What do you think of Ouija boards and other occult fads?

[ffg]

Introducing a kid to a board or cards or anything the witch at the corner uses to get in contact with spirits not of The One True God, is not exactly arming a child with the armor of God.

It’s not so subtly legitimizing such practice.

If the path is narrow, it’s not going to have evil or even questionable practices on it. The narrow path is all good.

 

[MSSheBear]

I guess someone beat me to the punch about Hewlett Packard (HP) being part of the occult. I thought that anything related to fortune telling or communicating with the spirits was forbidden.

 

[edwest2]

It is divination or else it is deception. There is nothing good about a Ouija board.

Wiccans…I think they are spiritually thirsty people, often well-meaning (they intend “white magic,” usually), but in the big scheme of things those who in any way believe they are manipulators of the spiritual world would be better off getting into a wheelchair blindfolded and having a spin on the Autobahn. (“Wow, look at how smooth this surface is…seems made for wheels!”)

We were not given the powers given to the angels for a reason, and it is not the same reason we weren’t given literal wings. We have the faculties necessary to figure out the physical world, but we are vulnerable and blind to the powers that prowl and do battle in the world of spirits.

As for Harry Potter, the concept of magic plays a bit of a different role in mythology and story-telling than attempts to exert personal mastery over spiritual powers do in real life. I haven’t read the books, so I don’t know what kind of mindset those books foster. It is the mindset of a work of fiction or fantasy, however, and *not the specific plot devices used *that make the book spiritually profitable or perilous. The Narnia books are full of magic, but the mindset in which magic is used as a plot device is appropriate.

That’s the thing. I’ve read so many manuscripts where the inexperienced writer is obviously influenced by certain trends. He or she does not know how to write yet. Sadly, I’ve yet to hear of a college course in creative writing that teaches the basics: Character development, setting, pacing, mood, accurate references/research, etc. Being a writer and a storyteller, I have to read what I write as if I had no knowledge of the writing mechanics, which should be invisible. The fictional story being told is a snapshot of an alternate reality with its own rules and limitations, and philosophy.

If the writer does not understand the basics. If he is unaware of its effect on the reader, then he is responsible for learning to do it right. I’ve gotten 300 page manuscripts, with “Will you publish this?” Cranking out hundreds of pages does not mean the book is perfect. And most of the manuscripts we get are not printable.

Plot? What’s that I’ve had some lengthy conversations with beginning writers and I can tell that they hear the words but wouldn’t know how to incorporate the tools of a polished writer into their work. I don’t want to discourage anyone. Some people just write for pleasure. But I’ve heard plenty from people who tell me about the effect a book had on them. And that’s the point of my writing about this: The reader, often without realizing it, has to have his head oriented in a good direction so that the underlying message of the book comes across as the author intended. The really good books do take you away to another world.

Ed

 

[Exiled_Child]

That’s the thing. I’ve read so many manuscripts where the inexperienced writer is obviously influenced by certain trends. He or she does not know how to write yet. Sadly, I’ve yet to hear of a college course in creative writing that teaches the basics: Character development, setting, pacing, mood, accurate references/research, etc. Being a writer and a storyteller, I have to read what I write as if I had no knowledge of the writing mechanics, which should be invisible. The fictional story being told is a snapshot of an alternate reality with its own rules and limitations, and philosophy.

If the writer does not understand the basics. If he is unaware of its effect on the reader, then he is responsible for learning to do it right. I’ve gotten 300 page manuscripts, with “Will you publish this?” Cranking out hundreds of pages does not mean the book is perfect. And most of the manuscripts we get are not printable.

Plot? What’s that I’ve had some lengthy conversations with beginning writers and I can tell that they hear the words but wouldn’t know how to incorporate the tools of a polished writer into their work. I don’t want to discourage anyone. Some people just write for pleasure. But I’ve heard plenty from people who tell me about the effect a book had on them. And that’s the point of my writing about this: The reader, often without realizing it, has to have his head oriented in a good direction so that the underlying message of the book comes across as the author intended. The really good books do take you away to another world.

Ed

Great post, Ed! I like that.

For anyone interested, I’d like to recommend the Clarion Workshop. I know published authors who have gone through it and benefitted greatly, and who speak very, very highly of it. The original one is currently held at UC San Diego, but there’s also one here in Seattle, Washington, as well as one in Brisbane, Australia.

clarion.ucsd.edu/about.html

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarion_Workshop

 

[JanetF]

I chose: Avoid most occult themed games such as the Ouija boards, but fantasy magic such as HP is OK

 

[edwest2]

Great post, Ed! I like that.

