A - Thanks for the questions. I think my answers might just surprise some of our readers.
The origin of these boards is not from a game. Rather, they come from a practice of "channeling" or "divination". Channeling is asking the dead to give us answers to questions or power and is an ancient - and dangerous - practice. Thus, the word "occult" = "hidden". The Bible speaks directly to this practice:
Let there not be found among you anyone who immolates his son or daughter in the fire, nor a fortune-teller, soothsayer, charmer, diviner, or caster of spells, nor one who consults ghosts and spirits or seeks oracles from the dead. Anyone who does such things is an abomination to the LORD, and because of such abominations the LORD, your God, is driving these nations out of your way. - Deuteronomy 18: 10-12
He practiced soothsaying and divination, and reintroduced the consulting of ghosts and spirits. He did much evil in the LORD'S sight and provoked him to anger. - 2 Kings 21:6
And when they say to you, "Inquire of mediums and fortune-tellers (who chirp and mutter!); should not a people inquire of their gods, apply to the dead on behalf of the living?" - Is 8:19So, the history of divination and channeling is ancient, but it has some more modern forms, which have become popular again from various sources, including - New Age practices, the Occult, fortune-telling, Wicca, astrology, and "games" such as the Ouija Board. All of these have Pagan spiritual origins and should never be practiced by Christians.
Ultimately, this is a dangerous practice because it is an attempt to seek spiritual power from somewhere other than God. If this is the case, then demons or evil spirits are most likely the ones supplying it. We open ourselves up to demonic influence if we do so - to the point of having possession being possible down the line.
Some might think this is an overreaction and that it is just fun. I have heard some say - at most, it is a spooky time for kids to pretend they can talk to the dead. But, demons can work through this kind of attitude to quietly induce someone to their way of thinking and acting.
A personal disbelief in the power of Satan, does not make his power go away. Just ask an exorcist who has had to fight with such demons. They will not beat around the bush in regards to such practices.
The danger is very real.
Thus, the Catechism states:
2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future.48 Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.So, in answer to your question - I believe the Ouija Board and other kinds of New Age practices to be very dangerous. I also think it is scandalous that they are marketing it as a "game" and so many people accept such things uncritically.
2117 All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity.
Very well written. I cannot believe how easy it is for unsuspecting children and parents to happen upon such an evil that casts itself as harmless. A real tragedy.
ReplyDeleteYou wouldn't believe how frightening some of the product reviews are on the Toys 'R' Us website for the Ouija Boards they sell. For a long time too, they had a children's edition that was pink and glittery. It's very disturbing that anyone would sell such things.
ReplyDeleteIncluded in paragraphs 2116-17 of CCC are any books and movies that glorify and promote the occult, such as the "Harry Potter" series! They also have been labled as just innocent "fun" for kids. Their inspirator, Satan (a wolf in sheep's clothing) has pulled the wool over many people's eyes concerning these.
ReplyDeleteJust to emphasize that the mention of exorcists is not a joke. These things can ruin your life.
ReplyDeleteThe Harry Potter series is just about an innocent as reading Grimms's Fairy Tales or Hans Christian Anderson stories. If you think about it you could add the Chronicles of Narnia or the Lord of the Rings. Imagination can take you anywhere to demonize these things is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteOuija bords on the other hand have always scared the heck out of me. I don't understand how Parker Brothers has been continuously selling these things for decades without repercussions.
There is no doubt that the ouija device (please, let's not call it a game) is a demonic tool of the occult, and CCC 2116-2117 clearly apply because the stated purpose of the device is divination. As for lumping the Harry Potter books into the same category, that's comparing apples to oranges. Before we start another round of book burnings, we'd better be sure to go through our own homes and get rid of every Disney movie ever made (cf. animals don't talk, and magic is a common theme). And it's not just Disney. The important difference to understand is that in some cases "magic" is a literary vehicle (visual or textual) and in others "magic" is the purpose. A soul can certainly be corrupted by playing with a ouija device, but no one is ever going to cause damage by pointing a wand and muttering some half-baked Latin.
ReplyDeleteas a former pagan.. i can tell you that serious occult practioners consider OuiJa boards dangerous!!!!!
ReplyDeleteif the people who practice witchcraft, sorcery, tarot cards and more.. consider the Ouija board to be a dangerous item that is like handing dynamite to children. how much more should someone who is Christian avoid it!
trust me, both then, and now..... my advice is to stay far, far away from them. the way i always explain it to young people is: its just like giving out your personal information, picture, and home adress on a internet group. you never know who, or what, is listening
I have to respectfully disagree, Father Matt. As many exorcists hold, including Fr. Gabriele Amorth, the chief exorcist of Rome, the Harry Potter series tries to make a false distinction between "good" and "bad" magic, when in reality, it's all bad when it does not come from God. This has tended to get kids' curiosity going about black magic. Have you walked into a bookstore recently? Have a look at the children's section. It's 80% about warewolves and witches. It is now difficult to find books for my kids that don't deal with this stuff. Coincidence? Hardly. The author of the Harry Potter series is now a billionaire (that's a story in itself) and the books have spawned countless imitations. It's not all innocent as you claim. It is wrong (and I would add misleading) to state that Disney is the same thing. God bless your ministry.
ReplyDeleteI can strongly endorse this warning about the boards -- I remember vividly the intense paranoia that an evening's experiment with the device caused among a group of boys age 10-12. Though this was back in my childhood in the '60s -- I can personally say how the "session" ended -- with our group agreeing that the board was not going to spend the night in the house. Wrapped in a paper bag from the A&P, it sat overnight on the porch. In the morning this toy was cast into the trash can and never touched again.
ReplyDeleteNo adults were involved in the decision. To those who say it could have been pre-adolescent group hysteria, I* can tell you it was not. I still get the "creepies" just thinking about it -- and then quickly look for a cricifix and invoke St. Michael and the angels to protect!
Hasbro sells it as a game, because if they sold it as fortunetelling or occult apparatus it would violate the anti-fortunetelling/graft statutes of many cities.
ReplyDeleteThat's also why the Psychic Friends Network says it's "For entertainment only", after making a thousand zillion insinuations otherwise.
thank you for this. I just posted this on FB.
ReplyDelete