Many Young Adults Are Turning to Witchcraft as a Way to Rebel Against Their Conservative Christian Upbringings - MICHAEL SNYDER CHARISMA NEWS

Christianity is on the decline in this nation, and witchcraft and Satanism are on the rise. (Public Domain)

Many Young Adults Are Turning to Witchcraft as a Way to Rebel Against Their Conservative Christian Upbringings

3/13/2017 MICHAEL SNYDER  CHARISMA NEWS

Young adults in America are far less likely to identify themselves as "Christians" than previous generations of Americans, but that does not mean that they have given up on searching for spiritual meaning in their lives.

According to Wikipedia, one very popular form of witchcraft known as Wicca has been growing at a rate of more than 100 percent annually in recent years, and this has been happening at a time when Christianity has been in decline in the United States. Of course, other pagan and occult groups have been exploding in popularity as well, and as you will see below, one of the primary reasons for this is because many young adults are seeking ways to rebel against their conservative Christian upbringings.

I have written much about how young adults in this country are far more politically liberal than their parents and grandparents, and this enormous cultural shift in values has a spiritual dimension as well.

A recent Barna Group study found that only 4 percent of Americans aged 18 to 29 have a biblical worldview.

Only 4 percent.

The shocking truth is that the values of most millennials fit much more easily fit into pagan spirituality than they do into most evangelical Christian churches.

If you want to sleep around with as many people as possible, that is OK in witchcraft. If you want to take drugs and get high every day, that is OK in witchcraft. If you want to be a radical pro-abortion feminist, that is OK in witchcraft. If you want to be a gay transsexual exhibitionist, that is OK in witchcraft.

Essentially, one of the great draws of witchcraft is that nobody holds you accountable for anything, and you can do so many of the things that the Bible commands you not to do.

So for those who wish to rebel against their conservative Christian upbringings, getting involved in witchcraft can seem quite natural:

Witchcraft in this context is a "counter spirituality to the religious conservatism that defined many [queer people's] childhoods," as game developer Aevee Bee puts it. The visual novel Bee co-created, We Know The Devil, explores what it means to embrace witchcraft through three queer teens who attend a Christian summer camp, where they spend a night in the woods awaiting the devil. "What [the protagonists] encounter in the woods they understand and perceive as the devil because that is what they have been taught to understand their desires, identity, and love as," Bee says. By embracing the devil, the protagonists find liberation from their religious upbringings, just as someone might by realizing it's acceptable to be queer.

Alex Mar is one prominent author who became deeply involved in the world of witchcraft, but she was not raised that way. In fact, Mar is very open about the fact that she was raised as a Christian:

I was born and raised in New York City, but my roots are more exotic: between my Cuban Catholic mother and my Greek Orthodox father, family religion involved the lushest, most high-drama strains of Christianity. The elaborate clerical robes, the incense and tiers of prayer candles, the stories of the martyrs cut into stained glass, the barely decipherable chants—as a child, these were embedded in my brain. To this day, despite my liberal feminist politics, I still imagine the world as overseen by a handsome, bearded young white man.

She says that once she learned "to think for myself", her liberal political views took her away from the church, and those same political views eventually sparked a curiosity about witchcraft:

Once I was old enough to think for myself, I broke with the church on issues of sexuality, marriage, the right to choose and the concept of "sin"; I also couldn't swallow the thin reasoning behind excluding women from the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox priesthoods. At the same time, however, I was haunted by the memory of high Mass, the sense that there are mysteries in the universe. When I learned that there was a living, growing American witchcraft movement—one that is radically inclusive, that views women as equals to men, and in which God is just as likely to be female—I was instantly curious.

This is why what we feed our minds with is so vitally important.

Our public schools have become liberal indoctrination centers that are teaching our young people to adopt an anti-Christian way of viewing the world, and all of that propaganda is being backed up by the thousands upon thousands of anti-Christian entertainment that our young people are constantly consuming.

So it is actually not a surprise when many of our "Christian young people" end up like this guy:

Dakota Hendrix, a non-binary trans witch based in New York—an identity Hendrix jokingly refers to as "goat femme," describing their combination of body hair, a smoky eye, and talons for nails—says the practice of witchcraft is a way to take control in a world that can be both metaphysically and mortally threatening.

