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There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about demons. One is to
disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe and to feel an excessive and unhealthy
interest in them.
C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
Presented by the
St. Padre Pio Center for Deliverance Counseling
1111 S. Sheridan Ave., Ottumwa, IA 52501-5350
WebSite: www.saint-mike.org/spcdc/
Quotations from the Bible, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Revised Standard
Version of the BibleCatholic Edition, copyrighted 1946, 1952, 1957, 1965, 1966
This manual was written, compiled, and edited by Bro. Ignatius Mary, a hermit of the
Order of the Legion of St. Michael.
_________________________
NOTICE: In the course of several revisions, and computer crashes that destroyed the original electronic
text, the footnotes to this manual have not survived. Thus, other than attributions to other works quoted
in the text itself, we no longer know what portions of this manual may have been quoted or paraphrased
from other sources. We apologize to any writer for any material we have used that belongs to him and
have not given proper attribution. Although we believe that all material used herein falls under the fair
use clause of copyright law, we certainly do wish to properly attribute the work of others. If a writer
should find his work in this manual without attribution to him as the original author, please contact us
immediately.
A workshop manual of the St. Padre Pio Center for Deliverance Counseling
(an apostolate of the Order of the Legion of St. Michael)
This workshop was originally created under the auspices of The Network for Occult Awareness and
Education (N.O.A.E.), a ministry name for the outreach to educate people about the dangers of the occult
and the new age since the Workshop presenter was a Protestant. Three organizations have used this
ministry name. The First Edition was under the auspices of Dianoia Fellowship Ministries. When the
Second Edition was published Dianoia Fellowship Ministries had changed its name to Upper Room
Christian Mission. After the presenter converted to the Catholic Church and the Order of the Legion of St.
Michael developed, the N.O.A.E. ministry was resurrected under the auspices of that developing religious
community. The Third Edition carried this moniker. The N.O.A.E. was retired and in 2001 the St. Padre
Pio Center for Deliverance Counseling was created.
Published by
St. Michael House Press
(an apostolate of the Order of the Legion of St. Michael)
1111 S. Sheridan Ave.
Ottumwa, Iowa 52501-5350
Due to the delicate nature of this material, unless otherwise indicated, no part
of this manual may be reproduced for any reason, even for short excerpts for
critical reviews, quotations or reference, in any manner whatsoever without
written permission from the publisher.
____________________________________________________
Imprimi Potest: General Council
Order of the Legion of St. Michael
Imprimi Potest: is Latin for it may be printed and indicates solely and only
that this book has the permission of the General Council of the Legion of St.
Michael to be published by the Legion of St. Michael under its imprint of St.
Michael House Press.
The Imprimi Potest does not imply in any way an Episcopal imprimatur.
Concerning Publication: The Order of the Legion of St. Michael fully submits
itself to the authentic teaching authority of the Pope and Magisterium of the
Catholic Church. Thus any work published under its imprint must fully adhere
to the official teachings of the Church on subjects for which an official
teaching exists submitting all personal opinions to that official teaching. In
other areas, where latitude of opinion is allowed, any work published under the
Order of the Legion of St. Michaels imprint must make every attempt to offer
opinions that are in full accord with the general spiritual principles and
teachings of the Church, Sacred Scriptures, and Sacred Tradition.
General Information
Introduction ______________________________________________________________ 1
The Balance Philosophy ________________________________________________________ 2
The Need for Public Awareness _________________________________________________ 2
The Problem of Worldview/Mapping Our World ________________________________ 5
Worldview of the Typical Western Christian: ___________________________________ 9
Worldview of the Catholicism: ________________________________________________10
Definition and History of the Occult_____________________________________ 11
Bible Study on the Occult and Satanism ________________________________ 27
The Christians Responsibility for Spiritual Warfare ___________________ 31
Occult Influences in our Society _________________________________________ 36
The New Age Movement __________________________________________________ 48
Summary of Worldviews and Systems ___________________________________ 52
Causes of Demonization _________________________________________________ 55
Recruitment Techniques _________________________________________________ 56
Counter-Recruitment Techniques ________________________________________ 59
Signs & Symptoms of Involvement ______________________________________ 60
Six Stages of Involvement in Satanism/Occultism ______________________ 71
Seven Stages of Spiritual Disintegration________________________________ 74
Responding to those Involved____________________________________________ 79
Three Secret Strategies of Satan to Destroy our Children, our Families,
our Culture, and our Church ____________________________________________ 83
The Role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Spiritual Warfare ______________ 95
The Role of St. Michael and the Angels in Spiritual Warfare ___________ 98
Victory in Christ / Nothing but a Winner ______________________________ 102
A Collection of Spiritual Warfare Prayers _____________________________ 104
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Mission Statement
The mission of the St. Padre Center for Deliverance Counseling (an outreach of the
Order of the Legion of St. Michael), in its apostolate of educating the Faithful on issues
of spiritual warfare, is to glorify our Lord and our Blessed Mother. This is
accomplished by assisting the Faithful, according to the Holy Scriptures and the Holy
Catholic Church, to participate in the Spiritual Warfare against Satan as Apostles of
the Latter Times.
Saint Louis de Montfort, one of the saints of the charism of our Association, wrote:
Mary will raise up apostles of the latter times to make war against the evil
one. . . . But the power of Mary over all the devils will especially shine
forth in the latter times, when Satan will lay his snares against her heel:
that is to say, her humble slaves and poor children, whom she will raise
up to make war against him. They shall be little and poor in the world's
esteem, and abased before all like the heel, trodden underfoot and
persecuted as the heel is by other members of the body. But in return for
this they shall be rich in the grace of God, which Mary shall distribute to
them abundantly. They shall be great and exalted before God in sanctity.
Superior to all creatures by their lively zeal, and so well sustained with
God's assistance that, with the humility of their heel, in union with Mary,
they shall crush the head of the devil and cause Jesus Christ to triumph.
1) to become informed and educated about the dangers and realities of the occult and
demonic philosophies as a real and present social, mental health, medical,
criminal, and spiritual problem of our society;
3) to proclaim the message of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, under obedience to
the Pope and Magisterium of His Church, as the only genuine deliverance and
healing possible from occultism and doctrines of demons and as the only true
means for victory in Spiritual Warfare against Satan.
The St. Padre Pio Center for Deliverance Counseling (SPCDC) fully submits
itself to the authentic teaching authority of the Pope and Magisterium of the
Catholic Church.
Additionally, each of our members must affirm Loyalty to that authentic teaching
authority as a condition of membership. (Our Statement of Fidelity and Loyalty is
available upon request or can be read on our Website).
Therefore, when we publish any form of writing, or make any speech, conduct any
workshop or seminar, offer any advice or counseling, or moderate any chatroom or
mail list on the Internet, the SPCDC and its representatives seek to express only
official teachings on subjects for which an official teaching exists - submitting
all personal opinions to that official teaching.
In other areas, where latitude of opinion is allowed, every attempt is made to offer
opinions that are in full accord with the general spiritual principles and teachings
of the Church, Sacred Scriptures, Sacred Tradition, and the insights from the
Saints.
The SPCDC's commitment to the Church leads it to an obedience that not only
affirms and expounds the great fundamentals of the Catholic Faith, but provides a
sound, rational, biblical approach and belief about the theology of Spiritual
Warfare, demonology, and the various issues of the occult within the larger context
of the Sacred Tradition of the Catholic Faith.
The Study of the entire Bible, not just portions of it, and of the great writings of the
Church and her saints, is a central characteristic of our approach to
understanding the nature of Satan, the character of Spiritual Warfare, and the
ways that we as Christians are to participate in the Warfare to the glory of God.
The SPCDC accepts only staff and volunteers who are baptized and confirmed
Catholics in good standing. A staff member must also be living and walking the
Christ-life in the fullness and fellowship of the Spirit and be willing to be taught
iv
and lead by the Holy Spirit. This is especially important in a Spiritual Warfare
apostolate.
As a Spiritual Warrior, the cultivation of the spiritual life is inseparably fused with
the scholarly study of occult issues and behaviors, demonic philosophies, biblical
theology, and Church teaching on the issues of demonology and spiritual
counseling. But a person must be more than a scholar or counselor or teacher. He
must also be filled with the Spirit and be walking with the Armor of God. Only with
the Spirit's filling and leading can one be effective in Spiritual Warfare and to
conduct that warfare within the will of God.
The staff of the Spiritual Warfare Apostolate are trained and prepared to
communicate the Word of God in the power of the Spirit of God. Satan will not
listen to anything other than the Power of the Word (written and oral) presented by
those under obedience to the Church. Without the Spirit of God the Holy Spirit
within and working through us, and without our personal obedience to the Church
in all matters, we can have no success in Spiritual Warfare.
