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Occult Shock and Psychic Forces
A biblical view of occultism.
482 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
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May 10, 2024
TWO CHRISTIAN RESEARCHERS LOOK AT A WIDE VARIETY OF ‘OCCULTIC’ TOPICS
Clifford A. Wilson (1923-2012) was an Australian Christian researcher and writer (his Ph.D. is in Educational Psychology), who also served in Israel with the American Schools of Oriental Research. John Weldon (1948-2014) was the author/coauthor of many other books.
They wrote in the Preface to this 1980 book, “One of the purposes of this book is to reveal the counterfeits with which Satan had inundated our world for what they REALLY are… however, we must point out that without a GENUINE article, there cannot be a counterfeit. We believe in the supernatural power of the Almighty God, but Satan---the great deceiver---would have us believe that his power is just as great (which it is not) and also intended for the good of mankind (again, which it is not)… In this book, we set out to examine … the world of ‘secular’ supernaturalism… Occultism … is in its truest sense spiritistic (i.e., demonic) supernaturalism. It can come under the name of ‘ascended masters’ … the ‘higher self’ … or a hundred other guises---but the ultimate plan and purpose remain the same: deception and bondage under the guise of ‘God’ and ‘spirituality.’ In this book, we examine the occult, as well as Eastern religions… Newer topics of interest, such as UFOs, holistic health, life after death research, and ‘new’ psychic energy ideas are also examined. Finally, parapsychology is given a thorough analysis … These pages are written in an effort to highlight the dangers. They point ultimately to the one source of deliverance, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.” (Pg. ix-xi)
They observe, “it is relatively easy to explain some of the attraction to Satanism; such worship is supposed to bring earthly and carnal delights. Physical and materialistic pleasures are especially attractive when one is not prepared to know the spiritual reality of fellowship with God. Fellowship with God by no means rules out physical pleasures, but it does place bounds and limits---bounds which are desirable for the good of society as a whole.” (Pg. 17) They continue, “the California newspapers of the last ten years have reported Satanic activities that are almost incredible. There have been cult murders, children tortured… There is even a glorification of these things in some publications, and America and the world are reaping ugly consequences as lawlessness increases, meaningless murder is constantly reported, and even children are unsafe on the streets unless they are supervised. Satanism and the occult are here to stay, until God eliminates them. The task is too great for men in their OWN strength…” (Pg. 20)
They state, “The gurus continue to come to the West. One fact is clear: they bring with them teachings highly destructive of morality, common sense spirituality, and Christian values. Their open advocacy of various forms of occultism and psychicism (e.g., yoga), spiritism, and sexual immorality (e.g., tantra) has ruined thousands of lives… A wise person, indeed, is one who avoids the ‘wisdom’ and ‘spirituality’ of the East altogether.” (Pg. 29)
They say of Edgar Cayce, “Against his better judgment, he developed psychic abilities which he suspected were Satanic, but he used them for the ‘good’ they did. He ruined thousands of lives, as well as his own. People today are reluctant to believe that Satan will give just about anyone power, peace, etc., to keep them side-tracked… Psychic powers give one the illusion of spirituality but have nothing to do with true spirituality.” (Pg. 53)
They argue, “the resurrection of Christ disproves reincarnation. God says that the penalty of sin is death---physical death as well as spiritual separation from Him. Men die because they sin… The very fact that Christ rose from the dead… proves that all sins were paid for. Otherwise he would still be dead. So much as one ‘unpaid-for’ sin, throughout all human history, would have kept Jesus in the grave…” (Pg. 80)
Of Near-Death Experiences, they say, “not every dying person has experiences of this type. Most have none at all, and of those that do, not all are glorious, peaceful ones---some are hellish. However, there are enough cases reported to assume that we are dealing with purposeful deception. These experiences are what we would expect to find occurring in the realm of spiritual warfare… First of all… God says that death is an ENEMY to be overcome, not a friend… Second, the actions of the ‘being of light’… indicate that this entity is NEITHER Jesus Christ nor a holy angel. Third, the dead friends and relatives many people meet cannot really be dead, for Scripture tells us the unsaved dead are confined and in agony…” (Pg. 93-94)