It's a supernatural form of self-defense that Hendrix says includes amulets that fight off mis-gendering, rituals that provide protection when walking down the street, and paying honor to queer and trans ancestors who don't have descendants of their own paying homage. Not to mention—since, Hendrix says, contemporary witchcraft is connected to social justice work—a hex or two on the NYPD for good measure.

But while the rituals are plentiful, the rules are not, and Hendrix says being a witch is all about choosing one's own path: "Being a witch is being autonomous; that's the whole point. That's how we draw power. We are defying the patriarchy, we are defying the submissive norm."

Allowing our children to immerse themselves in popular culture is doing far more harm than most of us originally realized.

Popular culture is trying to take the next generation away from Christianity, and it is imperative that we start to understand this. And actually, many of the "stars" our young people idolize are actually into the occult themselves, and once in a while they even admit this openly:

"I'm really a witch," rapper Azealia Banks quipped last January, shortly before all hell broke loose on her Twitter account.

Banks is known for her online rants. She tends to share fairly dense ideas, spontaneously spun out in punchy lines liberally interspersed with curse words. I don't know a person on this earth who can agree with every one of them, but her opinions are smarter than she usually gets credit for.

Still, even by Banks' standards, the witch thing was weird. It came out in the middle of a run about black Americans and their relationship to Christianity:

I wonder if most of the black American Christians in the U.S. know WHY they are Christian. I wonder if they even consider for a SECOND that before their ancestors came to the Americas that they may have believed in something ELSE.

As a Christian, it deeply alarms me that we are losing an entire generation of Americans.

If we keep doing the same things we have been doing, we will continue to get similar results. That is one of the reasons I laid out a recipe for spiritual renewal in my latest book,  entitled The Rapture Verdict, and my hope is that the church establishment will embrace what watchmen such as myself are saying instead of fighting it.

If we continue on with business as usual, the evangelical church in America will continue to shrink and multitudes of our young people will continue to seek out other outlets for their spirituality.

At the same time that interest in witchcraft is growing, interest in Satanism is skyrocketing as well. I recently wrote about how the Satanic Temple has experienced a huge surge in membership since Donald Trump's election victory in November, and at Clemson University students are reportedly going to hold a "lamb sacrifice" and a "Bible burning" to celebrate the opening of a new campus chapel:

The poster contains imagery associated with Satanism, like pentagrams and an illustration of the goat-headed Baphomet.

It goes on to state that a live lamb will be provided for sacrifice by "[their] friends" at the Clemson Collegiate Farm Bureau. A Bible-torching ceremony is listed as part of the proceedings, with a cash prize for the student who burns the most Bibles. Finally, attendees are invited partake in a pentagram completion event, where they will "help summon Baphomet to celebrate the new Clemson Chapel."

There was a time when it would have been unthinkable to put up a poster like that in America, but unfortunately those days are long gone.

Christianity is on the decline in this nation, and witchcraft and Satanism are on the rise.

We desperately need a major spiritual renewal, so my hope is that the church in America will wake up soon. 

Michael Snyder is the founder and publisher of End Of The American Dream. Michael's controversial new book about Bible prophecy entitled "The Rapture Verdict" is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.

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End-Times Expert Tom Horn Reveals Truth About the Original Halloween Witch - THOMAS HORN/SKYWATCH TV CHARISMA NEWS

All Hallows' Eve, or Halloween, originated in the 7th century AD. (Athena's Pix/Flickr/CC)

End-Times Expert Tom Horn Reveals Truth About the Original Halloween Witch

10/6/2016 THOMAS HORN/SKYWATCH TV  CHARISMA NEWS

On October 31, spooky beings and superheroes, cartoon characters and rubberized celebrities will line the streets and mall hallways of America, anticipating sugary rewards. Compelled by shouts of "trick or treat," children of all ages will tote receptacles of various size and weight harboring the result of the night's hunt. It's called Halloween, and while for most it is a harmless annual activity, its roots run deep in ancient paganism.

All Hallows' Eve, or Halloween, originated in the 7th century AD. It was celebrated on May 13 and was a night for remembering deceased saints and martyrs. The date was later changed to November 1 in order to Christianize the pagan holidays Beltane and Samhain—festivals of summer, winter and fire.

