My neice is playing online games with occult themes?

[Barbkw]

Well I don’t know about lonely people on the computer and Wicca. But Magick especailly dark magick is definately alluring to younger people.

Not all Wiccan’s practicise dark magick. In fact, no Wiccan I’ve ever spoken to practises it. NOT THAT I AGREE with them using magic at all. But most here Wicca and think evil. Which, while its not Christianity, its not. Any more than Buddhism or Hinduism. At least not ALL EVIL.

There ARE some ammounts of TRUTH in ALL faiths. Pagan faiths included.

A parent or guardian just needs to set boundaries, let them have the fantasy without letting that fantasy come into reality.

What truth exists in Wicca? Harm None? I’ve also spoken to many Wiccans.

Their Wiccan Rede states Harm None but few Wicca women are pro-life. A tree or an animal has more rights to life than does an inconvenient child.

Wicca women - generally are born in the U.S. and were baptized Christians.

They have become anti Christ in order to embrace radical feminism even to the extent of adoring various pagan female goddesses. They believe in their own ability to become their own goddess.

Wicca falsely believes they don’t practice dark Magick.

Satan doesn’t care what words Wiccas use to justify their anti-Christ positions. He’s quite happy to silently lead them, round and round in their covens.

 

[Lokabrenna]

“Erised” is “desire” spelled backwards. The “Mirror of Erised” in the first book shows you what you most desire. No spirits involved.

“Hermes” is a Greek god. People need to learn the difference between reality and fantasy.

“Draco” I’m not sure of off the top of my head, but given that the HP character who bears the name is just a normal person, I don’t see what the problem is.

There is nothing wrong with Harry Potter, which - as the actual context of various Rowling interviews establishes - bases its “magic” on strictly symbolic literary alchemy. There’s nothing occult in it whatsoever.

What really gets me is that some people don’t seem to get that authors give their characters meaningful names all the time, and Rowling is no exception. One example: Bellatrix Lestrange, who in addition to being absolutely crazy, is partially named for a poisonous plant (belladona, or deadly nightshade), as one of my English profs. said “authors name characters for a reason”, in this case, maybe her name is an indication that she isn’t exactly the most trustworthy character.

 

[Baelor]

“Bellatrix” is female warrior in Latin.

Rowling read (=studied) Classics at university in England. Much of the lore of HP (and the characters’ names, clearly) are influenced by this.

 

[ringil]

“Bellatrix” is female warrior in Latin.

Rowling read (=studied) Classics at university in England. Much of the lore of HP (and the characters’ names, clearly) are influenced by this.

Oh, you with the facts!!

 

[ZhaneAugustine]

What truth exists in Wicca? Harm None? I’ve also spoken to many Wiccans.

Their Wiccan Rede states Harm None but few Wicca women are pro-life. A tree or an animal has more rights to life than does an inconvenient child.

Wicca women - generally are born in the U.S. and were baptized Christians.

They have become anti Christ in order to embrace radical feminism even to the extent of adoring various pagan female goddesses. They believe in their own ability to become their own goddess.

Wicca falsely believes they don’t practice dark Magick.

Satan doesn’t care what words Wiccas use to justify their anti-Christ positions. He’s quite happy to silently lead them, round and round in their covens.

Truth 1. They acknowledge the existence of divine beings.
Truth 2: They acknowledge the need to take better care of the enviroment from which we are given by our God.
I could give you more… even EWTN has said they are NOT evil. And WERE NOT sanctioned for doing so. The pope knows of the station and would have spoken out, even if he didn’t the bishop would.
There ARE Pro Life Wiccans. There’s a group in Canada that supports the right to life.
As to them being born Christians I can’t say whether yeah or nay. I’d need a scientifically based poll on that.
NOT ALL WICCANS have just goddesses. Some have gods, some have gods and goddesses, and other paths have but one goddess or one god. Some even worship as they put it Jesus and only Jesus.
NOT ALL WICANS are females.
NOT ALL WICCANs believe it is possible to become a god or goddess.

NOW I’M NOT DEFENDING THEM AND SAYING THEIR RIGHT. But there is more to their religion than what the extreme right tells you. Would I use spells, charms, etc. No. Would I become a Wiccan? No. I was asked if I’d like to do so, and I turned the invintation down.