The SPCDC firmly believes that the only genuine deliverance from occultism,
demonic philosophies, and Satan is the saving, living, and healing grace of Jesus
Christ through the Sacraments of His Church. Because of this fundamental belief,
the SPCDC is primarily an evangelistic, healing, and apologetic apostolate.
Evangelism and apologetics, and even healing, are not enough however. Matthew
28 not only instructs us to go to every nation and to all people to proclaim the
Good News of salvation and healing of Jesus Christ, but also to disciple them, to
teach them the ways of Christian living and faith. Evangelization and apologetics
cannot be genuinely performed, and healing is to no avail, we believe, without the
corresponding encouragement for all the Faithful to be Disciples for our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Without this emphasis Satan will only deflect into carnality those of whom we
inform and teach. Evangelism, healing, and apologetics without discipleship allow
Satan to rob the Faithful their victory in Christ, which ultimately can lead into a
defeated life.
Discipling is especially important when counseling with occult victims. Those who
are demonized or who are otherwise entrapped by occultic activity or philosophies
will not find deliverance and healing except in Christ. Thus, if a person is not a
Christian, he must accept Christ in a profession of Faith and baptism in order to
find healing. In the case of a baptized person, only a rededication to Christ (such
as a prodigal come home) and participation in the Sacraments will result in
healing.
v
Once delivered from the bonds of darkness the person must follow through on their
decision for Christ by living the Christ-life, frequent participation in the
Sacraments, and daily wearing the Armor of God.
To fail to follow through in the Christ-life allows Satan to have his opportunity
again. As one old Baptist preacher said one time, The best way to keep Satan out,
is to keep God in.
It is because of these truths that we say that our Apostolate is one of evangelism,
healing, apologetics, and Discipling rather than one of deliverance.
In the process of proclaiming the Good New of Christ, in the process of teaching the
historic Catholic Faith and the principles of Scripture and Sacred Tradition, if one
comes forward with a spiritual affliction, we shall try to help, as we are able.
Thus, the SPCDC is not an isolated activity in our Association, but an integrated
outreach within the larger mission of ministering to the community about the
glories and the Good News of Jesus Christ our Lord.
3) Spiritual Warfare is real and not an event found only in Biblical times or other
past ages.
4) There are only two opponents in Spiritual Warfare God and those who serve
Him; Satan and those who serve him.
5) Occultic and demonic influence may be found anywhere. Such ideas are not
something only found on the mission field in some jungle somewhere. Demonic
or New Age influences are found in all strata of society even in our parishes.
vi
7) One should never jump to conclusions about occultic involvement allegedly
observed in others or in the community. Always test the spirits and our
conclusions.
8) There is not a demon around every corner. We must accept responsibility for
our own sin.
10) God is infinitely greater than Satan. Though God has ultimately won the war,
battles over individuals, groups, and places are being fought.
12) There are numerous different types of Satanism and occultism, and numerous
degrees of involvement. Some people may never progress to the deeper levels of
involvement. Others may quickly descend into the darkest levels of Satanism.
13) The general rule of thumb is to believe about 20% of the phantasmal stories
one hears from the media, from Satanists, occultists, former members of the
occult, AND workshop presenters.
14) One of the most revealing and important Scriptural insights concerning the
respective purposes of Christ and of Satan comes from the comparison of the
following two verses:
The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I
(Christ Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it
to the full.
John 10:10
vii
15) Our workshops and material are not intended to glamorize, sensationalize, or
encourage participation in Satanism or the occult in any way. Our purpose is
not to give unnecessary attention to Satan, his followers, or to adherents of
occultic practices and beliefs.
Our intent is to alert the public, and particularly the Christian, of the dangers
of Satanism, the occult, the New Age, and the various doctrines and
philosophies of demons that have become the prevailing philosophies of our
time. Our intent is also to express the need for Christians to fulfill their general
calling to participate in Spiritual Warfare. If we who have the power of Christ
with us don't do it, who will (or can)?
16) There are those who disagree with our position. We respectfully agree to
disagree on various matters, but we do insist that all Catholics obey the
teaching authority of the Catholic Church. We cannot agree to disagree on
official Church teaching and discipline.
For non-Catholics we respect the dignity and right of their choice to believe
what they believe, without compromising our beliefs and the teaching of the
Holy Catholic Church.
17) We at the Order of the Legion of St. Michael continue to gain insight concerning
Satanism, the occult, the New Age, and the philosophies counter to
Christianity and its Church; and continue to be instructed by the Church in
her wisdom and discernment as legislated from time to time. Thus we reserve
the right to change or upgrade our material as deemed necessary when
directed by the Holy Spirit and/or by the Church.
18) Finally, there are no experts in Spiritual Warfare or in counseling victims of the
occult. Our apostolate should not be looked upon as an expert agency. We
are sinners who have been given a calling to perform an apostolate. Any
knowledge comes only as God has given it to us through the Church, the Bible,
and the Saints; and through prayer, experience, and sometimes the stupid
actions of our sinfulness. Whatever God has given us we share. The glory is
His.
viii
Observations on Satanism, the Occult, and the New Age
The problem of the occult is becoming, and is predicted (by psychiatrists, pastoral
counselors, theologians, and observers of the youth culture) to be one of the most
important and critical mental health, spiritual, and social problems of our time.
Alfred Lechler, noted German physician and psychiatrist with vast experience in
working with patients victimized by the occult, observed:
People are today recognizing more and more that the demonic is by no
means just some outdated biblical concept (but is) rather a terrible
reality with which one must ever increasingly reckon today.
The Reverend Mark Bubeck, of the International Center for Biblical Counseling, former
Pastor of Central Baptist Church in Sioux City, Iowa, recognized national authority on
the occult, and author of the best-selling book, The Adversary, writes:
Jerry Johnston, youth evangelist and author of the study and examination of
occultism in the U.S., The Edge of Evil, writes that the occult is a
What are the greatest needs of the Church today? Do not let our answer
surprise you as being over-simple or even superstitious and unreal: one of
the greatest needs is defense from evil which is the devil.
This question of the Devil and the influence he can exert onwhole
societies or events, is a very important chapter of Catholic doctrine
Pope Paul VI, Deliver Us From Evil
All of this, like waves of an ocean, envelopes and agitates the Church
itself. Men committed to the Church are greatly influenced by the climate
of the world; so much so that a danger bordering almost on vertiginous
confusion and bewilderment can shake the Church's very foundations
and lead mankind to embrace most bizarre ways of thinking, as though
the church should disavow herself and take up the very latest and
untried ways of life.
Pope Paul VI, Ecclesiam Saum
(Pathways of the Church, encyclical letter
ix
We're in the midst of a war. It's not a political or cultural battle though
politics and culture are involved not is it a philosophical dispute. We
humans, all of us, across the planet, are in the midst of a spiritual war. It
is a war that has been brewing all our lives, in every nation, in every
aspect of our lives, a battle between light and darkRight now it seems
the dark is winning. The war is waged on a supernatural stage, in the
deepest recesses of our beings, and will overwhelm us if we don't do
something about it.
Michael H. Brown, Prayer of the Warrior
Because of the growth of the New Age Movement outside the church and
within it, Catholics have some basic choices to make. We can bemoan the
problem helplessly and await the Second Coming of Jesus as the only
possible solution. Or we can respond to the New Age Movement with fire,
vigor, and creativity.
Father Mitch Pacwa, S.J., Catholics and the New Age
It is a trial of not only our nation and the Church, but in a sense, a test of
2,000 years of culture and Christian civilization with all of its
consequences for human dignity, individual rights, human rights and the
rights of nations.
Pope John Paul II, then Karol Cardinal Wojtyla,
September 1976
x
To prepare for ministry to others.
To prepare to support those coming out of occultism or the New Age who need a
period of healing, and to support those ministering to them.
Don't let others spoil your faith and joy with their philosophy, their wrong and shallow
answers built on men's thoughts and ideas, instead of on what Christ has said. Col.
2:8 LB
Disclaimer
The SPCDC and the Order of the Legion of St. Michael disclaims any responsibility or
liability for any participant or reader of our Workshop Manual who uses this
information improperly in any way, or uses it in a manner contrary to our admonitions
on this matter. This material and the Workshop Manual must be used and considered
solely as educational material providing the participant with general and basic
xi
introductory information on the subject matter. It does not and will not prepare
participants to engage in any professional or lay counseling or ministry of any kind.