James Frazer, in The Golden Bough, said, "throughout Europe, Hallowe'en, the night which marks the transition from autumn to winter, seems to have been of old the time of year when the souls of the departed revisited their homes in order to warm themselves by the fire." Such ghosts walked the countryside retrieving offerings of food and drink (the treat) supplied by living family members. Darker forces roamed the night as well. Demons, hobgoblins, witches on broomstick—all haunting the night with acts of mischief (the trick).

Real witches were also known to revel on Halloween night. According to Man, Myth & Magic, the witches of Aberdeen danced "round an old grey stone at the foot of the hill at Craigleuch, the Devil himself playing music before them." Modern witches and Wiccans practice similar skyclad (nude) Halloween traditions, calling on Earth spirits and goddesses to visit their knife drawn circles of power.

Meet the Original Halloween Witch—Hecate

In the upcoming book by me and Josh Peck Abaddon Ascending: The Ancient Conspiracy at the Center of CERN's Most Secretive Mission, we consider, among other topics, the goddess Hecate, the Titan Earth mother of the wizards and witches, who illustrates perhaps better than any other ancient goddess the connection between Wicca, the Celtic Halloween traditions and the realm of evil supernaturalism.

As the dark goddess of witchcraft, Hecate, like Isis, was worshiped with impure rites and magical incantations. Her name was probably derived from the ancient Egyptian word Heka, meaning "sorcery" or "magical," which may explain her association with the Egyptian frog goddess of the same name. This may also explain the affiliation of frogs with witchcraft, and the various potions of frog-wart and "hecateis," Hecate's hallucinogenic plant, also called Aconite, which supposedly sprouted from the spittle of Cerberus (Hade's three-headed guard dog) that fell to the ground when Hercules forced him to the surface of the Earth.

Because her devotees practiced such magic wherever three paths joined, Hecate was known by the Romans as Trivia ("tri"-three; and "via"-roads). Later, when the Latin church fathers compared the magic of the goddess Trivia with the power of the Gospel, they found it to be inferior, and thus the pursuit of Hecate's knowledge became known as "Trivial Pursuit," or inconsequential. But the fact that Hecate's followers sincerely believed in and feared her magic and presence was legendary. This was primarily due to her role as the sorceress of the afterlife, but true believers also feared Hecate's ability to afflict the mind with madness, as well as her influence over night creatures. She was thought to govern haunted places where evil or murderous activity had occurred. Such areas where violence or lechery had a history were believed to be magnets of malevolent spirits, something like "haunted houses," and if one wanted to get along with the resident apparitions they needed to make oblations to the ruler of the darkness—Hecate.

Hecate's familiar, the night owl, announced the acceptance of the oblations, and those who gathered on the eve of the full moon perceived the spooky sound of the creature as a good omen. Statues of the goddess bearing the triple-face of a dog, a snake, and a horse overshadowed the dark rituals when they were performed at the crossing of three roads. At midnight, Hecate's devotees left food offerings at the intersection for the goddess ("Hecate's Supper"), and, once deposited, quickly exited without turning around or looking back. Sometimes the offerings consisted of honey cakes and chicken hearts. At other time's puppies, honey and female black lambs were slaughtered for the goddess and her strigae.

The strigae were deformed and vicious owl-like affiliates of Hecate who flew through the night feeding on bodies of unattended babies. During the day the strigae appeared as simple old women, and such may account for the history of Halloween's flying witches. The same strigae hid amidst the leaves of the trees during the annual festival of Hecate, held on August 13, when Hecate's followers offered up the highest praise of the goddess. Hecate's devotees celebrated such festivals near Lake Averna in Campania where the sacred willow groves of the goddess stood, and they communed with the tree spirits—Earth spirits, including Hecate, were thought to inhabit trees—and summoned the souls of the dead from the mouths of nearby caves. It was here that Hecate was known as Hecate-Chthonia ("Hecate of the Earth"), a depiction in which she most clearly embodied the popular Earth-mother-spirit that conversed through the cave-stones and sacred willow trees.

Hecate was elsewhere known as Hecate-Propylaia, "the one before the gate," a role in which she guarded the entrances of homes and temples from nefarious outside evils (talk about Satan casting out Satan!). She was also known as Hecate-Propolos, "the one who leads," as in the underworld guide of Persephone and of those who inhabit graveyards. Finally, she was known as Hecate-Phosphoros, "the light bearer," her most sacred title and one that recalls another powerful underworld spirit, Satan, whose original name was Lucifer ("the light bearer"). It was nevertheless her role as the feminist Earth-goddess-spirit Hecate-Chthonia that popularized her divinity and commanded reverence from among the common people.

