Why do people want to be satanic?  What exactly does it mean to be satanic?  About what percentage/number of people are satanic?

Sincerely,
Weirded Out

Dear Weirded Out,

It is an infinitesimally small percentage of Americans that specifically refer to themselves as “Satan worshippers”… less than one percent.  Satanic cults have existed in small pockets around the globe for years and have varying practices and beliefs that differ widely.  Satanic practitioners hold one common belief – an admiration for rebellious and anti-establishment religious figures.  Obviously, this religion is totally wrong and destructive to those who practice it.  Satan is not a hero; he is the great villain and adversary of mankind – the word ‘satan’ actually means ‘adversary’.  The Bible describes him as a “roaring lion seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet 5:8).

Is the end of the world near?  Is illuminati part of the antichrist?  And who do you think the antichrist will be?

Sincerely,
Seeing Codes

Dear Seeing Codes,

If the end of the world is near, we won’t know about it until it happens.  God promises that the end of the world will come “like a thief in the night” (1 Thess 5:2).  As for the Illuminati – read our article “Naughty, Naughty Illuminati” for further details on that particular organization.

The last part of your question deals with the antichrist.  The antichrist is not any single individual, and contrary to popular religious fiction, the antichrist has nothing to do with the end of the world.  The apostle John defined an ‘antichrist’ as ‘every spirit that does not confess Jesus as God’.  An antichrist is anyone that is opposed to Christ and His teachings.  The world is full of antichrists.  1 Jn 2:18 says that many antichrists exist.  There are many false teachers and false religious figures that teach against Jesus – all of these are antichrists.

Who are the Illuminati, and what do they believe in?  Is it a cult?

Sincerely,
Not An Illuminati

Dear Not An Illuminati,

The Illuminati was a Bavarian secret society formed in 1776 in Ingolstadt, Germany.  Similar to the Freemason society, the Illuminati was a secret society with religious, as well as secular, elements to it.  The truth is that the Illuminati and societies that diverged from the Illuminati died out years ago.  It is the pop-fiction industry that has revived the term ‘Illuminati’ by creating conspiracy-theory books that portray the Illuminati as a surviving secret society bent on ushering in a new world order.  These books make for exciting fireside reading, but they are still fiction.  The Illuminati was a cult that existed in Europe several centuries ago, but it no longer is a factor in today’s society.

There is a large interest in vampires and magic in books and movies.  It concerns me that they glorify witchcraft, including the Harry Potter books.  Young people today can’t seem to get enough of this stuff.  I have been told they are harmless books and movies, but when I watched a Harry Potter movie, it looked like kids doing black magic and having fun.  The Bible tells us black magic is from the devil.  When we allow our children to read these books and see these movies, aren’t we saying a little magic and vampires are okay when it is totally against God’s teaching?

Sincerely,
Not Bewitched

Dear Not Bewitched,

Harry Potter books, just like Halloween, can be sinful or harmless – it all depends on how we treat them (read “Costumes, Candy, And Controversy” for more on the subject of Halloween).  If someone is treating the Harry Potter books as factual, or if they are glorifying Satan worship, occult practices, etc., that is obviously a problem.  However, most readers are well-informed that the Harry Potter books are fiction (just like vampires) and aren’t how-to guides for life.

We must remember that the magic and occult practices that the Bible strictly condemned (1 Sam 15:23) were actually performed as a form of worship and a way to gain supernatural power.  Harry Potter books are similar to watching a magician – everybody knows it isn’t real.  This isn’t anything like the witchcraft condemned by the Bible.  Those who practiced magical arts really did believe that they worked, and they really did believe there was supernatural power in their various spells and recipes.  Every parent must make their own decisions regarding what is best for their children (and that includes what reading material they can handle), but it is unfair to say that Harry Potter books in and of themselves are a direct correlation to an occult lifestyle.

Hi.  My grandmother does hoodoo; I know the name after researching the things she owns.  Is she going to hell; is hoodoo a sin?  The biggest thing is that she is a christian, a very godly woman; she attends church every Sunday and even gives one hundred dollars every month.

Sincerely,
Grandma Grief

Dear Grandma Grief,

Hoodoo is wrong and is a warping of the Scriptures.  Hoodoo is a term used for those who use the Bible like a magic spell book and protective talisman.  Instead of treating the Bible like an instruction book for life (which is the right attitude – 2 Pet 1:3, Rom 1:16, Rom 10:17), Hoodoo treats the Bible like a lucky rabbit’s foot.  If you open to the right Psalm or the read the proper verse at the proper time, you will be given special protection, health, or powers.  This is totally opposite of what the Bible teaches.  In fact, during the days of Paul, there were exorcists that tried this tactic.  A group of Jewish exorcists saw that Paul had power from God, so they tried to talk and act like Paul in order to receive the same powers Paul had… it didn’t work (Acts 19:13-16).  The Bible isn’t a tool to gain magical powers; it is a pattern for living (2 Tim 1:13).  No matter how much money your grandmother gives and how regularly she attends services, this practice is sinful.

I sometimes pray with a group of people on a prayer line.  The leader calls in from Africa.  The man calls himself a prophet.  No one has ever seen him.

The prophet is the leader of this prayer line.  He seems to be a wonderful man of God with spiritual gifts… always praying in the name of Jesus.  I’m very concerned and do not want to be deceived into any magic or anything that is against God.

He often asks the people who are having issues to bring oil, water, white handkerchiefs, stones, garments, shoes, rings, pictures, honey, sugar, salt, shirts, and many other objects.  He would pray over them and tell us what to do with them (for example: wear it to bed, put it under your pillow, flush things down the toilet, place it in the Bible, and various directions).

Could it be that, in the background, he is working magic?  Is this of God?  Should christians be involved in this?  Thanks for your honest answer.

Sincerely,
On The Party Line

Dear On The Party Line,

This man is definitely not of God.  God tells us to test all teachers and compare them to the Scriptures (1 Jhn 4:1) because even false teachers disguise themselves as ministers of the light (2 Cor 11:14-15).  This man is a great example of this.

God never teaches that we should do the things that this “prophet” is telling you to do.  In fact, the Bible teaches that all behavior like this is occult and should be fled from.  When the christians of the first-century converted, they burned their books of magic and fled from such occult practices (Acts 19:19).  Paul tells us that all spiritual gifts have ceased (1 Cor 13:8-10).  This man isn’t teaching or living by Bible principles; he has warped God’s Word for his own purposes, and that will get him in a lot of eternal trouble (Gal 1:6-8).  This man has gone beyond the Scriptures (1 Cor 4:6).  Don’t unwittingly become his accomplice by entertaining his false notions (2 Jhn 1:11).  You are right to be concerned.