Why are so many American Christians consulting psychics and the dead?

sea5763 · Oct 7, 2018

I just learned the other day that according to Pew Research Center, so many American Christians have consulted psychics (14%), been in touch with the dead (29%), and believe in astrology (23%), reincarnation(22%), yoga as a spiritual practice (21%). Is it because they don't know that they shouldn't, or they just don't care, or are they so desperate for answers that they turn to it?

Leviticus 19:31
“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.

(necromancers are those that talk to the dead)

Jeremiah 10:2
Thus says the LORD: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them,

(signs in the heavens refers to astrology)

also it says that idols can't do evil or good
Jeremiah 10:3-5
for the customs of the peoples are vanity.a
A tree from the forest is cut down
and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.
4They decorate it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so that it cannot move.
5Their idolsb are like scarecrows in a cucumber field,
and they cannot speak;
they have to be carried,
for they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
for they cannot do evil,
neither is it in them to do good.”

Leviticus 20:27
“A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.”

(I'm not advocating that in modern times Christians do this, because this was a part of the Old Covenant and meant for ancient Israel, but it points out how God feels about psychics and talking to the dead.)

Leviticus 20:6
“If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.

Deuteronomy 18:9-13
Occult Practices

9When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,11or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. 13You must be blameless before the Lord your God.

even Paul removed the spirit in the fortune teller that enabled her to tell the future
Acts 16:16-18
16As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

Isaiah 8:20
19And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? 20To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.

I admit when I was younger my mother told me to try telepathy, astral projection, and to try talking to her dead father, and I tried. I now know that those types of things are an abomination to God and don't try them anymore and have since repented. I'm just wondering why so many people are turning to these things? Is it because they don't know? Are they so desperate for answers that they turn from God? I thought I was an exception, not part of a much larger group of Christians doing the same.

TuxAme · Oct 7, 2018

How many American Christians actually read their Bible? For most, I'm afraid, they only have a family Bible that sits on top of other books to collect dust. For most, I'd say it's ignorance. But then, once they're told that what they're doing is wrong, how many will care?

Natsumi Lam · Oct 7, 2018

They want the supposed quick and often cookie cutter answer like the microwave culture we are.

They dont want to wait on the Holy Spirit.

They have forgotton their first love.

Light of the East · Oct 7, 2018

Lack of trust in God. People don't like to blindly trust in others. They want assurances, signed contracts, etc. Life is full of troubles and people want quick answers, just like Saul when he went to the demon-inspired Witch of Endor seeking to know. Saul needed to trust God. So do we.

Handmaid for Jesus · Oct 7, 2018

It may be because people thirst for supernatural manifestations (signs). There are Christians that deny that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are operational in Today's Church and they condemn anyone who is Christian who, in the power of the Spirit of God, manifest the supernatural.

eleos1954 · Oct 7, 2018

sea5763 said:
I just learned the other day that according to Pew Research Center, so many American Christians have consulted psychics (14%), been in touch with the dead (29%), and believe in astrology (23%), reincarnation(22%), yoga as a spiritual practice (21%). Is it because they don't know that they shouldn't, or they just don't care, or are they so desperate for answers that they turn to it?

Leviticus 19:31
“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.

(necromancers are those that talk to the dead)

Jeremiah 10:2
Thus says the LORD: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them,

(signs in the heavens refers to astrology)

also it says that idols can't do evil or good
Jeremiah 10:3-5
for the customs of the peoples are vanity.a
A tree from the forest is cut down
and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.
4They decorate it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so that it cannot move.
5Their idolsb are like scarecrows in a cucumber field,
and they cannot speak;
they have to be carried,
for they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
for they cannot do evil,
neither is it in them to do good.”

Leviticus 20:27
“A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.”

(I'm not advocating that in modern times Christians do this, because this was a part of the Old Covenant and meant for ancient Israel, but it points out how God feels about psychics and talking to the dead.)

Leviticus 20:6
“If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.

Deuteronomy 18:9-13
Occult Practices

9When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,11or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. 13You must be blameless before the Lord your God.

even Paul removed the spirit in the fortune teller that enabled her to tell the future
Acts 16:16-18
16As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

Isaiah 8:20
19And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? 20To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.