Modern Symbolism

The connection between ancient paganism and the modern customs and costumes of Halloween is easy to trace. The Hecatian myths adopted by Celtic occultists continue in pop culture, symbolism and tradition in the following ways:

• People visiting neighborhood homes on Halloween night represent the dead in search of food (the treat).
• Masks of devils and hobgoblins represent evil spirits seeking mischief (the trick).
• Those who pass out candy represent the homes visited by the dead, or may also represent worried individuals seeking to appease Hecate and other nighttime terrors.
• The Jack-O-Lantern (will-o-the-wisp, fox fire, fairy fire, etc.) is, according to some histories, a wandering soul stuck between heaven and hell. Others claim the Druids left Jack-O-Lanterns on doorsteps to ward off evil spirits. Another legend concerns a drunk named Jack who made a deal with the devil. Each claims to be the true origin of the Jack-O-Lantern myth.

Harmless Fun or Doorway to the Occult?

Not long ago some 300 exorcists flocked to Poland for a week-long congress to examine the current fashion for Halloween-themed monsters like werewolves and vampires the world-over, and the apparent connection between this fascination and a surge in demonic possession.

According to the Christian scholars I worked with when writing the book God's Ghostbusters (FREE WITH ANY DONATION IN OCTOBER), this reflected how the world is experiencing an explosion of ancient occultism combined with wicked fascination for ghosts and all things paranormal. In the United States alone, there are as many as 8 million practitioners of witchcraft. On college and high school campuses, vampires, werewolves, and other "creatures of the night" are esteemed as objects of desire and idolized by young men and women who view them as cult icons of envious mystical power. Almost daily we read how Satanism is spreading to public schoolyards and elementary after school clubs, [i] city council meetings are being opened with invocations to Satan, and even church goers are being enchanted by the darkness. An article by Russ Jones for OneNewsNow.com discusses "Mysticism Infecting Nazarene Beliefs" and another by the Telegraph describes how a "surge in Satanism" inside the church has sparked a "rise in demand for exorcists" within traditional religious settings.

And then there is the recent spate of killings and Zombie-like attacks on people and animals as well as by individuals claiming to be vampires and werewolves. The arrest of a Texas man who broke into a woman's house, threw her against a wall and tried to suck her blood is one example. Another case involved a Florida teenager who was later charged together with four other people of beating a 16-year-old boy to death. The teenage girl claims to be a vampire/werewolf hybrid and investigators acknowledge that she and the other suspects appear to be part of a vampire cult.

Rise in this activity is documented in the book God's Ghostbusters (Defender Publishing) which boasts a "who's who" of conservative scholars—including best-selling authors and Christian leaders like Chuck Missler, Gary Stearman, Noah Hutchings, Gary Bates, and John McTernan—who emphasize the need for Christian leaders to take a stand and to speak out on this issue, perhaps even using the month of October and the season of Halloween as opportunity to address congregations on the dangers of occult activity.

A new program joining the web-exclusive daily broadcasts at SkyWatchTV.com is called Teens Rock and will be hosted by the company's COO, Joe Ardis. Commenting on the occult dangers to youth in modern culture, he notes: "Psychologists have long understood how women in general desire strength in men, but few could have imagined how this natural and overriding need by young ladies would be used in modern times to seduce them of their innocence using mysteriously strong yet everlastingly damned creatures depicted in popular books and films like Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. Listing all of the related fan sites, music videos, magazines, television shows and movies currently dedicated to erotic obsession with alluring demons-in-flesh would be daunting. But these would have to include television shows like Being Human, The Gates, Underworld, The Vampire Diaries, and True Blood, not to mention the hedonistic gay-themed program The Lair, a series that plays nationwide on all major cable systems based on a vampire-run sex club."

Ardis further admonishes that, "If parents, pastors and youth pastors haven't been paying attention, they need to spend a little time looking into what their children are mentally and spiritually feeding on, because we are losing a generation to darkness. Consider as an example popular youth-oriented magazines like Rolling Stone and their article "The Joy of Vampire Sex." Look at the ménage à trois on the magazine's cover of three nudes bathed in blood with the promise to readers that vampires are 'Hot. They're Sexy. They're Undead.'"

