My sister gave me a ouija board

[Ral91]

While I wouldn’t use one, I was wondering if she gave you a ouija board or a ouija board game? The ouija board was originally a magnetic game (much like a magic 8 ball or robot questions) and was ‘adopted’ by and adapted by Pearl Curran during world war 1- this is when it became associated with occult practices. Before that it was a board game. Either way its your house and your rules but I am curious if she gave children an occult ouija board or the hasbro game ouija board

 

[Layp3rs0n]

I don’t understand the concerns about it because I’m not all that familiar with ouija boards. I’ve seen them, never played with one (long before I heard they were bad–I just happen to not like board games). I know the basic functions, that two people put their hands on the pointer and ask it questions and it moves around the board pointing to the letters of the answer.

Isn’t it just a silly parlor game? How can a board game conjure evil spirits?

No, the problem is that it isn’t a silly parlor game. The things actually work! They are extremely dangerous. Think anti-rosary. That’s basically what a Ouija board is. It is a communication with demons.

 

[chero23]

I would throw it away. The games purpose is to interact and call up the dead. Theirs been hundreds of known cases were demonic attacks have occurred bc of the game. This is not about your sisters feelings, but your family’s protection.

 

[Deus_tecum]

When I talk to her I will also mention Tarot, runes, etc., (which I know she has) are also prohibited. She knows I am Catholic (I’m a convert, raised in a non-religious home) but she knows nothing about Christianity, and refuses to even talk about it-- is hostile toward it. But I think she only believes in “good” spirits, I think. She makes up her beliefs as she goes along, so I think she is just ignorant of the truth. I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt at least.

It might be a good idea to write her a letter. Nobody does that anymore, but a letter is often more effective than a meeting. Explain with love that your house rules are not judgment on her, and then list your house rules with some explanation of Church teaching.

 

[VeritasLuxMea]

“Thanks, but I don’t want to teach my children to believe in superstitions. Bringing this board into my house… opens the way for irrational thinking… I’m afraid the kids will believe that the Ouija board has supernatural powers, despite all evidence to the contrary.”

 

[rayne89]

I would definitely go with the negative energy description. Speak to her in a “language” that she can understand. You can tell her you appreciate her thinking of your kids and you realize that she just saw it as a fun game (I played in elementary school before I knew what it was and just saw as a “parlor game”, my mom had no clue -she still really doesn’t believe in any of that and she is Catholic. She’s also from Italy so maybe they didn’t have that there.) Believe it or not there are a lot of people that have no idea about the Ouija board -even Christians, because I’ve come across a lot of them. So to assume she had bad intent I think would be wrong. Tell her you love her very much and the last thing you wanted to do is hurt her feelings.

 

[bzkoss236]

Tell her to watch the movie The Exorcist and let her know that that is what can actually happen if you use a ouija board.

If you break up the word ouija you get oui and ja.

oui - ‘yes’ in French
ja - ‘yes’ in German

by using a ouija board you are saying ‘yes, yes’ to inviting in evil spirits.

 

[ThyKingdomCome]

I don’t know if you’ll get anywhere, actually trying to convince her that they are bad. You can certainly take a shot at it. But really, all she needs to know is that it is not ok with you. A good way to phrase this to a non-Catholic (especially one who knows little about our faith) is to say, “Catholics Believe…” or “The Catholic Church teaches…” …“that these games can actually allow one to call on spirits. This is not allowed in our faith and is considered dangerous. And for us it is important to follow the rules of our faith. That’s why we couldn’t play the gift. But we really are so appreciative of the gesture.” To be fair, I think that actually a large number of Catholics don’t even know that playing that game is wrong. I certainly didn’t know better when I was a kid, playing it, and neither did my Catholic friend who played along with me. There might be some who know that “the Church” doesn’t like it, but the prevailing opinion of today’s culture is that most Catholics go ahead and follow their own moral code, and don’t necessarily follow the rules of the Church. And this is probably true of a majority of people who call themselves Catholic. So it’s not really such a stretch to think that someone would give a Catholic a Ouija board with good intentions, and I wouldn’t assume that the gift was meant to undermine anything.

