|
|
HOME
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
- WAR ROOM -
THE GOSPEL
- BIBLE
STUDY - MORAL
ISSUES - KING
JAMES BIBLE - CULTS |
DOWSING
- AKA Water Witching |
I
find it amazing that this topic is never dealt with by the majority of Bible teachers.
But, the horror of it all is that many KJV Only Bible believing pastors will NOT
tackle this one. I had a dowser in a church I pastored in Michigan who was a member
in good standing in the Independent Fundamental Churches of America (IFCA), and
he was vicious in his defense of his occult arts. The instruments of dowsing are nearly endless, as are the uses. As I will show, this fact underscores the psychic nature of dowsing in that the dowsing power does not reside in the object used.
Consider the variety of implements that have been employed to dowse: pencils, scissors, pliers, welding rods, jewelry, candles, seashells, needles, bent coat hangers, crowbars, guns, whale or shark bones, barbed wire, clothes, water "bobbers," feathers, "aura" meters, cut tree or shrub branches " even thumbs, fingers, hands, or feet (i.e., no instruments at all). (Taken from various issues of The American Dowser, 1974-1979.)
Obviously, the kind of equipment one uses is irrelevant. The power resides somewhere else. The key question is: What is the true origin of the power used by the dowser? Later I will show why I believe the real source of a dowser's power is the spirit world.
Nevertheless, every effort is made to remove dowsing from the halls of occultism. Promoters continually stress its supposed "scientific" nature, but they cannot easily escape the supernatural and occultic reality of their art.
VARITIES OF DOWSING
Raymond C. Willey is the author of Modern Dowsing: The Dowser's Handbook. He has dowsed for over fifty years and was instrumental in organizing the American Society of Dowsers (ASD). He served as its secretary and was editor of its periodical, The American Dowser, for over a decade. Willey accepts four basic methods of dowsing:
(1) Field Dowsing "the 'traditional' use of dowsing which involves locating water, objects, and so forth on a given terrain. This is called "witching the area"
(2) Remote Dowsing "witching the area" is not required in this approach. Instead, the dowser locates the target from a distance of up to several miles;"
(3) Map Dowsing "the dowser locates the target using a map or sketch, often accompanied by the use of an occult pendulum. There are no distance limits here, since the dowser can supposedly locate his or her target even 10,000 miles away; "
(4) Information Dowsing "the dowser obtains needed information on any subject with neither space nor time limits. Willey observes that "information dowsing not only saves time, but can aid greatly to increase the scope of the dowsing process."
(Raymond C. Willey, Modern Dowsing: The Dowser's Handbook (Sedona, AZ: Esoteric Publications, 1978), 59. )
When people think of dowsing they often assume the process is confined to category one field dowsing. In fact, it is all four categories that constitute the practice of dowsing. Willey concedes that although all four areas involve dowsing, many people only accept the possibility of field dowsing. (Ibid.)
The reason for this is simple. Field dowsing appears to offer the greatest opportunity for a mundane explanation. Here we are presented with a variety of "naturalistic" theories to supposedly explain the phenomena from an innate sensitivity, to so-called radiations, to currently unexplored alleged geophysical phenomena. (Ben G. Hester, Dowsing: An Expose of Hidden Occult Forces, rev. ed. 1984, 59-71, self-published and available from the author at 4883 Hedrick Ave., Arlington, CA 92505. )
Were the supernatural element not apparent in other forms of dowsing, one might think that simple water dowsing could have a natural explanation. But, as we will see, this view is problematic at best. (Ibid., 58-94. )
THE USES OF DOWSING
At this point I will list a sampling of dowsing uses culled from the principal U.S. periodical, The American Dowser. (The American Dowser, May 1976, 90; February 1977, 20-21; February 1975, 15-18; August 1976, 101, 109, 118; May 1977, 66-69; August 1977, 10-11; November 1977, 176-77; February 1978, 27; May 1978, 64; May 1979, 53, 82-83; Hester, 3-4. )
Anyone who reads this list and still believes dowsing is a scientific practice rather than a psychic ability has more faith in science than is safe.
Dowsers claim their art has successfully been used:
to instruct children in developing their psychic abilities;
to find accident-prone highway sections; in veterinary diagnosis; for automobile diagnosis (car dowsing);
to derive information in a pending malpractice suit; in narcotics detection;
to find fish in the lake (and whether or not they are biting!);
to find archaeological sites and artifacts;
for finding downed planes or tracking submarines and ships (e.g., predicting the time of their arrival, not to mention their contents and port of origin);
to check an area for snakes;
in sport hunting (e.g., dowsing for deer);
to find unmarked graves;
to find lost objects or valuables, murder weapons, and so forth;
to find missing persons (e.g., determining whether or not a person is dead by their photograph and, if alive, locating them);
for checking the "accuracy" of students' homework;
to determine if letters, wills, paintings, and signatures are genuine or forged;
to track storms;
for use in astrology and most other forms of the occult;
to detect multiple personalities or spirit possession;
to find "subconscious blocks";
to determine the soil composition and fertilizer needs of one's house or garden plants;
to sort eggs to determine the sex of the chick.
As if all this were not enough, dowsers Erwin Stark, Raymond Willey, and Gordon MacLean (Stark, 17-24; Willey, Modern Dowsing, 45; Gordon MacLean, A Field Guide to Dowsing (Danville, VT: The American Society of Dowsers, 1976), 18-20. ) tell us that in addition to the above we can:
track down hunted criminals;
uncover a spouse's infidelity;
locate "subluxations" or cavities if we are chiropractors or dentists;
forecast the weather;
measure intelligence;
detect pregnancy;
find the "right" medical specialist for rare diseases by dowsing the phone book;
find ghosts or poltergeists;
detect acupuncture points;
determine the height, weight, and age of kidnappers or rapists;
detect oncoming earthquakes;
determine edible plants in the wilderness;
find avalanche victims;
and ( for the amateur astronomer ) determine the composition of moon rocks, determine whether or not a planet is inhabited, and diagnose the conditions of the astronauts before they land.
(Not to mention the further benefit of locating fleas on one's dog!)
Now, did I leave anything out? (How about returning safely from the Twilight Zone?)
DOWSING AND THE CHURCH
The research of Ben G. Hester, Dr. Kurt Koch, and others reveals that dowsing is considered an acceptable, or at least innocent, practice in the minds of many Christians. Dr. Koch observes that....
"believing Christians are divided on the question of what they should think of rod and pendulum [dowsers]. I have met doctors, pastors, missionaries, and even evangelists who use the rod or pendulum and believe they have received this gift from God." (Kurt Koch, Occult ABC (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 1980), 185-86. )
Please understand that Koch believes the pendulum is deeply evil, and he has had to bring many dowsers through deliverance because they became demonically oppressed due to their delving into this occult art.
Hester, whose text on the subject is probably the best expose available, personally told me how dowsing was practiced extensively among the leadership of a large, conservative, denominational church. (Hester, personal conversation, 1988. )
To cite another illustration, Monte Kline, an evangelical Christian promoter of many dubious holistic health methods (e.g., homeopathy and applied kinesiology) argues that the practice of dowsing is a natural ability and therefore acceptable on the following basis:
After some study and considerable experience in dowsing myself, as well as training others, I am quite certain this is merely a natural, explainable phenomenon.... My training in dowsing came from a committed, doctrinally-sound, Spirit-filled Christian, and I have trained two other above reproach Christian men (one of them a pastor) in dowsing. An associate recently shared with me that a relative of his, a well-known former evangelical Bible college president, has dowsed for water all his life. (Monte Kline in his Christian Health Counselor, March/April 1989, 6. For a critique of homeopathy and other methods, see John Ankerberg and John Weldon, Can You Trust Your Doctor? (Irving, TX: Word, 1991).