Since 1987 Bro. Ignatius has counseled many children and adults oppressed or
influenced by the demonic forces. He has also consulted with counselors, pastors,
youth leaders, and law enforcement officials about the problems they confront with
their constituencies. Brother has conducted workshops, seminars, and lectures for
groups, churches, and general audiences.
Bro. Ignatius has spent thousands of hours since 1975 in research and study on cults
and the occult. He can thus provide a thorough academic analysis and presentation
for workshop participants, discussion groups, consulting clients, and counseling
clients. But providing mere academic information is only one part of what he can offer
Brothers practical knowledge and experience in counseling occult victims,
consulting with counselors and law enforcement officials, and witnessing to cult
xii
members, witches, and New Agers gives the him an added perspective not possible
otherwise.
But more importantly, the workshops, consulting clients, discussion groups, and
counseling clients with whom Bro. Ignatius is involved are given even greater depth of
understanding because of his own personal experience as a victim of the occult. This
factor allows those who are recipients of his teaching and counseling to better know
the reality of the dangers inherent in occultism. (In 1982 Brothers own occultic
experimentations nearly cost him his life). Brothers personal experiences reveal how
even a scientific and analytical mind (or bull-headed mind as he refers to it) can be
seduced into the world of darkness.
His personal story, however, is not a testimony to Satan's power, but of the
omnipotent power of Christ over Satan. His story demonstrates that it is Christ's all-
consuming love for us that leads to the only possible deliverance and victory.
In 1992 God led this Protestant preacher to convert to the Catholic Church. In 1993
he joined the Lay Carmelite Order and was Professed in July 1994. In 1995, on the
Feast of St. Michael the Archangel, took the name of John-Paul Ignatius Mary of our
Lady of Mt. Carmel in profession as a celibate brother of the new and experimental
Association of the Christian Faithful, the Order of the Legion of St. Michael. In
December of that year he was also affirmed as the Association's first Superior.
Mary will raise up apostles of the latter times to make war against
the evil one.... But the power of Mary over all the devils will
especially shine forth in the latter times, when Satan will lay his
snares against her heel: that is to say, her humble slaves and poor
children, whom she will raise up to make war against him. They
shall be little and poor in the worlds esteem, and abased before all
like the heel, trodden underfoot and persecuted as the heel is by
other members of the body. But in return for this they shall be rich
in the grace of God, which Mary shall distribute to them
abundantly. They shall be great and exalted before God in sanctity,
Superior to all creatures by their lively zeal, and so well sustained
with Gods assistance that, with the humility of their heel, in union
with Mary, they shall crush the head of the devil and cause Jesus
Christ to triumph.
xiii
This quotation serves as our marching orders. The Order of the Legion of
St. Michael is a group of Catholics who have been called by God and
by the Blessed Virgin Mary to be apostles of the latter times. This calling
is a call to wage war against Satan and his demons in the name and for
the greater glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The focus of our community, as the name implies, is St. Michael the
Archangel, the Prince of Spiritual Warfare. In devotion to him and the
Blessed Mother who has been given the authority to crush Satans head,
we seek the will of God as spiritual warriors in His army.
Saint Michael is the protector of the Church and of our Association. The
Church, as far back as the fourth century, has paid special honor to the
glorious Archangel Michael, whom in her liturgy she invokes as Prince
of the heavenly host. His name is the war cry with which he smote
Lucifer and his proud followers and cast them out of heaven into the
depths of hell. His name means: Who is like God?
The battle is still being waged in the world. God gave us through His
Son Jesus Christ, a Church to teach, rule, and sanctify us, and lead us
to His Kingdom in heaven. God wants us to become holy, for our
holiness means glory to God and the triumph of His Church. But revolt
against God and His Church is set against this Divine triumph and
glory. Satan and his devils attack God and His Church in religious,
social, political, economic, and educational areas of life.
Michael has always been the warrior Angel fighting Lucifer in heaven,
fighting the enemies of Gods chosen people of old, and now fighting the
enemies of the Catholic Church. He is ever fighting, resisting, and
overcoming the power of darkness.
xiv
place in it. He occupies a special place of honor and patronage over the
members of the Mystical Body of Christ. God and the Church appointed
him for such a patronage.
The Church, and our late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, of happy
memory, urges us to seek the patronage of Saint Michael against all
evils, but especially against the evils that threaten the salvation of our
soul. We must meet the attacks of the enemy by building up our own
spiritual life, our power and resistance, and also by using a spiritual
remedy against the enemies of our spiritual life and happiness. God
offers us many means: grace, infused virtues of faith, hope, and love,
gifts of the Holy Spirit, Divine Revelation, the Sacraments, and prayer.
He also gives us Angels and Saints like Saint Michael to protect and
assist us.
But the Church also urges us to seek the patronage of Saint Michael in
all the needs of soul and body. He prays for those who seek his
assistance. He knows well our great needs and the great dangers that
surround us. He who loves God and His people with an intense love
cannot but be mighty in his intercession.
xv
Disclaimer on the Status of the Legion of St. Michael
The Order of the Legion of St. Michael is a new, experimental, independent, and
international prayer and faith covenant community of Catholics called to Secular,
Semi-Eremitic, and Monastic Expressions coming together privately amongst ourselves
to pursue holiness, perfection, and our apostolate:
But, overall we are attempting something more. We are attempting to form a new kind
of association that the Holy Father calls a new Foundation. These new Foundations
may have a mixture of charisms (men, women, celibate, married).
In his Apostolic Exhortation, Vita Consecrata, Pope John Paul II in paragraph no. 62,
states:
The Spirit, who at different times has inspired numerous forms of consecrated
life, does not cease to assist the Church ...by giving new charism to men and
women of our own day so that they can start institutions responding to the
challenges of our times. A sign of this divine intervention is to be found in the so
called new Foundations, which display new characteristics compared to those of
traditional Foundations. The originality of the new communities often consists in
the fact that they are composed of mixed groups of men and women, of clerics
and lay persons, of married couples and celibates, all of whom pursue a
particular style of life.
We are encouraged that our late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, looked upon these
new Foundations with favor. This is particularly exciting in that there are only a
xvi
handful of these integrated new Foundations in the world who are involved in this
experimental organizational design, of which ours is one.
This experimental design is seen not only in having a mixture of men and women,
celibate and those who are married, but also in that these new Foundations form a
charism that borrows many of the same elements or a combination of elements that
are found in Religious Orders, Secular Orders and Third Orders all wrapped up in one
organization. The celibate members of our Community, for example, make private
vows to the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience, wear a habit as a
symbol of their consecration, and voluntarily come under many of the provisions of
Religious Orders as detailed in our Rule. Other celibate members may live out their
private consecration similar to a Secular Order. Married couples, families, and singles
make promises and consecrate themselves according to their state-in-life in a way
similar to that of the Third Order.
These new Foundations, therefore, find themselves not quite fitting into the current
definitions of canonical Consecrated Institutes, even though they live a form of
consecrated life. Thus they must organize as defacto Associations of the Christian
Faithful. Although private, the devotion and commitment of these associations are
equal to any formal canonical institute.
Speaking to this issue, the Holy Father nevertheless affirmed that although...
...these forms of commitment cannot be included in the specific category of
the(canonical) consecrated life....This necessary clarification regarding the nature
of such experiences in no way intends to underestimate this particular path of
holiness.
Yet because these new Foundations do offer a form of consecrated life, albeit not
publicly recognized, the Holy Father thus proposed something very exciting:
In view of such a wealth of gifts and creative energies, it seems appropriate to set
up a Commission to deal with questions relating to new forms of consecrated life.
Perhaps these new Foundations will be eligible for full Consecrated Institute status
sooner than that which was accomplished for Secular Institutes. It was not until 1947
that Secular Institutes were raised to the level of officially recognized Consecrated
Institutes. (Secular Institutes, which began around the 16th Century, are men or
woman living a consecrated life in the world instead of a monastery to put it simply.)
Hopefully, if the Pope does open a Commission to study the issue, the new
Foundations that are developing today will not have to wait the 300+ years that
Secular Institutes did.
In the meantime, the Order of the Legion of St. Michael is organized as a Association of
the Christian Faithful of faithful and devout Catholics coming together in private
agreement among ourselves to fundamentally establish an association to promote a
more perfect life, to engage in evangelization and apologetics, and to exercise the
works of piety and charity in an effort to animate the temporal order with the
Christian spirit and offering ourselves in consecration to the Sacred Heart, the
Immaculate Heart, and to St. Michael the Archangel for the purposes of glorifying God
and serving our brethren in accord with the love of Christ.
xvii
Thus, as a new and experimental Association -- a new Foundation -- the current
vows, or covenant promises, taken by our members, whether celibate or otherwise, are
strictly Private Vows taken before God and our Community. The personal consecration
of those in private vows, while not publicly recognized, are nevertheless binding under
conscience and the Rule of our Association and are nevertheless a way of holiness.
xviii
Xpsltipq!Nbovbm!
