In the first part of this series, we looked at paganism in its many forms in the UK and the USA. Different websites gave us a brief but clear picture of the growth of this phenomenon in these two major nations, which are revealed in our free booklet “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”
theconversation.com reports that “Nature religions, commonly described as Paganism (or neo-Paganism), are growing in Australia. In the last Census, 33,148 people claimed affiliation with a nature religion: including Animism, Druidism, and the many traditions of Wicca, the most practised Pagan pathway.”
ca.paganfederation.org reports as follows: “With almost half a century of experience, the Pagan Federation (PF) started in England and shortly thereafter sowed the seeds for its sister organization: the Pagan Federation International (PFI), to respond to the needs of Pagans who did not reside in England. Now PFI has local branches all over the world: including Asia, South America, Australia, United Kingdom, Portugal, Germany, The Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Belgium and of course Canada and the USA, and this list only continues to grow!“
This same website also states that in “Canada, we are always interested in talking with members to start pub moots, coffee cauldrons, festivals or events that promote paganism in a positive, informative and healthy manner.”
It has been said that “Paganism is not dogmatic. Pagans pursue their own vision of the Divine as a direct and personal experience.”
Let us review Deuteronomy 18:10-12 where we find a list of many wrong spiritual practices. This passage provides us with clear instructions to avoid wrong and ungodly practices and maintain the right Way that God teaches us to live:
“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.”
In these three verses, we read about passing through fire, witchcraft, soothsayer, interpreting omens, sorcerer, conjuring up spells, a medium, spiritist, calling up the dead. Quite a list of things that God calls abominations! Those who are pagans and belong to the organisations mentioned previously will not care one iota about what God says.
And what is the outcome of such rebellion against God’s Word in today’s world? We know that Satan is the god of this world and the prince of the power of the air (compare 2 Corinthians 4:4 and Ephesians 2:2). He influences mankind to believe that they themselves can make decisions about right and wrong without the necessity of having the great Creator God giving us guidelines to follow in the true worship of Him. He did this in the Garden of Eden.
We continually see anti-Godly behaviour in society around the world, and Isaiah 5:20 sums this up perfectly: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” For about 6,000 years, man has followed the way that he thinks best and has lost the ability, it would seem, to make sound judgments. History clearly reveals that man has lost his way because he has not been exposed to, understood or seen the right Way of Life to live which is always in his own best interests when God is involved. For more information on this, please see our free booklet “Obeying God Rather Than Men,” and our Q&A, “Who determines what is right and wrong?”
Looking at Deuteronomy 18:10-12, christianpublishinghouse.co states that “this is a critical passage in the Old Testament, providing explicit directives against various forms of occult practices. This scriptural segment… serves not only as a legal prescription for Israel but also as a moral and spiritual guideline for God’s people. The passage is often interpreted as encompassing a range of occult practices, warning against the spiritual dangers associated with such activities.”
Of course, these are not just “moral or spiritual guidelines”—they are commandments to be followed.
And so, let us review each one of these wrong practices that are highlighted in Deuteronomy 18:10-12.
Verse 10 says: “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire.”
The Margin of the New King James Bible says: “Be burned as an offering to an idol.”
Clarke’s Commentary has this to say: “Leviticus also states: ‘And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD’ (Leviticus 18:21).
“The fire-god Molech was the… deity of the children of Ammon, and essentially identical with the Moabitish Chemosh. Unger’s Bible Dictionary has this to say about Molech: ‘A Semitic deity honoured by the sacrifice of children, in which they were caused to pass through or into the fire. Palestinian excavations have uncovered evidences of infant skeletons in burial places around heathen shrines. Ammonites revered Molech as a protecting father. Worship of Molech was stringently prohibited by Hebrew law’ (Leviticus 18:21; 20:1-5).”
While it is not exactly the same, similar killings of sons and daughters today can be found in the killing of unborn children through abortion. The end product is precisely the same.
Verse 10 continues: “(There shall not be found among you) one who practices witchcraft.”
What is witchcraft? Wikipedia gives this definition: “Witchcraft, as most commonly understood in both historical and present-day communities, is the use of alleged supernatural powers of magic. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft. Traditionally, ‘witchcraft’ means the use of magic or supernatural powers to inflict harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. Also, Magic is an ancient practice rooted in rituals, spiritual divinations, and/or cultural lineage—with an intention to invoke, manipulate, or otherwise manifest supernatural forces, beings, or entities in the natural world.”
Verse 10 adds: “(There shall not be found among you to be) a soothsayer.”
Unger’s Bible Dictionary has this to say about a soothsayer: “The soothsayer (diviner) was the pagan counterpart of the prophet, prognosticating future events, or professing to do so by various arts.” They then quote Joshua 13:22 which reads “The children of Israel also killed with the sword Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, among those who were killed by them.” Continuing with Unger’s: “Actually, diviners were energized by evil powers, as the prophet of the Lord was under the control of the Holy Spirit.”
Verse 10 continues: “(There shall not be found among you) one who interprets omens.”
In Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Deuteronomy 18:10-14, we read the following:
“Was it possible that a people so blessed with Divine institutions, should ever be in any danger of making those their teachers whom God had made their captives? They were in danger; therefore, after many like cautions, they are charged not to do after the abominations of the nations of Canaan. All reckoning of lucky or unlucky days, all charms for diseases, all amulets or spells to prevent evil, fortune-telling, [etc.] are here forbidden. These are so wicked as to be a chief cause of the rooting out of the Canaanites. It is amazing to think that there should be any pretenders of this kind in such a land, and day of light, as we live in. They are mere impostors who blind and cheat their followers.”
Verse 10 adds: “(There shall not be found among you to be) a sorcerer.”
We will quote again from Unger’s Bible Dictionary: “Sorcery (Heb. from kashap, ‘to whisper’; Gk. mageia, Acts 8:11; pharmakeia, ‘medication’). A sorcerer was one who prophesied to tell the lot of others, to have power with evil spirits (Isa 7:9,12, Dan 2:2) and was severely denounced (Mal 3:5; Rev 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; 22:15). This art was also practiced in connection with pharmacy, the mixing of drugs and medical compounds.
“The term sorcerer (Ex 7:11; Jer 27:9, etc), from the Lat. sors, ‘a lot,’ ‘one who throws or declares a lot,’ would assign it initially the more circumscribed sphere of augural prognostication. But the term as commonly employed, includes one who practices in the whole field of divinatory occultism. Sorcery is the practice of the occult arts under the power of evil spirits, or demons, and has been common in all ages of world history.”
(To be continued)
Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)
