When/why was superstition added to the first commandment?

[VincentChristop]

Some people are born psychic. Some people are born with the gift to see/talk to spirits.
Some people do enochian magic(the summoning of angels) in order to get closer to God or to seek guidance.

In this day and age it is hard to discern guidance from God through his angels anymore because of this “superstition view” on the first commandment.

Why is superstition linked to the first commandment when it says
“I am the Lord thy God: thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.”

I understand why believing in another religion, or doing witchcraft(in witchcraft you pray to other God’s during a ritual) is a grave offense on this commandment, but I do not understand why superstition as a whole is added to the views of this commandment. Because some may use it in a means to bring others closer to God. Especially when they are trying to discern what God is trying to tell them.

Which my main question when and why was superstition added to the first commandment?

 

[phil19034]

Some people are born psychic. Some people are born with the gift to see/talk to spirits.
Some people do enochian magic(the summoning of angels) in order to get closer to God or to seek guidance.

In this day and age it is hard to discern guidance from God through his angels anymore because of this “superstition view” on the first commandment.

Why is superstition linked to the first commandment when it says
“I am the Lord thy God: thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.”

I understand why believing in another religion, or doing witchcraft(in witchcraft you pray to other God’s during a ritual) is a grave offense on this commandment, but I do not understand why superstition as a whole is added to the views of this commandment. Because some may use it in a means to bring others closer to God. Especially when they are trying to discern what God is trying to tell them.

Which my main question when and why was superstition added to the first commandment?

This is the way I understand it (which I’m not 100% sure if it is totally accurate from a theological point of view).

When a true psychic speaks to “spirits” the psychic doesn’t know who the “spirit” is. The spirit may in fact be a demon who is pretending to be good or just simply demonic. Good souls in Heaven cannot be summoned like that. While it MIGHT be possible to summon souls in purgatory, the Church doesn’t know for sure. But we do know that demons and the devil like to use these for evil purposes.

In brief, we want to stay away to avoid summoning a demon.

God Bless.

 

[thistle]

Some people are born psychic. Some people are born with the gift to see/talk to spirits.
Some people do enochian magic(the summoning of angels) in order to get closer to God or to seek guidance.

In this day and age it is hard to discern guidance from God through his angels anymore because of this “superstition view” on the first commandment.

Why is superstition linked to the first commandment when it says
“I am the Lord thy God: thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.”

I understand why believing in another religion, or doing witchcraft(in witchcraft you pray to other God’s during a ritual) is a grave offense on this commandment, but I do not understand why superstition as a whole is added to the views of this commandment. Because some may use it in a means to bring others closer to God. Especially when they are trying to discern what God is trying to tell them.

Which my main question when and why was superstition added to the first commandment?

Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I gave you the link in your other thread.

CCC 2110 The first commandment forbids honoring gods other than the one Lord who has revealed himself to his people. It proscribes superstition and irreligion. Superstition in some sense represents a perverse excess of religion; irreligion is the vice contrary by defect to the virtue of religion.

CCC 2111 Superstition is the deviation of religious feeling and of the practices this feeling imposes. It can even affect the worship we offer the true God, e.g., when one attributes an importance in some way magical to certain practices otherwise lawful or necessary. To attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand, is to fall into superstition.

 

[VincentChristop]

This is the way I u…

What I’m really curious to is. Why do we know angels cannot be summoned through the means of magic?

I know of people who deal with all sorts of magic. Some have summoned angels through enochian magic, after fasting for 45 days, praying, and trying not to sin for those 45 days.

Although there might not be a exact way to discern there it is a holy angel vs a fallen angel, how does one know for sure?

 

[VincentChristop]

Read the Catec…

I’ve read this in the catechism, but I still don’t understand why.

Thanks for you (name removed by moderator)ut tho!

 

[CB_Catholic]

Superstition is bad because it encourages one to rely on something other than God. That is, in essence, idolatry–which is what the First Commandment forbids.

 

[TK421]

Some people are born psychic. Some people are born with the gift to see/talk to spirits.
Some people do enochian magic(the summoning of angels) in order to get closer to God or to seek guidance.

In this day and age it is hard to discern guidance from God through his angels anymore because of this “superstition view” on the first commandment.

Why is superstition linked to the first commandment when it says
“I am the Lord thy God: thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.”

I understand why believing in another religion, or doing witchcraft(in witchcraft you pray to other God’s during a ritual) is a grave offense on this commandment, but I do not understand why superstition as a whole is added to the views of this commandment. Because some may use it in a means to bring others closer to God. Especially when they are trying to discern what God is trying to tell them.

Which my main question when and why was superstition added to the first commandment?

Seeking anything other than God as a source of power or revelation is a breaking of the first commandment, because there is no legitimate source of power other than God Himself.

