Ouija boards?

[MercyMia]

On this Halloween night, and after just seeing a moive that dealt with them, I need to ask…

Why do people believe in Ouija boards? I heard a GREAT quote one time, “If there really is a way to contact the dead, it’s through a mass produced board game by Parker Brothers.”

Why do people think they can contact the dead through them? Why do others (mostly religious) get so upset by them?

Sorry if this is a repeated post…

The devil often loves to trick us into thinking deathly, evil things are simply just “games” with no real harm. An Oujia board is evil. You will not be contacting dead family members or friends…you will be contacting only demons who seek to destroy your soul and take you away from God. Even if they give you accurate information, you can bet it comes from dubious sources - not God or anyone in heaven. The info is just a way to get you sucked in, to get you confused and dependent on Satan for your truths and not God. God has told us everything we need to know through scripture and his Church - we are not privy to any other information for our own good. The fall in the garden is alive and well to this day as evidenced by our need to seek answers from mediums or these stupid boards. We need to be obedient to God and accept what he reveals to us and not seek extra knowledge. We will only be tricked when we try to go around God and seek information from “supernatural” means.
This stuff is counterfeit spirituality, only prayer and obedience to God can sustain our souls, the rest will make us perish.
If you have used one, go to confession immediately. Say a hedge prayer for protection.

Saint Michael, pray for anyone who has foolishly used an Oujia board and all those in the world who have been fooled by New Age or Occult beliefs.

 

[FickleFreckled]

I second MercyMia. If you’ve messed around with a ouija board and you’ve never confessed it, you need to. Not only because of the sin, but for the grace against any lingering influence.

 

[Rascalking]

I second MercyMia. If you’ve messed around with a ouija board and you’ve never confessed it, you need to. Not only because of the sin, but for the grace against any lingering influence.

I’ve never messed around with one, but the reason I brought up the topic in the first place is because I’ve always been fascinated with why people believe in things other than God. Why do people look else where to get fulfillment when God wants nothing more than to be with them?

That, and I’ve always thought that GK Chesterton was dead on accurate when he said that those who don’t believe in God will believe anything. My thought is that we, as believers, are the true skeptics.

That said, believers sometimes believe in truly wierd things and we really need to pick better fights-worry about abortion rather than that plastic boards.

 

[Liberanosamalo]

Then you’ve missed the whole point of this discussion.

Okay… how about it this way.

If I told you AT&T was producing a telephone which you could use to call demons and talk to them on, would you think that was insignificant?

Because there would be people who would think that was a WONDERFUL thing. And no matter how modern the plastic and wires used, it was modern materials put to use for an ancient idea.

(God does believe in Satan and his evil accomplices, by the way. He created them. They morphed themselves into disfigured versions of their original creation by their own choices.)

Now, there will be people who always knew how to converse with those spirits of darkness. But there are also the naive and the young and the foolish who might stumble upon such a phone and dial the number (666?) just out of curiosity.

Would you let your child play with such a phone, even if it only was a modern piece of plastic?

Would you think opening a direct line to hell was a good thing or neutral, or something we didn’t need to worry ourselves over?

 

[rayne89]

This is from my parish’s examination of conscience that is available to look over while waiting for confession.

Did I seriously believe in something superstitious or engage in a superstitious practice (palm-reading or fortune telling or OUIJA board, etc.)

saintcyrils.org/confession.htm
It’s an offense the first commandment.

Here’s a wikipedia on the history of the Ouija board.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouija

 

[Rascalking]

Then you’ve missed the whole point of this discussion.

Okay… how about it this way.

If I told you AT&T was producing a telephone which you could use to call demons and talk to them on, would you think that was insignificant?

Because there would be people who would think that was a WONDERFUL thing. And no matter how modern the plastic and wires used, it was modern materials put to use for an ancient idea.

(God does believe in Satan and his evil accomplices, by the way. He created them. They morphed themselves into disfigured versions of their original creation by their own choices.)

Now, there will be people who always knew how to converse with those spirits of darkness. But there are also the naive and the young and the foolish who might stumble upon such a phone and dial the number (666?) just out of curiosity.

Would you let your child play with such a phone, even if it only was a modern piece of plastic?

Would you think opening a direct line to hell was a good thing or neutral, or something we didn’t need to worry ourselves over?

I understood your point just fine-I don’t think you understood mine.

I’m NOT defending people who use them-I think those people delude themselves. If someone really wants to contact a demon, then they can-they don’t need a plastic board to do so. They won’t like the result, that I guarantee.

If you told me AT & T were making a phone like that-I would wonder what your problem was with AT & T, and then wonder if you believe in other foolishness. I would still let my kid dial grandma and see how she was doing.

If my kid wanted to play with a Ouija board-I would say If you feel the need to believe in horoscopes and palm reading, then I’ve done something wrong, but you need to figure out your own path and I’ll continue to pray for you.