Christian dowsers sometimes attempt to justify the practice by appealing to the Bible. Unfortunately, Christians who claim the Bible teaches dowsing are forced to treat Scripture in the same manner as cultists who distort it to justify their particular religious beliefs and practices.
Biblical passages that refer to digging wells or searching for water ( but never mention dowsing ) are said to be "mistranslated." If they were "properly" translated they would, supposedly, mention dowsing. (E.g., Susan Stewart, "What Is Dowsing?" The American Dowser, May 1975, 58. )
In fact, there is only one direct reference to dowsing in the Bible. But here the practice is specifically condemned by God:
"My people consult their wooden idol, and their diviner's wand informs them; for a spirit of harlotry has led them astray, and they have played the harlot, departing from their God" (Hos. 4:12). And so, the verdict of Scripture is that those who practice dowsing are being led astray by "a spirit of harlotry" and have "departed from their God."
Further, the Bible condemns divination by name in several passages. Because dowsing is a form of divination, it is also rejected in such passages. For example, God tells His people, "There shall not be found among you anyone who...practices divination..." (Deut. 18:10).
Let's consider one example of how Christian dowsers seek to justify their practice. In his article, "Dowsing: Its Biblical Background" (from The American Dowser), Reverend Norman Evans finds it difficult to admit that dowsing is not taught in Scripture. Rather, he attempts to show that it is taught although "hidden in Biblical references" and "not plainly evident at the first reading." (Norman Evans, "Dowsing: Its Biblical Background," The American Dowser, May 1979, 70. )
Evans even quotes Hosea 4:12 in defense of his view,
"My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them...." (17 Ibid., 75. )
But, somehow, he fails to quote the remainder of the Scripture, "for a spirit of harlotry has led them astray, and they have played the harlot, departing from their God."
Still, he proceeds to claim,
"Abraham, Issac and Jacob were undoubtedly dowsers." (Ibid., 73. )
He even classifies dowsing as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit:
"I would be very happy if Paul had listed 'dowsing.' But he did not.... However, Paul mentions 'knowledge.' I shall classify dowsing within the gift of knowledge." (Ibid., 77. ) He concludes, "As a Christian my gifts are a part of my offering when I yield myself to my Savior. Love is the way in which gifts are to be used...." (Ibid., 78. )
But Reverend Evans never demonstrates that dowsing can be considered the biblical gift of knowledge or any other gift of the Holy Spirit. Further, his argument is spurious. Activities that are condemned in the Bible as sinful and occultic can never be used "in love." Would God ever accept the other activities condemned along with divination in Deuteronomy 18:9-12 ( such as sorcery, witchcraft, necromancy, and human sacrifice ) merely because the one using them claimed to do so "in love"? All kinds of evils are done in the name of "love"; this does not justify them.
Deuteronomy
18:9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou
shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
10 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,
11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard,
or a necromancer.
12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the
LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from
before thee.
Unfortunately, many dowsers continue to maintain that their "gift" is from God. (Ann Fleming, "Ideas about Dowsing," The American Dowser, August 1978, 102. ) Even the official "Dowser's Prayer" which hangs on the wall of the American Society of Dowsers in Danville, Vermont accepts that dowsing is a gift of God: The Dowser's Prayer reads: "Lord, guide my hands, enhance my sensitivity, and bless my purpose that I may be an instrument of Your power and glory in locating what is searched for." ("The Dowser's Prayer," as given in The American Dowser, November 1977, 169. )
DOWSING AND SCIENTIFIC TESTING
Dowsers often claim that their practice is scientific. They do so despite other dowsers freely confessing that "Dowsing is witchery" and that it "violates every principle of known science." (Fleming, 103; Harry Steinmetz, "Teleradiaesthesia: Fact or Fiction?" The American Dowser, August 1978, 103. )
Worldwide, scientific testing of dowsing consistently disproves the dowser's claim that it merely represents a natural or learned sensitivity to radiations or some other physical phenomenon. Careful examination of the claims and activities of dowsers (which are frequently contradictory) reveal that there is no factual basis for regarding dowsing as a physical phenomenon. For example, controlled tests conducted by famous magician and psychic debunker James Randi yielded no evidence that dowsers have any unique ability to find water. Like other people claiming psychic powers, dowsers ( when their abilities are tested scientifically )characteristically fail. (James Randi, "A Controlled Test of Dowsing Abilities," The Skeptical Inquirer, Fall 1978, 16-20; James Randi, "The Great $10,000 Dowsing Challenge," The Skeptical Inquirer, Summer 1984, 329-33; Dick Smith, "Two Tests of Divining in Australia," The Skeptical Inquirer, Summer 1982, 34-37. )
In fact, dowsing abilities have been examined in many countries around the world, and the results do not confirm the scientific claims of dowsers. Tests in Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and elsewhere prove that dowsing does not work on the basis of its stated claims. (Smith, 34-37; Samuel Pfeifer, M.D., Healing at Any Price? (Milton Keynes, England: Word Limited, 1988), 99-100. )
In 1984, Michael Martin, a professor of philosophy at Boston University, tested Paul Sevigny himself, the president of the American Society of Dowsers. He reports that even after 40 trials, Sevigny performed at levels worse than chance. (Michael Martin, "A New Controlled Dowsing Experiment: Putting the President of the American Society of Dowsers to the Test," The Skeptical Inquirer, Winter 1983-84, 139. )
After Martin reviewed his own results, those of James Randi, plus a scholarly overview of the evidence for dowsing provided by Evon Vogt and Ray Hyman (Evon Z. Vogt and Ray Hyman, Water Witching U.S.A., 2d ed., (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1979), he concluded: "The available evidence can be succinctly summarized: When dowsers perform under controlled conditions, they do not do better than one would expect by chance." (Martin, 140.)
DOWSING AND THE OCCULT
From ancient times dowsing has been considered an occult art, and has often been defined as a form of witchcraft. The common descriptive terms "witching" and "water witching" reveal how closely the taint of witchcraft has remained to this day. Historically, the church has labeled dowsing as a work of the Devil (Hester, 41. ), a fact even many dowsers concede. (Frances Hitching, Dowsing: The Psi Connection (Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, 1978), 41; Stark, 12 cf. The American Dowser, November 1979, 187. )
In this section I will supply my reasons for classifying dowsing as an occultic, spiritistic power rather than the normal human ability or divine gift that dowsers claim. Below I will list seven common characteristics of dowsing practice that reveal its true nature as a psychic ability.
(1) Many dowsers enter a trance when dowsing. Dowsers admit that a particular "mood" or altered state of consciousness is vital for dowsing to work. (Raymond C. Willey, "Dowsing Basics," The American Dowser, November 1977, 178). Note the following descriptions from dowsing literature:
The dowser
enters into a light trance as he or she becomes more involved with the person,
place or thing being sought, and less involved with his or her own thoughts. I
was once startled by someone when I was map dowsing and was quite surprised to
discover how deeply I had become involved in a state of trance. (Gordon MacLean,
"Dowsing Experiences and Problems," The American Dowser, May 1976, 70.
Cf. Hitching, 182-83. )
The secret of good dowsing...is a curious state of mind....Dowsing has been compared to a mild state of hypnosis, or trance, or meditation. (Ibid., 79. ) The fact that dowsing requires an altered state of consciousness in order to work properly suggests it is not a scientific practice.
