Sunday, August 6, 2017

The Borders of Belief

From First Things:
It was a sign of the times. Worship of strange spirits is on the rise in America, often in ways we do not acknowledge. Tarot readers, ghost hunters, UFO abductees, and shamanic healers may not seem to have much in common with the noble pagans of old. But in a society shaped by comics, sci-fi, and multi-culti kitsch, inchoate polytheism manifests itself as paranormal belief.

According to Pew Research, 65 percent of Americans believe in the paranormal, and their number is increasing. Christianity never denied the reality of what St. Paul calls “principalities and powers,” but its hatred of idols and demons restrained interest in the occult. Now that aversion is declining along with the Christian churches. Paranormal belief and experience is more common among the young than among the old, among the unchurched than among the religious. Before his death in 2016, the Vatican exorcist Fr. Gabriel Amorth warned that witchcraft and devil worship were rapidly spreading. (Read more.)
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1 comment:

julygirl said...

It is easier than being a Christian which the principle requirement is humility, a difficult task for our human nature, along with faith, hope and love plus serving others in God's name without expectations of reward. All this requires discipline over years and failure at every turn.