 

[just_me_1]

I went through a phase in college (when, coincidentally, I wasn’t going to church much either) when some of my friends were into that stuff. there was one girl who “contacted the dead” and drew a star on the floor of the old one room schoolhouse I was renting (it was creepy enough without her help!) with masking tape, and put candles in it, then had us sit at the points and hold hands… I kinda frieked out (so much for being cool!) and nothing came of it, thank GOD. then, a year or 2 later, still lacking good sense, I was working at a farm where a guy hung himself years before, and the other people I worked with who lived on the farm had all claimed to see a ghost, some frequently, and their descritions matched. so one halloween we set up a camcorder and all got around the ouija board with some beer and had a night that I will NEVER forget. it was like out of the movies, the temp dropped, every single hair on your neck stood up. then there were the noises. we were stupid enough to ask “it” to make it’s presence known!!! and it sure did! it told us it’s name (which I later looked up at the library, in the old newspapers and sure enough, that person had once owned that farm! then we went and found his grave to verify the years he lived! we were certified NUTS then!) someone asked it to speak and only 2 of us heard it but there was this unbelievable exhale, definitely not completely human sounding, that I will remember until I die! why did we do that? who knows, we were dumb kids. I will promise you I will never touch one again, and I will go to confession (never thought of that, thanks!) to lose any “residue” I might have. I will not let my kids within 100 feet of one either, and teach them when they are young of it’s evils. my parents, while catholic, didn’t bother telling me about things like that, they had the “it’s just a game” mentality. thanks for this thread, it’s good to see it was not all in my head!

 

[st_lucy]

I understood your point just fine-I don’t think you understood mine.

I’m NOT defending people who use them-I think those people delude themselves. If someone really wants to contact a demon, then they can-they don’t need a plastic board to do so. They won’t like the result, that I guarantee.

If you told me AT & T were making a phone like that-I would wonder what your problem was with AT & T, and then wonder if you believe in other foolishness. I would still let my kid dial grandma and see how she was doing.

If my kid wanted to play with a Ouija board-I would say If you feel the need to believe in horoscopes and palm reading, then I’ve done something wrong, but you need to figure out your own path and I’ll continue to pray for you.

SO if your child decided that jumping over fire pits would interesting your only advice would be, I’ve done something wrong, but you need to figure out your own path and I’ll continue to pray for you.? No that would be insane. We need to do all in our power to keep our children safe.

Remember,Satan’s best lie is to make us think that he doesn’t exist.

 

[latin_rite]

I think ouija boards have as much power as my kids magic 8 ball. But i agree with one poster. It has to with intent that gives it, it’s power. I feel like going wwOoOoOHhHoooOO
after saying its power… meh.

 

[FickleFreckled]

Rascalking is correct in saying that people who have a sturdy faith and belief in their religion don’t mess around with this stuff. The problem is, the majority of users of this “board game” are pre-teen and teen girls. They’re pulling away from their parents and the way they were raised to begin with. Maybe they weren’t even raised to have much faith. The kids who do it are fairly smart, think they’re smarter than everyone else, but don’t have the sense God gave tree bark. They’re drawn to the mysterious or looking for excitement and diversion. All of those attitudes are sinful, or at least dangerous, to begin with. They’re not trying to conjure up Aunt Gladys who died because they miss her. They’re trying to talk to spirits. They don’t usually intend it for evil; some may, but mostly they think the spirits who respond are friendly. Kids think they’re immortal and nothing can hurt them. Unless the kid’s been raised with real abuse, they think the universe is friendly. When they think of spirits, they don’t generally think of demons, or at least we didn’t back in those days. It begins with innocuous questions - marriage, number of kids, etc. But they’re curious about this “person” who’s responding and start asking questions about it. It becomes a person, a buddy, to them. But only for some period of time. It always becomes frightening eventually, even threatening. Once you let that influence into your mind, it takes much work and prayer to recognize and overcome the influence and it takes constant vigilance. Most kids don’t have that. I’m ashamed to say that I was the ring-leader among my friends. I talked them into it. Although we’d attended 10 years of Catholic school, the Catholicism we’d been raised with hadn’t given us a belief in a loving God. We only vaguely knew we shouldn’t be doing it. We didn’t really connect it to the occult. Our friendships were eventually destroyed over it and like somebody else said, bad things began to happen in our lives, especially in my family. It frightened me for years and eventually led to my first confession as an adult. My first tentative steps back to the safety of Catholicism were a direct result. Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s harmless or simply an outflow of the subconscious. It’s not. It’s demonic. That needs to be impressed on kids. It’s more dangerous than sex, more dangerous than drugs. How many people get involved in this stuff and never come to God?

 

[cheese_sdc]

and then wonder if you believe in other foolishness.

For those that have not experienced the metaphysical reality of the spiritual realm, it can seem foolish.

But please understand that there are those of us that have experienced a metaphysical reality that sometimes defies explanation, even if we’re not always Catholic or even Christian.

 

[bluerose]

An interesting addition to this discussion…

Saturday night (Halloween), DH and I were at my mom’s house distributing candy to the trick-or-treaters and we watched the “Ghost Hunters” Halloween special (we’re too old for horror movies.)