(2) Dowsing may cause one to develop other psychic abilities. As dowsers progress in their practice, many of them discover they are slowly developing psychic powers. The fact that dowsing can lead to the development of psychic abilities (such as telepathy and clairvoyance) is mentioned by Hester and many practicing dowsers. (E.g., The American Dowser, February 1976, 15; May 1976, 87; August 1976, 118; November 1977, 176. ) For example, as a member of both the ASD and the British Society of Dowsers comments: "Over many years I find the methods used by me have, in the course of their progress, transferred to Psychometry and now Astral projection, the latter two methods projecting me to all parts of the World, no matter how remote." (Augustus T. Nottingham, "Reaching Into Space and Time," The American Dowser, February 1977, 8-9. )
The fact that dowsing can cause one to develop psychic abilities also associates dowsing with the world of the occult and spiritism, not science. (See John Ankerberg and John Weldon, The Facts on the Occult (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1991), 11-21.)
(3) Dowsing requires faith, respect, and a personal interaction/response with the rod. Raymond Willey observes that "you must be prepared to treat this faculty of dowsing with respect." (Willey, Modern Dowsing, 6. ) Further: "Anything that causes the dowser to question the act, or to lose 'faith' in it, immediately renders him incapable of performing. He can get no answers from his device, or method....We have found repeatedly that a mental 'set' or faith is an absolute necessity to successful dowsing." (Quoted in Hester, 57-58. )
The facts of dowsing suggest that the force behind this practice is personal, intelligent, and desirous of human interaction. Perhaps this is one reason Martin Luther referred to dowsing as a form of idolatry. (Ibid., 15-16; Hitching, 41. ) If men were only dealing with an impersonal force, it would never require respect, or faith, or personal communication. But these responses are exactly what spirit guides require and demand of their human mediums. Many illustrations of this kind of spirit-human interaction could be cited from those who use Ouija boards, the I Ching, rune dice, tarot cards, or who employ ceremonial magic and other forms of the occult. (E.g., John Ankerberg and John Weldon, Astrology: Do the Heavens Rule Our Destiny? (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1989), 244-46. )
Many indications exist that a personal spirit entity operates through the dowsing implement and that interaction with it is necessary for success. For example, the dowser is instructed to ask specific questions of his rod or pendulum. In reading the accounts of dowsers' personal communications with the supposedly impersonal "force" of dowsing, one is immediately struck by the similarity to a Ouija board and other psychic oracles that require "yes" or "no" answers: "Every move, question or word in the dowsing act speaks of supernormal intelligence, greater intelligence than can be credited to any phenomenon of human intellect....Every book or pamphlet on dowsing instruction stresses the necessity to ask the device questions from the very first try. They urge the learner to keep trying until the thing suddenly does answer.... Is there any basic difference in this and the use of the Ouija Board?" (Hester, 41-42. )
The Ouija board itself, of course, is merely wood, just like the dowser's stick. Yet it is difficult to deny that there is frequently a living power behind it " an independent, personal spirit entity that demands one to inquire of it if one wishes success. And few who are familiar with the facts surrounding the potential consequences of using a Ouija board would venture to deny that this power is evil. (E.g., Edmond Gruss, The Ouija Board: Doorway to the Occult (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1973); cf. Stoker Hunt, Ouija: A Most Dangerous Game (New York: Harper & Row, 1985). )
Willey confesses of dowsing: "One of its most dramatic features is its 'selectivity.' This means dowsing supplies an answer to a specific question....(You have learned how a yes and no answer is obtained from dowsing devices, often obtaining answers to questions which cannot be answered from other sources)." (Willey, Modern Dowsing, 67, 111. ) Another dowser acknowledges the universal necessity for the following: "Always decide precisely what you seek and ask for it in unmistakable terms." (Gordon MacLean, A Field Guide, 7; cf. The American Dowser, August 1977, 108. )
Dowsers are thus taught to talk to the power. But one can only ask why this is so. And one can only wonder " to whom are they talking? Why does a truly impersonal force need to be spoken to? How can it "demand" this " unless, of course, one is really dealing with something personal like a spirit entity?
(4) Dowsing is linked to other forms of the occult. Dowsing is often linked with other forms of occult practice. For example, dowsers have made connections between dowsing and such practices as astral projection, remote viewing, shamanism, and yoga. (Hitching, 130, 204-5, 243-44; MacLean, Field Guide, 27; Egon E. Eckert, "A Dowser's Trip to West Germany," The American Dowser, May 1975, 68. )
Dowsers also frequently employ occult pendulums and other radionic devices (i.e., instruments used for detecting "vital energy"). (E.g., The American Dowser, February 1976, 3, 13; August 1978, 118-19; May 1975, 68; November 1977, 177; May 1977, 76-77. )
Most water dowsers are typically "sensitive" to the pendulum and a majority of dowsers employ it. (E.g., A. J. Soares, "My Pendulum Said 'No'," The American Dowser, November 1977, 191. ) This is why dowsing societies routinely sell a wide variety of pendulums and other occult implements such as "aura indicators." (The American Dowser, February 1976, 3; Standard ASD Supply List for 1983. ) But all such implements are simply useless radionic devices: the psychic power comes from the spirit entity who works behind the device, not the device itself.
All divinatory methods utilize some principal object that becomes the focus and/or vehicle through which spirits work to serve the client and produce the needed answer to questions, character analysis, future prognostication, and so forth. The object becomes the contact material for spirits to work through. The following is a sampling of common forms of divination with their associated contact materials. Astrology: the horoscope chart; tarot: a deck of cards with symbols; I Ching: sticks, printed hexagrams; runes: dice; Ouija board: an alphabet planchette; Radionics/psychometry: the divining rod, pendulum, "black box" (a diagnostic apparatus for calibrating energy patterns); palmistry: the hand; crystal-gazing: the crystal ball or crystal rock; metoscopy/physiognomy/phrenology: the forehead/face/skull; geomancy: combinations of dots or points; water-dowsing: the forked stick or other object.
Is it reasonable to expect that mere pieces of paper bearing symbols (horoscopes), simple forked sticks, cards, hands, dice, letters of the alphabet, rocks, facial lines, or dots could supply miraculous information? Even many practitioners of these arts refer to "supernatural influences"-- to gods and spirits who operate through these methods.
Space does not permit documenting the spiritistic nature of the above, but sufficient illustrations are cited elsewhere to establish that even practitioners of those arts acknowledge or suspect spirit influence in their methods. (See Ankerberg and Weldon, Astrology, 245-47 for primary documentation. ) Frequently, these practices do two things: they develop a person psychically (See John Ankerberg and John Weldon, The Facts on the Occult, 11-21.) and they lead to spirit contact (though in many forms of divination this may not be readily discernible). (Hester, 199-200.)
(5) Christian activities such as conversion and prayer hinder dowsing powers. Conversion to Christ may mean loss of the dowsing ability altogether. Prayer may hinder or prevent the dowsing process. For example, Hester and Koch both refer to cases where conversion and/ or prayer have had these effects. (Hester, 58, 188; Koch, Occult ABC, 188-91. )
This reveals an additional link to spiritism. Regeneration (John 3:3-8; 6:63; 2 Cor. 5:17) and answers to prayer (Prov. 15:8, 29; 1 John 5:14) are activities of God. When these activities counteract certain practices, then, by definition, those practices cannot be activities of God, or else God would be seen to work against Himself. Thus dowsing cannot be a gift of God.
Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
Proverbs 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
We would expect the activity of the demonic spirit world to be hindered by conversion or prayer. Jesus came to destroy the works of the Devil (1 John 3:8). Consequently, Christian actions can hinder genuine psychic activity but it is not credible to think that a neutral or natural power would be so affected by Christian activity. Thus dowsing is also not a natural human ability.
1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Christian dowsers often reply that they have "prayed" about using the device. But does one ever pray about committing the sin of divination? Since dowsing is condemned in Scripture (Hos. 4:12; Deut. 18:9-1-2 up page in red) there is no need to pray about employing the practice. If one is ignorant of the biblical prohibition, that is one thing. But if one knows that God has warned against divination, to then pray concerning whether or not it is permissible reflects doubt over God's Word (James 1:5-8). (Hester, 118, 157. )
James
1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally,
and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith,
nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the
wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing
of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
(6) Dowsing power is uncontrollable and supernatural. If dowsing were really a learned human ability then it could be controlled at will, just like any other learned human ability from bike riding to typing.
What proves dowsing is not a human ability is its uncontrollable nature, independent will, and supernatural power. Because the issues involved are so important I will document this section in a bit more detail.
Let me begin with a personal illustration. "Sam" is a friend of mine who owns a farm in California. He called a local drilling company only to discover they employed a dowser to locate water.
Although he was skeptical, Sam agreed to permit the dowser to try to find the best spot to drill. The dowser cut a forked branch from a tree and proceeded to walk the property. Everyone present noticed the forceful thrust of the stick downward. But Sam was more skeptical than ever.
The dowser offered to prove the power was real. He challenged Sam to use the stick himself. Sam proceeded to walk the property. When he got to the same spot as before, the stick was powerfully thrust downward as if by an invisible hand. Sam was shaken; he couldn't believe it. He knew he had done nothing to move the stick, but it had still reacted powerfully to the same location. Next, the rest of Sam's family tried. It worked for two others, but for three additional members it would not work at all, no matter what they did. Nevertheless, water was found at the exact spot the stick indicated.
The next day Sam relayed this incident to me. I informed him that this was a spiritistic ability and something to be avoided. Sam did not want to believe in such things and challenged, "Look, I'll show you it works."
As he proceeded to cut a branch from a tree, I told him that there would be no power manifested. Try as he would, Sam could not get the stick to react. In fact, he kept cutting different branches from trees and bushes, thinking the power somehow resided in the "proper" branch. But, I explained, the power resides in the spirits who work through the dowser. No power was manifested because
(1) the dowser was not there, therefore his spirit guide was probably not present; and
(2) even if it were, I had prayed that God would prohibit spiritistic activity.
Sam never understood why the power wasn't there. It was obviously present one day. But the very next day it was entirely absent. "Why?" he asked over and over, mystified.
NOTE MY EDITOR: Steve Van Nattan-- Based on my experience with this same situation, I would conclude that the three who got no results from the dowsing rod were very likely born again Christians.
This reveals that dowsing cannot work on the basis of a natural sensitivity to water "radiations," which most dowsers claim. If that theory were true, the experiment should have worked the second time because the water was still there and it had powerfully worked for Sam the day earlier. And if it is a natural practice, why did it only work for certain members of Sam's family? The fact that it did not work for everyone shows that some other factor must have been responsible.
A former ASD editor reveals a conclusion arrived at by many practitioners, that the dowsing power operates independently of the dowser: There is easily demonstrated evidence that the force which moves the dowsing device is independent of the searching-out ability of the dowser....These facts...have been given little weight by most students of dowsing....many who could create this movement [are] reluctant to do so in public because there were supernatural implications.... (Willey, Modern Dowsing, 23-24. )
Another leader in dowsing reports, "the force can be activated to move devices when no dowsing search is involved, demonstrating that this unknown force has an independent existence,..." (Raymond C. Willey, "Editorial," The American Dowser, May 1976, 75. ) But the power of dowsing is too great to be explained by anything natural or human. An examination of dowsing phenomena itself reveals that a genuine supernatural power is at work. Note some illustrations:
"Hard as I gripped, I couldn't keep that rod vertical, although I persisted until my hands were on the verge of blisters."
Strong men have tried all kinds of gadgets to retard the movement of the dowsing rod without avail. The best one can describe the movement of the rod is that the movement, being very sudden, is like a mysterious hand which grasps the end of the rod and either moves it up or down. Even at times when one is practicing on something that is known to be present the shock of the movement is so sudden that one wonders where the power comes from. (Harvey Howells, "How We Came to Dowsing," The American Dowser, August 1976, 116; Bruce Copen, Dowsing for You (Sussex, England: Academic Publications, 1982), 5, cited in Hester, 70. )
Hester cites his own conclusion and then supplies a personal anecdote that underscores the power of the force operating behind dowsing:
It can be stated no more clearly, it is an outside force that moves the rod, not the slight muscle twitch of the dowser's arms. We watched and interviewed an internationally known dowser who, at our request used two pairs of pliers to hold his forked stick. The pull downward by some external force was so great it stripped the bark off the stick held in the pliers. We tried to pull the stick up from its downward position and found it necessary to exert what we estimated to be more than a ten pound pull. (Hester, 70. )
Another indication of the spiritistic nature of dowsing is that, as even dowsers confess, the dowsing power has an independent will of its own: The rod or the pendulum seems to take off spontaneously, moved by some force which you can't understand or control, and like anything supposedly inanimate which seems to have a will of its own, it can be unnerving. (Hitching, 68. )
It may even be best to pretend that the pendulum or the rod has an independent existence, its movements willed from outside in spite of your rational brain saying that this is impossible. The British dowsing instructor, Tom Graves puts it this way: "Treat the instrument as if it has a life and mind of its own, which in most senses it hasn't but that's beside the point. I sometimes think of instruments as being like cantankerous children: they won't work unless you ask them to, and certainly won't work if you try and force them to; they occasionally lie and sometimes sulk and refuse to work at all; so you have to use a little guile, a little ingenuity, and a little wit to get the results you need.... (Ibid., 79. )
NOTE MY EDITOR: Steve Van Nattan-- There is verbal activity involved in mediumistic powers: Isaiah 8:19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? The Dowser, in a certain respect, becomes a medium.
And, just as clearly, the dowsing power is not subject to human control:
Looking at the history of tests of dowsing ability held under controlled experimental conditions, it is clear that none of them have unambiguously proved dowsing to be a repeatable faculty to be summoned at will. (Ibid., 103. )
Dowsers have always been aware of a physical force they could not control. (Hester, 6. )
Once started in its movement [the implement] cannot be controlled or stopped by the dowser. This is the witness of every experienced dowser. They describe it in such terms as "almost frightening," "challenging," "exciting," and "my greatest experience." Dr. Bruce Copen of Sussex, England...describes this vividly..."one thing is very certain, that once the rod decides to move, it moves and nothing can stop it!" (Ibid., 69-70. )
It is also clear that, just like the spirit world, dowsing has access to supernatural information " information a person could not possibly know by normal means. The dowsing rod is supposedly able:
(1) to have total recall of past events,
(2) to foretell future events,
(3) to project itself through anything,
(4) to project itself anywhere instantaneously,
(5) to contain infinitely more information than it had ever been taught or heard of, and
(6) advise its present possessor on all things in a manner than [sic] can be classed as no less than superhuman. Some dowsers attribute these six characteristics to "the God within you." (Ibid., 104-5. )
In addition, because dowsing is practiced worldwide, this means the dowsing power can somehow respond to literally scores of foreign languages. The dowser must ask the device specific questions to receive specific answers. But how did an impersonal force learn every language under the sun? More to the point, how did it learn any language at all?