Obviously for people like Ardis, this is a serious issue, but he acknowledges some will disagree and say that focusing on pop-culture memes as a sign of deeper, culturally relevant consequences is an over-assessment of the danger. The present captivation with dark supernaturalism by this generation will eventually fade, some might argue, so we should not worry, as the long-term effects of Harry Potter's witchcraft andTwilight's vampirism will be of no more significance in the years ahead than was the Cowboy and Indian games played by our grandparents.

But as a doctor of theology with a past in exorcism, I personally couldn't disagree more. Mass media, including the Internet, television, film, radio, and other communications systems, have traded Bela-Lugosi-like vampires of former years and silly Abbott and Costello's Frankensteins and Mummies, which could be vanquished with Christian symbols, for monsters of profound demonic character depicted as impervious to Christ's power. As a result, today's youth have exchanged yesterday's pigtails and pop-guns for pentagrams and blood covenants aligned with forces far stronger than former generations could have imagined.

It is no stretch to suggest this is one of the signs that this age is under demonic influence. If we could see through the veil into the supernatural realm, we would find a world alive with good against evil, a place where the ultimate prize is the soul of this generation and where legions war for control of its cities and people.

Whether the reader agrees completely with my assertion, with everything that is happening in culture today, Christian leaders should use the month of October and the season of Halloween to address these issues. 

This article originally appeared on SkyWatch. 

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2 Reasons Why Many Christians Are Broke - KYLE MILLER CHARISMA MAGAZINE

2 Reasons Why Many Christians Are Broke

 6/2/2016 KYLE MILLER  charisma magazine

Why are some believers barely getting by? (iStock photo )

Join us on our new podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

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The Bible has a lot to say about money and prosperity. Although in the last 20 years there have arguably been wrong motives of some teachings on money, prosperity is biblically supported.

Some preachers and teachers have taught on money in order to manipulate people to give. These ministers have used Scriptures—sometimes out of context—as a means of twisting people's arms into raising big offerings. Because of these abuses, honest Bible teachers have shied away from teaching on prosperity, in fear of being accused of being a "money preacher." Yet we cannot throw away the baby with the bathwater. Just because there have been abuses by some preachers and teachers concerning prosperity does not mean we should stop preaching and teaching on biblical prosperity.

Most People Are Not Against Biblical Prosperity

Thanks to many pioneers in the faith who suffered resistance, ridicule and opposition from religious scoffers as they made gallant efforts to teach biblical prosperity, many people in the body of Christ do not have a problem with Christians being financially comfortable (or dare I say, rich). Many would agree that when God trusts someone with prosperity, that person is in a fantastic position to help others.

Why would God not want us to be able to comfortably provide for our families, live in nice houses, drive nice cars and enjoy ourselves? However, many saved, born-again believers are living by barley getting by. But why? If God has promised us that we will "eat the good of the land" (Is. 1:19) why are so many Christians broke? Although this is not an exhaustive list, I will share with you five reasons why some Christians are broke and how we can shift from poverty to prosperity.

1. Christians who do not tithe are broke. The Bible is pretty clear; if you do not tithe, you will suffer financial setbacks. "You are cursed with a curse, your whole nation, for you are robbing Me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this" (Mal. 3:9-10). I can already hear some of you saying, "Tithing was under the Old Testament law. We are no longer under the law."

There are two problems with this argument: 1) Tithing was established before the law. Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek around 2,000 years before Moses enacted the law (Gen. 14:20). 2) Tithing is mentioned in the New Testament also. Jesus said "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and the love of God. You ought to have done these (tithe) and not to have left the other undone (Matt. 23:22, emphasis mine). In this passage, Jesus was reprimanding the scribes and Pharisees because they were using tithes as a method for getting around taking care of the widows and orphans.

Interestingly though, Jesus didn't say stop tithing. He actually said that when you tithe,you must not neglect your other responsibilities. People will give you lots of excuses for why we are not required to tithe today. Tithing is really a heart issue, though. The Scriptures state that where a man's or woman's heart is, that is where there money is (Matt. 6:21). You can tell a lot about whom and what people love by looking at their checkbook and their debit card statement.

