What Draws People to the Occult?

THE answer to that question may depend to a large extent on where a person lives, as well as his or her religious beliefs and cultural background. In your area, what attracts people to the occult? Perhaps they are enticed by one of the following.

● Curiosity Humans are innately curious, and the occult smacks of mystery. So some wonder if a hidden power is behind the occult. Others might experiment with a Ouija board or read a horoscope to see if what it says comes true. Still others might attend a séance or consult a psychic.

● Entertainment Recent years have seen a surge in entertainment​—books, movies, and computer games—​based on occult themes and ancient pagan religious superstitions. Some of this entertainment also contains graphic violence and sex.

● Anxiety about tomorrow The Bible foretold: “In the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here.” (2 Timothy 3:1) Difficult times are indeed upon us, and many people are consulting occult practitioners​—such as astrologers, clairvoyants, palm readers, and psychics—​for guidance. “It’s one of the few businesses that is recession-proof,” said one psychic. “People don’t usually come to see you when they’re happy.” A clairvoyant in Canada stated: “All of a sudden I’m hearing from business professionals calling on their private office lines or on their cellphones in the hall whispering.” She added: “These are people who, in the past, were usually skeptical and not really comfortable consulting a psychic.”

● Physical sickness In some lands people who are seriously ill often give up on medical doctors and revert to traditional healers who use occult methods. Their sicknesses may be blamed on a curse or a spell. In order to lift the spell, friends or relatives of the ailing one may seek help from a fetishist, or an occult practitioner, who may demand a large payment.

● Desire for protection and good luck In some regions of Africa, villagers hire a “prophet” from a charismatic church to exorcise bad spirits from the community. Rituals involve drinking potions and “holy water.” Elsewhere, people consult spirit mediums in order to invoke good luck on a new house or a grave.

● Threats to children In Papua New Guinea, a mother may refuse to go outside with her newborn at night. Why? She fears that evil spirits might harm the infant. In Uganda, mothers routinely tie strings, sometimes with beads and shells, to the wrists and ankles of their babies to shield them from harm.

● Loss of a loved one British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle lost his son, brother, brother-in-law, and a nephew in World War I. Distraught and desperate, Doyle and his wife attended séances, hoping to speak with their dead son. Today, too, many consult spirit mediums in an effort to speak with dead loved ones. In some lands, traditional religions and so-called Christian churches teach that death is the result of a malevolent act by angry spirits. Several compulsory, expensive rituals may be performed in order to ward off a chain of deaths in a community.

● Fear of the dead Beliefs regarding death and the dead have profoundly influenced humankind. Hence, in many lands people perform all kinds of rituals, including self-injury, to appease the dead or to “prove” their love for them. Among some peoples of the Pacific islands, widows or widowers are forced to wear black clothing and go into mourning for months, locked up in a house where they must refrain from eating the deceased person’s favorite foods. Individuals who practice this custom can become depressed or sick from hunger or even die.

Clearly, there are many enticements luring people into the occult. How important, then, that we understand the true source of occult teachings! To that end, let us examine the Bible, the only book that gives us the full picture.

Who Is Really Behind the Occult?

CONCERNING our Creator, the Bible says: “God is light and there is no darkness at all in union with him.” (1 John 1:5) That is especially true in a spiritual sense. So could the true God be the power behind the occult? Or is there a sinister force involved?

Foremost among occult practices are divination and spiritism, which include astrology, numerology, palmistry, and sorcery, as well as communicating with the “dead” and casting spells. These practices have a very long history, most dating back to ancient Babylon, the ruins of which lie in Iraq. (Isaiah 47:1, 12, 13) From Babylon, occult practices spread around the ancient world and became deeply entrenched in many cultures and civilizations.

Consider an event that occurred in the city of Philippi in ancient Macedonia. There, a small group of Christian ministers, which included the apostle Paul and the physician Luke, encountered a girl who had occult powers. Note how the Bible writer Luke revealed the secret source of her powers. He wrote: “A certain servant girl with a spirit, a demon of divination, met us. She used to furnish her masters with much gain by practicing the art of prediction.”​—Acts 16:16-18.

Yes, this girl’s powers did not come from the true God, Jehovah, but from a demon, an evil spirit. Hence, Paul and his companions refused to listen to her. Perhaps you are now wondering: ‘Who are the demons? And where did they come from?’ Again, note the Bible’s answers.

Who Are the Demons?

