Expert: Rev. Robert Woods - 11/15/2008

Question
My friend and I are working on a project concerning Ouija Boards and the paranormal and we are extremely interested in your views on the subject. If you would please answer our questions we would be very greatful.

1. What is the Church's opinion on Ouija boards?  I've heard several
conflicting things concerning that.

2. Do they work?  Or are they just toys?  Or are they things that should
never be touched?

3. Do spirits/ghosts exist?

Thank you for your help and time.

Sincerely,

LaraAnn Kilarski


Answer
Blessings and thank you for your question.

There is today a growing interest in occult beliefs and practices, such as fortune-telling, witchcraft, and astrology. But John reveals the true nature of the occult when he writes that the sorcery of Babylon has deceived all the nations (Rev. 18:23). Occult practices were common among the pagan nations of the ancient world. But attempts to contact or control evil spirits were expressly forbidden to the Hebrews, and the prohibition extends to believers today. Among the practices that Deuteronomy 18:10–12 calls “an abomination to the LORD” are: child sacrifice (making one’s son or
daughter  “pass through the fire”); witchcraft; soothsaying, a form of divination which may have been similar to tea leaf reading (or reading of animal parts), palm reading or astrology; interpreting omens; sorcery; conjuring spells; consulting mediums; spiritism; and calling up the dead.
In the New Testament, the gospel exposed two sorcerers, Simon (Acts 8:9–25) and Elymas (13:6–8). They may have been something like the “itinerant Jewish exorcists,” also mentioned in the Book of Acts (19:13), who attempted to drive evil spirits out of people in the name of Jesus.
The Lord condemns all forms of divining, fortune-telling, and sorcery. Practices such as rain dances, consulting the stars, seances, casting charms and spells, and the use of items such as divining rods, tarot cards, Ouija boards, and crystals are far from innocent. These arts and objects engage demons that are in opposition to the one true God. Their leader is a liar (John 8:44), and his strategy is to deceive people (2 Cor. 11:3–4).
It is often said that “curiosity killed the cat.” One curiosity not worth risking one’s life over is the mystery of magic and the spirit world. God’s Law spoke very clearly about the attraction of divination, witchcraft, mediums, oracles, and soothsayers: it called them “abominations” (Deut. 18:9–12).
Magic was practiced by every one of the cultures surrounding Israel. Scripture specifically names the Egyptians (Ex. 7:11), the Assyrians (Nah. 3:4), the Babylonians (Dan. 2:2), and the Canaanites (Deut. 18:14) as resorting to magical arts, and usually condemns the practice when it mentions it.
Yet there is no denying the strong seduction of magic and the occult. A longing for power or significance can create tremendous interest in the real or apparent use of supernatural forces working on one’s behalf.
Perhaps that’s why Israel often succumbed to the seduction of magic later in its history. Despite the strong warnings of Deuteronomy and other passages, the nation and its leaders turned to sorcerers and other spiritists during several times of crisis (2 Kin. 17:17; 2 Chr. 33:6; Mic. 5:12).
God does not resort to magic and other occult arts to make His will known or to exercise His power. His people have no need to resort to any sort of magic, witchcraft, astrology, horoscopes, Ouija boards, tarot cards, mediums, seances, divining rods, fortune-tellers, “spiritual advisors,” crystals, potions, drugs, or any element of the occult.
If we want to engage in true spirituality, we can find it clearly presented through the Scriptures and, ultimately, in the person of Jesus Christ, who is God among us. “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). We should be aware of spiritual evil but not be seduced by it, lest we be like moths drawn to a flame that kills.

1.  Ouija boards:  while on the surface it appears to a harmless game, we believe it is inherently evil.  The game has players ask questions but we believe the answers are either manipulated by the players or led by the demonic spirits.

2.  I believe that the enemy can and does sometimes answer through these type of evils.  We believe that Christians should stay completely away from these things.

3.  Ghosts:  we believe upon death, a person's spirit and soul go to either heaven or hell.  We do not believe that ghosts now inhabit the earth.  There are several times in Scriptures when God allowed the spirits of the dead to walk the earth, but that is no longer the case.  We believe that Angels and Demons do inhabit the earth.  The Angelic works for God and ministers to His saints on earth.  The Demonic works for evil, often disguising themselves as "angels of light" or ghosts.  The demonic's main task is to lead mankind away from God through evil, doubt, unbelief or apathy.