(7) Dowsing is a hazardous activity. In another text I have documented that numerous psychological, spiritual, and physical ailments may be associated with psychic and occult activities. (John Ankerberg and John Weldon, The Hazards of the Occult (tentative title), to be published by Harvest House, 1993. ) If dowsing is truly a psychic activity, it is logical to expect similar types of hazards. T. E. Coalson refers to the characteristic minor ailments, the "number of...physical discomforts in dowsing: malaise, headaches, tension, and irritability." (Coalson, 15. ) Hester observes: "That it is detrimental to the health of the dowser is a matter of record" and he supplies many illustrations. (Hester, 155. )
Other hazards are the more obvious ones, such as being deceived by the device (e.g., leading to financial loss) and incorrect medical diagnosis leading to further complications or death. "We found many well drillers reluctant to discuss dowsing, but after friendly conversation their reluctance changed to bitter denunciation of the dowsers and the financial havoc they create by their failures." (Ibid., 6. )
Frances Hitching quotes research chemist P. A. Orgley: "The nuisance value and the menace of dowsing is not sufficiently realized. A water or mineral witcher can cause an awful waste of private and public money. The medical witcher can cause a waste of public life." (Hitching, 104. )
Finally, Hester discusses his response to a Christian dowser who claimed the technique was harmless: The record is there for the reading....nausea, dizziness, convulsive pains, muscle spasms, loss of memory, fainting and headaches during and after the simplest type of dowsing -- water witching. Some dowsers do not recover their sense of well being for hours or many days after witching. This does not include the physical discomfort of some types of dowsing: bleeding hands, burning feet, the rod flying back to slap the dowser in the face as the water is located (we know of one dowser who wears a crash helmet to take the force of the blow)....Dr. Kurt Koch has told us of dowsers who, although apparently suffering none of the above effects, have fallen prey to severe psychic disturbances at a later date. Dr. Koch has also recorded case histories of severe psychological and psychic trauma by recipients of medical dowsing. We have written of the harm a dowser can cause a "victim" at will, but it is obvious that if this occult power is used to cause harm, it will seldom, if ever, be confessed. (Hester, 199-200. )
DOWSING AND SPIRITISM
I have summarized seven reasons that collectively assign dowsing an occultic status. This coincides with its use throughout history where the staff has been a tool of witchcraft, magic, sorcery, and other occult arts. Despite its modern explanations being couched in scientific or psychological language, the occult nature of dowsing has not changed throughout the centuries. I agree with several critics who have pointed out after an exhaustive analysis that "everything we have presented here shows that the forked stick or any other dowsing device has nothing but occult associations." (E.g., Ibid., 156. ) But even dowsers will occasionally confess to the occult nature of their art.
The former president of the British Society of Dowsers, Major General Jedyll Scott Elliot, made the following comment to George Crite at the annual convention of the American Society of Dowsers. This was reported in an article, "Water Witching" by George Crite himself, in New Times magazine: "What all of us are doing at this convention is witchcraft; in another age we could have been burned for it." (Quoted in Ibid., 7. )
Some dowsers also admit connections to the spirit world. A report on one dowsing seminar confessed that "dowsers...are always surrounded by discarnate entities eager to express themselves....They most easily accomplish this by breaking in and influencing the movement of whatever dowsing instruments are being used...." (William Vrooman, "Dowsing for Health: Mental and Spiritual Bodies of Human and Non-Human Entities," The American Dowser, November 1977, 151. )
Another dowsing instructor personally revealed to Hester that his real source of power was a spirit entity and that "several well-known historical figures were his 'spirit guides.'" Further: "Verne L. Cameron, the grand old man of dowsing, known all over the world for his ability, and completely generous in sharing his 'know-how' tells in Aquavideo that his decision to dowse (he was primarily a water dowser) is nothing more than getting in touch with a spirit entity. He makes it sound like a most beneficial experience, saying that the entity will tell you things you never dreamed of." (Ibid., 44, 114. )
A former dowser who became a Christian concluded that dowsing was "nothing more than an instrument of divination. The spirit that takes over the mind of the passive dowser is a divining spirit as described in the Bible." (Pfeifer, 104. )
Even Hitching, a dowser, admits: "The use of the pendulum in dowsing seems to have grown naturally out of its ancient use, worldwide, among priests and seers to divine the future and receive messages from the world of the spirits." (Hitching, 60. )
All this is why, after years of research into dowsing, including discussions with many leading dowsers, Hester concluded that "we can be no more positive than to state that dowsing is making contact with the spirit world just as certainly as using the Ouija Board. The spirit world contacted is the world of evil spirits or angels under the leadership of Satan." (Hester, 157. )
In conclusion, dowsing is neither a scientific technique nor a natural human ability. It is a spiritistic power used by dowsers who only think they are using a natural or divine gift. Unfortunately, they are really practicing a forbidden art.
John Weldon
Senior Systems Administrator
ECommerce Network Resource Group, Inc.
Cell:
763.438.0007
Office: 612.340.1110
Mailto:allakall321@outlook.com
FROM THE SKEPTICAL ENQUIRER FAQ PAGE
Editor-- Steve Van Nattan: These are NOT Christians-- They are Atheists!
2.5: Does dowsing work?
Dowsing is the art of finding underground water by extra-sensory perception. Sometimes tools are used. The traditional one is a forked hazel stick. When held in the correct way this will twitch in response to small muscle movements in the back and shoulders. Another tool that has become popular in recent years is a pair of rods mounted in tubes that are held in each hand just in front of the user.
When water (or something else) is dowsed, the rods turn towards each other. Like the forked hazel stick it amplifies small movements of the arm and shoulder muscles.
Unfortunately careful tests of dowsers have revealed absolutely no ability to find water or anything else by extra-sensory perception. Dowsing success stories can be explained by noting that wherever you dig you will find water. You just have to dig deep enough. It has also been suggested that dowsers may unconsciously use clues in the environment. Dowsing became associated with the crop circle phenomena in the 80s, but dowsers were shown to be able to pick up 'earth energy vortices' in circles which had been faked with lawn rollers and the like...
James Randi has tested more than 100 dowsers (I don't know the actual count). He tells that only 2 tried to cheat. This suggests that dowsers are basically honest people.
The Skeptical Inquirer has published a number of articles on dowsing. James Randi's "A Controlled Test of Dowsing" was in vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 16-20. Michael Martin's "A New Controlled Dowsing Experiment" was in vol. 8, pp. 138-140. Dick Smith's "Two Tests of Divining in Australia" was in vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 34-37. Randi's book Flim-Flam! has a section on dowsing. The main skeptical book about dowsing is Vogt, E.Z. and Hyman R. (1959, 2nd edition 1979) "Water witching USA". The University of Chicago Press. 260 pages. Available as a paperback.
Editor-- Steve Van Nattan: It is important to understand that devils involved in dowsing may choose to not empower the dowser. This could be for a number of reasons, but the most obvious is that, if they sense that there are those present to do not believe dowsing is real, they will not perform because the non-believers will keep right on not believing. That is the nature of people like those at the Skeptical Enquirer.
A STORY-- DURAMI, ETHIOPIA
When we were missionaries in Ethiopia with the Sudan Interior Mission, circa 1974, an interesting and fearful thing happened at the Durami Mission Station. This station had been founded in the early days of the ministry of the Sudan Interior Mission. The original station was modest at the time of its founding, which is typical, and it evolved over the years to include a clinic and a school. This too is a very typical way for a mission station to progress.
