even one’s choice of music should come under scrutiny. Heavy metal music, for example, has repeatedly been linked to Satanism.
The Tibetans have a saying: ‘Think twice before accepting honey that is offered on a sharp knife.’ In trying to lick the honey off the knife, you may lose your tongue! Similarly, no matter how appealing the supernatural may be to your curiosity, it is lethal. So refuse any invitation to participate in or even observe an occult session. Something as seemingly harmless as the glass-moving game may lead to dangerous involvement in demonism. True, you may be curious. But would you eat rotten meat simply to find out what it’s like to have food poisoning?
Dirk (mentioned earlier) was able to free himself from the occult. By studying the Bible with the help of the publications of the Watch Tower Society, he came to understand the truth about his dead father, and he learned about the hope of a resurrection. (Psalm 146:4; John 5:28, 29) This truth set him free from any desire to communicate with the spirit world. (Compare John 8:32.) Where is Dirk now? He has joined the ranks of Jehovah’s Witnesses and works at one of the printing facilities of the Watch Tower Society as a full-time minister.
Yes, the Bible satisfies our ‘spiritual needs.’ (Matthew 5:3) And in the long run, this is far more beneficial than satisfying one’s morbid curiosity through the dangerous, death-dealing occult.
[Picture on page 15]
Involvement with the occult might begin with a seemingly harmless game, such as this Ouija board or the use of an upturned glass