I’m 100% in agreement with Christians who say we should avoid those kinds of magicians. It stands to reason then that any magician who associates himself or herself with (or endorses, in any way) these things (spirit guides, mediums, occult practices, etc) should be avoided. That’s what the Mosaic Law forbids (Deuteronomy 18:10-13) and what Peter condemned when he confronted Simon the sorcerer in Samaria (Acts 8:14-25). The Bible is clear that those of us who follow God should stay away from spirit guides, mediums, sorcery, the occult, demons, etc. Spirit guides are a fairly common element in New Age practice. ![]() As but one example, an America’s Got Talent contestant from a few seasons back spoke openly about his spirit guide named Desmond. This guy really is a Satanist and calls himself a practitioner of “black magic.” Other magicians, while not outright Satanists, are very much into tarot card readings, spirit guides, and all kinds of other deeply troublesome practices and beliefs. When I saw the video on YouTube, I thought it was a joke. One of today’s magicians (who I won’t name) openly boasts of engaging in satanic rituals and communicating with demons. Some, over the years, have dabbled with or immersed themselves in the occult or in Satanism outright. This was certainly the case with Pharaoh’s magicians as recorded in the book of Exodus. Let’s acknowledge that over the course of human history, many practitioners of "magic" have indeed consorted with dark forces - or tried to. But if you believe in God and have a healthy respect for the Bible, I hope this will be of some help to you. ![]() Of course, if you're reading this blog and you don’t believe in God, you’re going to find this discussion foolish. We are to think, to study, to investigate. We aren’t supposed to just turn off our brains, “drink the Kool-Aid” (so to speak), and then parrot whatever we hear in church or from other Christians. But the Apostle Paul says that we are to “test all things” and “hold fast” to what is “good” (I Thessalonians 5:21). And what kind of a pastor would I be if said that?). I’m also not totally discounting personal experience, nor am I saying we shouldn’t listen to our pastors. I believe in God, Jesus, the angels, Satan, demons, heaven, hell, the Bible, and all that. I’m not dismissing Satan and demons as fiction. Yet I’ve found that too many Christians rely on emotion, personal experience, preferences, or “my pastor said…” when it comes to formulating their beliefs.ĭon’t get me wrong. This is unfortunate because Christians should be among the most sober-minded, thoughtful, and intellectually robust people on the planet. It’s sad that I have to write an article addressing this, but I do.Ĭhristians sometimes believe crazy things. Yes, many Christians believe that when a magician performs at a children’s birthday party, he or she is channeling demonic spirits. It should (sadly) come as no surprise that, just as many Christians brand all fantasy literature and entertainment as demonic, they do the same with performers who entertain with magic tricks. Digging a little further, I found numerous websites, blog posts, and a bunch of YouTube videos – many with a staggering number of views – arguing quite strongly that magicians (including Christian magicians like Flom) were either intentionally or inadvertently consorting with demons to pull off their feats of trickery and illusion. ![]() At first, I thought this must be the case of a few off-the-wall critics. (The video is titled “I am not a demon!” You can watch it here). The other day I watched a video where Justin Flom, a well-known magician and believer in Jesus Christ, was responding to critics alleging that he was using demonic power to perform his magic tricks and illusions.
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