The problem was with the water. In the early days at Durami the water supply, which came from a spring, was adequate. But, as ministries were added, the spring could no longer meet the need. Rain water was collected, but that method was not reliable every year. The missionary in charge decided to open the spring and put a wall around it. When he did this, the spring dried up and came up down the way in a neighboring farmer's land. Durami mission station was in serious trouble.
It was decided to ask the Presbyterian Mission if they would loan their well rig to the Sudan Interior Mission to drill a well at Durami. The Presbyterians agreed, and the rig was sent to Durami. This meant driving the well rig at creeping speed most of the way because the road to Durami was treacherous and only borderline for any vehicle, let alone a monster like a well rig. This trip took several weeks as I recall.
As the well rig was on the way, it was discussed as to where to drill for water. Rather than pray and ask the Lord for direction, the leaders accepted the assistance of a lady missionary who claimed to have the "gift" of dowsing. The lady was not famous for her spiritual depth and insight, and her husband was of the good old boy variety, and he had no opinion on the matter. Some of us wondered if the couple were even born again, and certain national church leaders were convinced she was NOT saved. The missionary leader at Durami was desperate and also failed to seek the Lord in the thing.
The lady DID witch the well, and she DID find water, and it was undoubtedly not because there was water everywhere, as in Wisconsin and Ohio. It is often thought that water witching in much of the USA is just based on the fact that we have water under almost every square foot of this nation, even in much of the desert of the southwest. This was not the case at Durami, so those who were observing this all agreed that something spiritual happened. God was given the glory, but a good number of the missionary family in the mission were not pleased with the witching, AND, we were aggravated that God was brought into the thing afterward.
The well rig was sent creeping back over the terrible roads to the Presbyterian Mission and the next place which needed it. A missionary was sent to the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, to purchase well casing and pump. This was not installed when the well was drilled because the soil was so rocky and tight that it was not needed to do the actual drilling. But, the casing was now needed to finish the well.
While the missionary was in Addis Ababa buying the casing, local Durami goat herding boys came on the mission station one day, and they filled the well hole to the top with stones. God DID get the glory in the end when he lead the naughty boys to fill the well. The well would have to be drilled again to clear the rocks, and thet never happened. When we left Ethiopia, the leaders of SIM Ministries were not sure what to do next. They all had a strong impression that the well was cursed by God, and they did not want to try to clear the hole and use it. No one wanted to talk about the fiasco. I don't know what happened to Durami. But I DO know that God showed what He thought of Water Witching there.
Psalms 119:21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.
FOOTNOTE TO DURAMI STORY
Kerr Cuhulain at witchvox.com makes a large project of mocking at me, Steve Van Nattan, seeking to debunk my editorial with lies and prevarications. He commented about this article, and here is his take on the Durami well account.
Following John Weldon's article, Van Nattan gives us "A Story- Durami, Ethiopia", which tells of missionaries in Ethiopia witnessing dowsing by one of the missionaries. Water for the well was successfully located by the missionary doing the dowsing. He claims that in the end "God DID get the glory" as, while the missionary went to Addis Adaba, a group of goat herds filled the well with rocks. I contend that this is a better example of what the goat herds thought of the missionaries than an example of divine justice by Jehovah.
The fact is, the goat herds loved the missionaries because they provided a school and a clinic for the local people which vastly raised their health and knowledge of the world. Cuhulain is the classic cynic as to the work of Christians around the world. This is because he hates Jesus Christ, God the Father, me, and all Christians.
While I highly value having such enemies to present before the throne of Jesus Christ one day, I need to make it clear that the finding of water was not the work of God. If it had been, God would have prevented the evil done by the boys.
TESTIMONY OF DELIVERANCE
Though
these people did not involve themselves with Dowsing and Water Witching, the rest
of the discussion deals with Dowsing and all sorts of mediumistic activity. I
had to bring this article to this page because the site where I found it would
jump ahead to a 404 page. I trapped it, and here it is:
Testimony: Bondage to the Enemy
Ron and Becky had been married for three years when they sought the help of a counselor. Becky had come to Christ five years before, but had struggled daily with thoughts that she feared sharing with anyone. In fact, she had struggled with depression and negative thoughts for most of her life.
Becky had grown up in a non-Christian home. Her father was addicted to pornography and her mother was involved in the occult. As a young girl, her mother exposed her to fortune tellers, seances and other occult practices. Becky’s curiosity lead her to books on the occult. In high school, she began to listen to heavy rock music that glorified Satan. As a result she became rebellious. Because the music was so much a part of her life, it led to other occult activities with her friends.
Becky married a young man named Ron who had been raised in a Roman Catholic family. His parents had encouraged him to participate in every area of church life. In high school his mother had encouraged him to buy a special crucifix to wear as a necklace. It had been dedicated to a Roman Catholic saint and was supposed to protect whoever wore it. He was faithful in wearing it until the chain broke. Within twenty minutes, he was involved in accident and broken arm. He immediately purchased a new chain for his crucifix to prevent any more tragedies.
When God blessed their marriage with a lovely little boy, they decided it might be important to start attending church. They chose a community church nearby. The first Sunday they felt a battle within. As the pastor spoke on Paul’s conversion, they found it difficult to stay in the auditorium. Later that week they received a visit from a family from the church offering spiritual help. They shared the gospel with Ron and Becky who both trusted Christ as their personal Savior.
The next week, everything seemed to go to pieces. Ron started having suicidal thoughts while Becky had negative thoughts causing her depression to become unbearable. When Becky called the family who had offered help, they suggested a visit from their pastor. When he arrived, he asked them to relate all they were experiencing. At first they were fearful but when he revealed to them how the enemy seeks to control people through past activities, they began to open up.
For years Becky had been visited by demons in her bedroom after which she would lie awake for hours terrified. She had never told Ron fearing he would not understand and think something was wrong with her. That evening she confessed each area of her life that she had yielded to the enemy through her occult involvement and also confessed each of her mother’s occult activities.
After resolving each area, she turned to Ron and indicated that his crucifix was also an occult item. At first he reacted with resistance but then realized that it too was related to the occult. As he removed it from off his neck, the enemy entered the room. The pastor prayed, commanding the enemy to leave through the power and blood of Christ. Peace filled the room. The pastor then gave Becky a prayer to use if the enemy ever entered her bedroom again. The enemy had sought control of them through areas of their lives they had allowed him into in the past, but God gave them freedom from that enslavement.
When the pastor met with Ron and Becky the next week, Becky began to share that she had never experienced freedom like this before. She was no longer plagued with depression and negative thoughts and Ron’s fear and suicidal thoughts disappeared. They were excited to be free and began to study the Word of God. They were enjoying the fulfillment that God designed for them.
So, what does this have to do with water witching or dowsing?
The first article by John Weldon makes it very clear that borrowing power from devils and Satan leads to self-delusion and even physical and mental disorders. If you or a friend have been into water witching, and if you claim to be a born again Christian, you absolutely are affected by devils, and you are not right with God. The only choice you have is to denounce your powers of water witching, preferably with another God-fearing Christian present to help, and covenant never to play with this occult power again. You may be delivered from other issues in your life which torment you, but if not, at least you have cut the bond you have with devils, and God will now bless your service for him.
STUDY AND DISCUSSION LESSON
Freedom from the Enemy's Control
Christ's purpose is to give eternal life; Satan's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Christ gives eternal life and fulfillment to those who trust in Him and become children of God. Satan's purpose is the opposite. His goal is to steal rob Christians of Christ centered fulfillment and to destroy God's influence in their lives.