Introduction
This is a day of unprecedented overt demonic activity in the United States, as
evidenced by:
The Christian life is the exciting process of trying to keep our balance.
C.S. Lewis:
There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall
about the devils (occult). One is to not believe in their (its) existence. The
other is to believe, and to feel an unhealthy interest in them.
Kierkegaard:
There are two ways to be fooled: One is to believe what isnt so; the
other is to refuse to believe what is so.
The following quotations and case histories serve to illustrate the great need for public
awareness and education on the issue of the occult!
Occultism especially seems to fit the needs and wants of) middle and
upper class teens of high intelligence who are creative and possible
underachievers with low self-esteem.
In our instant, quick-fix culture, the possibility of getting what you want
through a shortcut is attractive. Even if the shortcut is risky, since a
teenager thinks he can handle it, he (thinks) he can get out of it at any
point he chooses. Teenagers are always optimistic about how they'll
quit something if they get in over their heads; I think of Beatrice
Sparks' comment:
2
The voice of every pregnant girl, every kid hooked on drugs, alcohol or
the occult (says), 'Not me! I didn't think it could ever happen to me. I
was sure I could handle it.'
Many teenagers' lives are focused on their desire to be free from overwhelming feelings
of insecurity, loneliness, and boredom. A girl named Wendy, a senior at Cedar Fails
High in Cedar Fails, Iowa expressed this motivation:
I was looking for something to hang onto, something to belong to, something to make me
feel more secure.
Wendy was involved in Satanism for four years. You get what you want, she said.
But you pay.
The article from the April 27, 1986 issue of the Waterloo (Iowa) Courier gives a solid
glimpse into why teenagers find Satanism attractive:
She said her friend took her to what she described as worship
parties in the Waterloo area where plenty of alcohol and other drugs
were made available.
Kids who are feeling low will reach for anything, she added.
Wendy already had a drug problem, and if she needed drugs, she got
them. If she needed money, it was provided.
It's not like, boom, there's a car in your livingroom, she explained.
But in exchange for what she termed recruiting people and other
errands, she had all the drugs and money -- and friends -- she
wanted.
They give you nifty presents, but when you try to get out, you owe
them. You can't turn down their requests, she said.
You think you've got friends til you get busted, she said. They
don't care about you, and you don't care who you hurt.
Wendy recalled that after four years of devoting just about all her time
to Satanic activities, some of which she says included criminal mischief
as well as drugs, she became paranoid and began having nightmares.
I said, 'I've had enough. I'm done. What you've given me, I've given
back. I'm getting out.'
3
Some of the rest of the article chronicles Wendy's struggle to break out of the self-
styled Satanic cult. Apparently it wasn't easy. The article also described the
experiences of another student at the High School.
Several school officials commented on the Satanic involvement of Cedar Falls area
students: It appears to be directed to a group of kids who might not otherwise feel
accepted by their peers, said Holmes Junior High principal Lee Mackey.
Kids are going to extremes today to get attention, said Cedar Falls High principal Les
Huth.
Curt Nedoba, a local social worker, said Satanic worship is appealing to adolescents
because it's mystical and magical, and offers them an avenue to express the
aggression and discontent that is normally associated with that age group.
Paul Smith and John Thompson, Black Hawk County juvenile probation officials,
commented that Satanism is an excuse for kids to do things they're not suppose to.
They agreed that, to teenagers, Satanic worship is sex, drugs, and the antithesis of a
Christian upbringing all rolled into one. Kids like to shock people. And Satanic
worship is a good one for that,' said Thompson. It usually comes out when kids are
angry. They use Satanism as an attempt to scare off adults ... Kids want their
freedom.
Another story
It is the summer of 1989. Two Iowa City Junior High school girls and one boy get
together in the boy's parents' livingroom. The boy's parents, the father a professor at
the university, are away for the weekend
The trio, in a ritual, take the family cat, place it on the coffee table, and sacrifice it.
They cut-off the cat's head. One of the girls related later that she felt an almost
orgasmic pleasure at seeing the cat killed. But she also felt repulsed.
Two days later, the kids are arrested on the campus of the Junior High School for
possession and dealing with LSD. (LSD is a favorite of the occult person, and of Satan,
due to its hallucinogenic powers).
Other examples: In Iowa City a boy jumps off a parking ramp and kills himself. He was
involved in the occult. Yet another boy crashes his car into a tree and kills himself. He
was involved in the occult; another shoots himself. Several boys in Florida dig-up the
remains of a dead boy who died from suicide. They take the body into the woods to
perform rituals as part of their Dungeons and Dragons game. They mutilate the body.
These stories of self-destructive behavior and criminal activity by kids involved in the
occult could go on for pages. The bottom line is that the occult is becoming a major
social, criminal, and mental health problem. The problem is particularly present in the
Junior High Schools of our country, but may be found anywhere.
4
The influences that seduce our children into the occult are numerous. Television,
movies, and music are the top culprits. Bookstores regularly carry occult and New Age
material. Satanic bookstores are opening around the country. In the Fail of 1990 a
hard-core Satanic bookstore opened in Iowa City, Iowa, for example. The store is
located in the downtown pedestrian mall where all the kids hang out.
Psychologist Erich Fromm remarked that a society's social character must fulfill any
human being's inherent religious needs and that all cultures have a basic and
inescapable religious underpinning, whatever that religion might be. Religion,
according to Fromm, is any group shared system of thought and action that offers the
individual a frame of orientation and an object of devotion. Indeed, in this broad sense
of the word, no culture of the past or present, and it seems no culture of the future, can
be considered as not having religion.
Some religion or another will govern society. As Fromm puts it, The question is not
one of religion or not? but of which kind of religion? He goes on to say that the human
species needs a map of our natural and social world - a picture of the world and of
one's place in it. Without it we would be condemned to perpetual indecision and
vertigo.
Although many people may deny that they have any comprehensive view of existence,
they nevertheless follow one; they must. Their values are based on what they deem as
true and real whether or not they have thought these things through.
From the 4th and 5th Century until around 1992-1994, the prevailing worldview of the
Western World was the Judeo-Christian worldview a worldview based upon the
Truth of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, a worldview based upon Scripture and
Tradition handed down to us by our fathers and their fathers before them and
protected by the Holy Spirit through the Magisterium.
5
This worldview of Christianity came under attack almost immediately. There have
been many heresies in the history of the Church. At one time approximately 80% of
the bishops in the world were Arian heretics, yet the Church prevailed as Jesus
promised.
But the most serious attack of all on the Church began with the 16th Century split in
the Western Church, and its antecedents, commonly characterized as the Protestant
Reformation. This title is a misnomer. Martin Luther, John Calvin and the rest were
not reformers, but Revolutionaries who successfully solidified a worldview of
individualism contrary to the 1500 Tradition of communitarism of the Church. This
new worldview allowed individuals to have autonomy in their discernment of spiritual
matters apart of the God ordained Magisterium that our Lord setup to protect the
Church from error. With this new worldview exploding on the landscape of Europe and
around the world, millions of souls were left without an anchor, without a guarantee of
correct interpretation. For the first time in Gods Salvation History, many of his
children were left without a supreme pastor, without a Magisterium to protect them
from their own egos, delusions, and opinions.
God had always provided a Magisterium of one sort or another He appointed judges,
and prophets to bring His Word to His people infallibly. Then the Levitical priesthood
and the Chair of Moses became the Magisterium; then finally the Chair of Peter. The
Protestant Revolution abandoned this 6000-year-old way in which God dealt with His
people. To replace it they constructed a concept of priesthood of the believer in an
extreme way that went way beyond the Catholic teaching of the royal priesthood. This
priesthood of the believer developed by the Protestants made one self the
Magisterium independent of any other checks and balances of authority other than
the Bible but a Bible independently interpreted and subject to the whims of
imagination and opinion of mere men.
The world became split between the paterfamilias worldview of the Catholic Church
and the individual (which is actually a liberal) worldview of the Protestants.
Since individualism has always been a temptation for man, since his ego and pride of
his opinions has always been a temptation, this worldview, formally known as
liberalism that Protestants adopted set the stage for catastrophe in future
generations.