There are a lot of writings out now asking (and attempting to answer) the question of whether we are required to tithe today or not. I would argue that the question should not be "Do we have to tithe?" but rather "Where should we tithe"? Our hearts should be in a place where we want to tithe. And if you feel as though you are obligated to tithe out of force, you probably should not tithe until you can give with a heart of gratitude. Giving out of a heart of gratitude is the only way you will experience increase from your giving.

2. Christians who have participated in the occult are broke. People who consult psychics receive a curse of poverty. Isaiah 8:19-21 says: "When they say to you, 'Seek after the mediums and the wizards, who whisper and mutter,' should not a people seek after their God? Should they consult the dead for the living? To the law and to the testimony; if they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. They shall pass through the land hard-pressed and hungry; when they are hungry, they shall be furious and curse their king and their God as they look upward."

This Scripture clearly states that people who consult psychics and mediums (consulting the dead) suffer poverty and lack. If you have ever been to a psychic or consulted mediums, palm and/or tarot card readers, or played with Ouija boards, you are under a curse that includes poverty. You should have someone who is skilled in deliverance to lead you through cleansing prayers so that you can be set free. 

Stay tuned Friday for three more reasons why Christians are broke.

Kyle T. Miller has been called to the marketplace as a musician, play producer and educator. Kyle has been prophesying and interpreting dreams for almost 15 years. Kyle is also a scholar, obtaining a Masters of Arts in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Kyle's theater production company, Positive Images in Christ, has directed and produced over a dozen shows since it was founded in 2004. Please visit his website at prophetkyle.com.

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Ex-Witch Reveals How the Occult Is Affecting Your Life Every Day - JESSILYN JUSTICE CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Ex-Witch Reveals How the Occult Is Affecting Your Life Every Day

 5/13/2016 JESSILYN JUSTICE  charisma magazine

Hidden magic, astrology, supernatural powers or agencies, also known as the occult, has slithered its way into society with little fanfare.  

Just as terrifying is how many in today's culture consider the elements of witchcraft practically mundane.  

In a recent video blog, ex-witch Beth gave a rundown of some of these items, including horoscopes, fortune telling, contacting the dead, speaking to the dead, Ouija boards, chakras, channeling energy, yoga and incantations, among others.  

"When each time they do witchcraft they are inviting in demon spirits. Each spirit brings something in with it to connect them within your person. This could be false beliefs or sickness or addiction, etc. More importantly, it causes you to feel that you have tapped in to a power, which you have. The power of the demonic (aka the occult or witchcraft). You feel the power in some way or another. It may be a high, a surge, a force and "awakening" or something similar. This feeling is incredibly satisfying to our senses and fleshly ways and it creates a desire within us to continue to do it. So the person wants to delve deeper into the witchcraft practice, to reach higher levels of this power they have experienced," Beth writes in her blog. 

"What is actually happening is they are granting more and more access to the depths of their soul to the demonic, giving them more and more rights into them. Rights are permissions to use our bodies for their works and feed our soul with their beliefs and demonic spirits. Satan wants us to become portals for his evil work. Once (give) we him access, we are connected to his power, and he sets up things inside of us that can work without our conscious knowledge. So basically, we are actually doing witchcraft and we are not even aware of it. The connection has been made and we have done it on our own free will." 

So how can Christians break free? Watch the video to see. 

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The Real Danger of Halloween

Religion Expert Exposes Real Danger of Halloween

10/27/2014 DEBORAH HAMILTON  Charisma news

(Reuters)

With Halloween just days away, children—and some parents, too—are eagerly anticipating donning costumes and asking for a 'treat' from neighbors as the price for not having a 'trick' played on them. Meanwhile, decorations designed to terrify—from skulls and witches to life-sized graveyards and giant insects—have turned homes across America into virtual haunted houses.

It's all just harmless fun. Or, is it?

Religion and culture expert Dr. Alex McFarland says that while many see Halloween as a chance to dress up and get goodies, there is real danger involved.

"Many of the common activities and themes associated with Halloween provide opportunities for harmless fun and togetherness," McFarland said. "At this time of year, churches often capitalize on the spiritual openness of people, on children's capacity for imagination and on the enthusiasm that Halloween generates. But parents need to know that beneath the costumes and make believe are spiritual realities that should be taken seriously."

As an example, McFarland points to the prevalence of witchcraft and the occult during the Halloween season. Indeed Wicca, which is the prominent religion of witchcraft, views Halloween, or 'Samhain,' as a high holy day, and a day for communicating with the dead.