Paul warns believers in Ephesians 4:21 not to give place to the devil.
Ephesians 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.
The term translated "place" is a Greek word meaning "base of operation or opportunity."
Satan is constantly looking for opportunities to set up combat bivouac right in our own lives. In the context of this passage, Paul is talking about sinful practices such as lying, anger, stealing, corrupt speech, bitterness, wrath, clamor and malice that allow Satan to gain a foothold within our lives. When we commit sins without confessing them, we give Satan territory that he then uses to seek to control us thereby destroying our effectiveness for the Lord.
Christians who minister deliverance in Christ to other believers talk about "opening a door to Satan." This is not just figurative speech. The door of our soul is spoken of regarding both Jesus Christ and Satan:
John 10:2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep (Jesus Christ).
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I (Jesus Christ) stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Psalms 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Matthew 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.This man failed to close the door, and he failed to invite Jesus Christ into his life so that the devil who returns finds God in residence and flees.
Ephesians 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.
Here is an example of devils trying to enter Paul's ministry by stealth, indeed, by telling the truth:
Acts 16:16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,
20 And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
21 And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.The girl was tempting Paul to accept this great local publicity to enhance him ministry. Preachers, evangelists, and faith healers often accept ungodly people who exalt the preacher, fill the offering plate and get the pews filled. This is deadly, and it is nothing less than Satan, through devil possessed servants of his, trying to control the work of the ministry. The most pernicious form of this trick today is when Freemasons and Opus Dei enter the local church and exalt the pastor.
Many Bible believing pastors watch their national government like a hawk for signs of trying to take control of people and of Churches. Meanwhile, some seemingly sincere new attender is gathered into the ministry at once after he drops a couple hundred dollars in the offering plate. Watch this devil tell the pastor, "Preacher, you are working too hard. Here is a hundred dollars for you to take your wife to a really nice restaurant this week." Inhale deep, preacher, throw the door wide open-- Satan is INSIDE your church, and your heart is now filled with egomaniac thoughts. The Lord Jesus is on the outside knocking on the door to get back in.
We either resist the evil one's influence or we relinquish control to his power. The enemy cannot take ground without our cooperation and permission. While he can put thoughts in our minds or place temptation in our paths, we choose to either follow or resist. We close the door, or we open the door. When we give ground to the enemy through yielding to sin, we are actually giving him permission to control that area of our life. In Proverbs, Solomon describes the enemy's control through immoral activity by saying:
Proverbs 5:22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.
23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
Satan has five goals:
• Satan wants to outwit or take advantage of us. II Cor. 2:10-1 4, I Peter 5:8
• Satan attempts to ensnare us to do his will. II Tim. 2:26
• Satan's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. John 10:10
• Satan seeks to confuse us to keep us from understanding God's Word. Mark 4:15
• Satan's goal is to distort the truth. John 8:44Sin has a way of enslaving us.
Christ said, John 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
A person who practices sin or is exposed to a sinful pattern may become trapped by that particular sin. As ground is given to the enemy, a person becomes enslaved. Jesus came to free us from the enslavement of sin (John 8:36). Paul warned believers to not allow sin to "reign" (exercise kingly power, control, or dominate) them.
Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
Each of us has a choice. We can either be enslaved to sin or enslaved to righteousness (Rom. 6:16-17, 22).
The enemy seeks to take control of an individual through...
• Rebellion (I Sam. 15:23). Ground is given to the enemy through rebellion in the same way it is given through witchcraft. When you leave a church event and say, "I got nothing out of that," a devil jumps up on your shoulder and starts telling you to keep judging that pastor and church by how much YOU get out of it.
• Interest or participation in occult activities. Curiosity and participation in seemingly harmless activities lead to more harmful ones until a person is trapped and cannot get free from the control of the enemy.
• Moral failure. Individuals who participate in pornography, prostitution or other immoral activities open their lives to the control of Satan. Men involved in pornography have brought home demonic problems to their wives. A woman who has been raped by a man involved in the occult, will many times struggle with occult problems. Within Satanic ritual, women are wed to Satan leading to severe problems.
• Religious fetishes. Many religious groups, such as the Roman Catholic Church, sell items that are designed to protect or provide a special blessing. Anytime you make a fetish of physical objects or locations you are becoming enslaved to things rather than to Christ. Satan's devils see this, and they enhance it. Preacher, can you get just as excited about leading a sinner to Christ as you get when someone "walks the aisle" and kneels on that magic twelve square feet of carpet in front of your pulpit? If not, you are a slave of a fetish form of soul winning.
• Drugs. Drugs open the mind to the enemy's control. Also, prescription drugs can alter the mind so much that they can open the door to devils.
• Music. The enemy is drawn to a person through the specific music that he listens to. The more off beat, and the more sensual and vile the words, the more the door opens. If you are present at a performance in which the performer is talking filthy and flashing demonic hand signs, and if you do not flee at once, you could go home possessed of devils.
Victory from the enslavement of sin and the enemy is possible.
The Word of God gives seven keys to freedom. Freedom from sinful strongholds is possible...
• Through separation from sin (becoming dead to sin...unresponsive). Rom. 6:11, Gal. 5:24
• Through intimacy with Christ/God. Phil. 1:21, Hebrews 12:1-2, James 4:7-8, Gal. 2:20
• Through resisting the devil. James 4:7
• Through a yielded life. Rom. 6:13,12:1-2
• Through taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. II Cor. 10:5, Col. 3:1-2, Rom. 12:2
• Through the Word of God... truth. Ps. 119:133,11 Tim. 3:16-17
• Through being filled (controlled) by the Holy Spirit. Gal. 5:16, Eph. 5:18Applying these seven keys from the Word of God gives freedom from sinful strongholds in a person's life. Victory from the enemy and from enslavement to sin is possible through Christ.
Check each area in which you have participated, both in the past and present. If your parents or family were involved, write their names by the specific area.
Astral-projection (out of body experiences)
Crystal ball
Table lifting or body lifting
Magic eight ball
Quija board
Using spells or curses
Mental control of others
Automatic writing
Spirit guides
Fortune telling
Tarot cards
Palm reading
Tea leaves
Amulets
Charms
Omens
Astrology-horoscope
Hypnosis
Seances
Black or white magic
Dungeons and dragons
Fantasy role-playing games
Games involving occult power
Occult games involving violence
Blood pacts
Good luck charms
Sexual spirits
New Age medicine
Consulted a Spiritist
Consulted a medium
Consulted a channeller
Consulted a psychic
Cast magic spells
Witchcraft
Voodoo
Satan worship
Imaginary playmate
Martial arts (karate)
Mind control
Speaking in a trance
Visionary dreams
Ghosts
Materialization
Clairvoyance
Mental suggestion
Nagging thoughts within
Hearing voices in your mind
Mind swapping
Fetishism (objects of worship)
Visualization
Yoga
Transcendental meditation
Magic rituals
Bloody Mary (seance)
Roman Catholic Amulets
Occult music (glorifies Satan)
Demonic tongues
Association with people in witchcraft
Use of magic in healing
Water witching/dowsing
Occult books or literature
Telepathy
Occult Phenomena
Hearing unusual sounds
Seeing a ghost or large dark image
Seeing objects move
Supernatural knowledge
Personality change
Extra sensory perception
Feeling presence of evil
Having objects disappear
Hearing unusual voices
Supernatural strength
Demonic nightmares
UFO obsessions
Holy Laughter
Aliens and alleged reptillians
Some street magic
Exposure to False Teaching
Member of a cult
Mega churches
Freemasons
Christian Science
Science of the mind
The Way International
Unification church (Moonies)
EST
Church of the Living Word
Scientology
Unitarianism
Roy Masters
Silva mind control
Hare Krishna
Bahaism
Islam, Muslim, Black Muslim
Buddhism
Rosicrucianism
Native American Spirit Worship
Hinduism
Unity
Mormonism
Islam
Buddhism
Jehovah Witnesses
Children of God
Herbert W. Armstrong
Echkankar
Father Divine
Inner Peace movement
New Age seminar
The Charismatic movement, especially the leaders
Drug Use
LSD
STP
Heroin
Amphetamine (uppers)
Nembutal (downers)
Marijuana
Hashish
Cocaine
PCP
Glue sniffing
Extacy
THC
Peyote
Other street drugs
Psychotropic drungs
Breaking
Occult Bondage
Personal Involvement in Occult activity
"Lord, I confess that I participated in ________________________. I ask Your forgiveness and I renounce that activity I ask You, Lord Jesus, to take back ground yielded to the enemy through my participation and I yield that ground to Your control. I pray that You would break any bondage my involvement will have on my children."
