I Was Once a Slave of the Demons

As told to “Awake!” correspondent in Fiji

DEEP shadow surrounding them, the circle of seated men was visible mainly because the dim light of the oil-wick lantern reflected on their coconut-oiled bodies. The location was a thatched Fijian house somewhat removed from the other homes of the village. They passed from one to the other a half coconut shell from which each one drank.

What was this strange ceremony that went on into the night, interspersed with offerings and invocations? And what was that potion that they all shared? There was something sinister about it. The secret nature of the assembly suggested that these men were up to no good.

Well, that older man who appeared to preside was a witch doctor, and the men gathered around were fellow worshipers of the spirits of the dead. That large wooden bowl with its four short legs, all carved out of one piece, contained the kava that was being passed around. The roots and stems of the kava plant, related to the pepper family, are dried and ground to powder and then mixed with water. While the kava was being mixed, offerings were made to the spirits of the dead. Then, as each man drank, the dead were invoked to empower each partaker for the job he had in view.

Yes, they had a job in view. They wanted the help of the spirits of the dead to succeed in making a raid on a certain trading store. They wanted money and whatever else they could get. Finally the witch doctor told them that he was assured they would successfully raid the store. First, though, a spell must be cast on the store owner.

The raid was subsequently carried out at the appointed time. While the raiders took money from the till, canned goods and bales of cloth from the shelves, and even a steel money safe, the store owner stood transfixed, powerless to interfere. Later, however, those raiders were apprehended, when police found them in possession of the stolen goods. So, though they succeeded up to a point, they were unable to escape lawful retribution, and no “spirits of the dead” came to help them then.

Worshiping Spirits

How do I know so much about the case? Well, I was one of those men and that old witch doctor was my grandfather. In fact, before his death he passed on his secrets and powers to me after I had served a necessary apprenticeship period.

For years I too was a witch doctor and led groups of spirit worshipers. We moved from place to place in our islands using my witchcraft powers, stealing and living off our ill-gotten gains, working only when absolutely necessary. The law usually caught up with us, either because we boasted about our success or because stolen goods were found in our possession. As a result I have been in six different jails throughout Fiji, and my reputation was most unsavory.

A rather odd thing about all this is that I was also a member of a prominent sect of Christendom, as was my grandfather, the witch doctor, before me. Though his spiritistic activity was well known, he was no less a respected member of our religion. Never once do I remember our minister saying anything against the Fijian worship of the dead. Besides, in church they taught that the souls of the dead went on living after death, so what was wrong with our seeking the aid of our dead to help us gain a living, we reasoned, even if it was by stealing? Imperfect human nature is usually attracted to the idea of getting something for nothing or with as little effort as possible. Also, being a witch doctor gave me a standing and a respect in the community that conferred a feeling of inner superiority, strengthening my belief in the powers of witchcraft.

On the other hand, there were decided disadvantages. We were always in fear of the unseen spirits. Once initiated and brought into their power, we were always compelled to do what they wanted. Disobedience, we feared, could bring some terrible evil upon us personally or upon our families. There was no love between us and those spirits. They did not seem to care how corrupt we became, while we, for our part, gladly used their power for lawless and degraded ends. Add to this the fact that we were forever in fear of being caught for our crimes.

Indeed, I often used to wonder if there was not a better and more satisfying way of life. I was confused and sick of its futility. But how could I extricate myself?

Spiritism Exposed

Then I was contacted one day by one of Jehovah’s witnesses. Our discussion led to a weekly Bible study in our home. I began to learn many things I had never even heard of before. For example, I found that the Bible says: “As for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all . . . their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished.” (Eccl. 9:5, 6) So those spirits we invoked were not our loved ones after all! Then who were they? I soon found out that they were demons​—wicked spirits who are the power behind the many forms of spiritism! Christendom’s religion had never drawn my attention to the Bible’s condemnation of “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.”​—Deut. 18:10-12.

I learned that God strictly commands Christians to keep free from spiritism because “the works of the flesh are manifest [in the] . . . practice of spiritism,” and all forms of worship connected with it.​—Gal. 5:19, 20.

A Hard Fight

Today, I am a Christian minister of Jehovah’s witnesses and have forever, I hope, turned my back on what I have come to recognize as demonism. But it was a hard fight. A voice from the invisible realm persistently urged me to quit studying the Bible. It reminded me of the lucrative gain I received while under spirit influence. It threatened that if I stopped serving the spirits I would fall on hard times and perhaps be unable to support my family. The demon voice never did mention, though, all the insecurity and discomfort I had gone through.

But I had learned what to do through my studies with Jehovah’s people. I called upon Jehovah in prayer. I read the Bible regularly, and associated as much as possible with the local congregation of the Witnesses. The more I persevered, the weaker became that voice, until finally it ceased altogether.

The demons then tried to seduce me in another way. Two elderly men from our village asked me to lead them in witchcraft rites. They wanted materials with which to build a house. Ordinarily, Fijians are kind and sympathetic and do whatever can be done for anyone in need. If the Bible principles had not become deeply imbedded in my mind and heart, I might have been prompted to reason that it would do no harm to practice spiritism just this once in order to help my neighbors. But no, I was not going to compromise, and I told them so.

Christendom’s Uncertainty

Meantime, after all those years of condoning demon worship, Christendom’s representatives are beginning to express concern over the fact that the witch doctors are wielding a greater influence than the clergymen in these islands that are supposedly Christian. One religious group has set up a special committee to inquire into witchcraft’s rivalry with the churches. A Methodist medical doctor on the committee found that the number of witch doctors is on the increase. Asked if he thought that witchcraft would eventually die out in Fiji, he replied: “No, I certainly don’t think so. I think it is on the increase. In any case, I would not like it to die out until we have a chance to study it properly. I think it could provide us with the answers to some of our problems.”

The same Methodist doctor also declared: “By all the laws of science these things [instances of spiritistic powers he himself has witnessed] just should not happen, but you cannot deny the evidence of your own eyes. So how do you explain it?” Evidently those investigators are prepared to learn something from the lying demons, instead of going with their problems to the Bible for guidance.

Happy to Be Free

How happy I am to be free from those malignant invisible powers of Satan’s system of rule over the nations! Jehovah’s witnesses have made the Bible’s counsel come alive for me, such as the counsel at Ephesians 4:28: “Let the stealer steal no more, but rather let him do hard work, doing with his hands what is good work, that he may have something to distribute to someone in need.” Today, through the transforming power of Bible knowledge, I have gained a reputation as a hardworking, honest man, practicing what a true Christian should.

I am grateful to Jehovah God and his Son, Christ Jesus, that I have been able to make this clean break from spiritism. With God’s help I am busy aiding fellow Fijians to recognize demonism for what it is and to escape its clutches. Bible knowledge, not worship of the spirits, will lead them to everlasting life under God’s heavenly kingdom. By staying under that righteous rule they will be forever free from enslavement to wicked demons. Instead, they will be joyous servants of the righteous God, Jehovah.