Faith Filled Family Magazine October 2016 | Page 16

Maybe occult is just a wrong
word to associate with some
harmless activities, such as tarot
cards, Ouija boards, tea leaves,
crystal ball readings, and things
of the like. Think about it, is reading your morning horoscope in
the morning paper that significant? How many times have we
heard stories about Wicca and
the burning of the “witches” in
Salem? If you know anything
about Wicca, then you are aware
of their theme is “if it does no
harm, do your will,” and there’s
no belief in the devil. Could it be
some of these practices might be
just old fashioned hocus pocus?
Maybe some people have grown
tired of the “old-wives-tales” and
no longer feel it is relevant, or
maybe social media has brought
a renewed interest in it, so people believe the occult is fascinating and harmless. Perhaps with
the knowledge of medicine having the potential for more harm
than good, and such prescriptions for yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, cupping, acupressure, and
reiki being recognized and recommended in holistic medicine,
more people are moving to use
occult practices as a source of
physical, emotional and spiritual
healing power.
Many Christians have shown if a
person engages in supernatural
experiences there is a risk for
demon possession. Christian
psychologists such as Rex W.
Rosenburg conducted a study
using sexual predators at Larned
State Hospital with a “demonic
identification survey” with factors
he had compiled. After he was
able to use the study exclusively
to predict and determine those
inmates who were sexual predators with his survey as a tool,

he became the lead evaluator in
2001.

The study was a two-part questionnaire consisting of questions
of experiences in 96 categories. The list includes according
to Rosenberg, can be signs of
demonic influence such as the
tendency to commit violent acts,
abnormal desire for sex, hearing
voices, severe depression, and
inability to read the Bible. The
second part lists behaviors and
activities that can make people
vulnerable to demons, such as
fornication, adultery and holistic
health practices such as meditation.

When Rosenberg posted the
survey on the Internet in the late
1990s, he added a preface that
said the work was being censored by “those who scream
tolerance and multiculturalism
and diversity.” The site has since
been taken down due to courtroom antics.
Rosenberg’s information along
with a list of works by Christian
authors and other Christian media contributed to the following
findings:
1) Points of contact of entanglement with demonic entities are
left open to possess the mind or
body;
2) Once you start an occult practice, you are prevented from
moving forward;
3) Your body and mind are left
open for you to keep a corrupted spirit that recruits others, especially the youth to operate in
crime and sacrifice as they seek
power and control.(Rosenberg)

Since Rosenberg’s questions
are no longer available to the
public, we are no longer able to
check to see how close any of us
are to meeting this list of those
facing demonic possession. Am
I using that facetiously? Yes, I
am. I feel Rosenberg may be a
bit biased with his survey, but everyone is entitled to their opinion.
When you have the kind of results and success using his tool,
then questions will be raised.
The Bible tells us in the Book of
Acts 19:18-20 ~
“And many that believed came,
and confessed, and shewed
their deeds. Many of them also
which used curious arts brought
their books together, and burned
them before all men: and they
counted the price of them, and
found it fifty thousand pieces of
silver. So mightily grew the word
of God and prevailed.”
The Bible tells us in the Book of
Deuteronomy 7:25-26 ~
“You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you
shall not covet the silver or gold
that is on them, nor take it for
y