PrintTHE OCCULT OCTOPUS
by Mike Robinson
The small boy wandered into his parents caravan during their coastal holiday. "Mummy, can I keep him as a pet?" He open his hand to reveal a small, blue-ringed octopus. What seemed to him to be a colourful and harmless creature was, in fact, a deadly killer.
There are some activities in life that seem harmless enough but they can extract a bitter price in terms of physical, psychological and spiritual damage and destruction. I believe the realm of the occult to be such an activity.
There was a time in our western world not so long ago when talk of séances & spirits, demons & divination, tea cup reading & tarot cards were treated as so much "superstitious nonsense". How things have changed!
To say that such beliefs are held only by the less educated or "simple-minded" is to reveal an abysmal ignorance of the facts. The influence of the occult permeates every strata of society. For some it is little more than a party game. For others it has become a religion that is both fascinating and all-consuming in its demands.
How can this be in a supposedly sophisticated, technological age?
First, the lie of materialism has been exposed and we are coming to realize that there is more to a satisfying life than "things". Reality consists of more than can be detected by our natural, physical senses.
Second, the Christian Church in the Western world has largely lost its unique identity and distinctive message. It has become so shaped by the surrounding culture that people stay away in droves! That is certainly the case in our country of
We Christians desperately need to return to our spiritual roots and heritage. We are called to declare and to demonstrate the message of God's love and power to transform our lives and to give us the deep, soul-satisfying meaning to life.
To me, the increasing influence of the occult in our world and in our city is because of the spiritual void within the human heart that can only be fully and completely met by the God Who created us in His own image.