If a person experiences visions or pious dreams, then, by definition, they are not engaging in sin. If a person is participating in pagan and/or psychic activity, then they are, by definition, either being superstitious or communing with false spirits. Calling a psychic someone that is communing with God is a misappropriation of the term, at least with how it is used in Catholic teaching.

 

[VincentChristop]

I just don’t understand why we pray to saints and angels when some very skilled psychics can actually talk to/summon them.

I mean I know you can say how do you discern they are the actual thing? But how can you discern all the visits from angels to saints weren’t demons in disguise?

But thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut everyone.

So I have the why…

Anyone know when this was part of the first commandment?

 

[CB_Catholic]

I just don’t understand why we pray to saints and angels when some very skilled psychics can actually talk to/summon them.

I mean I know you can say how do you discern they are the actual thing? But how can you discern all the visits from angels to saints weren’t demons in disguise?

But thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut everyone.

So I have the why…

Anyone know when this was part of the first commandment?

We “pray” to Saints and Angels to ask for their intercession. We believe they can hear us because God allows it. However, unlike the psychic, we do NOT attempt to contact them and expect them to appear to us, or answer us some other way (like automatic writing, etc.). We are not engaged in a two-way conversation with them, and are not to seek it. Because if we do, it is highly likely that the “spirit” that answered would be of demonic origin.

If one were to attempt to contact a deceased person and received an answer, we know that it is not a good “spirit” that has answered, because we have committed a grave sin against God by attempting to contact the dead. God cannot cooperate in any sin, such as permitting a violation of the First Commandment, because He is all good and all truth.

Unexpected apparitions of, say, the Virgin Mary, etc., have to be submitted to the Church to determine their veracity (most are determined NOT to be of God), and even then, we are not required to believe them, because they are private, not public revelation.

 

[VincentChristop]

We “pray” to Saints and An…

Understandable.

Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut!

 

[thistle]

I just don’t understand why we pray to saints and angels when some very skilled psychics can actually talk to/summon them.

I mean I know you can say how do you discern they are the actual thing? But how can you discern all the visits from angels to saints weren’t demons in disguise?

But thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut everyone.

So I have the why…

Anyone know when this was part of the first commandment?

I already answered this in post #5!!!

 

[thistle]

I just don’t understand why we pray to saints and angels when some very skilled psychics can actually talk to/summon them.

I mean I know you can say how do you discern they are the actual thing? But how can you discern all the visits from angels to saints weren’t demons in disguise?

But thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut everyone.

So I have the why…

Anyone know when this was part of the first commandment?

I already answered this in post #5!!!

 

[thistle]

I just don’t understand why we pray to saints and angels** when some very skilled psychics can actually talk to/summon them.**

I mean I know you can say how do you discern they are the actual thing? But how can you discern all the visits from angels to saints weren’t demons in disguise?

But thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut everyone.

So I have the why…

Anyone know when this was part of the first commandment?

No they can’t. That is just nonsense.

 

[crystal_waters]

What I’m really curious to is. Why do we know angels cannot be summoned through the means of magic?

I know of people who deal with all sorts of magic. Some have summoned angels through enochian magic, after fasting for 45 days, praying, and trying not to sin for those 45 days.

Although there might not be a exact way to discern there it is a holy angel vs a fallen angel, how does one know for sure?

They may THINK that they have summonded angels…what they will have summonded will be DEMONS posing as angels…God FORBIDS summoning any thing and that includes summoning angels…holy angels in heaven would never disobey god and appear to someone who is summoning angels via magic…( by the way magic is also forbidden by god too ) angels would not go against gods rules…demons would though…so thats who has been appearing to your friends…

Read thistles post …the catechism explains it quite clearly

 

[Oska2]

What I’m really curious to is. Why do we know angels cannot be summoned through the means of magic?

I know of people who deal with all sorts of magic. Some have summoned angels through enochian magic, after fasting for 45 days, praying, and trying not to sin for those 45 days.

Although there might not be a exact way to discern there it is a holy angel vs a fallen angel, how does one know for sure?

Angels are God’s ministering spirits. There is no one time in history that a person has summoned an angel. When one tries to get into spiritualism even by fasting, he/she will not get the true God since that is not the christian way of finding God. The consequence is that an impersonating demon will emerge as a true angel and will make the person see visions and even do extraordinary things. I’ve listened to many stories in some parts of Africa where magic is widely practiced. When the spirits possess somebody, its only the name of Jesus that prevails against them after a long period of exorcism. No other name or prayer seems to work.
Even some people who go fasting for many days, instead of getting godly insight, they get evil insights of self destruction.
I’d rather remain away from the world of angels as they don’t add much value to my faith. Instead I should strive to live a full Christian life.