It was interesting to see that these two guys (Grant and Jay) who make a living from a show that purports to investigate ghosts and hauntings STRONGLY discourage people from using ouija boards. They said (not an exact quote) that there is “danger” in allowing yourself to be used as an instrument for spirits to communicate. They did not elaborate, but what they said made a lot of sense. The “spirits” use the person holding the planchette to spell out the message… sounds a lot like possession to me.

I just was very impressed that the “Ghost Hunters”, of all people, would frown on the use of ouija boards and encourage people to NOT use them.

 

[cerad]

I just was very impressed that the “Ghost Hunters”, of all people, would frown on the use of ouija boards and encourage people to NOT use them.

Sure. And the best way to get a horse to drink water is to tell him not to.

 

[Consecrated]

I understood your point just fine-I don’t think you understood mine.

I’m NOT defending people who use them-I think those people delude themselves. If someone really wants to contact a demon, then they can-they don’t need a plastic board to do so. They won’t like the result, that I guarantee.

If you told me AT & T were making a phone like that-I would wonder what your problem was with AT & T, and then wonder if you believe in other foolishness. I would still let my kid dial grandma and see how she was doing.

If my kid wanted to play with a Ouija board-I would say If you feel the need to believe in horoscopes and palm reading, then I’ve done something wrong, but you need to figure out your own path and I’ll continue to pray for you.

you’re right… they don’t “need the plastic board”. What we’re saying is that this plastic “toy” makes it really really easy. Makes it seem fun. Makes it all look like just play.

THIS is the danger.

A typical teenager prolly won’t think of “talking” to the dead randomly during the day. But if they’re ignorant of the danger, you can bet they’d be up for playing a “game” at a party with friends.

See?

The devil is a master of deception.

I mean, come on. He tempted Eve with an apple. A harmless innocent plain old apple. He made evil look good, and easy, and harmless.

 

[Rascalking]

you’re right… they don’t “need the plastic board”. What we’re saying is that this plastic “toy” makes it really really easy. Makes it seem fun. Makes it all look like just play.

THIS is the danger.

A typical teenager prolly won’t think of “talking” to the dead randomly during the day. But if they’re ignorant of the danger, you can bet they’d be up for playing a “game” at a party with friends.

See?

The devil is a master of deception.

I mean, come on. He tempted Eve with an apple. A harmless innocent plain old apple. He made evil look good, and easy, and harmless.

Ma’am, you summed up the other side perfectly, Thank you for explaining to me.

The devil is, indeed a master of deception.

I look at Ouija boards the same way I look at people who see the Virgin Mary in grilled cheese. Could the Virgin Mary want to appear in a grilled cheese sandwich and tell people what to do? Of course She could! However, she probably doesn’t. Could the devil use a plastic board to decieve people?! Of course he could…but he probably doesn’t.

Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to this thread. Your all very bright people with well thought out ideas. God Bless all of you, and keep em coming if you want too!

 

[dulcissima]

But come on people. It’s a board game.

How is it actually a game? That’s what I have never understood. There is no strategy. No one wins. It’s packaged and marketed like it is a board game, but I don’t see how it really is one.

 

[Consecrated]

Ma’am, you summed up the other side perfectly, Thank you for explaining to me.

The devil is, indeed a master of deception.

I look at Ouija boards the same way I look at people who see the Virgin Mary in grilled cheese. Could the Virgin Mary want to appear in a grilled cheese sandwich and tell people what to do? Of course She could! However, she probably doesn’t. Could the devil use a plastic board to decieve people?! Of course he could…but he probably doesn’t.

Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to this thread. Your all very bright people with well thought out ideas. God Bless all of you, and keep em coming if you want too!

this was not at all what I wanted you to get from my words.

But I’m sure you’re well protected by your strong faith… and this is the most important thing.

 

[Consecrated]

How is it actually a game? That’s what I have never understood. There is no strategy. No one wins. It’s packaged and marketed like it is a board game, but I don’t see how it really is one.

exactly

 

[Rascalking]

Your both right. It’s not a game, no stratergy or anything like that. It’s more a way to fool the 1) The gullible who **want **to be fooled 2) The stupid (who believe it’s really movie) and 3) The foolish who actually want to play with some demonic of ghostly spirit.

I never thought about it that way. I never wondered too much about it because I always thought they were rubbish-a sham that people on both sides get too excited about.

Maybe I was wrong. I don’t know.

 

[Liberanosamalo]

If Milton Bradley decided to market a “game” called “Black Mass” with Latin prayers backwards and board pieces and chalices… would you say it was all plastic and didn’t matter? No, it would be the marketing of ancient rites and rituals as a method to summon Satan’s power and give worship to him.

And it would be wrong.

Don’t get confused by the trappings of “games” and the materials they were made with. Chess is also a very old concept that is marketed as a new “toy” in the stores. But it seeks to use our own brain power as we try to outwit an opponent, not to tap into something else’s intellect to find out that which we have no right to know.

The metaphysical is out there. People may doubt it till they encounter it. It’s like radio waves are out there. You could tell a child there is music in the air and they can’t hear it. They won’t believe you. But if you have the right equipment… a cheap plastic radio, you can turn it on, and viola… you can hear the music and the child is a believer that the air waves are full of music.