In the 17th Century we find the second blow to the nearly 6000-year worldview created
by God. The French philosophy Ren Descartes perfected the notion of dualism and
his man-centered philosophy of cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am). This dualistic
and man-centered philosophy gave much fuel the so-called Enlightenment of that
century. The Enlightenment critically re-examined all previously held doctrines and
institutions from the point-of-view of rationalism. Rationalism posted that reason
was the prime source of knowledge and spiritual truth. It rejected empiricism,
authority, or spiritual revelation as able to provide true knowledge. Thus cogito ergo
sum, I think, that is, I reason my own existence, therefore I exist.
6
The French Revolution (c. 1789-1799) marked the completion of these notions of self-
determination and rationalism but with a decided atheistic twist that include an
outright hostility toward the Church and toward Faith.
It was one hundred years later that Nietzsche proclaimed that the God of Metaphysics
was dead, but in a real way, a next-to-fatal wounding was completed by 1799 at the
conclusion and aftermath of the French Revolution.
Throughout the next one hundred years (the 19th Century) the threat to the Christian
worldview gained more ground and more power. It was during this time that Darwin
was proposing his theories and that people were religiously adopting to replace the
idea of God as creator. It was during this time that scientific advances were rapid and
people began to trust in the god of science to save them from all woes.
The later part of the 19th Century saw the development of the father of what we see
today Modernism. Several Popes waged war against this powerful enemy and threat
to the Church. A major and definitive book, Liberalism is a Sin (published today
under the title, What is Liberalism) was published in 1886 and was resoundingly
endorse by the Vatican. This book, which is a must read, outlines and explains the
nuances of this modernism, this liberalism, that really began in earnest with the
Protestant Revolution. (Liberalism refers to a self-determined individualism, the word
is not used in the politic sense we usually think of today).
Some people believe that modernism ceased being a threat to the Church by around
1930, but this is not true. In fact, in 1930 we see a monumental historical marker, an
act of liberalism, when the Anglican Church decided that artificial contraception was
morally acceptable. No denomination approved of artificial contraception before this
time. The floodgates open and today, only the Catholics, and I believe, the Orthodox,
maintain the ancient doctrine of prohibiting artificial contraception.
Also during this time the evil notions of Margaret Sanger were taking hold and the
general evil of the world with World War I and Word War II and the messages of
Fatima were all taking shape.
Yesterday, they were the thorn in our side; today we are the thorn in their side.
All of us are contaminated by this foreign worldview because we have all grown up in
it. We all need to examine ourselves to discover where these contaminates are and
7
excise them from our being. This is not easy. It takes work and great courage to look
at oneself square in the face in the mirror without flinching.
We must resist that temptation and honestly look at ourselves and make the changes
we need to make to be thoroughly Christian (Catholic) in the essence of our being.
Thomas Sowell, in his book, Vision of the Anointed, writes:
Dangers to a society may be mortal without being immediate. One such danger is the
prevailing social vision of our time and the dogmatism with which the ideas,
assumptions, and attitudes behind that vision are held. . . . What is important about that
vision are not only its particular assumptions and their corollaries, but also the fact that
it is a prevailing vision which means that its assumptions are so much taken for
granted by so many people, including so-called thinking people, that neither those
assumptions nor their corollaries are generally confronted with demands for empirical
evidence.
few have spent their entire lives outside the vision of the anointed, and virtually no
one has been unaffected by it.
Jesus said:
False Christs and false prophets will arise and show signs and wonders, to lead astray,
if possible, the elect. Mark 13:22
I appeal to you, brethren, to take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in
opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do
not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by fair and flattering words they
deceive the hearts of the simple-minded. Romans 16:18
[See our Scriptorium (Library) on our Website for more information about the Catholic
Worldview]:www.saint-mike.org/library/default.asp
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Worldview of the Typical Western Christian:
9
Worldview of the Catholicism:
10
Definition and History of the Occult
I. The Occult
A. Definitions
1. The word Occult is derived from the Latin word occultus which means
things hidden.
11
2. Functional Arts . . . Magic
c) Examples:
c) Examples:
12
4. Philosophical Arts
II. Satanism
A. Definition
B. Types of Satanists
13
2. Self-styled, religious and cult Satanists, or babblers
a) Intense training
b) Initiation
c) Rituals and rites
d) Upward mobility with the Satanic worship structure
4. Age Groups
a) adult groups
b) adult and adolescent groups
c) adolescent groups
a) worldwide
b) well etablished in many forms
c) multi-national
d) almost inexhaustible financial and physical resources
C. The ultimate goals of Satanism (Frattarola, Americas Best Kept Secret, p.3):
1. Sin: Satanists often refer to the Seven Deadly Sins listed in Proverbs
6:16-19 as a goal to exploit, to commit:
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2. Self-Centeredness
[Source: Ronald Noblet, Gang Consultant, from a lecture at the Center for
the Administration of Justice, University of Southern California, 2/21/86]
Most occultic groups practice similar practices and rituals. They are often
organized into covens of between nine and thirteen members. Authorities have
estimated that there were approximately 10,000 coven in the United States in
1946, 48,000 by 1976, and 135,000 by 1985. If we take the lower number of
nine members per coven we could speculate that there may be well over one
million members in organized covens. (Source: Darlyne Petticchio, Gang
Consultant]
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bathroom, we should make a point to say a pray for those caught in evil
and for their victims.
B. There are at least five key dates which will not specificially appear on
the calendars. These dates are extremely important and should be
noted carefully.
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Sep 20 Midnight Host Blood Dismemberment (hands infant-21
planted) (female)
Sep 22 **Feast Day Orgies Oral, Anal, Vaginal any age (male
(Fall Equinox) or female,
human or
animal
Oct 13 Halloween backward
Oct 29
Nov 1 *All Hallow Eve (Halloween) Blood/ Sexual Climax with demons any age(male
Sexual or female)
Nov 4 Satanic Revels Sexual Oral, Anal, Vaginal 7-17(female)
Dec 22 **Feast Day Orgies Oral, Anal, Vagainal any age (male
(Solstice Winter, shortest day of year) or female,
human or
animal
Dec 24 Demon Revels Da Meur High Grand Climax any age(male
or female)
Christmas Eve Receive body parts as Male baby
Christmas gifts
Dec 25 Christmas Day
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IV. SUMMARY TIME LINE OF SATANIC/OCCULTIC HISTORY
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19
20
21
22
23
24
25
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Bible Study on the Occult and Satanism
I. Prohibited Activities:
1. Sorcery
2. Medium/spiritist contact
3. Divination
4. Occult Prophecy (Soothsaying)
5. Casting spells
6. Calling up the dead
7. Human Sacrifice
8. Astrology
9. Witchcraft
10. Occult Covenants
11. Teraphims -- idol possession/worship
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Acts 13:6-10 sorcerers, occult prophets
Galatians 5:19-21 idolatry, witchcraft
Revelation 21:8 practice of magic arts
A. For Satan:
B. For demons:
Principalities (archontes)
Authorities (exousial)
Powers (dunameis)
Dominions (kuriotetes)
Thrones (thronoi)
Names (onomata)
lords (kurioi) (1 Cor. 8:5)
gods (theoi)
Angels (aggebi) (Matt. 25:41; 2 Cor. 12:7; Rev. 12:7)
Demons (daimonia, daimones)
Unclean spirits (pneuma akathartos) (Mark 9:25)'
Evil Spirits (pneuma ponera) (Luke 7:21; 8:2)
Elements (stoichea) (Col. 2:8)
Satyrs (Leviticus 17:7; 2 Chron. 11:15)
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C. The names are freely interchangeable (Schlier)
The implications of this are that the Biblical writers are not much concerned
with individual names; The names essentially refer to the same
phenomena/persons; and no one of the traditional names allows us to
understand all about these spirits.
D. The distinction between Satan and demons seems to indicate that demons
are subject to Satan.
1 Chron. 21:1, Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to
number Israel. cf. 2 Sam. 24:1
Job 1,2
Zech. 3 1,2 ... Joshua the high priest ... Satan standing at his right hand to
accuse him.
