Date:      2nd November 2008                                                               (Sunday AM)                                                                       Ref: A0407

Place:     Kambah P.S.

Title: Hour of the Witch

Text:        & Psalm 36:9

Illust:     It all began on a seemingly normal day in 1990 as a 25 year old woman and wanna be writer named Joanne Kathleen Rowling was travelling by train on the outskirts of London. As the train meandered peacefully through the pleasant British countryside, suddenly - like a revelation out of nowhere - Joanne saw "very, very clearly" the crystal clear image of Harry as he popped into her mind. "The character of Harry just strolled into my head…. I really did feel he was someone who walked up and introduced himself in my minds eye"

I.                   Rise of the Occult

A.               New Paganism

i.                 Slightly different format this morning in that I am going to impart a lot of information up-front before bringing in a conclusion – Need you to bear with me:

ii.               We are living in a generation that prides itself on it's atheism. Many people claim not to believe in a God. And if they do it is not the God of the Bible. But at the same time as this rise in atheism we see a rise in the involvement in the occult & a belief in the paranormal

      With the emergence of the New Atheist movement in recent years – led by the unholy trinity of Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris – many have become convinced that religious faith is, as Dawkins puts it, "dangerously irrational." So, a comprehensive new study released by Baylor University, entitled "What Americans Really Believe" must have come as quite a shock to their systems. It turns out the empirical data show that atheists are the ones who are susceptible to irrational thought, much more so than traditional believers. According to the study, 31 percent of people who never attend worship services expressed strong belief in such things as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, advanced civilizations like Atlantis, haunted houses and the possibility of communicating with the dead. Only 8 percent of people who attend a house of worship more than once a week shared those beliefs.[1]

      "The reality is that the New Atheist campaign, by discouraging religion, won't create a new group of intelligent, skeptical, enlightened beings," the Journal article cautioned. "Far from it: It might actually encourage new levels of mass superstition." So much for Harris' warning about "the lunatic influence of religious belief." [2]

iii.             As the Baylor University study comments, this is a mass superstition, not just a lunatic fringe, but people who claim to be enlightened by the new atheism becoming more intrigued by the Paranormal

B.               Mainstream

i.                 One of the principle pagan religions is Wicca (witchcraft) – Growing at an alarming rate & with some big name followers such as the musician Sting.

ii.               It’s becoming mainstream. Wicca, a pagan form of worship that celebrates nature and the elements was recognised officially by the US Defense Department as a religion in 1996

      The US Army's Chaplains manual titled "Religious requirements and practices of certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains" has a section on Wicca: - Wiccans worship the sacred as immanent in Nature, often personified as Mother Earth and Father Sky. As polytheists they may use many other names for Deity.

iii.             Popular TV shows aimed at young people that had / have a paranormal / witchcraft element that is portrayed in a positive light.

      Buffy Vampire Slayer

      Sabrina Teenage Witch

      Charmed

      Ghost Whisperer

      Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt) communicates with earthbound spirits, ghosts who cling to the living because they have unfinished business that prevents them from moving beyond the familiar plane of existence that we call life. Inspired in part by the work of famed medium James Van Praagh and of Mary Ann Winkowski, a real-life communicator with spirits, GHOST WHISPERER explores the spiritual side of life and death as Melinda navigates among the dead and the living in her sometimes chilling, sometimes heart-rending and sometimes amusing attempts to act as an intermediary between the ghosts and those they haunt.[3]

      Kelvin Cruickshank has helped thousands of people make contact with their loved ones who have passed away and now he can help you. Kelvin is joining New Idea, and in his weekly column he will give readings from your nearest and dearest who have passed over - as well as the other spirits who have touched your life. If you would like Kelvin to give you a reading, email us at xxxxxx and please include at least one good quality photograph of the person you want to reach, and tell us why they are important to you and include your contact details.[4]

iv.             An interest / fascination in the occult, in what happens to you after you die, Not crackpots, mainstream media and magazines – watched & read by people who in many cases believe that this is so. – One reader to New Idea comments:

      3. jackieluscombe - Mar 04 04:52pm  ~ Kelvin is amazing i watch him every week on sensing murder. I think kelvin should do a follow up show with sensing murder on all the cases that have moved along since him and deb have given their wonderful insight into the many unsolved murders that they investigate.what an amazing idea!!!!!

II.                 Hour of the Witch

A.               Pottermania

i.                 No discussion on the occult would be complete without dealing with the phenomenon which is Harry Potter. - I opened by reading some excerpts form JK Rowling herself where she states that the idea for Harry Potter just jumped intro her head. - Here is a series of books that has turned a welfare recipient into one of the wealthiest people in the world.

      The first book had an initial print run of 50,000, the last book of the series of seven had an initial print run of 12million & broke sales records as the fastest-selling book ever, selling more than 11 million copies in the first twenty-four hours following its release.

      All up over 250million Harry Potter books have been sold in over 200 countries, translated into 60 languages.

ii.               Pottermania  ~ Why so successful? - Lots of fantasy books released, lots of children's books what makes this so special.

           Richard Abanes in his book, Harry Potter and the Bible asks:

      "Is the success behind Rowlings books just a result of good writing and media hype? Or is there an unseen spiritual force of darkness driving this craze."

