Overzealous fundies on "the occult"

[onlysaneperson]

This has been discussed in various permutations (e.g. Harry Potter) but it was only upon reading the newly-discovered (for me) Catholic Herald that I started to remember the obsessive anti-occult stance from years at school.

Here's an article I found on playing with a Ouija board: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/comment ... dangerous/

(don't know whether breaking the link matters here)

The comments are interesting, to say the least... but it was this that really had me wondering: "My pastor spoke about Ouija boards in a homily once. He said that he told a storekeeper about then being dangerous and the storekeeper burned the Ouija boards that he had for his store. He told our pastor could hear chilling demonic screaming from them while they were burning. It was terrifying to him."

Do they really believe this? :wtf:

[keen23]

Well, yeah, they do. And they believe that there are Satanic messages in popular music (and even more messages if you play the records on slow and backwards!). Once you start to really believe things like "God" talking to Moses through a burning bush or that the Earth really was created in 6 24 hour days 6000 years ago, it's not that hard to jump into thinking that pieces of cardboard "scream" when you burn them.

[artdecades]

Well, there were those pictures from inside the Duggar home with big warnings about witchcraft and the like. Didn't the JSlaves talk about stuff like that in their book too.

[Terrie]

I went to a private school, where the Catholics were the liberal kids. (Actually very solid academics, and they even required that we learn about evolution, so that even if we though it was wrong, we wouldn't sound like idiots when talking about it).

One parent threw a fit over the spring musical being the Music Man, because Harold Hill is obviously Satan. :pink-shock:

[Firiel]

I was raised conservative Christian (wouldn't even say fundie-lite), and to this day, I would never ever ever touch a Ouija board, even though my rational mind no longer really holds to that ideology.

I think there tends to be a strict line drawn between consuming entertainment and doing. Harry Potter was okay. Horror movies were okay. Stephen King was okay. Most folks were totally okay with those. But playing Ouija boards or exploring Wicca were universally Not Okay. You were essentially risking inviting demonic influence into your life.

I heard scary stories about it all growing up, and while I didn't necessarily buy each individual story, I certainly thought they were possible. I think even if I became an atheist, I wouldn't ever play with a Ouija board.

I also realize this whole post makes me sound like a loon.

[ViolaSebastian]

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

I recently volunteered for an organization for at-risk girls that was run through a partnership with a local church. Each girl had to fill out a questionnaire, and I kid you not, one of the questions asked them if they ever played a Ouija board of 'played satanic games.' I felt relieved that I didn't have to answer the question, because I've totally played Ouija AND tried to summon 'Bloody Mary' during my crazy, wayward youth.

[TXGirlInAMaterialWorld]

Some Conservative Christians believe in demons being in all sorts of different items- of course a Ouja board is way up the list.

My family believed that everyday items could be inhabited by demons. My mom once thought my brothers basketball shoes were enchanted and making him disrespectful so she beat him with one of them and then burned the shoes.

They also believe in bloodline curses and have had all sorts of prayers- etc. to cleanse. Oh there is never a dull moment with fundies.

[patsymae]

Some Conservative Christians believe in demons being in all sorts of different items- of course a Ouja board is way up the list.

My family believed that everyday items could be inhabited by demons. My mom once thought my brothers basketball shoes were enchanted and making him disrespectful so she beat him with one of them and then burned the shoes.

They also believe in bloodline curses and have had all sorts of prayers- etc. to cleanse. Oh there is never a dull moment with fundies.

A friend of mine who was raised Jehovah's witness said that if there was disharmony in the house they would comb through it because they thought someone had brought in a demon with the groceries or something.

[ILoveJellybeans]

A possessed shoe? Lol fundies are crazy.

When it comes to Ouija boards.....yeah, I totally would. Despite my nan saying never to ever use them....only problem is that none of my friends, even the ones who do paranormal investigations, want to use one.

[salex]

My family didn't have a ouiji board because they thought they were superstitious nonsense, but I did play with them at a couple of friend's homes and probably at my own home, if they brought one over. In general, my Christian family thought that modern day faith healing, ouiji boards, horoscopes, tongues, all fell into some sort of superstitious realm that was emotionally based and not to be trusted.