Gen. 3:lff
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Hindering (the work of God), 1 Thess. 2:18
Sifting (manipulating), Luke 22:31
Accusing, Zech. 3:1; Rev. 12:10
Binding, causing disease, Luke 13:16
Deceiving, 2 Cor. 11:3; Rev. 12:9
Corrupting minds, 2 Cor. 11:3
Devouring, destroying, ruining, corrupting, 1 Pet. 5:8
Snatching away the Word, Matt. 13:19
Testing faith, Job 1:6-12
Blinding minds, 2 Cor. 4:4
Causing natural disaster, Job 1: 12ff
Trying to separate believers from Christ's love, Rom. 8:38,39
Fighting against good angels, Rev. 12:7; Dan. 10:13
Spreading false teaching (sometimes using the same vocabulary as good
teaching but with different meanings), 1 Kings 22:21-23; 1 Tim. 4:1
Causing mental disorders, Luke 8:26-35
Enticing into moral and sexual impurity, Luke 4:33,36
Oppressing people, 1 Sam. 18:10
Indwelling people and animals, Luke 8:2; Mark 5:8-14
Being used by God to punish evil nations, Ps. 78:49
Being used by God to bring judgement on individuals, Judges 9:23;
1 Sam. 16:14
Being especially active at the end of the age? Rev. 9:1-12
Fleeing (like a coward), James 4:7
A. Much of how Satan works may be discerned by examining his nature; in the
previous section. The following restates some of that information and
provides additional Scriptures to reveal the methodology of Satan:
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13. setting traps (2 Tim. 2:26).
14. enslaving (addicting) people to sin (John 8:31-37).
15. oppressing people (1 Sam. 18: 10)
16. manipulating our weaknesses (Luke 22: 31).
17. accusing us with guilt trips about our weaknesses and sins (Ps. 109:6;
Zech. 3:1)
18. tempting us physically (v.3-4), through appeals to ego (V. 5-7), and
through appeals to gain power (v.8-10) (Matt. 4:lff).
19. tempting people into sexual sin (Luke 4:33, 36)
20. bragging about his conquests (1 Pet. 5:8).
21. possesses his victims (John 13:27; Acts 5:3)
22. cultivates his victims (Matt. 13:38)
23. binds his victims with disease (Luke 13:16) and mental illness (Luke
8:26-35).
24. repossessing a person who is delivered but does not follow through in the
Christ-life, and does so with a vengeance (Matt. 12:43-45).
25. causing people to be violent (Matt. 8:28-34).
C. Basically, Satan will use any method he can to cause people to reject Christ
or to prevent the born-again believer from living a victorious Christian life.
E. Satan uses two primary methods to subtlety seduce people into believing
lies:
** Satan will take an idea that is true and good and pervert it by
surrounding it with untruth. A non-discerning person may assume
that the entire idea presented is true and valid because they
recognize the truth and goodness of the grain. The New Age
philosophy contains many grains of truth.
** One of the most dangerous traps Satan sets for Christians is the
Trap of Association. We must be careful not to throw the grain out
with the garbage surrounding it ... Or to throw away the entire apple
because it contains a portion of poison in the middle.
** We must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water.
Satan loves to see this happen.
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F. THE RULE OF SPIRITUAL OPPOSITES:
2. For non-believers especially, Satan tries to hinder the work of the Holy
Spirit to prevent understanding of Truth (Matt. 13:19). Believers are
attacked here, too, to prevent victorious living. Within the New Age
Movement, for example, discussions about Man's sinfulness and the
salvation from that sin through Christ has little meaning since they do
not believe in sin or the depraved fallen nature of the human race and
thus a Savior is not needed. All that is needed, they say, is the realization
of divinity within one's self.
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G. THE RULE OF PERVERSION & COUNTERFEITS:
Explanation of Chart
The HOLY SPIRIT leads people into a FAITH in JESUS, accepting Him as Savior,
repenting of sin, accepting forgiveness. SIN is thereby crucified and broken with Christ
on the Cross.
Once a person accepts the Gospel message he experiences a RENEWED MIND remade
in the image of Christ. This is accomplished through the Sacraments and through
personal devotion. This brings the FRUIT of the Spirit (when the believer walks and
lives by the Spirit).
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**********************************
The EVIL SPIRITS lead people into PARANOID ILLUSIONS about the truth of Jesus,
thereby bringing them into SATAN's power, accepting his philosophy and perversions.
SIN is displayed openly, sometimes with pride as if on a banner for all to see. It
becomes the banner of the person's life.
Once the person accepts the Illusions of Satan, he begins to experience a DELUDED
MIND remade in the image of Satan. The result is the expression of spiritual
COMPULSION into sin and evil.
GOD SATAN
Truth Deceit
Freedom Slavery
Fulfilled promises Betrayed promises
Gifts Received Gifts Taken Back*
* Will take back all that was given, plus take even more. End up with less than
started with.
FAITH
Confidence, trust, and belief in God, not based on proof or reason alone, and which
produces a truthful and accurate impression of spiritual reality, allowing access to
God1s Grace.
PARANOID ILLUSION
Suspicion, distrust, and disbelief in God or His Will, which is not based on proof or
reason, and that produces a false and misleading impression of spiritual reality,
allowing access to the seduction of Satan.
RENEWED MIND
Capable of knowing and perceiving Truth and God's Will.
DELUDED MIND
Misled away from knowledge and perception of Truth and Gods Will.
FRUIT
Production of spiritual attributes made possible by the freedom and Grace of God.
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COMPULSION
Impulse to act contrary to God's Will and to perform acts opposite to spiritual
attributes even when such acts are irrational or contrary to one's own interest or well-
being
CREATIVE EMPOWERMENT
Spiritual power granted to us through Christ and upon His authority. God empowers
(authorizes, permits) us to exercise spiritual power according to His Will. This
empowerment is Creative in that it is a result and an outpouring of our obedience,
faith, and relationship with God. This empowerment is given to us for the purpose of
glorifying Him, rather than an exercise of efforts to follow our own Will and interests.
DESTRUCTIVE POWER
Spiritual power granted to us by Satan for the purposes of indulging our own will and
interests. Satan grants this power (this capacity to act) to glorify himself rather than
God and to facilitate the destruction of the person's body and soul. The exercise of this
power facilitates material destruction of the person as well as spiritual destruction. It
facilitates an outpouring of our rebellion and sin against God and an indulgence of the
lusts of the flesh.
I. We are at War:
A. Jesus Came to Fight Satan (1 John 3:8). Our General (Christ Jesus) was
sent by the President of the Universe, God the Father, to the earth to
redeem Men from sin. One of the protocols of God's Battle Orders was for
Christ to fight and defeat Satan. This was accomplished on the Cross. Satan
has been defeated. But battles over individuals are still being waged until
Christ returns again to reclaim the world for His own and banish Satan and
his angels to everlasting hell.
1. C.S. Lewis:
There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every
spilt second, is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.
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2. James Kallas, author of The Real Satan:
A war is going on! Cosmic War! Jesus is the divine invader sent by God
to shatter the strongholds of Satan. In that light, the whole ministry of
Jesus unrolls. Jesus has one purpose to defeat Satan. He takes
seriously the strengths of the enemy.
3. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith (The Ratzinger Report):
If this redeeming light of Christianity were to fail, the world with all its
knowledge and technology would slip back into an inescapable fear in
the face of the alien impenetrability of begin. There are already sign of
the return of these dark powers, and Satanic cults are spreading more
and more in the secularized world.
4. Lawrence Scupoli, the 16th Century religious in The Spiritual Combat:
My beloved son, never forget that the devil continually seeks your
destruction. The devil is not content to stifle every inspiration from
Heaven, and to suggest evil thoughts in their place. He endeavors to
plunge it into new faults, either of the same or a more vicious nature by
supplying dangerous opportunities to sin.
5. Pope Paul VI (General Audience, November 15, 1972):
What are the greatest needs of the Church today? Do not let our
answer surprise you as being over-simple or even superstitious and
unreal: one of the greatest needs is defense from that evil which is
called the Devil.
D. Evidence from Life is easily discerned from the state of society's moral,
ethical, and spiritual health; the rise in every form of occultism and the
demise of respect of God. Alfred Lechler, noted German physician and
psychiatrists, observes:
(The occult & Satanism is a) terrible reality with which one must ever
increasingly reckon today
B. Soldiers Know Why they Fight (1 Pet. 3: 15b). Like soldiers we are to know
why we have hope in Christ and are to be ready to express those reasons to
anyone a anytime.
C. Soldiers Must be Alert & Disciplined (1 Pet. 5:8, 9a). Soldiers must be on
constant vigil for the enemies attacks. This requires discipline.
D. Soldiers can Never Let their Guard Down (Eph. 4:27). If a soldier gives the
enemy a foothold, the enemy will have access to us to attack and destroy
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E. Soldiers must be Ready for the Attack (Eph. 6:10-13). We must be ready
for the attack, equipped with the proper armor and weaponry if we are to
stand our ground in Christ.
F. Soldiers Must Expect an Attack (Eph. 6:13). God tells us that Satan will
attack. We must expect it.
