| Resources
to aid your Understanding |
| |
“Spiritual transformation... is mediated through a person's
religious imagination."[1] Lancaster Theological Seminary
"I love anime. I will always love it.... I will not let anyone
tell me that the things I hold dear are evil."[2]
"Satan is not simply trying to draw people to the dark side of a
good versus evil conflict. Actually, he is trying to eradicate the gap
between himself and God, between good and evil, altogether."[3] Ray Yungen, A Time of Departing
"Woe to those who call
evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for
darkness.... Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in
their own sight!" Isaiah 5:20-21
Don't play games with the occult! Ouija
boards have always invited oppression, but they are far more likely to invoke
unwanted "spirits" today. So is the new generation of occult games and videos.
I became aware of this change back in the nineties
when a Canadian psychologist called me. He had read Under the Spell
of Mother Earth and wanted to share some observations with me. In past
years, he said, many women would come to scenic Alberta to do a Native
American "Spirit
Quest" in search of their personal "animal spirit." Few succeeded. But
times have changed, and the "spirits" that now answer the summons are numerous
as well as oppressive. Treating the scary symptoms as "multiple personality
disorders" is no help at all.
In other words, popular occultism is spreading fast, and the "spirit world"
has become increasingly more accessible. [See the
reasons here] But few families are equipped to resist it. Contemporary
churches offer little or no help. Most simply ignore the danger or endorse the
"fun." To avoid offense, the word evil is dropped from their vocabulary.
The main victims of this blindness are children.
Unless we teach them to recognize and resist these dangers, many will welcome
the darkness. So let's examine the nature and tactics of this very real
spiritual war. Bakugan -- a popular game and online anime
(Japanese animation) -- is a useful example.
"One day," so the Bakugan story goes, "cards began
to fall from the sky and were picked up by kids all over the world. The cards
featured different characters, different environments, and different
powers. ...these cards actually corresponded to an alternate world
called Vestroia."[4]
"...we invented a wicked new game we called
Bakugan," explained the leader of Vestoria's young Battle Brawlers. "That's
when the power of the cards was revealed. Each one held its own
battling beast.... The battles were intense, and if you chose the wrong card,
you lost it and the beast inside."[5]
"...the beast inside!" Those words
brought to mind some troubling email letters I've received from embattled
teens and young adults. Like the Canadian women, they actually felt as
if they had uncontrollable beasts inside. Their descriptions of inner battles
-- the nightmarish consequences of obsession with occult
role-playing games -- were heartbreaking. They couldn't stop playing -- or
block out the frightening images planted in their minds! Nor could they find
faithful Christians in their communities who would guide them toward
freedom!
Too late, they discovered that the seductive journey into
occult bondage is far smoother than the road back out to
freedom. Yet, few see the dangers of the following progression:
1.
Commanding supernatural power through the imagination.
2.
Craving more dark thrills -- while increasingly bored with actual
reality.
3.
Suffering the mental, emotional and spiritual consequences of trusting the
occult.[6]
Post-Christian blindness
The Bible tells us that "the weapons of our warfare
are... mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and
every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God." (2
Corinthians 10:4-5) Our main weapon, of course, is the "Sword of the Spirit,
the Word of God." Our children need to know His Word, then exercise faith in
His timeless guidelines. But those truths are fast fading from the public
square, and deceptions -- more enticing, acceptable and pervasive than ever --
are filling the gap!
The weapons used by Bakugan warriors are totally
contrary to God's ways. Based on the ancient Chinese force called Ch'i,
they flow from the same source as every other occult weapon. Ch'i
(or Ki, Prana, etc.) is merely the Eastern
label for the spiritual
forces once commanded by Canaanite sorcerers, Babylonian magicians,
mediaeval alchemists, and secret societies throughout history.[7]
Their magic is linked to the forcefulness of the human will. It
involves mental concentration and firm commands that enable occultists to
"cast spells" and "do magic" without hesitation or moral consideration.
Magic is easy, according to Wiccan author
Starhawk, founder of the Covenant of the Goddess. All it takes is "four basic
abilities: relaxation, concentration, visualization, and
projection."[8] The last step means projecting energy by moving
one's mental images with the human will and imagination.
That's what Bakugan's anime fans learn to do:
concentrate, visualize, and then project the power through their beast-filled
balls or playing cards. [See picture at the top.] Starhawk
described it well in her book on witchcraft: "To cast a spell is to project
energy though a symbol."[8]
To many Western occultists, that empowering "symbol" for invoking and
transmitting demonic power is The Tarot (based on the Kabbalah) or
other magical cards.
Today's entertainment makes such self-empowering
rituals seem more normal than prayer. Young players are continually
learning, then practicing, a new worldview -- one that either twists or
rejects Biblical Christianity. It's not surprising that this process matches
the Marxist
formula for social change:
New
information that challenges the old beliefs and values
+ practical experience
using the new information
= PRAXIS: a transformational
strategy based on continual reinforcement and experience.[9]
Together, the mystical images [implanted
through the cards and anime] and the ritual actions [repeated
again and again through the actual game] become a doorway to occult thinking.