Even the demons in the new testament were more or less explained as how people of the time understood things like epilepsy, etc. Let's just say we weren't literalists

[ThisOlGirl]

My poor dear mother still thinks that Satanists perform animal and human sacrifices. Ah, the Satanic Panic of the 80's--'twas not a good time for a junior (wannabe) metal head like myself.

[Four is Enough]

Going with the fundies on this one. I was a teenager when my friend, my sister, friend's sister and I took the Ouija board up into friend's attic to "find out the future." Had two really strange incidents occur, scared the bejesus out of us, she burned the board and we never used one again. There was nobody in the room but us, etc. etc. Nobody controlled the board. I just think they're weirdly uncanny and I don't want to be involved with one.

[ViolaSebastian]

This reminds me of the time that Pat Robertson told his followers to pray over their Goodwill purchases just in case a demon was attached to them. It's got to be correct, he heard a story from the Philippines, ya'll!

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[lemonhead]

They absolutely believe it. A few examples from my childhood:

When I was about 10 our pastor dragged all the kids in the church to see a "rock music demonology expert" who talked about rock stars and satanism, and played some songs (The Beatles and Queen, IIRC) backwards so we could hear the backmasking.

One of my mom's friends sold all of her Elvis records because they were "bringing a demonic force into her home."

One of my friend's dad sliced the horns off of her unicorn My Litttle Pony figures because it was associated with a magical being and therefore dangerous.

I lost my Cabbage Patch doll to Bill Gothard's teaching on how they were possessed.

Our church was awfully superstitious for being Christian :roll:

[ViolaSebastian]

When I was about 10 our pastor dragged all the kids in the church to see a "rock music demonology expert" who talked about rock stars and satanism, and played some songs (The Beatles and Queen, IIRC) backwards so we could hear the backmasking.

How, exactly, does one become a rock music demonology expert? Is there a major for that?

[thoughtful]

I went to a private school, where the Catholics were the liberal kids. (Actually very solid academics, and they even required that we learn about evolution, so that even if we though it was wrong, we wouldn't sound like idiots when talking about it).

One parent threw a fit over the spring musical being the Music Man, because Harold Hill is obviously Satan. :pink-shock:

Shhhh . . . don't tell our Marian!

[lemonhead]

How, exactly, does one become a rock music demonology expert? Is there a major for that?

Beats me. He probably got his "credential" from the same place Bill Gothard got his "Ph.D." :roll:

FWIW, my son has an Abbey Road poster in his room, and my daughter absolutely luuurrrves her Elvis Presley, especially "Jail House Rock." I would like to have a Cabbage Patch Doll for old times sake, but it would probably trigger a panic attack LOL.

[Anny Nym]

They absolutely believe it. A few examples from my childhood:

When I was about 10 our pastor dragged all the kids in the church to see a "rock music demonology expert" who talked about rock stars and satanism, and played some songs (The Beatles and Queen, IIRC) backwards so we could hear the backmasking.

One of my mom's friends sold all of her Elvis records because they were "bringing a demonic force into her home."

One of my friend's dad sliced the horns off of her unicorn My Litttle Pony figures because it was associated with a magical being and therefore dangerous.

I lost my Cabbage Patch doll to Bill Gothard's teaching on how they were possessed.

Our church was awfully superstitious for being Christian :roll:

Lol, people really did the play-a-record-backwards-thing? I always thougt of that being a urban legend! :lol:

So sorry for you having to give away your doll, did you get it back any time later?

My mother was (and is) always very peculiar with not washing and or hang-drying any laundry, clothes or generally not hanging any blankets, sheets or sheet-like thing etc. between 25th December evening and 6th January.

We kids always went through the house the days before to make sure no lonely sleeping bag or garden mat hung on a line somewhere in the attic or a garden shed. Not even a single sock!

Because if you do, accompanying demons or creatures from the Wilde Jagd (the old-germanic pendant to the scandinavian Trail to Asgard) would get caught in it. :shifty-kitty:

There is even a elaborate system what kind of laundry summons which one and what you have to do to keep them away, like Holy Water or frankinsence, having the Light of Bethlehem in your home.

It oes like this: just washing it equals unhappiness and bad luck in the following year. Hanging bed-sheets for drying on a line is the worst because it equals death, as a sheet resembles a pall.

And some was genuinely harmless like a scarf or a sock, because a Kobold think you left it as a "gift" and inviting it to stay for all the following year. And that ones would be just annoying, like hiding you keys and make your new year´s diet plans fail ... :lol:

Ah, I always loved that stuff as a child... I still do the same today, out of sentimentality. And also, just to be sure.