And I have a saying. If your words and actions to what you call a divine being are good and noble… then whatever it may be that you call that deity, those prayers go to Jesus.
And if prayers and actions are NOT noble, then those go the other direction.

YES there are those Wiccans whose spells, prayers, etc. are selfish and only self focused. Yes that would mean those prayers go downstairs.
But what of those Wiccans whose actions are not selfish, but for others? Who live a Christian life and pray to the deity with a Christian attitude. Those go to God I believe.

And What of Wiccans were were BORN (yes they are out there) Wiccan, and have not heard or really studied Christianity for whatever reason, but live their lives in a good and decent manner? They might do spells, but spells for reasons not for themselves but for others, for health in asking their god/goddess/ etc, to help this person or other. Actions that if the KNEW of Jesus would flock to Him? You can’t tell me THEY’RE evil? Or what they do is evil?

That would contradict what the Catechsim and the Church state about people who are born and live without knowing Christ.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

I don’t think she is the only one suffereing from a severe case of “escapism”. Some people on CAF have the same condition except that they “seem” to be able to separate fantasy from reality but seem to like spending an unhealthy amount of time in the former.

Unhealthy? Unhealthy is playing whilst neglecting basic needs like food, sleep, and decent hygiene. I think it’s fair to say that even those within the gaming community tell off those who use their hobby as excuse to be ill, gross, and self-abusive.

Then again, isn’t the same with any hobby or sport? I doubt professional basketball players will appreciate it when someone overworks himself/herself dead in their sport.

With that said, people who prefer to spend their time away from your precious reality need a break not just from stress but from people like you. Unlike you, reality is something we find measly with not much to offer.

Frankly the same can easily be said by non Catholics about transubstantiation and the eucharist or Peter walking on water to Jesus, Moses parting the Red Sea, Jesus’ ascension into Heaven, the Holy Spirit descending at pentecost, the talking donkey and Balaam. The list is rather exhaustive and those who choose to disbelieve or believe in all these things are well within their right to do so.

Not only is this besides the point, it’s comparing apples with oranges. Magic systems in fantasy are generally parts of the cosmological reality. It’s much like electricity or solar power. You harness it and it works. Miracles don’t work that way. God is not a power source to be exploited. The Anti-Fantasy League talks as if it represents the holier ones yet it reduces God to something like that? A joke is what that is.

Whether we believe that spells have any effect or not is irrelevent to what someone else believes so we should not scoff at it I think. The point is that using them is forbidden, as are all occult practices, by God. End of story.

Ah yes. End of story. No need to explain the reasons or investigate the presuppositions for why such practices are forbidden. Just say “God said so”. While you’re at it, why don’t you send a letter to the Vatican telling them to reduce the Catechism to three chapters or less? After all, according you, saying “God said so” seems enough for everyone.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

It’s important for kids to be aware of the distiction between fantasy and reality I think. It is clear to me that the occult themes and stuff are very present in some games just as christian themes are also. I think the danger to the young and impressionable ones is that because their consciences may not be formed properly and so they can be led the wrong path without guidance. I think that any games which require the player to commit gravely sinful acts to win should be off limits to kids. It can be teaching the worng value system am I right.

That’s why we have groups like the ESRB.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

She’s in 6th grade and has probably explored the internet enough to begin believing in the seduction and delusion of magick.

If she believes that she can fly on a broom, a parent’s got bigger things to worry about.

Harry Potter and Wicca are the appropriate “marriage of ideas” for lonely young people on computers.

Marriage of ideas?

Do tell me how shooting fire from a stick eventually leads up to dancing around in circles and worshiping trees. Please. Do tell.

Once her hormones kick in, she’ll begin gravitating more and more toward magick and Wicca in order to push aside Christ and His Commandments.

Yes because real love potions exist.

 

[Barbkw]

I could give you more… even EWTN has said they are NOT evil. And WERE NOT sanctioned for doing so. The pope knows of the station and would have spoken out, even if he didn’t the bishop would.

Look again at your “facts”.

I regularly watch EWTN.

Archbishop Sheen met a witch on an airplane during Lent. She told him she was fasting for abortion.

Fr. Corapi talked of Satan’s influences in the practices of witchcraft.

Fr. Pacwa wrote a book about Wicca practices and the New Age movement.