With the growing popularity of such thrills, many more children will trade
God's truth for capricious powers that appeal to the lusts and ambitions of
our fallen human nature.
No wonder these Scriptures have become a reality
even in churches around the world:
"You
love evil more than good...."
Psalm 52:3
"They
obeyed not... but walked every one in the imagination of their evil
heart..."
Jeremiah 11:8
The signs and symbols of
magic
Notice the tension between opposing powers in this description of Bakugan's
cosmos:
"Vestroia is a vast dimension comprised of
[six]... worlds: Fire, Earth, Light, Darkness, Water
and Wind. At the very centre of this universe there are two opposing
energy cores: THE INFINITY CORE, the source of all positive energy, and THE
SILENT CORE, the source of all negative energy. Throughout history, these
two opposing forces had maintained the balance of
equilibrium..."[4]
Notice how this philosophy clashes with God's Truth: There is no balance or
equilibrium between the eternal Kingdom of our holy God and Satan's temporary
domain!
Yet two symbols illustrate the lie: the quartered circle and
the yin
yang. You may remember the "sacred
circle" of Wiccan and Native American spirituality. Its four
dividing lines point from the center to the "spirits" of the north, east,
south, and west -- and to the four basic elements: fire, earth, water and
wind (or air).
Those "spirits" are similar to Vestoria's spiritual
domains. Their connections to China's blend of Taoism,
Confucianism, Buddhism, and folk religions are described in An Encyclopedia
of Religion:
"The eternal oscillation of yin and yang gives
rise to the material universe through their Five Agents of Water,
Fire, Wood, Metal, and Earth.... The religious
movement flourishing from the first century B.C. to the fourth century A.D.
... involved divination, alchemy, and the belief in
immortals..."[10]
"Taoism is a rich reservoir of superstitions. It
has... incorporated and elaborated divination... fortune
telling, witchcraft, astrology, communication with the
dead, and many others.... [It ] relies on charms and magic
formulas."[10]
Does that remind you of God's warning in
Deuteronomy 18:9-14? It tells us to shun all those practices. Don't
even imagine them!
"You shall not learn to follow the abominations
of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who ...
practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets
omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a
medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the
dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the
Lord..."
"They... walked in the counsels and in the
imagination of their evil heart..."
Jeremiah 7:24
Eastern and Western occultism have mingled for at
least two millennia. But what used to be a trickle has now become a flood.
Even churches are welcoming the mysteries that secret societies and Taoist
alchemists once hid so well.
Westerners raised in a "safe" Christian culture tend to discount the source
of these powers. America, like Europe, has conveniently shut its eyes to
occult realities that faded from sight with the spread of Christianity. Now
those dark realities are returning with a vengeance.[11] [See "How the occult is
changing the Church"]
Deceptive light and inconceivable darkness
The Bakugan universe is divided into six domains --
each represented by a corresponding symbol. These domains break down into
three sets of yin-yang
opposites: Fire and Earth,
Light and Darkness, Water and Wind [or air]. Each has a corresponding symbol:
Red for "Fire" and black for "Darkness." "Light" is linked to a white pentacle inside a
circle. These three examples alone should raise concerns about the
tempting values taught to young fans:
Fire [Pyrus]: The Red Bakugan. "[Dan
is] Obsessed with being the number one Bakugan Brawler in the world... His
guardian Dragonoid (...Drago
- pictured) is a force to be reckoned.... The Pyrus player will use every
avenue open to them to crush you...."
Darkness: The Black Bakugan.
"They thrive on battles hidden in the shadows, for this is where they draw
their strength.... Once a Bakugan is sucked into the Doom Dimension, there
is no coming back.... The bottom line is, Darkus is evil but
fun."
Light [Haos]: The White Bakugan. "With
this power, the Haos Bakugan have mastered the rare and unique ability to
manipulate and control light and energy, leaving their opponents dazed
and defeated."[12]
The six symbols are shown in a complex circular symbol
similar to an image [pictured here] from a kabalistic Tarot
card in a deck designed by the
infamous occultist, Aleister
Crowley. While Crowley's six discs have different meanings, both of these
complex symbols [Bakugan's and Crowley's] place the six discs on the edges of
a six-sided hexagon -- a shape common to kabalistic
art.[13]
Becoming like "god."
Aleister Crowley was called "the most evil man in
the world." This founder of the Hermetic Order of
the Golden Dawn defined magic as “the science and art of causing change
to occur at will.”[14]
Whose will?
Not God's! The following occult statement describes
one of the most devious traps set by the evil one since the beginning of
time:
"...unless you make yourself equal to God,
you cannot understand God: for the like is not intelligible save to the
like.... Believe that nothing is impossible for you.... Mount higher
than the highest height; descend lower than the lowest depth. Draw into
yourself all sensations of everything created, fire and water, dry and
moist, imagining that you are everywhere, on earth, in the sea, in
the sky."[15]
Remember what the serpent said to Eve in the garden after tempting her to
eat the forbidden fruit:
"You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you
eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing
good and evil."
Genesis 3:4-5It was a devious lie! Instead of making her like God, her sin
banished her from His presence. By "knowing... evil" experientially, she
became an unholy creature who could no longer walk in the presence of our holy
God! Satan's
lofty promise was actually deadly trap!