[DGayle]

I'm sure the people I've used Ouija boards with were creeped out. No one was controlling the board. But I really was. Someone does, and I guarantee that the person doing is is having a lot of fun freaking you out. I kept the secret for many years about being the one to do it. :D

[Coco]

Back when my family was mennonite, some church friends of my parents bought a home just outside of town near a swampy area that was rumored to have been a sacred place for native people long ago. They were painting and using flammable paint thinner. They left the rags outside overnight, and the rags caught on fire spontaneously (which does happen, hello flammable fumes). Then they were having a prayer meeting and heard screams going off in the direction of the swamp. No idea what that was, i wasn't there, but i believe the people who said they heard it. I guess it could have been a hawk or a mouse an owl caught or something, who knows. Later on, after they moved in, their fireplace caught their wall on fire, but that could happen to anyone who overheats brick.

So those things creeped out everyone in our church for years. I'm not superstitious, but i do think that people are cautious of geographical areas that could produce sickness. Maybe it's a heightened awareness of bad water or dangerous mold or something. Some places i've been seemed "off" to me, like they would make a person sick; even mentally or emotionally sick due to lack of fresh air and light. I've always preferred sunny (or bright, in winter), dry, clean places to live. Not sure that makes sense.

The screaming ouija board; maybe that was just the plastic or the laminated paper making a noise as it burned. I've washed fresh chicken eggs in water that was too hot before, and the eggs made a squealing sound. Atmospheric pressure, lol.

And i've gotten really, really tired before, so tired that i "saw" things that were just double vision and imagination. Still don't like to watch creepy movies though. I Am Legend freaked me out for YEARS after my hubby took me to see it. It could happen; people getting a virus. So yeah, i wouldn't go outside after dark for anything after watching that, for ages. :embarrassed: Once my hubby was dragged down some stairs at night by something, he doesn't like to talk about it so he's never told me all the details. He was living in an old house with some other guys after his parents kicked him out. i don't know if he was drunk and the guys played a prank on him, or what. But he thinks it was something evil. Of course he loves the lighter horror movies, he actually enjoys scaring the shit out of himself.

i feel so sorry for people who are bound by fear, and seeing evil spirits everywhere. Afraid of goodwill clothes? what a nightmare. :lol: For me it's 95% imagination and 5% not staying in a well-lit area, lol

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[PennySycamore]

Here's the Skeptic's Dictionary take on Ouija boards :http://www.skepdic.com/ouija.html

The first sentence of the entry is worth pasting here:

If there really is an afterlife, I'll bet the best way to contact it is through a plastic, mass-produced board game from Milton Bradley! --Mad Magazine

[Mac1138]

Annamatrix's most recent post is about how she just. can't. with the occult. She is just sooooooo different, you guys, and she always has been. And she will not have anything to do with the occult, so she is DONE with Dr. Who. After 3 whole episodes. :wtf:

[Firiel]

Annamatrix's most recent post is about how she just. can't. with the occult. She is just sooooooo different, you guys, and she always has been. And she will not have anything to do with the occult, so she is DONE with Dr. Who. After 3 whole episodes. :wtf:

She would not approve of my Supernatural addiction.

I like she hoped the episode would take a Christmas Carol turn when Christmas Carol deals with ghosts and other supernatural thingies. Actually, I remember being damn terrified by the Disney version as a kid.

[BrownieMomma]

That commercial is hilarious. Good advertising fascinates me for some reason and has for many years. I'm a big Flo fan. Anyway....

My only ouija board story is when I was in college, I was at a friend's house in the middle of the afternoon and someone brought one. They wanted to have shots and play the board. I would not even touch it. One of the guys started laughing and said I must be Southern Baptist. Which I did grow up that way. I left, there was no way I was going to drink and do that board.

Okay, just saying, if I was a demon or the devil and wanted to get access to a lot of susceptible souls, I'd totally pick something as innocuous and harmless-seeming as a game! Except I might pick Monopoly.

[Firiel]

Okay, just saying, if I was a demon or the devil and wanted to get access to a lot of susceptible souls, I'd totally pick something as innocuous and harmless-seeming as a game! Except I might pick Monopoly.

Yeah, but then all your potential victims would get bored and quit halfway through. ;)