They critique astrology: “the planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto were unknown … at the time that the Signs of the Zodiac were formulated… Astrologers also ignore the fact that stars have a beginning and a termination and are not fixed and unaltered in their positions, and therefore could not have a virtually eternal influence… horoscopes that being all the members of any sign group together … for a day’s reading are necessarily false by the very bases of astrology itself. Another paradox is made clear when we think of identical twins … sometimes one dies at birth and the other lives on for many years… if the stars really do have the influences that astrologers claim, it surely would be at the time of conception rather than of birth.” (Pg. 113-115)
They outline, “In… the world of the occult, we find about half a dozen characteristics that are predominant: 1, The contacting of a higher or supernatural entity… 2. The contact is often made through supernatural occult means---ouija board, automatic writing… yoga, hypnosis, etc. 3. The occurrence of both physical manifestations and violations of physical law. 4. Harmful physical-psychological effects. 5. Messages with a nonbiblical content. 6. Either the person has an occult background and/or psychic abilities… or develops them soon after. 7. A ‘psychic transformation or illumination’ is experienced…” (Pg. 145)
They assert, “The occult… is forbidden by God because (1) it involves direct contact with forces alien and hostile to Him… and (2) because it involves thins secret or hidden. God says certain things belong to Him alone [Deut 29:29]. Man is to avoid them entirely. If such energy as occultists speak of exists (apart from any necessary demonic connection---and we are by no means convinced that it does), then delving into this area is forbidden.” (Pg. 150-151)
They acknowledge, “We should note that there IS room for a distinctively Christian holistic health Providing the eastern-occult methods and philosophy of the movement are disregarded, WHAT REMAINS IS SOUND (e.g., preventive medicine, less reliance on drugs and surgery, advocating more personal responsibility for one’s health, treating the cause instead of the symptom, etc.). (Pg. 166-167)
They state, “There is no neutral ‘science’ of Life Energy and meridians, but rather a highly developed mystical system with strong ties to the psychic realm. What does that mean? It means that ‘energy’ therapists, whether they realize it or not, are carrying out a form of religious practice and conditioning their patients to accept its teachings.” (Pg. 195)
They explain, “It is the underlying philosophy of our book that occult powers and methodology in all their forms… represent in varying degrees contact with these demonic spirits. This contact can be overt (spiritist), overt (healing by psychic energy), acknowledged (black magic), or repressed (parapsychology). Such contact is always deeply consequential.” (Pg. 321)
They contend, “So we ask, ‘Is there such a thing as Christian Parapsychology?’ No---the terms are mutually exclusive. The study of parapsychology is the study of the occult… To be a Christian parapsychologist one would have to be a Christian occultist, and the Bible is absolutely clear in its stand against occult involvement of any kind. Yet we do fine… some purported Christians advocate that the Church should be involved in psychical research.” (Pg. 392) They conclude, “Basically, Christian parapsychologists are theologically liberal occultists, NOT Christians.” (Pg. 409)
They admit, “some Christian writers (e.g., Watchman Nee) have advocated the idea that psi powers were originally God-given and are now latent due to the Fall… such an idea raises problems. For example, why could nor a Christian develop his latent powers and use them to God’s glory? Why would God need to give His people spiritual GIFTS… when they could use their own natural … powers that God gave man originally? How do we distinguish between gifts of the Spirit and latent psi?” (Pg. 395)
They conclude, “It can be demonstrated that whenever it is the individual or the culture that becomes involved in the occult, the end result is tragedy. Moral collapse, economic breakdown, emotional ruin, and spiritual destruction are the consequences of personal or cultural involvement in this area. The wise will heed this warning the turn to true spirituality and enlightenment, as represented by the teachings of Christ.” (Pg. 456)
This book will be of keen interest for Evangelicals studying the Occult, and related topics.