"Halloween in America has become a celebration of darkness and of the supernatural as it relates to darkness," McFarland continued. "This is compounded by the fact that people long for spiritual experiences, spiritual fulfillment and a place to 'fit in'—all of which are promised by witchcraft and other occult activities. While it used to be that witchcraft was widely viewed as evil, today there is growing mainstream acceptance of it. Much of our media and culture in recent years has centered on themes of witchcraft, vampirism, communication with the dead and paranormal phenomenon in general—for example, the 'Twilight' books and films; Katy Perry's 'Dark Horse' performance at the Grammys, which had the feel of a satanic ritual; Nicki Minaj's 'Roman Holiday' performance; and more. Halloween annually fans this cultural trend."

McFarland adds that because the supernatural is real and not simply a figment of the imagination, playing with the supernatural should not be taken lightly.

"One must use caution and exercise discernment when seeking spiritual reality, meaning and truth," he said. "The Bible clearly speaks out against occult practices and all forms of witchcraft. Today, many dismiss the Bible as outdated or marginally relevant at best, but it contains clear and emphatic prohibitions against occult involvement, in both the Old and New Testaments. This is not because God wants to take away our fun but because He loves us and wants us to be protected from evil spiritual entities whose desires are to deceive and destroy. Could it actually be that there is tangible danger in opening oneself up to certain types of spiritual experiences by participating in a supposedly innocuous celebration of a day devoted to death, darkness and witchcraft? According to the Bible, yes."

Satanists Take Culture Wars to Deadly Level - Jennifer LeClaire

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Satanists Take Culture Wars to Deadly Level

 8/13/2014 JENNIFER LECLAIRE

A McDonald's in Morehead City, North Carolina, served this McChicken—with a swastika on the bun—to a guest. (News 12)

First an artistic, devil-inspired barista took demonic to a whole new level with one lady's latte—crafting a satanic symbol in a Catholic woman's Starbucks drink. That's only somewhat surprising, given Christian complaints over Starbucks' so-called Jezebelic logo over the years.

Now, a burger chain symbolized by its golden arches is making headlines for something nearly as sinister: a golden swastika depicted in butter on a chicken sandwich bun she bought from a McDonald's drive-thru in Morehead City, North Carolina. Swastikas are anti-Semitic symbols made famous by Germany's Nazi Party during the Holocaust that killed millions of Jews.

"Is this a joke? Does somebody really think they're funny?" Charleigh Matice, the customer who discovered the swastika when she set out to put mayo on her sandwich, told WCTI12.com. "Many people died because of that symbol, and it's not something that should be taken lightly. It's not something that should be thrown around. I really didn't have an appetite at that point, so I said I'd rather have my money back."

Satan Growing Bolder

McDonald's fired the employee involved in the incident, but what does this incident—and the occult symbols in the Starbucks latte some months ago—really say? What's going on in the spiritual realm? Clearly, it's one more manifestation of Satan's subtle—and increasingly not-so-subtle—works in a sinful world.

The pentagram and the 666 in the Starbucks lattes were easy enough to discern as demonic in nature, but the swastika is more than just offensive to Jews or anyone who fought against the Nazis in World War II. It's also rooted in false gods.

According to the Holocaust Teacher Resource Center, the swastika is a symbol in both Jainism and Buddhism. Moreover, it's considered a representation of the sun that is associated with the worship of Aryan sun gods. Images of Aryan sun gods are unmistakably demonic. It doesn't take a prophet to discern that Adolf Hitler was demon-controlled in his reign of terror. The symbol he chose to represent his movement is now widely considered an antichrist—and an anti-Semitic—sign.

It doesn't take a prophet, either, to see that satanism is on the rise; their moves are all over mainstream media. Satanists are using the Hobby Lobby decision to play devil's advocate, ABC reports, while a Houston teen is being tried as an adult in a girl's satanic ritual killing. Satanic rituals are being performed in a so-called Black Mass in the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City. Meanwhile, a Satanist gallery recently brought Charles Manson to Chinatown.

The list of headlines goes on and on. Satan's army is highly organized (see Eph. 6) and his human followers are rallying the troops. Satanists are actively working to get monuments erected to the false god they serve even while others kill in his name. The prince of the power of the air is no longer willing to work behind the scenes in our media. He wants a place of prominence in our culture.

