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Is it ok to watch Paranormal shows on TV?
Being a Christian I am times watch paranormal TV. Like Paranormal state of mind and Ghost Hunters. Now I know that what these people speak to are demons and NOT dead people and I don't practice it myself.. although before I got saved I did. Another Christian told me that it is ok to watch that stuff once in a while as long as you know what the truth is? I am a bit confused on this!
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Permalink Reply by Janet on
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I personally don't believe that souls of people get be trapped, I believe that when you die you either go to heaven or hell. I don't believe in a inbetween. Now I use to before I got saved but the word of God says. That the dead know nothing, it as if they are sleeping. And I believe in what the Lord says. Demons can manifest themselves into anything they like.. that is why they are called familiar spirits and decieving spirits.
God bless you, Janet.
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Question: "What are familiar spirits?"
Answer: The word "familiar" is from the Latin familiaris, meaning a "household servant," and is intended to express the idea that sorcerers had spirits as their servants ready to obey their commands. Those attempting to contact the dead, even to this day, usually have some sort of spirit guide who communicates with them. These are familiar spirits.
Leviticus 19:31, 20:6, 20:27 and Deuteronomy 18:9-14 refer to “mediums and familiar spirits” and forbids being involved in them, as a they are an abomination to the Lord. The medium was one who acted as a “go-between” to supposedly contact or communicate with the dead, but in reality they were contacting demons who convinced the mediums that they were “familiar” and could be trusted and believed. The practices associated with mediums and familiar spirits were banned in Israel, and the punishment for practicing such things was death.
To this day, familiar spirits (demons) are under the control of their master, Satan. They influence people to spread lies and deceit in order to thwart the kingdom of God. Knowingly opening oneself to the work of demons is an evil thing: "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in [a] the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD," (Deuteronomy 18:10-12a).
Some avenues through which demons, a.k.a. "familiar spirits," can gain entrance into a person's life are divination, transcendental meditation, visualization, necromancy, witchcraft, drugs, and alcohol. These are all activities that believers are exhorted, commanded even, to avoid. Instead, we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, with love, with joy, and with the fullness of life that comes from Jesus Christ. We are also to be on guard, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12).
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Permalink Reply by Carla on
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Hi Janet,
God is not the author of confusion. If it were ok, I don't think you would have any confusion in this matter. Plunge into His Word!
Love in Christ, carla
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Permalink Reply by natasha on
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what goes in comes out. i really understand what you mean, but we should
guard our minds for like our body, its a temple of God. even though i am 13..
i try and make sure that i watch things that glorfie God and things that i would watch if Jesus was
`right there in person.
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Permalink Reply by ScribeD on
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Janet, before I was a believer I had been involved with numerous things that opened me up to the occult and spiritual forces of darkness. The darkness of those spirits was both powerful and deceptive.
If I may, I highly discourage watching these shows. The enemy uses these kind of things to fill your mind with seeds of conflict and doubt. He will use those to create strongholds in the citadel of your mind.
The wiles of the Devil frequently ride into your soul on "harmless" notions, like salmanilla on barbecued chicken. It tastes fine going in, but sets you up for a crisis later.
I encourage you to pray for Jesus to deliver you from the desire to watch these programs, pray for those who are also deceived and then flee from this. Set yourself up to do something to grow in the spirit at those times, instead of polluting your soul with these programs.
You will be transformed and grow in the spirit much faster, if you choose to do it during times when you are tempted to hear the soothing voice of the devil.
My scriptural validation for this is:
Romans 1:32 "Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of (or applaud) those who practice them."
Ephesians 4:17-18,20-24
17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. ….. 20You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. ….27and do not give the devil a foothold.
When I came to Christ, I quckly made a conclusion that ALL of my former ways had to be put off (thrown away). I burned the records and tapes, burned videos, and burned some of my books. I quit going to any movies that had anything to do with sorcery, spiritualism or the like. Worldly people mocked me for it - but I knew I was putting off the former way of life. It made all the difference.