Clifford A. Wilson (1923-2012) was an Australian Christian researcher and writer (his Ph.D. is in Educational Psychology), who also served in Israel with the American Schools of Oriental Research. John Weldon (1948-2014) was the author/coauthor of many other books.
They wrote in the Preface to this 1980 book, “One of the purposes of this book is to reveal the counterfeits with which Satan had inundated our world for what they REALLY are… however, we must point out that without a GENUINE article, there cannot be a counterfeit. We believe in the supernatural power of the Almighty God, but Satan---the great deceiver---would have us believe that his power is just as great (which it is not) and also intended for the good of mankind (again, which it is not)… In this book, we set out to examine … the world of ‘secular’ supernaturalism… Occultism … is in its truest sense spiritistic (i.e., demonic) supernaturalism. It can come under the name of ‘ascended masters’ … the ‘higher self’ … or a hundred other guises---but the ultimate plan and purpose remain the same: deception and bondage under the guise of ‘God’ and ‘spirituality.’ In this book, we examine the occult, as well as Eastern religions… Newer topics of interest, such as UFOs, holistic health, life after death research, and ‘new’ psychic energy ideas are also examined. Finally, parapsychology is given a thorough analysis … These pages are written in an effort to highlight the dangers. They point ultimately to the one source of deliverance, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.” (Pg. ix-xi)
They observe, “it is relatively easy to explain some of the attraction to Satanism; such worship is supposed to bring earthly and carnal delights. Physical and materialistic pleasures are especially attractive when one is not prepared to know the spiritual reality of fellowship with God. Fellowship with God by no means rules out physical pleasures, but it does place bounds and limits---bounds which are desirable for the good of society as a whole.” (Pg. 17) They continue, “the California newspapers of the last ten years have reported Satanic activities that are almost incredible. There have been cult murders, children tortured… There is even a glorification of these things in some publications, and America and the world are reaping ugly consequences as lawlessness increases, meaningless murder is constantly reported, and even children are unsafe on the streets unless they are supervised. Satanism and the occult are here to stay, until God eliminates them. The task is too great for men in their OWN strength…” (Pg. 20)
They state, “The gurus continue to come to the West. One fact is clear: they bring with them teachings highly destructive of morality, common sense spirituality, and Christian values. Their open advocacy of various forms of occultism and psychicism (e.g., yoga), spiritism, and sexual immorality (e.g., tantra) has ruined thousands of lives… A wise person, indeed, is one who avoids the ‘wisdom’ and ‘spirituality’ of the East altogether.” (Pg. 29)
They say of Edgar Cayce, “Against his better judgment, he developed psychic abilities which he suspected were Satanic, but he used them for the ‘good’ they did. He ruined thousands of lives, as well as his own. People today are reluctant to believe that Satan will give just about anyone power, peace, etc., to keep them side-tracked… Psychic powers give one the illusion of spirituality but have nothing to do with true spirituality.” (Pg. 53)
They argue, “the resurrection of Christ disproves reincarnation. God says that the penalty of sin is death---physical death as well as spiritual separation from Him. Men die because they sin… The very fact that Christ rose from the dead… proves that all sins were paid for. Otherwise he would still be dead. So much as one ‘unpaid-for’ sin, throughout all human history, would have kept Jesus in the grave…” (Pg. 80)
Of Near-Death Experiences, they say, “not every dying person has experiences of this type. Most have none at all, and of those that do, not all are glorious, peaceful ones---some are hellish. However, there are enough cases reported to assume that we are dealing with purposeful deception. These experiences are what we would expect to find occurring in the realm of spiritual warfare… First of all… God says that death is an ENEMY to be overcome, not a friend… Second, the actions of the ‘being of light’… indicate that this entity is NEITHER Jesus Christ nor a holy angel. Third, the dead friends and relatives many people meet cannot really be dead, for Scripture tells us the unsaved dead are confined and in agony…” (Pg. 93-94)