G. When the Attack Comes we must Resist (fight) (James 4:7). When we
resist (fight) Satan will flee since he is essentially a coward
H. Soldiers are under Authority (Mt. 8:5-13). Soldiers wage war under the
authority of the Generals. The centurion with a paralyzed servant, being a
soldier, understood the concept of authority. He asked Christ to exercise His
authority to heal the servant without actually going to the centurion's home.
The power of healing was under Christ's authority.
I. Soldiers Must Know Their Enemy (Proverb 24:5-6). Military leaders try to
gain intelligence on their enemies before launching an attack. They need to
know the enemys strengths and weaknesses, the nature of their weapons,
how those weapons are deployed, the personality and theory of strategy of
their generals, and information on specific strategies employed by the enemy
in the past and likely to be employed now and in the future are needed.
33
have so much to do in battle remains to us some mysterious, forbidding
awesome power we are afraid to oppose, we are indeed at a
disadvantage. From a biblical perspective, we should know all we can
about Satan's tactics and his methods of attack against us. We must
also know the biblical basis of our victory over Satan and his world of
darkness.
A. The Church:
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will
give youre the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed
in heaven. (Matt. 16:13-19)
If I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household
of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the
truth. (1 Tim 3:15)
B. Sound Doctrine:
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you
do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Tim 4:16)
All Scripture is God-breathes and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17)
C. Discernment:
Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the
teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by
constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Heb.
5:13-14)
D. Responsibility:
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and
from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be
asked. (Luke 12:48b)
E. Personal Walk:
So 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. They 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. Having lost
all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to
indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of
Him and were taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
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You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old
self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in
the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like
God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph 4:17-24)
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as
children of light (for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness,
righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing
to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, hut rather expose them. For it is
shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But
everything exposed by the light becomes visible . . . (Eph 5:8-14a)
Be careful, then how you live not as unwise but as wise, making the
most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be
foolish, but understand that the Lord's will is. (Eph 5:15-17)
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of
any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper of God's holy
people. Nor should there be any obscenity, foolish talk or course joking,
which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. (Eph 5:3-4)
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what
is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may
benefit those who listen. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling
and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate
to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
F. Affirming Faith:
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it
says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like
a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes
away and immediately forgets what he looks like. (James 1:22-24)
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feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In
addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can
extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. (Eph 6:13-
17)
H. Invincible Prayer:
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and
requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the
saints. (Eph 6:18)
A. Ouija Board: Combines the words for yes in French, oui, and German, ja)
Its just a game, dont get upset about it. Parker Brothers makes it, so
there cant be anything wrong with it. (from a teenager at a church youth
group meeting)
1. History
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2. How People use the Ouija Board
1) Information revealed that could not have come from the operators
37
an origin before the 18th Century. She got the information
through a Ouija Board; through a spirit guide named
Patience Worth, who claimed to have lived in the 17th
Century.
3) Other Phenomena
1) Ernest Turley was shot and killed by his 15 year old daughter,
Mattie. In court testimony she explained, that in a Ouija board
sance with her mother the board told her to kill her father so her
mother could marry a young cowboy. (New York Times,
12/27/33, p. 40).
2) Herbert Hurd killed his wife, Nellie, explaining that he was forced
to do it because the Ouija Board had lied to his wife. Herbert said
that the spirits told her through the Ouija Board that I was too
fond of another woman and had given her $15,000 of a hidden
fortune. He explained that he was unable to convince his wife
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that the Ouija Board was wrong and that he could not endure her
treatment of him, so he killed her. (Paul Sann, Fads, Follies, and
Delusions of the American People [New York: Crown, 1967], p.
143).
1. History:
a) Spin-off of the wargames of the 50s and 60s, like Gettysburg and
Bismarck.
b) As interest grew in these wargames and International Federation of
Wargaming was formed.
c) Special interest groups formed under its umbrella including the
Castle and Crusade Society founded by Gary Gygax.
d) During the 70s Gygax and Robert Kuntz developed the idea to play
games which would reflect the action of the great swords and sorcery
years.
e) These ideas were continually refined by Gygax, Kuntz, and Dave
Arneson (the first master player of Gygaxs game).
f) The result of these various developments was the Greyhawk
campaign (this was the first Dungeons and Dragons campaign). This
game was published by TSR Games, Inc. (now TSR Hobbies, Inc.) of
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
g) Sales in 1975 were estimated at $150,000.
h) Sales in 1982 were estimated at $150,000,000.
i) There are presently over one hundred different booklets and
accessories that can be bought for a total cost in excess of well over
$500.
2. How It is Played:
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j) Each character is assigned strengths and weaknesses; determined by
the throw of the dice.
k) A racial stock is selected for each character dwarven, elven, gnome,
half-elven, halfling, half-orc, or human.
l) Players decide whether their character will be good, neutral, or evil.
Each character should also have a god to serve. (Evil tends to be more
powerful or advantaged in the game).
m) Each character is equipped with weapons and supplies apropos for
their particular mission.
n) Each character will possess certain spell-casting capacitates based on
their class, race, and abilities.
o) The object of the game is for players to maneuver their characters
though the Dungeon Masters precarious environment, encountering
and conquering various beings or entities, collecting treasures, and
gathering experiences for later advancement.
p) The Dungeon Master gives verbal guidance.
q) Players engage their imaginations and mentally visualize each
situation and every action taken in that situation as they travel
through the environment.
r) It is not necessary for the game to end. It can be indefinite.
s) If a character is killed, magic or reincarnation into some other entity
or character can resurrect it. Or, a player can begin again with a new
character.
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St. Paul also declares in Philippians 4:8: Finally, brethren, whatever
is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if
there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
St. Peter, our First Pope warns us in 2 Peter 3:17: Therefore, beloved,
since you are forewarned, be on your guard not to be led into the error
of the unprincipled and to fall from your own stability.
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c) Astral projection or Soul Travel.
d) Necromancy (communication with the dead).
e) Conjuration and summoning of demons and devils.
f) Occult alignment with powers or deities.
g) Names of Occult, or magic, Orders (in at least one game, Chivalry &
Sorcery).
h) Abjuration (the neutralization or negation of magic, spells, & curses)
i) Clairaudience and Clairvoyance (hear or see things at a distance).
j) Divination.
k) Summoning of elements (earth, air, water, fire).
l) Primitive occultic idea of Trapping the Soul.
m) Encouragement of players to research and investigate pagan,
Eastern, and occultic cultures from which the mythologies and deities
are drawn for the games.
The very nature of D & D, and FRP in general, is such that the
imagination is being guided into encounters with nonmaterial
entities, forces, or spirits. Those entities, we are told, are mere
fantasies with no basis in reality. If, however, those entities do
actually exist in some form in the spirit world, then the line of
demarcation between what is fantasy and what is actual with
spiritual, demonic forces becomes extremely abstruse if not entirely
nonexistent.
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all their time playing the game to the exclusion of work, school, and
interpersonal relations.
b) Three boys in Florida dug up the remains of a suicide victim from a
local graveyard. They used the decomposing body for rituals
associated with the D & D game. (John-Paul, the workshop presenter
was briefly involved in consulting law enforcement on this case)
c) The Highway Shooting fad in California is suspected to have been
part of a D & D adventure. The FRP game theology of reincarnation
is thought to have motivated the fellow who started this fad to kill
people as a favor to them so they could be reincarnated into a better
reality.
d) The power sense created in the game has lead some players into full
Satanism where they believe they will have access to real power.
e) Some suicides have been associated with addictive playing of FRP
games.
f) Murders have also been associated with FRP games.
II. Movies:
2. Other films:
a) The Believers
b) Ghost Dad
c) Ghost (this one is particularly dangerous)
d) Witches of Eastwick
e) Many, many others in recent years
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III. Materials used in Public Schools:
A. Public School in Plymouth, Michigan, during the 80s showed the cute six-
part animated film, Tales of Winnie the Witch to all its kindergartners. It is
not known if they are still doing this.
B. Sixth graders in the same school system were shown the movie, The Sword
and the Sorcerer, which opens with a witch calling up the devil in a room
whose walls come alive with screaming, bleeding human faces.
C. Junior High kids are shown the film, What are Friends For, a movie about a
11 year old boy who prays to Satan and casts a voodoo spell from the
Witches Bible to make his mother disappear
D. High Schoolers are shown the R rated move, Excalibur.
E. Other books found in elementary school libraries around the country:
1. Meet the Witches, a nonfiction book that lists 30 steps to sacrifice a baby
by boiling him alive.
2. The Story of Witches, a fiction book which gives instructions for becoming
a witch including renouncing Christ, renouncing ones godparents,
spitting on the Holy Bible, proclaiming Satan as lord, and saying the
Lords Prayer backwards.