For anyone interested, I’d like to recommend the Clarion Workshop. I know published authors who have gone through it and benefitted greatly, and who speak very, very highly of it. The original one is currently held at UC San Diego, but there’s also one here in Seattle, Washington, as well as one in Brisbane, Australia.

clarion.ucsd.edu/about.html

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarion_Workshop

Thank you. I’ve heard of Clarion, and there are some useful “how to” books out there, but I’ve discovered that writing is different from drawing, which I also do. You can see what you’re doing while drawing and changing things is easier, but you still have to know the basics. With writing, part of it is inspiration and part of it is knowing the basic story skeleton or framework. For example, all the superhero movies have the same basic plot, just different scenery, a different villain(s), and a few technical/mechanical surprises. Look at the Batmobile. It has to look cool and appear to be functional. And at least one attractive woman. Which, for me, is not that important unless presented well, and it rarely is.

Ed

 

[Magdalena59]

I personally agree with you, but I also know many on CAF do find HP to be occult, or even if they don’t think HP itself is occult they think it could serve as a gateway (as in “gateway drug”) to actual dangerous occult practices. I just checked, so far 3 people have picked the option that would avoid HP.

I agree here. I did choose the option to avoid HP or LOTR or similar but not because I think it should be avoided altogether but I do think age makes a big difference, so I guess I just think that there are appropriate times to avoid magic and times it is okay.

God bless.

 

[chloride]

I would say it depends entirely on intent. Occult objects like ouija boards and tarot cards aren’t inherently evil or imbued with some special power, they’re man-made objects, paper and wood. Magicians (the stage variety) will sometimes use tarot cards in their tricks as they provide a bit more flourish and exotic feel than regular playing cards. Same for ouija boards. The difference being that people know that a magicians’ tricks are simply that: tricks for entertainment, not actual attempts at some kind of sorcery. Now, if someone is actually using those objects for divination… well that’s a problem

As for fiction, it’s fiction. As long as the reader has a clear understanding of that, and isn’t impressionable enough to be swayed, then I’d say have at it. I’m a fan of Poe and HP myself, although I’ve been soured a bit on HP since I found out he had quite the prejudiced streak.

 

[ToeInTheWater]

I agree here. I did choose the option to avoid HP or LOTR or similar but not because I think it should be avoided altogether but I do think age makes a big difference, so I guess I just think that there are appropriate times to avoid magic and times it is okay.

God bless.

I think there certainly can be some people who should avoid HP, LOTR, etc, and I can think of some morally problematic aspects to Harry Potter even without the magic part. I think older tweens and teens can deal with it, but younger kids might not.

Option 2 still comes closest to my overall take on this, much as I’d state that “alcohol in moderation is not a sin” but I do realize that there are SOME people who shouldn’t drink alcohol at all, whether they are recovering alcoholics, recovering from some other addiction, have some medical reason not to, etc.

BTW regarding popular franchises that feature magical beings, I also think Twilight is very problematic in the way it describes supposed “ideal” romance, it also winds up with what even the author admits is an “anti-human” message that depicts the vampires as obviously superior to humans, and to whom mere human morality is irrelevant.

I don’t think it’s going to inspire anyone to actually believe vamps are real or to go drink anyone’s blood. But I do think it’s far from harmless, especially when it comes to preteens and below.

I also think that merely depicting occult beings is not the same as endorsement. Most vampire stories, even those with sympathetic vampires such as the Lestat books, don’t really show them as living ideal lives that humans should envy.

Another show popular in its time with teenagers that had “good vampires” was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Angel character is “good” for most of the show, one could also argue that Spike starts out evil and becomes good (though some would disagree), but vampires are still portrayed as “evil” overall in the show and only a few misguided humans actually want to become vampires.

It also helps that the Buffyverse vampires can be killed fairly easily by normal humans using the standard methods such as staking, exposure to the sunlight, burning them, etc. Garlic and crosses don’t kill them but do repel them. While it helps to have superpowers like Buffy doses, her non-superpowered friends actually do help her in most of the episodes.

Twi-pires, on the other hand, can essentially only be killed by burning them AFTER their bodies have been torn apart. So they can only be killed either by fellow vampires, or the werewolves. Mere humans are totally helpless against them. I also thought it very icky how the idea of the werewolves “imprinting” on women (or little girls) was portrayed as superior to human methods of finding a mate.

 

[Bridgit_Andrews]

My take on this is that he occult and fantasy magic are apples and oranges and shouldn’t be lumped together. One does not necessarily lead to another especially if one grounds one’s children in the Faith.

When my daughter was little she was interested in fairies. She and her little friends would pretend to be fairies. They would build fairy houses and even venture to the 'fairy tree" in the back 40. (It is an ancient apple tree.) In my opinion fairies, levels, Harry Potter, LOTR, Narnia, Wizard 101, etc are simply the result of an active imagination on the part of the authors and the kids playing at being fairies, wizards elves, etc.

The only problem with fantasy magic I have is the possibility ti could lead to body dysmorphia. I’m sure many if not all of us have seen the people who, with the help of body art and plastic surgery, are trying to make themselves look like elves, demons and even Barbie dolls.

The occult, on the other hand, is inherently dangerous and can lead very quickly to the opening of a door that one prefers remains firmly shut. Even with protections in place, playing around with white or black magick can lead to letting in evil. More than anything it is the not knowing who or what is on the other side of the ouija board or tarot deck that can cause unintended problems.

Peace,
B