Blessings and peace in Christ,
Scribe
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Hello Scribe,
I agree with you ... but putting away the former things is easier said then done. I have been struggling with trying to do that since I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior on June 22, 2003. My whole life since I was born has always been around occult things and that is how I was raised even though my parents raised me as Catholic, my Father was always into some form of witchcraft. And even now I am around it all the time. I go to my parents house and all they talk about are the things they see in their house, "dead people" which I believe are demons, that are decieving them. My Father spends a lot of his time recording them and watching ghost hunters and paranormal state of mind. Those are his favorite shows. And I don't want to not see my parents, I have been trying to witness to my Father but he does not believe in nor understand being born again.. even though I try and explain it to him. My Mother is saved but she has mental illness and is very influenced by my Father.
The past always comes back to haunt me, I wish I never ever got into the things I did and trying put away the old nature is very hard! But I have changed a lot.. I am not into the things I use to once be into .. the vampirism, witchcraft and the satanism. the only things I really struggle with are watching those paranormal TV shows. I have been going to church.. and fellowshipping.. I have been trying very hard to read the word but that is another area I really struggle with. I am so glad I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I did because who knows where I'd be today! Jesus has set me free from so many things I just wish I could be a lot better in my walk with the Lord Jesus. It's been almost five years now since I have been saved and I am still having a lot of problems reading the word of God and I know that it is satan hindering me because I have tried everything possible to read it and understand it .. sometimes the desire is not even there but deep inside at the same time I feel the hunger to read his word and when I do it only lasts for a few days and then I change.. I get bad nightmares I fall into a deep depression for a few weeks.. and I get tempted all the time to get back into vampirism but I don't because the Truth has set me free! I just could not get back into something that is a lie and the same for those paranormal TV shows.. they are a lie to but all I do is watch them.
I struggle with a lot of other things to which I can't get into because it is very deep and complicated and only God would understand. I have spoken to my Brothers and Sisters about it but they are fast to judge and have a one way mind. And I forgive them..I don't hold any grudges or resentment or hate. The thing I struggle with is REALLY interfering with my walk with the Lord. I just wish God would give me an answer.. so peace of mind. So i can walk with Him and be free of this.
God bless and thank you for reading.
In Christ Jesus.
Janet DeHart
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Janet, I hear the pain of your situation. I want to encourage you that Jesus loves you and is working all things together for your good. Hold tight to him and trust him. That depression is from the enemy of your soul. It is not from God. God wants to restore your soul.
I came from a similar type of situation. My family dabbled in the occult and I have seen many paranormal occurances. When my brother was about 14 years old, a very new believer, he was in a situation where a demon possessed person was manifesting in demonic voices and the house was actually making noises from the dark presence.
He took authority over the demons and cast them out. The windows flapped open and a roar of a wind blew out from there. He was trembling and afraid - but he had authority over those demons. The person who was manifesting the demons fell asleep and had no recollection of it in the morning.
I'm saying this to remind you that "he that is in you, is greater than he that is in the world".
I suspect that the other struggle you have comes from this background. Somehow, Satan's minions have kept you in some kind of bondage even though you are now walking with Jesus. Jesus will reveal and deliver you from that, if you press on and keep seeking him to keep yourself pure. The power is in the Holy Spirit, not you. He will purify you from all unrighteousness, by the faith you put in Jesus.
I have found that renouncing former sins, and thanking God for the forgiveness and healing that he gives, has given me great victory. It helps to remind yourself that you ARE a new creature in Christ. Not becoming one, you ARE one. You are a child of God, accepted in the beloved. You are saved, by the blood of Christ. You ARE adopted and an heir, through the son.
Confessing these truths will force the enemy to release you from the bondage. As you change and experience the light of God, and forgive those who have hurt you, your light will lead others to him.
It took 20 years, but I have experienced victory with those who were once the people who led me into bondage. They are believers now too. We share forgiveness and we share peace.
You are an overcomer, just by following Jesus.
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Permalink Reply by Stacey Osana Arquines on
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Nice, I agree with Carla great answer! :)
God Bless you abundantly Scribe,
Stacey <3 :)
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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on
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Hello John -
You said: It’s never okay to watch TV at all actually.
I do not watch TV habitually, but I once in a while enjoy Christian programming on it or the learning Channels. I agree that most of the stuff on TV is not constructive, but I think is a little extreme to say everything on TV is wrong when there is lots of Christian programming.
You also said: As for satan, don't worry about him, he is just a catholic doctrine that doesnt exist in the capacity that catholicism says he does..... and then you said: Angels dont fall or rebel everything that god makes is good and unflawed and why would he send satan and bad angry angels to earth when in genesis it says that what he made was very good..
So John - what do we do with these verses:
Isaiah 14:12
“ How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!
Revelation 12:4 (New King James Version)
4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.
This is understood to be a figurative description of one third of the angels choosing to follow Satan in his rebellion, becoming the fallen angels—demons.
Lucifer, who had nothing apart from what God had given him, wanted to steal the glory of God, the Most High! And not only did Lucifer rebel against God, but one third of the angels who were in heaven chose to turn their backs on the Lord God, and to follow Lucifer in his sin.
Brother John, the task of the student of the word is to interpret scripture with scripture. So is not about what makes sense to us or what may appear logical or about what a theologian teaches, it comes down to what does God say in His word about the topic.
"Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." (2 Cor. 11:14) He tries to deceive men so that they will not pay attention to the Word of God. That is why one of God's prophets wrote, "Be alert! Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Pet. 5:8) Beware! The devil wants to destroy you forever!
Can you show me with the word of God how you come to your conclusions?
With love bro
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2nd Peter 2:
4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
I am familiar with the following interpretations of the verse:
The sinning angels were cast down from Heaven, the abode of the blessed ... to Tartaros, the abode of the condemned. But such a place of abode does not mean they are imprisoned there. It merely means that is where they now belong being permanently expelled from the dwelling place of the blessed. I believe the Greek phrase "chains of darkness" means simply that the chains they are in are the bondage of the darkness that they chose over the light. In other words, their darkness of being has become chains that bind them. And since judgment has already been passed upon them for their sin, there is no escape for them but they are marked for that judgment that shall one day be executed upon them. The Greek phrase translated "reserved unto judgment" is ἰς κρίσιν τηρουμένους, (ICE KREE-sin tay-roo-MEN-oos) literally "unto judgment being guarded." In other words, they cannot escape their coming fate.
So here the "chains of darkness" is more metaphorically speaking of, say, being separated from God--in that, they're no longer able to access the presence of God? Much in the same way we can equate sin as "chains of darkness" as it is a form of bondage?
Holman's calls this "Tartartus" and the KJV just says "Hell".
The word translated "delivered" in 2 Peter 2:4 is paradidomi in Greek and has a variety of meanings around the idea of "being delivered". Romans 1:24 where Paul, speaking of those humans who rejected God says: "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonour their own bodies between themselves?" The phrase "gave them up" is exactly the same Greek word (paradidomi) as "delivered" in 2 Peter 2:4.
What version are you reading? What do you make of the verse above?
I believe in a literal Hell an actual place of torment. How about you?
you stated: "My canonized bible does not support enough evidence to conclude that angels can rebel against god or be enticed to do evil."
Which bible would that be John? What is the name of it?
What did you think about my opinion about TV?
Blessings :)
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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on
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I personally don't watch "reality" TV of any description. I do like fiction however, for the story value. The nice thing is that I know they aren't true. Such as Moonlight, Ghost Whisperer, Vampire diaries etc.
Not everyone thinks of these programs as "set up" and they are, therefore, impacted by them. I don't think it's wrong to watch a program that one KNOWS is fiction...however, I do think it's wrong to watch a program that a person is inclined to give truth to, such as the paranormal stuff, because the content is promoted to being "real".
When I bought the house I live in now, there was a spirit that would actually show itself on occasion. It tried to reek havoc on the household but we laughed at it. It eventually left.
I think for a person who doesn't have a clear understanding of truth and fiction, these types of programs would be devastating.
I think if we talk abut certain book or movies in a critical way, we actually draw interest to it instead of away from it. An example is Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code." Because of the "bad press" from the Christian community, it became a best seller. Everyone wanted to see it. A writer can give whatever slant he chooses to a book, but if it ain't truth, it ain't truth.
Prior to the "DaVinci Code" Brown was only a fiction writer. Now, because of the "bad press" he has become a best selling author.
Therefore, it is my opinion that the Christian community actually keep their opinions at a low key, but then some of the people who made negative comments, in turn, made money from books they wrote condemning Brown's work.
My opinion....one of many.
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