Long before Jehovah formed humans, he created an untold number of intelligent spirit “sons of God” in heaven. (Job 38:4, 7) Like humans, they are free moral agents, and for a long time, they all remained loyal to God. But that happy situation came to an abrupt end. How so?

After God created humankind, one spirit creature began to covet something to which he was not entitled​—worship. Using a serpent the way a ventriloquist might use a puppet, this wicked angel seduced the first woman, Eve, into disobeying her Creator. (Genesis 3:1-6) The Bible calls that rebellious angel “the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan.” (Revelation 12:9) Jesus described him as “a manslayer” who “did not stand fast in the truth,” adding: “When he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposition, because he is a liar and the father of the lie.”​—John 8:44.

In time, other spirit “sons of the true God” joined Satan in his rebellion. (Genesis 6:1, 2) They are later referred to as “the angels that sinned” and “the angels that did not keep their original position but forsook their own proper dwelling place,” or their assigned place in heaven. (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6) They came to be called demons. (James 2:19) Moreover, they are determined to turn as many humans as possible away from true worship, as they did many Israelites in Bible times. (Deuteronomy 32:16, 17) Similarly today, as in the past, Satan and the demons cleverly employ religious lies.​—2 Corinthians 11:14, 15.

Shield Yourself!

Even though wicked spirits have superhuman powers, we can, with God’s help, ‘take our stand against them’ and come off victorious. (1 Peter 5:9) In order to get that help, however, we need to learn God’s requirements and act on them. Concerning the Christians in his day, the apostle Paul wrote: “We . . . have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the accurate knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual comprehension, in order to walk worthily of Jehovah to the end of fully pleasing him.”​—Colossians 1:9, 10.

Those who gained that “accurate knowledge” included a number of people in the city of Ephesus who practiced occult arts. Note how a knowledge of the truth affected them. The Bible states: “Quite a number of those who practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them up before everybody.” The books, incidentally, were worth “fifty thousand pieces of silver,” which was no small amount! (Acts 19:17-19) This courageous example was recorded for our benefit.​—2 Timothy 3:16.

Principles That Protect

There are other things that we can do to protect ourselves from the demons. Consider the following Bible guidelines.

“Do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God.” (1 John 4:1) Some statements made by astrologers, psychics, mediums, and witch doctors may indeed be true. For example, the demonized girl in Philippi spoke the truth when she said about Paul and his companions: “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who are publishing to you the way of salvation.” (Acts 16:17) Nevertheless, Paul and his companions did not accept her into their company. Instead, Paul ordered the evil spirit to come out of her. Test religious statements by comparing them with what the Bible says.​—Acts 17:11.

“Subject yourselves, therefore, to God; but oppose the Devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) The demons are God’s enemies and yours too. Do not even become curious about their dark ways. Instead, subject yourself to God by heeding his loving commandments, which are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3) For example, God said to the ancient nation of Israel: “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. For everybody doing these things is something detestable to Jehovah.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12) God’s view has not changed.​—Galatians 5:19, 20.

“There is no unlucky spell against [Jehovah’s servants].” (Numbers 23:23) All who want to please God need not fear the demons. Indeed, those wicked spirits “shudder” before God, aware of his overwhelming power, which he will eventually use to destroy them. (James 2:19) God will “show his strength in behalf of those whose heart is complete toward him,” and he ‘will never allow the righteous one to totter.’​—2 Chronicles 16:9; Psalm 55:22.

“The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5) God’s Word teaches that the dead are just that​—dead! They should not be feared, for they can no longer harm anyone. (Isaiah 26:14) In order to deceive people, the demons sometimes masquerade as spirits of the dead, which may explain why people find that the “spirit” of a formerly kind person may seem different from the person they knew.

“You cannot be partaking of ‘the table of Jehovah’ and the table of demons.” (1 Corinthians 10:21, 22) All who truly love Jehovah will stay away from books, movies, and computer games that are rooted in the occult or that promote occult practices and beliefs.a “I shall not set in front of my eyes any good-for-nothing thing,” says Psalm 101:3. What is more, occult entertainment often glorifies violence and immorality, which “lovers of Jehovah” repudiate.​—Psalm 97:10.

The demons have always tried to hide their true nature from humans. But they have not fully succeeded. By means of the Bible, Jehovah has exposed them for what they really are​—malicious liars and vicious enemies of mankind. What a contrast to our Creator, Jehovah God! As the following article shows, he loves us, always tells us the truth, and wants us to live happily forever.​—John 3:16; 17:17.

