Dear Gramps,

Is it “okay” to study or show interest in things such as taro cards and spells, also ghosts and hauntings.

Cheese Steak

Dear Cheese,

Let me ask you a question. Are any of these subjects ennobling or uplifting? Do you think that activity in any of them would be accompanied by the Holy Spirit? There is one word that describes the category into which all of these activities would fall, and that word is witchcraft.

Those activities are in some way titillating perhaps because their proponents are dealing with “mysteries” and with the unknown. We do have an interesting example of such an activity that is found in the scriptures. The prophet Samuel had died, and King Saul had lost favor with the Lord, who answered not his prayers when pressed upon in battle by the Philistines. So he sought out the witch of Endor and tried to get her to conjure up Samuel to speak with him. The results of Saul’s trying to get information from the spirit world from the witch of Endor falls in the same category as trying to get information from the spirit world by taro cards, spells and ghosts. This is what happened to Saul because of such actions–  

Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.(1 Sam. 28:18-19).

Gramps