Archbishop Chaput said that pagans in the first centuries gave up their idolatry and came to worship Christ and many became the Church’s first martyrs. However today he said, pagans are the new anti Christs, Christians who have rejected Christ in order to follow various idol worship.

Pagan worship of the Earth, over respect for human life, isn’t a virtue.

 

[Barbkw]

Yes because real love potions exist.

You’re aware aren’t you, that mature Wiccas and people in New Age place their belief systems in crystals, tarot cards, astrology, and magick spells?

Grown men and women.

 

[kinja]

What truth exists in Wicca? Harm None? I’ve also spoken to many Wiccans.

Their Wiccan Rede states Harm None but few Wicca women are pro-life. A tree or an animal has more rights to life than does an inconvenient child.

Wicca women - generally are born in the U.S. and were baptized Christians.

They have become anti Christ in order to embrace radical feminism even to the extent of adoring various pagan female goddesses. They believe in their own ability to become their own goddess.

Wicca falsely believes they don’t practice dark Magick.

Satan doesn’t care what words Wiccas use to justify their anti-Christ positions. He’s quite happy to silently lead them, round and round in their covens.

I agree with all of the above. But the the wiccan rede also states lastly “do what you will”. This is just the same as part of the quote by infamous occultist Aleister Crowley in his book of the law “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law…”. He seems to be an icon of quite a few 20th and 21st century artists and entertainers.

Just like I think “do what you want” seems to be a very common theme of alot of popular music in this century.

 

[kinja]

Truth 1. They acknowledge the existence of divine beings.

But so do those who worship satan. So do those who worship themselves as gods. Acknowledging the existence of a divine being does not make a belief true or good I believe.

Truth 2: They acknowledge the need to take better care of the enviroment from which we are given by our God.

Some also worship the nature as a divine entity in and of itself and believe that all things are one and a part of their god/gods and can be worshipped (including people) as such. That does not sound in any way christian to me. Worship is due only to the Creator alone not to His creation.

There ARE Pro Life Wiccans. There’s a group in Canada that supports the right to life.

I didn’t know that. That’s good to know.

But what of those Wiccans whose actions are not selfish, but for others? Who live a Christian life and pray to the deity with a Christian attitude. Those go to God I believe.
And What of Wiccans were were BORN (yes they are out there) Wiccan, and have not heard or really studied Christianity for whatever reason, but live their lives in a good and decent manner? They might do spells, but spells for reasons not for themselves but for others, for health in asking their god/goddess/ etc, to help this person or other.

The deity? I’m not to sure about that. Can you coroberate that with support by official Church references? I’m not sure that if a witch knows about Jesus Christ and deliberately invokes a pagan god or goddess with the deliberate intent to seek their assistance in helping someone out of the goodness of their hearts, I don’t think that the prayers will go to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob automatically as this would be against free will would it not?

Actions that if the KNEW of Jesus would flock to Him? You can’t tell me THEY’RE evil? Or what they do is evil?

That would contradict what the Catechsim and the Church state about people who are born and live without knowing Christ.

And I agree with this. But I don’t think anyone was talking about good and evil people here. We are talking about the practices and beliefs not the intentions of the people. White magic is still forbidden by God.

No person is without sin just as no person is without goodness. Few people in the developed world today (the majority of wiccans we are talking about) have never heard about Jesus and don’t know him. I can also testify that many (not sure how many) that I have listened to have admitted to being born into Christian homes so that ignorance of Jesus is no excuse for them.

 

[kinja]

You’re aware aren’t you, that mature Wiccas and people in New Age place their belief systems in crystals, tarot cards, astrology, and magick spells?

Grown men and women.

Exactly. And Members of the Church of Satan believe in “indulgence” in all that is carnal and earthly as a way to power and liberation and even though they call on Satan by name during their religious rituals they say that they do not believe that Satan actually exists .

What gets me is that some people who claim that they do not have an unhealthy obsession with something justify their preference for their obsession by their apparently better physical health and hygiene as opposed to those who are just more unhealthy than they are. How can one compare fantasy with reality in terms of preference and then claim that they don’t have an unhealthy obsession with the former?

 

[Matrix_Refugee]

“Erised” is “desire” spelled backwards. The “Mirror of Erised” in the first book shows you what you most desire. No spirits involved.

