Are Ouija Boards Satanic?

Aggie Catholic ^ | 6/9/2010 | Marcel LeJeune

[markomalley]

Q - Is using a Ouija Board ok, if just for fun? Also, what do you think of the comments at the bottom of this website? I can't believe that Hasbro makes this and Toys 'R Us sells them!


A - Thanks for the questions. I think my answers might just surprise some of our readers.

The origin of these boards is not from a game. Rather, they come from a practice of "channeling" or "divination". Channeling is asking the dead to give us answers to questions or power and is an ancient - and dangerous - practice. Thus, the word "occult" = "hidden". The Bible speaks directly to this practice:

Let there not be found among you anyone who immolates his son or daughter in the fire, nor a fortune-teller, soothsayer, charmer, diviner, or caster of spells, nor one who consults ghosts and spirits or seeks oracles from the dead. Anyone who does such things is an abomination to the LORD, and because of such abominations the LORD, your God, is driving these nations out of your way. - Deuteronomy 18: 10-12

He practiced soothsaying and divination, and reintroduced the consulting of ghosts and spirits. He did much evil in the LORD'S sight and provoked him to anger. - 2 Kings 21:6

And when they say to you, "Inquire of mediums and fortune-tellers (who chirp and mutter!); should not a people inquire of their gods, apply to the dead on behalf of the living?" - Is 8:19

So, the history of divination and channeling is ancient, but it has some more modern forms, which have become popular again from various sources, including - New Age practices, the Occult, fortune-telling, Wicca, astrology, and "games" such as the Ouija Board. All of these have Pagan spiritual origins and should never be practiced by Christians.

Ultimately, this is a dangerous practice because it is an attempt to seek spiritual power from somewhere other than God. If this is the case, then demons or evil spirits are most likely the ones supplying it. We open ourselves up to demonic influence if we do so - to the point of having possession being possible down the line.

Some might think this is an overreaction and that it is just fun. I have heard some say - at most, it is a spooky time for kids to pretend they can talk to the dead. But, demons can work through this kind of attitude to quietly induce someone to their way of thinking and acting.

A personal disbelief in the power of Satan, does not make his power go away. Just ask an exorcist who has had to fight with such demons. They will not beat around the bush in regards to such practices.

The danger is very real.

Thus, the Catechism states:

2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future.48 Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

2117 All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity.

So, in answer to your question - I believe the Ouija Board and other kinds of New Age practices to be very dangerous. I also think it is scandalous that they are marketing it as a "game" and so many people accept such things uncritically.

[ScoopAmma]

Catholic school girl here. Sister Mary Helen said it was a sin to “play” with one. She was scary but hell has to be worse than her. Never touched it!

[fieldmarshaldj]

Chutes and Ladders. That’s where the Dark One resides.

[Dixie Yooper]

Satan may be real, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t live in a Ouija board.

At least not since the creation of the SUV.

[Dead Corpse]

Crap. Now I'm gonna have to get that Exorcist back out to have another go at my daughter. She loves Chutes and Ladders.

I assume Silent Hill 3 is still ok for the kids to play though? ;-)

[I Buried My Guns]

The Ouija board is merely Satan's Blackberry.

You'd do well to ignore his texts.

[Dead Corpse]

Ok... Now that was funny right there. :-)

[Dayman]

Apparently so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNkrpkk5Gwg

[Dixie Yooper]

Chutes and Ladders. That’s where the Dark One resides.

A fun game until someone looses. Then you see a real posessed soul go on a rant.

[Terry Mross]

My belief is if you play with the board you open yourself up to evil. I don’t advise “playing” with evil.

And since I believe in Christ, I believe in “evil” .... it’s mentioned in the Lord’s prayer.

[Dead Corpse]

No, MY Blackberry is Satan's Blackberry and I really wish you'd stop sending pictures to me...

Sorry. I just can't take topics like this seriously.

[Xenalyte]

So Ouija boards are knocking up chicks?

Color ME surprised. All this time, I thought it was guys who did that.

[Palmetto]

Wonder if the 10’ flames had anything to do with the kerosene?

[tired&retired]

“If used wrong, they can also be extremely harmful to the user.”

I've cleaned up quite a few messes created by people using these boards. It's not the board per say, it's the intent and lack of discernment of the person using it.

The problem is, divination methods do work, but the user almost always lacks the ability to discern the motive of the spirit being summoned.

Imagine that I told you exactly what was going to happen to you tomorrow, in detail. In disbelief, tomorrow evening you came back to me and confirmed that I was correct. Again, I told you what would happen the next day in detail. You returned that evening, absolutely amazed at my accuracy. To which I told you that the following day, something very bad was going to happen to you unless you did exactly as I said.

That is how an impostor guides good intentioned individuals to do bad things. First get their trust and then lead them astray. There is only one way to make sure that what you are getting is Divine, and that is to learn discernment and go to the source yourself. Don't use an intermediary.

The same thing is true in meditation and prayer. There are many false intermediaries who interject without having pure motive.

[DBrow]

Lots of religions, Christianity included, seek interventions or intercessions from the dead. We call them saints, but they are still dead.

The injunctions and fears of the Ouija board indicates that people think that they work- if we didn’t believe in them, they would not be popular.

[Dead Corpse]

It's my belief that you will end up feedbacking on your own imagination to a point where you may end up psychologically damaging yourself.

This happens mostly to people who are extremely susceptible to suggestion in the first place. Like Democrats...

[Tennessee Nana]

Well theyre not Christian...

[trisham]

Uh-uh. Candy Land. Satanic.

[GeronL]

could be

[Dead Corpse]

[trisham]

So, the history of divination and channeling is ancient, but it has some more modern forms, which have become popular again from various sources, including - New Age practices, the Occult, fortune-telling, Wicca, astrology, and "games" such as the Ouija Board. All of these have Pagan spiritual origins and should never be practiced by Christians.

**********************

Actually, all kidding aside, I do think it is best for people, particularly children, to avoid these things.