I admit when I was younger my mother told me to try telepathy, astral projection, and to try talking to her dead father, and I tried. I now know that those types of things are an abomination to God and don't try them anymore and have since repented. I'm just wondering why so many people are turning to these things? Is it because they don't know? Are they so desperate for answers that they turn from God? I thought I was an exception, not part of a much larger group of Christians doing the same.

They are being deceived by satan; The bible is clear.

Ecclesiastes 9

5 For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.

Strathos · Oct 7, 2018

I played with a Ouija board once when I was a kid. Nothing happened, didn't talk to any ghosts or demons. Never did it again either.

ItIsFinished! · Oct 7, 2018

How about many might not be new creatures in Christ to begin with.
Seems like a total lack of faith in God.
Why?

Emli · Oct 7, 2018

I think it is because most American churches and preachers do either one or two of these two things:
1. They teach a false Christianity that puts focus on obeying the commandments, but puts no focus on walking in the Spirit or being alive in Christ.
2. They teach a false Christianity that has false spirituality, and no real obedience to God.

Both lead to people seeking other sources of spirituality. Because they are disconnected from God, may not have the Holy Spirit at all or they have a counterfeit "holy spirit" that feeds them with new age type experiences and doesn't convict of sin. Either way, they are still living according to the ways of the world, and have not been taught to discern between good and evil. They are misled by false light, because it pleases the flesh. They all need to receive the Holy Spirit and Truth, and they need to let God crucify their flesh by the Spirit, so that they can be set free in Him. Without that, people will keep walking blindly, seeking what they think they need instead of what they really need, which is God.

FireDragon76 · Oct 8, 2018

That's relatively low, and it's always been like that, more or less.

Yoga is often a healthy practice. Learning to get in touch with your body and to be more mindful is a good thing. I used to go to yoga classes. If anything spiritual was discussed, it was the simple idea of having gratitude and compassion. There's nothing anti-Christian about that.

Many people have experiences of the presence of loved ones after they have died- as many a half in some surveys. I don't see how this problematic in itself, and for many people it is a source of comfort and helps them through their grieving process. It doesn't necessarily indicate undue interest in the occult.

Kaon · Oct 8, 2018

Emli · Oct 8, 2018

Kaon said:
Witchcraft and sorcery is woven into "civilization" and society so that "citizens" can poke fun at arcane ritualistic practices of antiquity while at the same time doing the same rituals themselves. It is a delusion - part of the strong delusion.

Telepathy, telekinesis, the use of the astral plane, necromancy and divination are all forbidden because God said so. However, given the generations one can say those things should rightfully be forbidden to spiritual newborns like us - and we shouldn't have to need an answer anyway. At the very base level, no human would be able to sustain such "abilities" which is why it is usually associated with demonic spirit. However, the Most High God has His people do exploits of their own. Prophecy is a psychic "ability", but it is a different story when "Dad" is teaching his kid how to use a weapon rather than handing it to the child, and letting them figure it out. The latter is what will happen if humans chase after those spirits that teach those forbidden abilities.

Because the entities that teach these things have been identified in history through various "myths, legends" and religions, each generation they must get more innovative in how they get the masses (and especially believers of the Most High God) to worship them. Mammon still exists and is being worshiped. Baal still exists, and is being worshiped. Semiramis still exists, and is being worshiped. All of the entities called gods, beasts and creatures of myth are still existent, and are getting us to do the same things we have always done - harlot after other spirits without realizing it.

This has to happen, because nothing is new under the sun. We look at history and say, "How could those people sacrifice children and humans so freely?" Yet, we are doing the same things every day.

I would not ever choose to call prophecy an exploit or a psychic ability, because those words could easily be used, and are often used, to deceive people, and because it is a gift given to man through the Holy Spirit, all by His power (2 Peter 1:21), but the rest of this was spot on! That is why God has given us commands such as in Romans 12:2:

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Kaon · Oct 8, 2018

Emli · Oct 8, 2018

Kaon said:
You are 100% correct, but it is time people begin to understand what is going on. There is too much incredulity about nature, and about the things the Word of God Himself told us exists (e.g. demons and witchcraft). You know (because I have seen your posts) what I mean by psychic ability - its full/raw meaning. Anytime someone can see the future it will involve psionics, or lenses. Sounds "New-Agey," and it is. But, it is also science, and investment. Psionics is a biotechnological branch of private industry; the stuff is real.

