CIM Briefing Papers

C.I.M Outline #16

                                  THE OCCULT

I.  Introduction

    A.  The word "occult" comes from the latin occultus which
        means "concealed".  In its usage today it means "beyond
        the bounds of ordinary knowledge, the mysterious, the
        concealed, or that which is hidden from view.  It
        involves practices such as magic, divination,
        incantations, and paranormal experiences".

    B.  The current popularity of occult practice and philosophy
        should be alarming to Christians for several reasons:

        1.  Satan and his forces are behind it.
        2.  He does not have our best interest in mind.  (I Peter
            5:8).
        3.  It is a sad commentary on the state of Western
            civilization.
        4.  Occult practices are strictly forbidden in the Bible 
            (Deut. 18:9-14; Jer. 7:30-31; Ezek. 8).

    C.  Many times in history a society has turned to the occult
        as a last resort in search of a thread of hope in the
        face of impending doom.

        Examples:

        1.  Israel when they were besieged by the Babylonians in
            586 B.C.
        2.  Rome in its decline:  the collapse of the Roman
            empire led to an aptly named period:
        3.  The Dark Ages--known for its occult activity.
        4.  Germany in the 1920s, and the entire Nazi regime.
        5.  Today, with the bomb, the ecological crisis, and the
            spiritual vacuum, people are turning once more to the
            occult, the mystical, and the irrational.
        6.  The former Soviet Union and its satellites.  Its
            citizens are currently enthralled with the occult.

    D.  In the past, occult practices were almost always
        associated with the poor and uneducated.  Today its
        popularity is among the young, the middle class,
        celebrities, and the academicians.  Courses on       
        witchcraft are offered on many college campuses. 
        Parapsychology is one of the most popular subjects on
        campus.  Campus bookstores report occult themes as among
        the most popular sellers.

II.  The Origin of Occult Philosophy

     A.  Occultism is most assuredly older than recorded history. 
         Many occult practices, thousands of years old, are still
         performed in essentially the same manner.

     B.  Some Biblical commentators believe occult doctrines were
         first propagated prior to the Genesis Flood by the "sons
         of god" (Gen. 6)whom they believe to be fallen angels
         (demons).

     C.  After the Flood, Nimrod, a grandson of Ham, organized
         these false beliefs (authored by the fallen angels) into
         a religio-political system known today as the Babylonian
         mystery religions (see the book TWO BABYLONS by A.
         Hislop.  Note: We do not endorse the conclusions        
         of this book).  Because this totalitarian society
         prevented the dissemination of the truth, God sent the
         judgement of the confusion of tongues at the tower
         (ziggurat) of Babel.  This broke the religious monopoly
         of this false religious system, but as the language
         groups formed new cities and nations, the occult
         philosophy of mystery Babylon spread and evolved.  It is
         this writer's opinion that all false religious systems
         have as their ancestor this Babylonian religious
         heritage.  This seems to be the teaching of Rev.
         17:5. 

III.  Factors Behind the Current Popularity of the Occult

      A.  The decline of rationalism

          1.  The Reformation held that the occult was real but
              wrong.
          2.  The rationalists during the Enlightenment and after
              said the occult was meaningless and unverifiable.
          3.  Today's philosophical trend is toward the
              irrational and the mystical.  For a good analysis
              of this trend see ESCAPE FROM REASON by Francis
              Schaeffer.
              
              a.  The existentialist says your mind is your
                  enemy.
              b.  Modern science and technology are viewed in
                  disgust by many as evidenced by these quotes
                  from TIME magazine (April 23,
                  1973, p.83-86):
                  
                  --Harvard Biologist, Everett Mendelsohn: 
                           "Science as we know it has outlived
                           its usefulness."

                  --Historian, Theodore Rozak: "Reason is a 
                           limited skill, ...there is also
                           spiritual knowledge and power."

                  --Psychologist, Abraham Maslow:  "Equally 
                    important are mystery, ambiguity,
                    illogic contradiction, and transcendent
                    experience."

      B.  Reaction to materialism and a search for a
          transcendental experience.

          Through this search young people are looking for proof
          that man is more than a machine.  This search has taken
          many forms: drugs, meditation, Eastern religions and
          its cults, proof for life after death, etc.

