Is it okay to do this?

[cmarie423]

I know we aren't supposed to dive into books on occult practices but is it okay to read them just for knowledge purposes? Just curious. My fiancé is really into learning about different occult practices. Only because he finds it interesting, etc. He's in RCIA right now. Thanks

 

[Tallguy88]

Do you mean stuff like Wicca? I would strongly caution against reading anything that is marketed as a "how to" guide or as an introduction for seekers. I was given a book like this when I was in high school and decided to read it so I could try to convert the girl who gave it to me. It backfired and I became involved in the occult. Just recently I reconnected with the girl who gave me the book and thankfully she became Christian and no longer practices the occult.

Just a word of warning that these things can be dangerous.

 

[Michie]

Do you mean stuff like Wicca? I would strongly caution against reading anything that is marketed as a "how to" guide or as an introduction for seekers. I was given a book like this when I was in high school and decided to read it so I could try to convert the girl who gave it to me. It backfired and I became involved in the occult. Just recently I reconnected with the girl who gave me the book and thankfully she became Christian and no longer practices the occult.

Just a word of warning that these things can be dangerous.

Agreed. Only he knows why he wants to read this stuff. But it can just put out an invite depending on what it is. Given he is in RCIA he should be reading more towards his spiritual education & growth. Not throwing the occult into the mix.

 

[Sword of the Lord]

I want to read the Koran and Satanic "Bible" just to know for curiousity's sake, but I'm not sure if I should...

 

[Michie]

I want to read the Koran and Satanic "Bible" just to know for curiousity's sake, but I'm not sure if I should...

Only the reader knows their heart. Or if they are spiritually strong enough. Some can read it for educational purposes & others can't without some trouble. *shrug*

 

[Todos Tenemos Máscaras]

I feel that once you are 100% secure in your faith, then maybe you can read some about other religions. But do be careful when you do. If you feel your faith shaking, quickly stop your study and read your bible. Oh, and don't forget to pray before you dive into religious studies.

 

[Rhamiel]

I feel that once you are 100% secure in your faith, then maybe you can read some about other religions. But do be careful when you do. If you feel your faith shaking, quickly stop your study and read your bible. Oh, and don't forget to pray before you dive into religious studies.

I think that makes sense

I used to read a lot about occult and new age stuff when I was in my late teens

I was never tempted to leave the faith, but it was an unhealthy interest

as I got older, and as I grew deeper in my faith, I stoped learning so much about the occult
I still like mythology and folklore

 

[Gnarwhal]

I want to read the Koran and Satanic "Bible" just to know for curiousity's sake, but I'm not sure if I should...

I would wager there's pockets of wisdom in the Qu'ran, I've been interested in reading it myself from a purely academic perspective. As far as the Satanic "bible" goes... My gut says that's playing with fire (pun not intended). I think the occultic stuff may be along the same lines, there may be a seductive element there that we may not easily recognize. That's just my .02¢ though.

 

[steve_bakr]

I know we aren't supposed to dive into books on occult practices but is it okay to read them just for knowledge purposes? Just curious. My fiancé is really into learning about different occult practices. Only because he finds it interesting, etc. He's in RCIA right now. Thanks

It takes a person who can be interested in religions without getting too diverted by them. But in principle it's OK. These days, we should know the basics of World Religions.

 

[Second Phoenix]

As far as the Qur'an, I have a translation of it (Muslims only call the original Arabic the "Qur'an").

It is basically Muhammad's musing in various chapters. They were more or less arranged according to length - not the time it was written. Muslim scholars divided the chapters into three periods. Muhammad believed he had these revelations from God through the Angel Gabriel- which were memorized and written down.

It's mostly Old with some New Testament stories rewritten from an Arabic cultural bent. It has some of his created laws and various references to contemporary events. They are all written in a Psalm-like manner.

The Psalms have a poetic beauty to them, which Muhammad tries (but fails) to imitate in retelling stories, formulating laws, and writing about current events. They are then compiled together by length. It's a rather tedious read. Imagine the bible (although it is much larger) written like the Psalms, by one person and totally mixed up.

To be frank, anyone that is writing something believing it is the exact words of God for all people to believe and reverence is better off ignored.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

My advice may be that of a simpleton, but I say KEEP OCCULT JUNK OUT of your home, period. Dangerous stuff. Never underestimate the power of demons or the seductive nature of the occult. Ask any exorcist. Curiosity killed the cat. It kills souls sometimes, too. I say deep-six that junk....

 

[Michie]

We are talking about the occult though. Not world religions in the sense most think about when educating one's self on such things.

The guy in the OP is going through RCIA yet finding occultic practices interesting to read. He should be reading about the Church he is supposed to be studying to enter.