 

[Lochias]

Let her be offended. Honestly, if it were one of my sisters, I’d have added something like “you blithering idiot!” to the mix.

It’s like someone being offended because you wouldn’t let them stick your kids’ hands into a burning fire.

I have heard some absolutely hair-raising accounts from people who have been around or messed with Ouija boards. Get. It. Out. Break it into pieces and toss it in the dumpster.

 

[Lochias]

“Thanks, but I don’t want to teach my children to believe in superstitions. Bringing this board into my house… opens the way for irrational thinking… I’m afraid the kids will believe that the Ouija board has supernatural powers, despite all evidence to the contrary.”

I saw what you did, there. People who think they’re harmless are people who need some serious educating.

 

[chero23]

Tell her to watch the movie The Exorcist and let her know that that is what can actually happen if you use a ouija board.

If you break up the word ouija you get oui and ja.

oui - ‘yes’ in French
ja - ‘yes’ in German

by using a ouija board you are saying ‘yes, yes’ to inviting in evil spirits.

Huh, I know that the Ouija board is an evil spirit attack waiting t happen, but I didn’t know that the oui and ja were german and French words for yes.

 

[VeritasLuxMea]

I saw what you did, there. People who think they’re harmless are people who need some serious educating.

Yes, “education” that is never forthcoming. You people are like a French teacher that doesn’t know a word of French. How do you presume to lecture me on this matter?

 

[Lochias]

Yes, “education” that is never forthcoming. You people are like a French teacher that doesn’t know a word of French. How do you presume to lecture me on this matter?

Refusing to look for answers isn’t a lack of education. Here:

catholic.com/quickquestions/are-ouija-boards-harmless

 

[VeritasLuxMea]

Refusing to look for answers isn’t a lack of education. Here:

catholic.com/quickquestions/are-ouija-boards-harmless

The fact of the matter is, the Ouija board really does work

Oh, well, when you put it that way…

It’s true that many people view the Ouija board as harmless. They often claim, “Oh, I don’t believe in it,” or something to this effect. However, a disbelief in something does not necessarily mean that something isn’t real.

To state the obvious: the reverse is also true.

The Ouija board has an objective reality that exists apart from a person’s perception of it. In other words, it’s real even if you don’t believe in it. And we know this because God himself tells us so.

O rly? Let’s get him on the phone and see what he has to say.

“Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord” (Dt 18:10–12, NIV).

Right, so:

1. This passage condemns divination, sorcery, etc.
2. ???
3. Therefore, the Ouija board works.

Air. Tight. Logic.

On the experiential side of the issue, we have the testimony of the Church’s exorcists.

Appeal to authority. Educate yourself.

Their experience shows that Ouija boards are far from harmless. Some investigating supernatural phenomena from a Catholic perspective have gone so far as to say that 90 percent of their very worst cases involving demonic activity have been linked to the use of the Ouija board.

Not a single source or reference provided.

Simply put, nothing positive can ever come from the use of the Ouija board

I will concede that.

This is all in good fun and I hope you perceive no ill will. But, frankly, I’m not fond of people that make up supernatural nonsense like this, demanding my acquiescence to their claims without a smidge of evidence. This is the gateway to the most dangerous kind of foolishness.

 

[Lochias]

Oh, well, when you put it that way…

To state the obvious: the reverse is also true.

O rly? Let’s get him on the phone and see what he has to say.

Right, so:

1. This passage condemns divination, sorcery, etc.
2. ???
3. Therefore, the Ouija board works.

Air. Tight. Logic.

Appeal to authority. Educate yourself.

Not a single source or reference provided.

I will concede that.

If you want to wallow in willful ignorance, that is absolutely 100% your right. You -could- go talk to a Diocesan priest, or get phone numbers, or anything that’s mildly more time consuming than letting your Snark Flag Fly all over the Internet, but hey. No skin off mine.