Acknowledge Source of Occult Issues
"I acknowledge that I have been involved in occult activity or that generations of my family were involved in activities that led to I renounce any activity my family or I were involved in that led to the ___________________ I am experiencing. I ask You, Lord Jesus, to take back the ground given to the enemy through my participation and I yield that ground to Your control."
Generational Sins of Parents/Family
Lord, I confess that_________ participated in ____________
name activityI ask Your forgiveness and I renounce that activity I ask You, Lord, to take back the ground they gave to the enemy through their involvement and I yield that ground to Your control. I pray that You would break any bondage their involvement will have on my children."
Drug Use
"Lord, I confess that I gave ground to the enemy through my use of the drug ______________ I ask Your forgiveness and renounce that activity I ask You, Lord, to take back the ground I gave the enemy and I yield that ground to Your control."
Questions for Personal Study or Discussion
• What influence can Satan have on the life of the believer who has given ground to the enemy through sin?
• How have you dealt with spiritual attacks from the enemy in the past?
• In what ways has the enemy taken advantage of you? II Cor. 2:10-14
• How does the enemy destroy a believer's life through distorting the truth (what they believe)? John 8:44
• What sins have you felt enslaved to (controlled by)?
Which of these principles have you applied In the past to resolve bondage to sin and the enemy? Which ones do you need to apply today?
Being dead to sin (unresponsive to the impulses of sin). Rom. 6:11
Intimacy with Christ. Phil. 1:21
Resisting the devil. James 4:17
Yielding to Christ. Rom. 6:13
Taking every thought captive. II Cor. 10:5
The Word of God -truth. Psalms 119:133
Being filled with the Holy Spirit. Gal. 5:16, Eph. 5:18
VIDEOS:
ALLEGED SCIENCE FINDS AN ANSWER TO DOWSING.
This is absolute nonsense. It is vain speculation to try to apply it to dowsing.
LINKS:
Second site on Pendulum Dowsing
BOLD CLAIMS BY A NOTED DOWSER THAT THE ART IS SPIRITUAL:
http://www.isleofavalon.co.uk/edu/archive/sig/spirdowsing0.htmlGOD SOURCE ON OCCULT PRACTICES:
http://www.farsinet.com/truth/index2.htmlMORMONISM AND DOWSING:
http://www.saintsalive.com/mormonism/thetruthabout.htmCHRISTIAN DELIVERANCE FROM BONDAGE:
http://www.faith-ministries.fsnet.co.uk/freeman/occult.htmPROMOTION OF DOWSING BY A SATANIST-- LOTS LINKS:
http://earthsky.com/BBS/Observers-Notebook/19x5.htmlGULLIBLE FOOLS ABOUND:
http://sepwww.stanford.edu/sep/jon/dowsing.htmlNON-CHRISTIAN SKEPTICS DON'T BELIEVE IN DOWSING:
http://wheel.dcn.davis.ca.us/~btcarrol/skeptic/dowsing.htmlMEDIUMISTIC HEALTH AND DOWSING:
http://www.heall.com/body/altmed/definitions/treatments5.htmlPRO DOWSING AND SKEPTICAL WEB PAGE LINKS:
http://www.phact.org/e/dowsing.htmLOOK WHERE DOWSING LANDS:
http://www.ozelink.com/natures_energies/PERSONAL TESTIMONY OF A PAGAN:
http://wlake.com/hicks/yellow.html---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE PENDULUM IN PARTICULAR:
We deal with this in late 2002 because Fundamental Baptists
from a famous school in the USA are now using the pendulum to
determine who is right with the Lord and to make decisions on church life."The pendulum is a tool that bridges the gap between the logical left brain and the intuitive right brain. By interpreting the movements of a swinging pendulum, you can tune into your intuition, find the answer to any question, and locate objects and energy centers in the earth."
READ MOREEXAMPLE OF WHO SELLS PENDULUMS:
http://www.nowgetcreative.com/et.htmTHE WITCH SHOP SELLS PENDULUMS:
http://www.thewitchshop.net/pendulums.asp"ROD" and "PENDULUM":
They are objects used by a diviner for detecting the so called "earth rays". - The "rod", is usually a forked twig taken from a willow tree; fish bone and metals are also used. - The "pendulum", is a metal disk suspended by a thread. The "earth rays", have their basis in the earth's magnetic field... but it is not it!... though the rod and pendulum respond to this mysterious force, attempts to locate its point of origin have met with failure. The lack of understanding of this phenomenon has lent credence to superstitions prominent in occult practices.IF A FEELY FEELY METHODIST CAN FIGURE THIS OUT,
HOW ON EARTH CAN A FUNDAMENTAL BAPTIST NOT ALSO
FIGURE OUT WHEN HE IS PLAYING WITH SATAN'S TOYS?:
http://home.san.rr.com/healing/occult.htm
IN FACT, IF YOUR PASTOR USES ANY OF THE OCCULT PROCEDURES
IN THE LIST ON THIS LINKED PAGE, HE IS A SATANIST. YOU MAY WELL
BECOME POSSESSED WITH DEVILS IF YOU STAY NEAR HIM.WHAT IS A PENDULUM?-- This is very bad company!
A Pendulum is a balanced weight on the end of a string. It is used to answer questions and guide the user.... it tends to be VERY, VERY, accurate. The Pendulum is derived from the diving rod. The ancient druids used one tnh plot the location of Stonehenge. In the rest of this file, I will be going over how to make one, use one, and look at some of the great uses that can be posed.THOUGH SATAN CAN EMPOWER THE PENDULUM,
YOU NEED TO SEE WHAT RATIONAL PEOPLE THINK OF IT:
http://users.powernet.co.uk/orion/o_practice.htmCHRISTIAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE ON THE PENDULUM:
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/cri/cri-jrnl/web/crj0099a.htmlPENDULUM DEFINED:
http://www.spiritonline.com/dictionary/p.htmlWHO SELLS PENDULUMS?
http://www.gaymart.com/shoptfj/2item/i004609.htmlSEX AND THE PENDULUM:
http://www.parascope.com/en/slips03.htmHIT THE LINGAM LINK: (No one under 18 please):
http://www.pendulumworks.com/goddess.htm
BACK TO WAR ROOM- General Wickedness
BACK TO ENTRY PAGE OF HE JOURNAL
Header graphic from Wiki Commons
ge