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A Sure Source of Guidance and Hope

UNLIKE the demons, Jehovah God is all-wise and all-powerful. He is also the very personification of love. (1 John 4:8) His advice is always good, he offers it free of charge, and he has our best interests at heart. What a contrast to the advice of clairvoyants and psychics! “Hey there, all you [spiritually] thirsty ones!” God says. “Come to the water. And the ones that have no money! Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk even without money and without price. Why do you people keep paying out money for what is not bread, and why is your toil for what results in no satisfaction? Listen intently to me, and eat what is good, and let your soul find its exquisite delight in fatness itself.”​—Isaiah 55:1, 2.

Because it was inspired by our loving Creator, the Bible gives us hope, spiritual protection, purpose in life, and the very best principles to live by. Why not reflect for a moment on the following questions and the related passages taken from the Bible?

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● How can I find genuine inner peace? The Bible states: “This is what Jehovah has said, your Repurchaser, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I, Jehovah, am your God, the One teaching you to benefit yourself, the One causing you to tread in the way in which you should walk. O if only you would actually pay attention to my commandments! Then your peace would become just like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.’”​—Isaiah 48:17, 18.

● Will evil always exist? “The upright are the ones that will reside in the earth, and the blameless are the ones that will be left over in it. As regards the wicked, they will be cut off from the very earth; and as for the treacherous, they will be torn away from it.” (Proverbs 2:21, 22) Yes, wicked humans, as well as the wicked angels, will be destroyed everlastingly, as if by fire.​—Revelation 20:10, 14.

● Will there be an end to sickness and suffering? “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things [today’s many problems] have passed away.”​—Revelation 21:3, 4.

Unlike the demons, God never lies. In fact, he “cannot lie.” (Titus 1:2) Moreover, as the final article in this series will show, his truth is both liberating and life-giving.​—John 8:32; 17:3.

Bible Truth Set Them Free

JESUS CHRIST said to a group of listeners: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) As the following examples show, that freedom includes freedom from the demons, the liars and deceivers behind the occult.​—John 8:44.

Each of these experiences highlights the liberating power of Bible truth. Yes, it alone truly sets people free. Why not examine the Bible for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

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● Susanna was a temple priestess in Brazil. She wanted to use her paranormal powers to help the needy. Additionally, she enjoyed “talking with her dead mother.” In time, however, her “mother” pleaded with her to kill herself and live with her in the spirit world. This tormented Susanna and gave her nightmares. Then Susanna and her husband began studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. They had a hard fight ‘opposing the Devil,’ but eventually he ‘fled from them.’ (James 4:7) Now they have peace, and Susanna no longer has nightmares. “I have so many things to thank Jehovah for,” she wrote, “but I am most thankful that he led us out of spiritual darkness.”

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● Timothy, who lives in West Africa, is deaf and mute.a Because regular doctors could not help him, he went to faith healers, but in vain. “My heart was broken by the deception,” he wrote. Then Timothy studied the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses, who explained to him God’s purpose to remove all sickness and disabilities. Timothy said, “I eagerly await the day in God’s new world when ‘the very ears of the deaf ones will be unstopped . . . and the tongue of the speechless one will cry out in gladness.’” (Isaiah 35:1-6) In the meantime, he enjoys using a portable DVD player to share Bible truths with other people who are hearing impaired, helping them find true freedom.

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● Evelyn was deeply involved in the occult in Estonia. Since Jesus cured people, she wanted to do the same. She especially wanted to help her chronically ill mother. Thus, in an effort to diagnose and treat serious illness, she learned how to use pendulums. In time, she examined the Bible. The result? “I came to understand how deceived I had been,” she said. “So I burned my spiritistic literature and pendulums.” She now teaches the Bible’s liberating truths to others.

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● Mary grew up on one of the islands of Papua New Guinea, where people are afraid of the dead. When someone in her village died, Mary would sleep under another person’s bed, fearing that the spirit of the deceased would harass her if she was alone. Then she learned from the Bible that the dead are asleep​—they are in the grave, awaiting a resurrection to life in Paradise on earth. (Luke 23:43; John 11:11-14) As a result, she no longer fears the dead.

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● Alicia, who was raised in a Christian home in the United States, took an interest in occult books and movies. Then she began to think seriously about the Bible truths she had learned. Realizing that she had, in reality, been trying to ‘partake of the table of Jehovah and the table of demons,’ she changed her ways and now has a clean conscience before God.​—1 Corinthians 10:21.