Beyond Culture Wars

Satan, who often disguises himself as an angel of light (see 2 Cor. 11:14) is coming out of the darkness and into public arenas—even making his presence known in our fast-food chains with demonic symbols in our coffee and burgers. I'm glad Matice spoke out about the swastika on her bun, and I'm glad McDonald's fired the employee who painted it on there. But this is just one small manifestation of a growing issue with satanism in America.

Folks, this is much different than culture wars against atheists who want prayer taken out of the public square or our doctrinal differences with Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses and  other religions. This is Satan himself working to get a stronghold in our nation through the legislative branch of our government, through arts and entertainment, and through public gatherings in mainstream venues. This is brash, bold—and prideful. Would you expect anything less from Satan?

Listen to what one ex-Satanist said about America and judge for yourself:

"Our society is submerged in the occult; Harry Potter has filled the minds of our children for a decade and vampirism meets our teens with the illusions of grandeur. Witchcraft went mainstream decades ago, and Wicca is its offspring," Jeff Harshbarger, author of Dancing With the Devil, told the Christian Post. "'Christian' witchcraft is on the up-rise, and new-age spirituality fills the church pews. Time has come for the church to be equipped and be effective."

Amen. Peter warned us to, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). And Paul warned us to "give no opportunity to the devil" (Eph. 4:27). Finally, 1 John 5:19 says, "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one."

The bottom line: Satan has been working subtly to lull us to sleep, but he's growing bolder in these last hours. Don't be deceived. Get anything that has occult markings out of your home—and away from your eyes and ears—and stay watchful in prayer.

Jennifer LeClaire is news editor of Charisma. She is also director of IHOP Fort Lauderdale and author of several books, including The Making of a Prophet and The Spiritual Warrior's Guide to Defeating Jezebel. You can email Jennifer at jennifer.leclaire@charismamedia.com or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

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CHARISMANEWS - Why Did Christian Artist Natalie Grant Leave the Grammys Early?

Why Did Christian Artist Natalie Grant Leave the Grammys Early?

 1/30/2014 GINA MEEKS  CHARISMANEWS

 

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Natalie Grant (Facebook)

Award-winning Christian music artist Natalie Grant left the Grammy Awards early on Sunday but has not said why.

“We left the Grammy’s early. I’ve many thoughts about the show tonight, most of which are probably better left inside my head,” Grant wrote on her Facebook page Sunday night. “But I'll say this: I've never been more honored to sing about Jesus and for Jesus. And I've never been more sure of the path I've chosen.”

The post received more than 4,700 comments, and bloggers took to the Web to speculate on why the gospel singer walked out. Shortly before she left, Katy Perry and Juicy J performed a song called “Dark Horse” that some have described as “satanic.”

Perry, who was raised in a strong Christian household, has publicly rejected her faith. Her Grammy performance displayed images evocative of the occult, including witchcraft, fire and beasts. The 29-year-old pop superstar pole-danced on a broom and closed her act with a burning on a stake.

But another performance may have caused Grant to leave, bloggers have said. During Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ song “Same Love,” 33 couples—heterosexual and homosexual—were married on stage.

Grant responded to the speculation in a statement on her Facebook page Monday afternoon. It has more than 111,000 likes and more than 9,000 comments so far.

“It does sadden me when people argue, judge and hurl insults at each other from both sides of the fence,” she wrote.

Though she said she would not engage in arguments, she made a few clarifications.

“I NEVER said I left during any particular performance. I only said I left early,” she said. “I never pointed out any one particular performance, I only said I had many thoughts about the entire show, which were best left inside my head and that is where they will stay.”

She continued, “So those who say I condemned one performance but then condoned others clearly did not read the post. What I DID say is this: I am honored to be a part of the Christian music community. I've had many people throughout my career ask why I never tried to go in to mainstream music and last night was a beautiful reminder that I love singing about Jesus and FOR Jesus."

“I've judged no one,” Grant insisted. “I hate no one. And I believe that every person has been created in the image of God. ... I won't use my platform to engage in political arguments that will only divide and not unite. I will continue to pray that my life will be my message.”

She thanked the Grammys and said she is grateful for her nominations. Grant then concluded with Romans 1:16: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus for it is the power of God who brings salvation to ALL who believe.”

Love For His People blog Editor's Note: "Thank you Natalie Grant for your stand. We stand with you." Steve Martin