Over the past several years there has been an explosion of reality television programs dealing with the true life experiences of ghost hunters, psychics and mediums interacting with supposedly dead people and the paranormal. There has also been a plethora of mainstream programs dealing with fictional enactments of similar encounters. Some of these programs include:Ghost Hunters (including Ghost Hunters International and Ghost Hunters Academy) (SciFi)
Ghost Lab (TDC)
Ghost Whisperer (TDC)
Ghost Adventures (TRAVEL)
Ghost Lab (TDC)
Ghost Whisperer (TDC)
Ghost Adventures (TRAVEL)
Celebrity Ghost Stories (A&E)
Paranormal State (A&E)
Paranormal State (A&E)
Paranormal Cops (A&E)
Psychic Kids (A&E)
Pet Psychic Encounters (ANIMAL)
Supernatural (TNT)
Medium (LIF)
The Haunted (ANIMAL)
Most Terrifying Places in America (TRAVEL)
Psychic Kids (A&E)
Pet Psychic Encounters (ANIMAL)
Supernatural (TNT)
Medium (LIF)
The Haunted (ANIMAL)
Most Terrifying Places in America (TRAVEL)
World's Creepiest Destinations (TRAVEL)
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (FAM)
The question that arises is whether this is another attack by Satan upon our children and our society through the medium of television or whether any good can come of such programming?
First, I must admit that I was intrigued by paranormal research at the age of 10 or 12 and read every book I could get my hands on related to the paranormal and UFOs. This was long before it became trendy to have an interest in such things. This was also a time of searching in my life, and I firmly believe it was my research into these topics that eventually lead me to a strong belief in God. On the other hand, I do consider myself lucky because I don't have an addictive personality and was able to look at this research subjectively without becoming emotionally involved in the darker realms.
At that time, the closest that mainstream media came to dealing with such topics was to air special television events featuring ESP advocate, The Amazing Kreskin, the "spoon bending" Uri Geller, and to relate the latest predictions by atrologer Jeane Dixon.
In fact, on the current television program, Paranormal State, whenever the researchers encounter a supposed demonic entity, they call in a demonology expert named Lorraine Warren. She's a dear sweet, gray haired, little old lady. For those to young to remember; Lorraine Warren and her husband Ed Warren were trail blazers in the field of ghost hunting back in the 1960's and early 70's. At that time Lorraine was a very assertive, statuesque and glamorous blonde. I know because I attended their presentation at Temple University in Philadelphia in 1974. I also remember, while Ed Warren, was giving his presentation, I felt something lock onto my mind like a vice. I realized it was Lorraine trying to "read my mind". I fought back by thinking, "get out of here, don't read my mind". It must have worked because the vice loosened. After Ed finished speaking, Lorraine mentioned that she was picking up thoughts from the guy next to me, that he was very skeptical (she must have moved on to him when she couldn't get through to me).
In any case, over the years there has been a progressive interest in, and acceptance of ghosts, psychics, UFOs, the paranormal and Satan. In fact, in May of 2008 the Vatican's chief astronomer proclaimed that belief in aliens and UFOs does not contradict a faith in God. We had movies such as "The Exorcist" in 1973, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" in 1977 and "Ghost Busters" in 1984. The late 1990's and early 2000's saw people such as John Edward and James Van Praagh supposedly communicating with dead people on TV. And, now, we have this onslaught of ghost and paranormal oriented TV programming. Yes, it's true that most of this programming is taking place because it is cheaper to produce reality programs than to pay script writers, directors, etc. to produce a mainstream program. However, the question remains: What effect is programming such as this having on our society, and how should Christians react?
From my standpoint, I believe exposure to the paranormal, and specifically to evidence of Satan, lead me to a stronger belief in God. To this day, when I see, or hear of exorcisms or encounters with demons, I am so impressed by how easily Satan can be defeated by merely invoking the name of Jesus or the Archangel Michael and having faith in God.
