In divination, a mystical practice is used in order to make contact with the spirit world; in contemplative prayer the same thing is done.
"Give
no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them,
to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 19: 31
"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch." Deuteronomy 18:10
"It
is this conjuring technique of visualization, borrowed from the occult
both ancient and modern, that most specifically represents divination in the Church." For the whole
story ... Eastern
Regional Watch
"The
basic problem with divination is that, even though the diviner
is sincerely attempting to contact God, the entities with which one
ends up communicating are demons (posing as Jesus, God, angels, etc.)"
Tom McMahon—The
Berean Call. ...read
more ...
"Christian"
Mysticism
Dr. Orrel Steinkamp
"Divination
generally refers to attempts to learn 'hidden things' that cannot
be known by normal means. Divination falls into two broad categories:
mechanical and internal. Mechanical divination uses physical means
to acquire hidden knowledge. Examples of this include such things
as gazing into crystal balls, examining the livers or other internal
organs of animals, interpreting the way arrows land after being
thrown into the air, and reading Tarot cards. The internal category,
sometimes called 'soothsaying,' involves conjuring up a spiritual
entity during a trance or an altered state of consciousness. Sometimes
this spirit entity will appear as a person, no longer living, who
returns and speaks words of wisdom. Sometimes the spirit who is
'called up' speaks 'through' a medium. In Acts 16:16 the slave girl
had a 'spirit of divination.' (It is interesting to note that, because
there was often trickery involved, in the first century the word
used for divination was also broadly used for the act of ventriloquism.)" Read
more of this article.
|
