It is not only odd but weird, that in our present Age of Enlightenment (i.e., the twenty first century), the worship of Satan seems to be on the increase. It seems amazing that in Western Civilization's flight from the cesspool of ignorance, superstition, and idolatry in the first century world, we find ourselves returning to this same pagan cesspit of iniquity today. To the credit of those living in the first century, there is no indication people consciously worshiped Satan or the Devil.
Paul, however, did point out that idol worship was actually demon worship. In warning the Corinth Christians about the dangers of idolatry he stated, "the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. 21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils" (1 Corinthians 8:20-21). It is obvious that the Scriptures forbid consorting with any supernatural forces other than the God of the Bible.
Witchcraft also seems to be rather popular in our enlightened era. Those practicing witchcraft today prefer to use Wicca (Old English for witch) to describe themselves. This avoids the connotation evoked by God's condemnation of witchcraft in both the Old and New Testaments (Isaiah 15:23; Micha 5:12-13; Isaiah; Acts 19:9). Witchcraft is simply another way to divorce America from our Christian roots and embrace paganism.
The concepts of witches, devils, and ghosts have long been encouraged by our light hearted observance of Halloween. As long as everyone understands it is imagination at play, there seems to be no harm done. As children we looked forward to "Trick or Treat." Armed with a partial bar of soap in the off chance one of our neighbors preferred soaped windows to a treat, we toured our neighborhood in high spirits. However, with the occult being taken seriously by a significant portion of our population, we may need to reevaluate our attitude toward this eve of All Saints Day.
With the deteriorating knowledge of God's Word among Americans, we may need to take a second look at current cultural concepts and attitudes toward the occult. Anti Christian superstition is everywhere encouraged. In movies and television the emphasis seems to have shifted from the light (good angels doing good deeds) to the dark (demon possession and horrible deeds).
The Devil or Satan is a reality that must not be ignored. Peter points out that, "your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). James points out, after admonishing us to submit ourselves to God, that we are to "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
Dale I. Royal, Elk City OK