I also see, what appears to be, "good things" accomplished by these ghost hunters and psychics. Paranormal State appears to have saved the lives of many people by recognizing that they are possessed by Satanic forces, and assisting them in the exorcism of these forces. Psychics have long been used by police departments to solve crimes that would otherwise go "cold" and be forgotten in a file cabinet in a storage room somewhere. Many ghost hunters seem to be bringing peace of mind to the haunted. Could these "good things" just be a trick of Satan?
The church views all dealings with the paranormal, and attempts to communicate with the dead, as Satanic and states that they should be avoided at all costs. Is this just another attempt by the church to "corner the market" on speaking to God? If all supernatural communications are Satanic and to be avoided at all costs, should God's numerous communications with the prophets in the bible be shuned as Satanic communications? If God should communicate with someone today, how will we know it is actually He and not a trick of Satan? Certainly we need people who have been trained to "know thy enemy" and be adept at deciphering the difference between Godly and Satanic communications.
Nevertheless, the Bible states:
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 ....And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord..... (CEV)
I believe it is necessary to be vigilante and to study your enemy Satan. However, this is not some innocent game, as TV shows such as Ghost Hunters imply. Make no mistake, Satan is real and he is very active in the realms of the supernatural, paranormal, and pychic. He is on the prowl for the naive and those who are too accepting. Some of the truly professional paranormal researchers, such as those on Paranormal State, and professional excorcists make it clear that dabbling in the areas of ghost hunting, paranormal and psychics can lead to true Satanic possession, even if you know what you're doing.
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (FAM)
The question that arises is whether this is another attack by Satan upon our children and our society through the medium of television or whether any good can come of such programming?
First, I must admit that I was intrigued by paranormal research at the age of 10 or 12 and read every book I could get my hands on related to the paranormal and UFOs. This was long before it became trendy to have an interest in such things. This was also a time of searching in my life, and I firmly believe it was my research into these topics that eventually lead me to a strong belief in God. On the other hand, I do consider myself lucky because I don't have an addictive personality and was able to look at this research subjectively without becoming emotionally involved in the darker realms.
At that time, the closest that mainstream media came to dealing with such topics was to air special television events featuring ESP advocate, The Amazing Kreskin, the "spoon bending" Uri Geller, and to relate the latest predictions by atrologer Jeane Dixon.
In fact, on the current television program, Paranormal State, whenever the researchers encounter a supposed demonic entity, they call in a demonology expert named Lorraine Warren. She's a dear sweet, gray haired, little old lady. For those to young to remember; Lorraine Warren and her husband Ed Warren were trail blazers in the field of ghost hunting back in the 1960's and early 70's. At that time Lorraine was a very assertive, statuesque and glamorous blonde. I know because I attended their presentation at Temple University in Philadelphia in 1974. I also remember, while Ed Warren, was giving his presentation, I felt something lock onto my mind like a vice. I realized it was Lorraine trying to "read my mind". I fought back by thinking, "get out of here, don't read my mind". It must have worked because the vice loosened. After Ed finished speaking, Lorraine mentioned that she was picking up thoughts from the guy next to me, that he was very skeptical (she must have moved on to him when she couldn't get through to me).
In any case, over the years there has been a progressive interest in, and acceptance of ghosts, psychics, UFOs, the paranormal and Satan. In fact, in May of 2008 the Vatican's chief astronomer proclaimed that belief in aliens and UFOs does not contradict a faith in God. We had movies such as "The Exorcist" in 1973, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" in 1977 and "Ghost Busters" in 1984. The late 1990's and early 2000's saw people such as John Edward and James Van Praagh supposedly communicating with dead people on TV. And, now, we have this onslaught of ghost and paranormal oriented TV programming. Yes, it's true that most of this programming is taking place because it is cheaper to produce reality programs than to pay script writers, directors, etc. to produce a mainstream program. However, the question remains: What effect is programming such as this having on our society, and how should Christians react?
From my standpoint, I believe exposure to the paranormal, and specifically to evidence of Satan, lead me to a stronger belief in God. To this day, when I see, or hear of exorcisms or encounters with demons, I am so impressed by how easily Satan can be defeated by merely invoking the name of Jesus or the Archangel Michael and having faith in God.