      C.  The influence of Eastern Religions

          Occult practice is an inescapable part of Eastern
          thought.  They gained much popularity initially in this
          country through the medium of rock music, i.e. the
          Beatles.

      D.  The acceptance of parapsychological research.

          1.  The work of J.B. Rhine at Duke U.
          2.  The work of Hans Bender in Germany.
          3.  The Russians have outspend the west in
              Parapsychological research.  (See PSYCHIC
              DISCOVERIES BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN, by
              Ostrander and Schroeder.
          4.  Currently, see also the work of Steve Fishman at
              Princeton U.

      E.  The Complexity and Chaos of Modern Society.

          1.  Liberalism in the major denominational churches
              created a spiritual vacuum in the 60's.
          2.  Secular and naturalistic humanism provided only
              pessimism about finding answers to man's moral
              problems.
          3.  The occult offers a short-cut to happiness and
              fulfillment.  It offers proof of the spiritual
              dimension through authentic experiences.

IV.  Four Major Ingredients of Occult Practice and Philosophy

     A.  The Paranormal:  The mystical, experiences beyond the
         five senses.

     B.  The Supernatural:  events contrary to of natural law.

     C.  The Esoteric:  that which is hidden or secret, use of
         symbols.

     D.  A Pantheistic and monistic outlook on life:  all is God;
         all is unity.  This is usually seen in the more
         sophisticated occult treatises where attempts are made
         to explain reality.

V.  Three Types of Occult Activity

    A.  Forms of Divination:  also known as fortune-telling,
        soothsaying, or augury.  The most prevalent form in
        America is astrology.  Others are:  waterwitching,
        palmistry, tarot cards, numerology, etc.  These are all
        strictly forbidden in the Bible (See Dt. 18:10-14, 20).

    B.  Types of mystical experiences:  Experiences that
        transcend the bounds of the ordinary physical world or
        the five senses.  Examples would be: out-of-body
        experiences, remote viewing, telekinesis, necromancy,  
        trances, psychic healing, altered states of
        consciousness, etc.

    C.  Magical Manipulation:  It is an attempt to manipulate
        people or nature by employing secret spiritual forces
        through various secret rites and ceremonies.  A
        practitioner is known as a sorcerer, witch, or wizard.    
        In the Bible such activity was strictly forbidden and
        punishable by death.  (See Exodus 22:18; Dt. 18:10,11;
        Isa. 47:9-15.).

VI.  Reasons Why the Occult is so Appealing

     A.  The occult offers knowledge (gnosis) to the initiates. 
         "You shall be as god knowing good and evil."  (Gen.
         3:5).

     B.  The occult offers power to manipulate and control the
         environment and events around you which may seem out of
         control.  "You will be like God"  (Gen. 3:5)

    C.  People are curious about the bizarre and the
        supernatural.

VII.  How People Get Involved in the Occult Trap

      A.  Heredity:  Affinity for the occult can be passed on
          from parents or grandparents  (See THE HAUNTING OF
          BISHOP PIKE, by Merrill F. Unger).

      B.  By subscription:  by consciously becoming involved.

      C.  Through indirect means: a few examples which may seem
          innocent to some are: Ouija boards, automatic writing,
          seances, fortune-tellers, Eastern forms of meditation,
          Martial Arts, submitting to spiritualistic healing,
          drugs, hypnosis, acupuncture, cartoons and comic books,
          fantasy games, and rock music.

VIII.  An Encouraging Word

       A.  Satan is a defeated foe (Col. 2:15).  He is out on
           bail now, but punishment has been prepared for him and
           his demons (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10).

       B.  The power of the Holy Spirit can break the chains of
           the occult (Luke 10:17-26).

       C.  Satan is more powerful and more intelligent than you. 
           Recognize this!  Depend on the Lord for victory. 
           Become discerning of the counterfeit by becoming
           intimately acquainted with the original. 
           Study the Word (I John 4:1-2; I Cor. 12:3).

       D.  Destroy all occult paraphernalia (Acts 18:8-20).

       E.  Resist Satan (James 4:9).   
 
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