by Kjos Ministries
“Spiritual transformation… is mediated through a person’s religious imagination.” 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.”
“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.” 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. 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.”
“…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.”
“…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! Click here to continue reading.
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