 

[Lochias]

This is all in good fun and I hope you perceive no ill will. But, frankly, I’m not fond of people that make up supernatural nonsense like this, demanding my acquiescence to their claims without a smidge of evidence. This is the gateway to the most dangerous kind of foolishness.

The fact that you’re not fond of…well…all the Catholic priests ever and think that they’re all making up nonsense simply means that I can’t take you very seriously at all. If that’s the image you want to broadcast, fine.

 

[kmcarl56]

My sister (who is New Age)was visiting my family and she brought my kids a ouija board. I believe that summoning spirits and asking them to channel themselves through you is a terrible idea. i know that she meant it to be just a game for the kids, but I did not want to mess around and take any chances. I was planning on thanking her and then getting rid of it, but she wanted to play it with my kids right then. I told her I wasn’t comfortable with it and she got upset, because to her I was rejecting her gift. I suggested we play a different game, and tried to move past it quickly, but I could tell she was really upset. I want to apologize and thank her for thinking of us, but I don’t want to apologize for not playing with it. How can I phrase it so she feels appreciated, but not apologize for not playing it?

You can tell her thank you for thinking of giving your family a gift, but tell her firmly that you do not allow such things which congeres up spirits in your home. There is another poster in the forum who is worried about studying demons and the paranormal. My posting there gave him the following verses to think about:

1 Peter 5:8 ESV
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Leviticus 19:31 ESV
“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.

Micah 5:12 ESV
And I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;

God/Jesus speaks loudly about the subject of trying to converse or conjure up spirits in our presence. It is evil and sinful. Do not just throw the board away…burn it!

Pray for your sister that she may see the Spirit of the Lord, and only Him.

 

[Lochias]

Right, so:

1. This passage condemns divination, sorcery, etc.
2. ???
3. Therefore, the Ouija board works.

Air. Tight. Logic.

One last thing…the act of using the Ouija board itself is a form of divination; specifically, necromancy. The passage has nothing whatsoever to do with how exactly the mechanism of the board board works. It’s still divination, which is the point.

 

[VeritasLuxMea]

One last thing…the act of using the Ouija board itself is a form of divination; specifically, necromancy. The passage has nothing whatsoever to do with how exactly the mechanism of the board board works. It’s still divination, which is the point.

Sure, and if I flip a penny in the air and it comes up heads, then I can use that as “divination” too. The passage means I shouldn’t do it. It doesn’t mean that any form of divination that I can invent works, and that is where you are so sorely misguided.

You would ask us to accept an extraordinary claim, you provide nothing in the way of evidence to support that claim, and then you get angry if we do not fall in line.

Make no mistake, for all the accusations you would hurl at me regarding the potential danger of my thinking, the same can be turned around rather easily on you. If we accept all such claims without evidence, we are talking about undermining human reason altogether.

 

[Lochias]

Sure, and if I flip a penny in the air and it comes up heads, then I can use that as “divination” too. The passage means I shouldn’t do it. It doesn’t mean that any form of divination that I can invent works, and that is where you are so sorely misguided.

That example doesn’t work. Flipping a coin isn’t comparable to asking a spiritual entity for answers to questions. At all.

You would ask us to accept an extraordinary claim, you provide nothing in the way of evidence to support that claim, and then you get angry if we do not fall in line.

I’ve given you the anecdotal evidence, which you summarily choose to disregard. I repeat: If you fail to follow up, research, ask questions of priests and exorcists, and read the material the Church has to offer on the matter, then yes, I am angry with the laziness and unwillingness to explore the issue that you consequently display.

Make no mistake, for all the accusations you would hurl at me regarding the potential danger of my thinking, the same can be turned around rather easily on you. If we accept all such claims without evidence, we are talking about undermining human reason altogether.

I’m not accepting it without evidence. I’m simply not doing all of your homework for you. Get to it, if you’re so sure that it’s all fake. Contact a Diocesan exorcist; your Bishop will help you out. Read the materials the Church has to offer. Get to it, or stand as an example of hypocrisy and willful ignorance. Your choice.