“Hermes” is a Greek god. People need to learn the difference between reality and fantasy.

“Draco” I’m not sure of off the top of my head, but given that the HP character who bears the name is just a normal person, I don’t see what the problem is.

There is nothing wrong with Harry Potter, which - as the actual context of various Rowling interviews establishes - bases its “magic” on strictly symbolic literary alchemy. There’s nothing occult in it whatsoever.

“Draco” is Latin for “dragon”. Sometimes a Latin word is just a Latin word.

 

[kinja]

“Erised” is “desire” spelled backwards. The “Mirror of Erised” in the first book shows you what you most desire. No spirits involved.

“Hermes” is a Greek god. People need to learn the difference between reality and fantasy.

“Draco” I’m not sure of off the top of my head, but given that the HP character who bears the name is just a normal person, I don’t see what the problem is.

There is nothing wrong with Harry Potter, which - as the actual context of various Rowling interviews establishes - bases its “magic” on strictly symbolic literary alchemy. There’s nothing occult in it whatsoever.

While Hermes is the name of a greek god he is worshipped by some witches. The spirit who communicates when Hermes name is invoked would obviously be called Hermes. Also Hermes Trismegistus was a writer whose beliefs have heavily influenced the Western esoteric tradition. The practice called Hermeticism comes from his writings.

I am not sold that magic and the occult words were only used from a literary standpoint in HP.

 

[ringil]

Fr. Corapi talked of Satan’s influences in the practices of witchcraft.

Um. . . you mean BlackSheepDog.

 

[ElectricBlue]

That’s why we have groups like the ESRB.

I wouldn’t wait on any group like ESRB to decide on what is acceptable entertainment and stuff for my kids. ESRB has no moral authority to rate any games on their appropriateness or not do they? From what I have read their method of rating is based on statistics and consensus and stuff like that. Not on a moral code. Nothing can replace parental involvement and supervision with guidance from the church teachings for me.

 

[kinja]

I wouldn’t wait on any group like ESRB to decide on what is acceptable entertainment and stuff for my kids. ESRB has no moral authority to rate any games on their appropriateness or not do they? From what I have read their method of rating is based on statistics and consensus and stuff like that. Not on a moral code. Nothing can replace parental involvement and supervision with guidance from the church teachings for me.

Thumbs up on that one EB

 

[chemoangel]

The magic in Harry Potter has nothing whatsoever to do with real occult practices. Specifically, occult practices necessarily (that is, by definition) involve invocation: contact with supernatural beings. That means demons, as God and his angels are not contacted through the occult. Magic in Harry Potter is of a totally different nature; it is a natural force that some people have an inborn ability to use. So you see that Harry Potter magic and real world magic are literally totally different in kind; they have nothing whatsoever to do with one another. I believe the magic in Wizard101 is of the same sort as that in Harry Potter, though I have no real experience with the game.

Bottom line: interest in Harry Potter and similar phenomena is not dangerous, notris a child’s fantasizing about being a Harry Potter-style wizard. Just make sure she knows that Harry Potter magic is totally fictional, and that real world magic is totally different, unequivocally evil, and very dangerous.

I agree 100 percent. Everyone in their mother in law knows that Harry Potter is a work of fiction and that real world magic is different. What about Cinderella? What about that “Fairy Godmother”? She we really ban everything that comes close to magic so children won’t get crazy with it? It’s fantasy…every child needs fantasy in their life.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

You’re aware aren’t you, that mature Wiccas and people in New Age place their belief systems in crystals, tarot cards, astrology, and magick spells?

Grown men and women.

Wake me up when those cards, crystals, and ‘spells’ actually do something other than give me a reason to laugh in your face.

How can one compare fantasy with reality in terms of preference and then claim that they don’t have an unhealthy obsession with the former?

Whoa now! Okay, now you’ve seriously stooped to the lowest forms of intellectual dishonesty. First you accuse us escapists of spending an unhealthy time playing. Now when I tell you the blunt definition of what’s really unhealthy, you dodge and claim we have an obsession?

Apparently, the only time you’ll ever consider someone healthy and not obsessed is if they’re praying the Rosary three times a day and watch EWTN all night. Pot, meet kettle.