I also see, what appears to be, "good things" accomplished by these ghost hunters and psychics. Paranormal State appears to have saved the lives of many people by recognizing that they are possessed by Satanic forces, and assisting them in the exorcism of these forces. Psychics have long been used by police departments to solve crimes that would otherwise go "cold" and be forgotten in a file cabinet in a storage room somewhere. Many ghost hunters seem to be bringing peace of mind to the haunted. Could these "good things" just be a trick of Satan?
The church views all dealings with the paranormal, and attempts to communicate with the dead, as Satanic and states that they should be avoided at all costs. Is this just another attempt by the church to "corner the market" on speaking to God? If all supernatural communications are Satanic and to be avoided at all costs, should God's numerous communications with the prophets in the bible be shuned as Satanic communications? If God should communicate with someone today, how will we know it is actually He and not a trick of Satan? Certainly we need people who have been trained to "know thy enemy" and be adept at deciphering the difference between Godly and Satanic communications.
Nevertheless, the Bible states:
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 ....And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord..... (CEV)
I believe it is necessary to be vigilante and to study your enemy Satan. However, this is not some innocent game, as TV shows such as Ghost Hunters imply. Make no mistake, Satan is real and he is very active in the realms of the supernatural, paranormal, and pychic. He is on the prowl for the naive and those who are too accepting. Some of the truly professional paranormal researchers, such as those on Paranormal State, and professional excorcists make it clear that dabbling in the areas of ghost hunting, paranormal and psychics can lead to true Satanic possession, even if you know what you're doing.
Unfortunately, none of these shows carry a warning stating that the program participants are professionals and that none of the activities should be attempted without professional guidance. I foresee an avalanche of young followers of these TV programs engaging in amateur investigations of the paranormal, and I believe they will immediately become possessed by Satan or other demonic forces due to their naiveté. On a much larger scale, this is like children playing with a oujee board, having no idea that it is associated with demons, and that they are unwittingly opening a door to Satanic forces. The media has no idea what they are dealing with (their only concern is to make money) and the actual participants are either too unprofessional to offer warnings to the producers, or are also after nothing more than money. Both may be unwitting accomplices of Satan.
After years of research and attending seminars on the supernatural and paranormal, I have arrived at the conclusion that the majority of participants in these activities are actively seeking the truth about life and love the rush of trying to solve a mystery and pursuing knowledge beyond that of the average person. They want to believe in a higher power and want to find the true meaning of life and solve mysteries that have dumbfounded men for ages. I say to these people: If you truly want to witness the supernatural and miracles and to believe in a higher power and discover the meaning of life, look no further than the Holy Bible. There are no greater mysteries than those revealed in the Bible. The events related in the Bible are far more believable and far surpass anything I have ever seen in my years of paranormal and UFO research. Attempting to understand/solve the mysteries of the Bible is a truly magnificent endeavor whereas pursuing Satanic and demonic forces could have very real and harmful consequences.
For anyone who is attracted to this new wave of ghost, paranormal and psychic reality shows, I recommend that they educate themselves of the very real dangers by visiting the following web site:
http://thedotpproject.com/index.html
After years of research and attending seminars on the supernatural and paranormal, I have arrived at the conclusion that the majority of participants in these activities are actively seeking the truth about life and love the rush of trying to solve a mystery and pursuing knowledge beyond that of the average person. They want to believe in a higher power and want to find the true meaning of life and solve mysteries that have dumbfounded men for ages. I say to these people: If you truly want to witness the supernatural and miracles and to believe in a higher power and discover the meaning of life, look no further than the Holy Bible. There are no greater mysteries than those revealed in the Bible. The events related in the Bible are far more believable and far surpass anything I have ever seen in my years of paranormal and UFO research. Attempting to understand/solve the mysteries of the Bible is a truly magnificent endeavor whereas pursuing Satanic and demonic forces could have very real and harmful consequences.
For anyone who is attracted to this new wave of ghost, paranormal and psychic reality shows, I recommend that they educate themselves of the very real dangers by visiting the following web site:
http://thedotpproject.com/index.html
0 comments:
Post a Comment