 

[MoNiCa4316]

I know we aren't supposed to dive into books on occult practices but is it okay to read them just for knowledge purposes? Just curious. My fiancé is really into learning about different occult practices. Only because he finds it interesting, etc. He's in RCIA right now. Thanks

I really wouldn't... it can confuse a person, even if they aren't reading in order to practice it. We never know how it can affect us.
If your fiancé is in RCIA, I'd recommend reading Catholic books to prepare him for the Sacraments
If a person is reading about something that God has forbidden, - what's the interest in that? I don't really understand... I think we should avoid such things. It's better to learn about something good and worthwhile

 

[MoNiCa4316]

My advice may be that of a simpleton, but I say KEEP OCCULT JUNK OUT of your home, period. Dangerous stuff. Never underestimate the power of demons or the seductive nature of the occult. Ask any exorcist. Curiosity killed the cat. It kills souls sometimes, too. I say deep-six that junk....

I agree.

There is a seductive power to it. I almost got involved in wicca when I was younger and the only reason I didn't go fully through with it is because I got baptized and the interest went away after that. But I got interested in it before because of a tv show. I wouldn't read/watch anything like that.

If something is against God, demons can use it and even get attached to it. Why even have it in your home? I'd say - tear up or burn the occult books and don't think about them.

If someone thinks this view is extreme... maybe it's extreme to our relativistic culture, but the spiritual reality is real and it's not safe to play around with this stuff or even read about it as if it's interesting. I think we need to get ourselves to the point where sin is no longer interesting.

I don't know what books are being discussed in the OP... but if it's the occult, like about things that God has forbidden to do, or any witchcraft, or new agey stuff, - throw it out. Good literature has good fruits, bad literature has bad fruits.

 

[Chrystal-J]

(In general) I would say it depends on why you're studying it and how strong your faith is.
I've studied it because I was exposed to occult-type practices as a child, but put it out of my mind as an adult until my husband passed away. After that, I found occult-type drawings among my husband's things. Then the house became "haunted" (like something out of the Amityville Horror movie).

I, myself, wanted to avoid EVER having to deal with that type of situation again. So, I studied up on it to see the 'warning signs' of people who might be involved in it. I'll never believe in it or want to practice it, but I wanted to be able to understand it enough to recognize it when I see it.

When I was married to my husband (and living in our first house), I would see these tables he had in the attic with candles on it in a semi-circle. (With ceramic skulls among them.) He had drawings of demons all over the room there. (They looked like angels, but with bat-type wings.) At the time, I thought they were pictures of angels and my husband explained everything away. Back then, I believed him. It wasn't until after his death, that I found his clearly identifiable pictures of Satan. (My hair stood on end the day I found that!) My husband attended a Catholic church and denied any interest in the occult, so there was no way to easily tell what he believed in. I study the occult sometimes so I'll know it when I see it. I felt like I was hoodwinked by my husband and want to avoid that happening again.

As for the poster--if you or your husband are studying it because it sounds cool and you're curious, I'd not study the occult at this time. Your faith may not be strong enough right now to handle some of the things you'll encounter among your studies. When my old (2nd) house was haunted, I was attacked by these bugs that came up out of the floor and covered me like a bee keeper. There was a green glow in the room my husband's drawings were in. When I found the drawings of Satan and threw them out--the green mist and bugs were instantly gone. I prayed the Our Father the entire time I was in that room. Lights were flickering, I'm walking among this mist, there are bugs crawling all over me--if my faith had not be strong at that time, I may have completely freaked out. (And there's still a lingering effect going on with me now because of this.)

I, myself, would focus on your RICA for now. You don't know what can of worms you might open by reading about the occult at this time.

 

[Chrystal-J]

As a side note: Not to freak anyone out, but when my husband sold our old house (the one where he had candles in the attic). He made a really nice profit on it cuz it was a good house in a good neighborhood. But, to this day (and this sale was many years ago), no one has ever lived in that house. I've driven by it over the years--yet it reminds empty. The people who bought it from my husband paid a lot for it, so I can't see them just leaving it empty all these years for no reason. I sometimes wonder if it's so haunted that no-one can live there. I can't say for sure why no-one lives in it, but it is creepy to drive by it and see it sitting there empty.

 

[Virgil the Roman]

If one is going to be Catholic, one has no earthly business looking into the occult and practises that will draw one away from the Catholic religion. It will spiritually disorient and confuse one. I admonish he and you both, Please don't jeopardise that. I really wouldn't want yinz to fall away.

Our parish priest once gave a sermon. He said that our self-assurance and confidence is greater than it really is. We think we are far stronger than we are. St Peter said to our Lord that he would NEVER deny our Lord. Yet, he denied our Blessed Lord Thrice! It's playing with fire. We too are like St Peter. There's a chance afterwards that we might return to God; or a chance we might forsake Him and apostasise as Judas forsook and apostasised from God. If the later happens it might not mean our immediate temporal death, but it might mean a spiritual one (i.e, mortal sin or apostasy).