It is why people fall so easily into these traps - because they don't understand what it is, or even fear knowing their enemy.

But, your point is valid: while milk is still being served, I will just say "prophecy is prophecy." However, it is getting too late in the spiritual game to baby our enemies, and treat them as cooties. We need to reconnoiter our enemies; we don't have to seek them out to engage them, but we cannot be scared or ignorant of them.

I do know what you are talking about. God has spoken to me about it in the past.

But I do not believe that psionics are in any way involved in prophecy from God or from demons. God's prophecy is Him telling us what He is going to do in the future. Something that He will work out according to His will, and no one else can know it except for Him. We are not actually seeing the future when we are given prophecy. Also, I believe that divination spirits are not actually seeing the future either. They usually speak a prophecy, and if the person it was directed to agrees to it, a curse is put on the person and a demon is given the rights to make that prophecy happen in that persons life (if God will allow it). I have heard of some terrible false prophecies that has been created that way, some that has even led to death.

However, there are other types of sorcery where what you are talking about will be used a lot more in the future.

Phil 1:21 · Oct 8, 2018

TuxAme said:
How many American Christians actually read their Bible? For most, I'm afraid, they only have a family Bible that sits on top of other books to collect dust. For most, I'd say it's ignorance. But then, once they're told that what they're doing is wrong, how many will care?

Right on the money. I often wonder what percentage of bibles sold every year are actually read...in their entirety. Probably very few. I also often wonder what percentage of people who identify as "Christians" have ever actually read the entire bible.

Another possible answer is that a lot of people call themselves Christians because maybe they were baptized as a child or were taken to church once or twice. For some people, being a Christian is like Americans (whose ancestors came over here from Europe many generations ago) calling themselves Italian, German, or Irish.

1watchman · Oct 8, 2018

TuxAme said:
How many American Christians actually read their Bible? For most, I'm afraid, they only have a family Bible that sits on top of other books to collect dust. For most, I'd say it's ignorance. But then, once they're told that what they're doing is wrong, how many will care?

True! Then they are not really Christians, but just religious people who kind of believe there is a god. To be Christians it means "...of Christ or Christ's one" as the dictionary states. To be "Christ's one" it speaks of belonging to "Jesus, the Christ of God". That speaks of possession of Him by true faith and devotion.

dqhall · Oct 8, 2018

sea5763 said:
I just learned the other day that according to Pew Research Center, so many American Christians have consulted psychics (14%), been in touch with the dead (29%), and believe in astrology (23%), reincarnation(22%), yoga as a spiritual practice (21%). Is it because they don't know that they shouldn't, or they just don't care, or are they so desperate for answers that they turn to it?

Leviticus 19:31
“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.

(necromancers are those that talk to the dead)

Jeremiah 10:2
Thus says the LORD: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them,

(signs in the heavens refers to astrology)

also it says that idols can't do evil or good
Jeremiah 10:3-5
for the customs of the peoples are vanity.a
A tree from the forest is cut down
and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.
4They decorate it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so that it cannot move.
5Their idolsb are like scarecrows in a cucumber field,
and they cannot speak;
they have to be carried,
for they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
for they cannot do evil,
neither is it in them to do good.”

Leviticus 20:27
“A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.”

(I'm not advocating that in modern times Christians do this, because this was a part of the Old Covenant and meant for ancient Israel, but it points out how God feels about psychics and talking to the dead.)

Leviticus 20:6
“If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.

Deuteronomy 18:9-13
Occult Practices

9When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,11or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. 13You must be blameless before the Lord your God.

even Paul removed the spirit in the fortune teller that enabled her to tell the future
Acts 16:16-18
16As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

Isaiah 8:20
19And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? 20To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.

I admit when I was younger my mother told me to try telepathy, astral projection, and to try talking to her dead father, and I tried. I now know that those types of things are an abomination to God and don't try them anymore and have since repented. I'm just wondering why so many people are turning to these things? Is it because they don't know? Are they so desperate for answers that they turn from God? I thought I was an exception, not part of a much larger group of Christians doing the same.