Lofty visions are among Satan's most useful tricks. At one point
in the Bakugan myth, the evil Naga manages to "absorb" into himself an
overwhelming amount of "negative energy." It caused a major "energy"
crisis! As a result, the Battle Brawlers faced an assignment of cosmic
proportions: "to restore peace throughout the universe!"[16]
What an arrogant suggestion! Yet it supports what children
are taught in public schools: it's up to them
to save
the planet, build unity in diversity, and counter the narrow views of
their parents.
In this fantasy world it makes sense for opposing
sides -- good and evil -- to join hands in perfect harmony. Like the dialectic
process that "frees" group members from Biblical authority and values,
this devious message promotes an arrogance that matches the Old Testament
description of Satan:
“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son
of the morning!... For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into
heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.... I will be like the
Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of
the Pit."
Isaiah 14:12-15
If we choose "other gods" and yield to Satan's
temptations, we will surely face consequences. Ponder these
warnings:
"They... walked in the counsels and in the
imagination of their evil heart..."
Jeremiah 7:24
"...in latter times some will depart from the
faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons...."
1 Timothy
4:1
"...each one is tempted when he is drawn away by
his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth
to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."
James
1:14-15
"...as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the
Son of Man."
Luke
17:26 [see End
Times]
And what was it like "in the days of Noah"?
"...the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and
that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually.... The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was
filled with violence."
Genesis 6:5, 11
What can parents
do?
1.
Pray for your children's protection, discernment, love for God, and
rejection of evil. Pray that they heed God's warnings and memorize His
Word.
2.
Discuss this list of questions as a family (www.crossroad.to/charts/checklist.htm)
3.
Memorize Scriptures together -- including this verse: "Father... not as
I will, but as You will.”
Matthew 26:39
4.
"Put on" the armor of
God. For --
"...we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly
places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to withstand in the evil
day..."
Ephesians 6:10-14
"For the weapons of our warfare
are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down
arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of
God..."
2
Corinthians 10:4-5
"The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will
fight for you..."
Deuteronomy 1:30
Find comments on this
article here: Ancient
Secrets and the Occult
See also Toying with
Death |
Popular Occultism |
America's Spiritual Slide
How Pokemon and Magic Cards Affect the Minds and Values
of Children
Blending
Truth and Myth | Yu-Gi-Oh and the spirits
of Halloween
Movie Magic and Unconscious
Learning | The Power of Suggestion
Endnotes:
1. Lancaster
Theological Seminary, USA, UMI Order number: AAM9822985 Dissertation Abstracts
International Section A: Humanities & Social Sciences. 1998 Jul. 59 (1-A):
p.0201.
2. A
letter from a visitor. It represents the message of countless others.
3. Ray
Yungen, A Time of Departing (Silverton, OR: Lighthouse Trails Publishing
Company, 2002), page 101.
4
http://old.bakugan.com/en/universe/story.html
5. http://old.bakugan.com/en/universe/index.html
[On the imbedded video]
6. See
http://www.crossroad.to/Books/TwistofFaith/6-Confess.html#valerie
and http://www.crossroad.to/Books/TwistofFaith/3-Kingdom.html
(first illustration)
7. Holistic Health (notice the chart on Ch'i) at
www.crossroad.to/Q&A/HolisticHealth/contents.htm
8. Starhawk, The Spiral Dance, (Harper & Row Publishers,
1979), p. 62, 124.
9. Marxist formula for
social change at www.crossroad.to/articles2/009/2-family.htm
10. An
Encyclopedia of Religion (New York, NY: The Philosophical Library, 1945),
pp. 149, 154.
11. See these quotes and articles: "How the occult is changing
the Church" at www.crossroad.to/Excerpts/warnings.htm
12. Index
to all six symbols: http://www.bakugandojo.com/
13. The
video shows the cards falling. Watch for the card with the six symbols surrounding
a hexagon shape: http://old.bakugan.com/en/universe/index.html
14. James Wasserman, Art and Symbols of the Occult: Images of Power
and Wisdom ( Rochester, Vermont: Destiny Books, 1993). p. 16. Read about
the Hermetic Order
of the Golden Dawn here:www.crossroad.to/Excerpts/books/lewis/inklings-williams.htm
and www.crossroad.to/articles2/2003/occult-rpg.htm
15. Ibid.,
p. 59. Those occult words are attributed to Hermes Trismegistus (the
Egyptian version of the ancient Greek messenger god, Hermes) who has been
the symbolic idol of occult orders and secret societies through the ages.
16. http://www.bakugantoystore.com/bakuganstory.html
Article
Provided by Berit Kjos
If
you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been
very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately
ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you,
and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to
begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.
If
you have never accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, but have come to realize His
reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to accept His FREE Gift
of Eternal Life, you can also do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once
you accept Him as Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured
of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the
Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually.
If
you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation
Page now.
Finally,
we would love to hear from you.
You
can contact us by mail or email.
God bless you.
Subscribe to our email updates and messages from our editor by entering
your email address below
Return
to:
