What draws people to magic?
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Unfortunately there is no easy answer to this question.
For some, it is the need for knowledge and/or power. For others, they are drawn towards them by various influences.
That list of influences just seems to keep growing, so I will take a look at some of the broad categories to start with.
Cultural influences are important here in drawing people towards this path.
Along those lines you have various movies and television shows which go to great lengths to portray magik as exciting and appealing. Then, of course, you have an assortment of books that have been written specifically to lead young people towards one magik path or another. With the most prolific authors along those lines being wiccan at the moment. It remains to be seen if those of another path will catch up or not.
Those movies and books fit in with various fiction works in print that also make magik seem to be an appealing form of empowerment.
What can be done about these from a christian perspective? As a parent you can and should be very aware of what your children are watching and reading. You should also pray for your children. Above and beyond that, there really is not much that you will be able to do about the various cultural influences, so lets look at the next item.
Peer pressure.
Think about it. Remember what it was like?
I thought you might.
When some of your friends seem to be involved in something ‘special’ or ‘cool’ and want you to join in. That can be hard to turn down at times. And it is natural for those who have found answers to spiritual questions to want to share them with their friends. So, people get introduced to the magik paths that way as well.
To be quite honest, there is really not much beyond prayer for you, as a christian, to do on that front either. Again, as a parent, be AWARE of what your children are doing. And don’t be afraid to discuss things with them.
The list goes on.. but as there is only one area that I can see for Christians to really affect, I will skip over to that part now.
Over these last few years, I have come to the conclusion that the largest contributor to the rise of neo-paganism and other magik paths in the Western world is really..
The Church.
How can this be?
It has to do with the ‘church’ losing it’s way.
Some of the issues that I have seen and heard of from others follow, in no particular order:
Extremely Liberal churches, Where the very power of God is shoved aside from thought and action, and God is thought of as not being interested in what is going on here on the earth. Where it almost seems as if they only exist as a social club that calls itself a church..
People there have a hard time finding answers to real spiritual issues. So when a seeker goes there looking for those answers.. and looking for God, they tend to leave again without finding either. So when they stumble across a magik path that has answers, they tend to follow it.
Word of Faith Churches, or, those churches that follow some form of those doctrines.
The farther they are from scripturally sound, the greater the damage potential. I have heard everything from ~you didn’t get healed because your faith is weak~ to ~if you give ‘x’ amount of money, God will do ‘y’~
and let me be real with y’all here….
If I wanted to do magik there are better ways than THAT to get it done.
People who escape from such places tend to view Christians as just out to part them from their money and time. To be avoided at all costs. So they go elsewhere looking for answers to spiritual issues, and if they land on one of the magik paths, they run with it.
Legalistic churches,
Sometimes hiding behind the name of ‘fundamental’, these churches tend to focus almost exclusively on the theological do’s and dont’s. You know the kind.. Christians behave thus and such… Christians don’t do that… etc..
What they forget, is to introduce people to our Saviour, Jesus. It seems that they have fallen into the trap of being to busy being correct all the time, and forgetting that they are also supposed to be compassionate. This also leaves people with a skewed view of Christianity. I have found many that walk the magik paths that have attended, or even grew up in this type of church. It seems that the very harshness of this type of fellowship drives them away even if they actually got introduced to Jesus while they were there.
Please understand that in each of those situations you may very well find some sincere, wonderful believers who are trying to do what they feel Jesus wants them to do. And what those people should be doing is praying for God to restore the fellowship that they are attending to a right perspective, and relationship with Him.
Even in churches that do not fall to those extremes, you will find a lack of understanding at times, and an unwillingness to dig for answers to inconvenient questions. This tends to drive away those who are curious about various things. Any topic from spiritual issues to scientific ones… if they keep getting stepped on for asking questions they will wander off to find what answers they can elsewhere.
I am drawn back to this verse here:
2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land.
Christians,
My brethren…
I implore you to act on that verse, for the only part of the equation we can fix here, is ourselves.