A dentist tried to sell me an herbal remedy she said was conjured up by Edgar Cayce in a trance. It sounded like the occult. I asked questions and found one of the ingredients in her herbal solution is peppermint oil. I told her peppermint oil would neither heal or harm me. I stopped going to her. I went to another dentist about the remaining cavities she had identified. He was not able to find them. Thousands of dollars down the drain.

The Roman Catholics prayed for dead relatives they thought were stuck in purgatory. They prayed to deceased saints. This is part of the problem. People asked me to pray for them. I can not give orders to God. I might remember this person or that person was nice to me and is sick in need of God's mercy, but I can not make God do one thing or another.

Rescued One · Oct 8, 2018

Christians study their Bibles and pray. Non-Christians don't.

fat wee robin · Oct 8, 2018

sea5763 said:
I just learned the other day that according to Pew Research Center, so many American Christians have consulted psychics (14%), been in touch with the dead (29%), and believe in astrology (23%), reincarnation(22%), yoga as a spiritual practice (21%). Is it because they don't know that they shouldn't, or they just don't care, or are they so desperate for answers that they turn to it?

Leviticus 19:31
“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.

(necromancers are those that talk to the dead)

Jeremiah 10:2
Thus says the LORD: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them,

(signs in the heavens refers to astrology)

also it says that idols can't do evil or good
Jeremiah 10:3-5
for the customs of the peoples are vanity.a
A tree from the forest is cut down
and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.
4They decorate it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so that it cannot move.
5Their idolsb are like scarecrows in a cucumber field,
and they cannot speak;
they have to be carried,
for they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
for they cannot do evil,
neither is it in them to do good.”

Leviticus 20:27
“A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.”

(I'm not advocating that in modern times Christians do this, because this was a part of the Old Covenant and meant for ancient Israel, but it points out how God feels about psychics and talking to the dead.)

Leviticus 20:6
“If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.

Deuteronomy 18:9-13
Occult Practices

9When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,11or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. 13You must be blameless before the Lord your God.

even Paul removed the spirit in the fortune teller that enabled her to tell the future
Acts 16:16-18
16As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

Isaiah 8:20
19And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? 20To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.

I admit when I was younger my mother told me to try telepathy, astral projection, and to try talking to her dead father, and I tried. I now know that those types of things are an abomination to God and don't try them anymore and have since repented. I'm just wondering why so many people are turning to these things? Is it because they don't know? Are they so desperate for answers that they turn from God? I thought I was an exception, not part of a much larger group of Christians doing the same.

Why did you think that you were the 'exception '? Why would you be ,what would give you cause to think like that ? And while some of what you did was wrong, some of it is not, and is normal .I am surprised you are on the internet as your are projecting ,'talking to people you cannot see .Perhaps they are satanic or imaginary, after all 'it is an abomination to God '.

This kind of thinking or lack of it ,that is putting everything into the same basket of fear and superstition is what uneducated people ,pagans if you like to call them, have always done .Jesus came to free us from endless and pointless fear and ignorance .

Why don't you study more widely and if you love and trust in Jesus He will guide you to what is true and what is not .After all the Cosmos was created by God for us to study among other things .If this kind of global fear making of christians instead of detailed argument which requires much study . Some will continue to grow and learn from the Holy Spirit in spite of those who accuse them of turning away from God when in fact at least a large number of them are getting to know God at a higher level and more intimately .
Learn to distingish between what is good and what is bad .For that you need to
is read and read and pray and pray . In order to be a true christian you have to seek and test and stop condemning until you can distinguish .

For example , between studying the Cosmos and it's effects on us, and devining the future which is not possible .

lismore · Oct 8, 2018

sea5763 said:
Are they so desperate for answers that they turn from God? I thought I was an exception, not part of a much larger group of Christians doing the same.

Hello Sea. I would say it depends on your definition of 'Christian'. God Bless

Why are so many American Christians consulting psychics and the dead?

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You can't steal my joy

God is Love

No one important

Jesus Christ is our only hope.

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