Water-witching and ESP

AFTER reading the article “Protection from Wicked Spirit Forces,” in The Watchtower of November 15, 1962, the president of The American Society of Dowsers, Inc., wrote a letter taking exception to the conclusion reached in the article; namely, that because of the link to extrasensory perception or spiritism Christians do well to abstain from water-witching or divining for water or minerals. Nonetheless, the president of The American Society of Dowsers, Inc., does give that society’s view as to how dowsing works. He writes: “The point of the article is, perhaps, well taken. We agree with the theory that dowsing is a form of ESP and that engaging in any form of ESP can lead to ‘possession’ or the involvement with ‘wicked spirit forces’ unless proper precautions are taken. . . . We prefer the positive approach of warning people interested in dowsing of the dangers.”

Even though the American dowsing society sincerely believes that dowsers can take precautions to avoid “possession” and that much good can be accomplished through forms of ESP, the thing that Christians must keep in mind is that any form of divination or spiritism is condemned by God because of its very nature. It is not holy angels that are behind this ESP but wicked angels or evil spirit creatures whose objective is to mislead mankind. Abstaining from ESP in all its forms is not only proper Scriptural precaution but it is also obedience to God.—Rev. 21:8.