           Even Jean Fiewel, a representative of Rowlings publisher said;

       "Its mindboggling. It would be easy to attribute Harry Potter's success to some form of magical intervention"

iii.             Obviously don’t have time to go into all of the issues with Harry Potter, but it is more than just fiction, Rowlings brews a dangerous potion that is fantasy mixed with reality real people, places & events. It portrays witchcraft as good & positive, whereas muggles those who aren’t witches & wizards are portrayed as bigoted, close minded, hateful persecutors of witches

iv.             A common argument given for Potter is that at least kids are reading, as if what you read is not as important as the simple act of reading. - Not true, you are deeply influenced by what you read. – That’s why we are encouraged to read the Word of God.

        Psalm 119:104-105 104 Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way. 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. (NKJV)

      E.N Kirk "It has not been the devil's policy to keep the masses of mankind in ignorance; but finding that they will read, he is doing all in his power to poison their books."

B.               Hour of the Witch

i.                 Want you to keep in mind that there were a whole lot of 9-11 year olds (The target market) in 1997 who read the 1st of the Harry Potter books who had turned 19-21 on the release of the last book. At the same time there is a rise in the acceptance of all things occult & interest in things like Wicca.

ii.               Don't think there’s a link? Listen to a comment from the Pagan Federation in England. This was from an article in the "This is London" publication, Andy Norfolk the media spokesman explained:

      "In response to increased inquiries coming from youngsters we established a youth officer….It is quite probably linked to thinks like Harry Potter, Sabrina the Teenage witch and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Every time an article on witchcraft or paganism appears, we have a huge surge in calls, mostly from young girls.”

           JK Rowlings herself confessed to Newsweek:

      I get letters from children addressed to Professor Dumbledore, and it's not a joke, begging to be let into Hogwarts, and some of them are really sad. Because they want it to be true so badly they've convinced themselves its' true"

iii.             Harry Potter, Books & movies, the range of TV shows pushing the paranormal – Absolutely is a door an entrance for interest in the Supernatural, the occult for young people.

           Just imagine Harry Potter fan - Internet Googles Harry Potter, 88,800,000 hits, then types in Witchcraft 8,290,000 hits – Including right near the top:

      Witchcraft - World of witches, wicca and spells. Wicca witches spells and potions, take a tour and learn about the latest trends for the modern witch. Learn about white and black witchcraft and how it can ...

           Further links to:

       Beginner Witchcraft ,Free Love Spells, How to Learn Witchcraft & Harry Potter Spells

           Or another site that offers:

        Amazing Spells & Potions
I tried them all, but these spells
really work! -A Very Happy Customer
www.USPsychic.com/LoveSpells

iv.             Books like Silver Ravenwolf's "Teen Witch, Wicca for a new generation" - Published by Llewellyn Publications. - Interesting that in the Harry Potter books there is a Hospital ward called the Dai Llewllyn ward. ~ Herein lies one of the many problems of the Harry Potter books JK Rowlings shows a very real understanding of real people, places and occultic actiivities that she sprinkles throughout her books.

III.              Only One Opinion

A.               Your Opinion

i.                 So what should our response be to all of this occultic activity this rise of witchcraft, what is the right view of Halloween, Harry Potter etc.

ii.               Let’s look at our text &  ~ God is the fountain of life, It is in His light that we can see light, we can see clearly. Psalm 119:105 which we read earlier makes it clear that it is God’s word that lights our path, shows us clearly the direction to take. – Very important.

iii.             Local Christian radio - promoting Halloween, troubled my wife who called up to complain. - Received a call back from the Manager who said that Christians have a variety of opinions over Halloween and if they catered to everyone’s opinion they couldn't broadcast anything. -Speechless.

iv.             Many Christians have opinions about Harry Potter as well. Some are fully supportive of the books claiming that they teach positive values about love & sacrifice etc.

      Always find it interesting that people will claim that the HP books don't teach kids about witchcraft which is the vast majority of the books yet they will claim that they do in fact impart teaching on some touched on theme portrayed in one sentence.

v.               Opinions:  Christians opinions, I am sorry to break it to you but when it comes to clear cut issues in the word of God I don't care about your opinion and you should care less about mine. There are some things that your opinion is not relevant, the only opinion that matters is God's opinion - His law.

B.               God Has Made it Clear

i.                 So what does God sat about Harry Potter, Halloween, Wicca, Kelvin Cruickshank, Ghost Whisperer. – Turns out plenty & it’s pretty straightforward. – & Deut 18:9-14

           Strong words – Abomination, “you shall not”

        Leviticus 19:31 ‘Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God. (NKJV)

        2 Chronicles 33:6 Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. (NKJV)

ii.               No involvement. More going on than just a book, a TV show, a trick or treat night. – Indeed it is direct disobedience to God and opens up a gateway for witchcraft to have access into your life & into our children’s lives - Need to protect your children from any potential access point for witchcraft.

iii.             Need to be aware that God takes all involvement in witchcraft seriously:  Mediums, Spiritist’s, Astrology - modern day equivalents - palm reading, Tarot Cards, psychics. - Don't even read your stars in the paper.

iv.             We need to pray over our households our children, our own lives against every point of access for the demonic into our own & our children’s lives & be watchful against the deceiving spirit of this age.

IV.             Altar Call

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[1] http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=79515

[2] ibid

[3] http://www.cbs.com/primetime/ghost_whisperer/about/

[4] http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/b/new-idea/10010/medium-kelvin-cruickshank-joins-new-idea