They critique astrology: “the planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto were unknown … at the time that the Signs of the Zodiac were formulated… Astrologers also ignore the fact that stars have a beginning and a termination and are not fixed and unaltered in their positions, and therefore could not have a virtually eternal influence… horoscopes that being all the members of any sign group together … for a day’s reading are necessarily false by the very bases of astrology itself. Another paradox is made clear when we think of identical twins … sometimes one dies at birth and the other lives on for many years… if the stars really do have the influences that astrologers claim, it surely would be at the time of conception rather than of birth.” (Pg. 113-115)
They outline, “In… the world of the occult, we find about half a dozen characteristics that are predominant: 1, The contacting of a higher or supernatural entity… 2. The contact is often made through supernatural occult means---ouija board, automatic writing… yoga, hypnosis, etc. 3. The occurrence of both physical manifestations and violations of physical law. 4. Harmful physical-psychological effects. 5. Messages with a nonbiblical content. 6. Either the person has an occult background and/or psychic abilities… or develops them soon after. 7. A ‘psychic transformation or illumination’ is experienced…” (Pg. 145)
They assert, “The occult… is forbidden by God because (1) it involves direct contact with forces alien and hostile to Him… and (2) because it involves thins secret or hidden. God says certain things belong to Him alone [Deut 29:29]. Man is to avoid them entirely. If such energy as occultists speak of exists (apart from any necessary demonic connection---and we are by no means convinced that it does), then delving into this area is forbidden.” (Pg. 150-151)
They acknowledge, “We should note that there IS room for a distinctively Christian holistic health Providing the eastern-occult methods and philosophy of the movement are disregarded, WHAT REMAINS IS SOUND (e.g., preventive medicine, less reliance on drugs and surgery, advocating more personal responsibility for one’s health, treating the cause instead of the symptom, etc.). (Pg. 166-167)
They state, “There is no neutral ‘science’ of Life Energy and meridians, but rather a highly developed mystical system with strong ties to the psychic realm. What does that mean? It means that ‘energy’ therapists, whether they realize it or not, are carrying out a form of religious practice and conditioning their patients to accept its teachings.” (Pg. 195)
They explain, “It is the underlying philosophy of our book that occult powers and methodology in all their forms… represent in varying degrees contact with these demonic spirits. This contact can be overt (spiritist), overt (healing by psychic energy), acknowledged (black magic), or repressed (parapsychology). Such contact is always deeply consequential.” (Pg. 321)
They contend, “So we ask, ‘Is there such a thing as Christian Parapsychology?’ No---the terms are mutually exclusive. The study of parapsychology is the study of the occult… To be a Christian parapsychologist one would have to be a Christian occultist, and the Bible is absolutely clear in its stand against occult involvement of any kind. Yet we do fine… some purported Christians advocate that the Church should be involved in psychical research.” (Pg. 392) They conclude, “Basically, Christian parapsychologists are theologically liberal occultists, NOT Christians.” (Pg. 409)
They admit, “some Christian writers (e.g., Watchman Nee) have advocated the idea that psi powers were originally God-given and are now latent due to the Fall… such an idea raises problems. For example, why could nor a Christian develop his latent powers and use them to God’s glory? Why would God need to give His people spiritual GIFTS… when they could use their own natural … powers that God gave man originally? How do we distinguish between gifts of the Spirit and latent psi?” (Pg. 395)
They conclude, “It can be demonstrated that whenever it is the individual or the culture that becomes involved in the occult, the end result is tragedy. Moral collapse, economic breakdown, emotional ruin, and spiritual destruction are the consequences of personal or cultural involvement in this area. The wise will heed this warning the turn to true spirituality and enlightenment, as represented by the teachings of Christ.” (Pg. 456)
This book will be of keen interest for Evangelicals studying the Occult, and related topics.
Displaying 1 of 1 review