IV. Other Occult Readings found in University Libraries (and many Public
Libraries and High School Libraries):
V. Occultic Music:
A. All Rock, and related music, is derived from Primitive music of African and
South American cultic dances. A recent (1998) documentary traced the
origins of Rock and Jazz music to the spiritual dances of Africa that later
become Voodoo in the Caribbean Islands. Often these dances continue into
a frenzy, ending many times in a sexual orgy.
1. Although the technical composition of music can and does have an effect
on behavior and mood, the primary concern is the lyrics.
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a) Alice Coopers Cold Ethel a song about sex with a corpse
b) We like to live life to the fullest, and if that means driving our car into
a wall at 70 mph or doing three chicks at once, thats OK with us.
(Nick Six, Motley Crue, Hit Parade, September 1984)
1. The average student in grades 7-12 listens to music 4-6 hours per day.
2. The average student spends more time in junior/senior high years
listening to music than they do in the classroom in grades 1-12
combined.
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1. Rebellion or aggression
2. Abuse of drugs and alcohol
3. Graphic Violence
4. Fascination with the occult
5. Sexuality that is graphic and explicit
E. Rock is not the only form of music that may prmote negative ideas, but it
probably is the largest type to do so.
1. In Georgia two guys and a girl strangle a girlfriend in their car listening
to Ozzy Osborne. They pass her body out the window of the car, perform
some rituals over her and bury her in a shallow grave.
2. Son of Sam David Berkowitz was a dedicated fan of Black Sabbath.
3. Charles Manson was inspired by the Beatles, Helter Skelter and other
rock music.
4. Midlothian, Texas was the setting of the satanic-related slaying of
undercover cop George Raffield while heavy metal was playing in the
background.
5. Ricky Kassos murder of Gary Lauwers in Northport, Long Island shouts
of Say you love Satan! was orchestrated to heavy metal.
6. The L.A. Nightstalker Richard Ramirez was obessed with Ac/DCs
Nightstalker.
7. John-Paul, the workshop presenter, nearly killed himself as a teenager
while listening to Led Zepplins The Pusher (the long version).
VI. Television:
1. Bewitched (1960s show about a witch & a motivator for many to explore
the occult.
2. Free Spirit (1990s version of Bewitched)
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3. Sabrina (another version of Bewitched)
4. Dharma & Greg (many new age and occult references)
5. Cartoons are one of the worst genres on TV
A. Pornography: (see 2 Cor 10:5) With the advent of the Internet, anything,
and I mean anything, can be found in seconds on the Internet even hard
core child pornography (and by child we are meaning infants to 8 years old).
There is nothing that cannot be found readily on the Internet. Since the
Internet allows people to view this material from the privacy of their home,
this onslaught of perversion is particularly dangerous. The Legion of St.
Michael offers Internet support group services to those addicted to
pornography and the sins of the flesh.
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The New Age Movement
I. The Problem of Identification:
1. The New Age is quite eclectic and draws from many sources.
2. The diversity of the New Age means that statements made by its
representatives may not hold for all those associated with it.
3. The New Age worldview itself emphasizes and exalts changes and
evolution.
B. Many of those involved in the New Age will often shift their perspectives.
Many will resist the notion that they belief in this or that precept of New Age
philosophy. Regardless of an individuals particular variation, style,
modification, or synthesis of New Age beliefs, however, New age philosophy
may be identified, overtly and subtly, by Six General Distinctive
1. All things plants, snails, books, and so on are said to partake of the
same divine essence (especially trees . I humorously keep referring to
this since New Agers tend to be known as tree huggers).
2. The idea of a personal god is abandoned in favor of an impersonal
energy, force, or consciousness (John-Paul, the workshop presenter, use
to call God the Cosmic Plasma when he was involved in the New Age).
C. Humanity of God:
It has long been held that whoever denies (the transcendent) God
asserts his own divinity. In dropping God, man recovers himself. It
is time the God is put in his place, that is, in man, and no nonsense
about it.
3. Only ignorance keeps us from realizing our divine reality.
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4. The New Age goal, according to New Age analyst Theodore Roszak, is to
awaken to the god who sleeps at the root of the human being.
5. Swami Muktananda, a great influence on est/Forum foudner Werner
Erhard, says:
Kneel down to your own self. Honor and worship your own being.
God dwells within you as You.
D. A Change in Consciousness:
Youre part of every atom in the world and every atom is part of
you. We are all god who created our own worlds.
3. Erhard states:
4. A popular National Public Radio Network program of New Age bent, New
Dimensions, says in their introduction:
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7. This change in consciousness, whatever that ultimately means, leads to
an awareness of oneness and spiritual power.
8. Many methods are used to achieve this:
a) Sports:
2) Murphy adds:
1. The externals of religions may differ, but the essence is the same.
2. There may be many paths to one truth, many methods to become one
with the One, but all differences are superficial and external.
3. Dogmas may come and go, but the vital experience of the god within is
common throughout the world.
4. Consequently, the distinctiveness of Christianity must be denied.
5. Jesus of Nazareth, then, is no longer said to be the only begotten Son of
God, the God-man, the Lord and Savior of the world. He is merely one of
many appearances or manifestations of God (or Christ-Consciousness)
that have come to us throughout the millennia.
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F. Cosmic Evolutionary Optimism:
1. Much of the motivational groundwork for the New Age came from Julian
Huxley over 35 years ago when he said:
Man is that part of reality in which and through which the cosmic
process has become conscious and has begun to comprehend itself.
His supreme task is to increase that conscious comprehension and
to apply it as fully as possible to guide the cause of events.
4. A New Age will dawn, built upon the human potential realized by the self-
god consciousness realized. Man will ever evolve into divinity. The future,
therefore, is bright and self-redeeming.
A. The New Age has its first expression in Genesis 3:4,5 when the serpent
induced Man to sin with the promise, You will not die [reincarnation] For
God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened [enlightenment],
and you will be like God [the god-self]
B. There are strong connections between New Age beliefs and that of Hinduism,
Buddhism, and the occult traditions of witchcraft, shamanism, sorcery, etc.
C. Some of the New Age leaders clearly and unabashedly state that the source
of the New Age is Lucifer:
1. The books of Alice Bailey, the Queen Mother of the New Age, are
published by the Lucis Trust (which used to be called the Lucifer Trust.
This is the same organization that designed the prayer chapel at the
United Nations).
2. The Editor of A Course in Miracles (a channeled work), Kenneth
Wapnick, stated, if the Bible were considered literally true, then the
Course would have to be viewed as demonically inspired.
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3. David Spangler writes in Reflections on the Christ (1977):
A. The New Age effect society through the promotion of its values and beliefs in
the school systems, day care centers, social service agencies, movies and TV
shows, books and magazines, music, workshops and seminars, course in
colleges, new age theology, direct recruitment into New Age communities
and activities, New Age medicine and the health movement, and in politics.
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II. Christian, Modern, and Post Modern Worldviews
53
Relationships between Systems
54
Causes of Demonization
I. Personal Involvement:
55
C. For non-Christians, demonization may come unfettered since they do not
have the direct protection of Christ in the same manner as do Christians.
They are, in essence, members of the kingdom of darkness by the mere act
of rejecting Christ.
A. Scripture states that the sins of the father are visited upon descendents
(Jer. 32:18; Ex. 20:4)
B. Parents may involve their children in occultic activities at early ages; i.e.
spiritistic healings, rituals, etc.
C. Satan seems to have a legal right to infect the families and descendents of
people who involve themselves in the occult.
D. Many Spiritual Warfare Counselors have observed that ancestral
involvement is the chief cause of demonization.
A. Job teaches us that we have a hedge around us, protecting us from Satan
(Job 1:10)
B. Satan cannot break through that Hedge or Protection except under the
following circumstances:
Recruitment Techniques
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MTV is an institution. There is a whole generation out there molded and
influenced by it.
B. Television and Movies: In the first edition of this Manual, this category was
listed in secondary recruitment technique, but in the last decade it has
become increasingly and obviously clear that the media play a role that is
PRIMARY for both adults and youth (for youth second only to music).
C. Teachers/Role Models: This category, too, was listed as secondary in the
first edition of this Manual, but, like the phenomena of the media, teachers
with a New Age agenda of some sort over the last ten years has taken over
the education industry pushing out many of the people with traditional
ideas about values and education. For a teacher to get a secondary or
elementary certificate today they must undergo diversity training and other
propaganda training as a requirement of the certificate. Even in upper
education, professors not conforming to the political correct line have their
jobs placed in jeopardy even if tenured! The motto of a New Age Radio
program states: It is only through a change in consciousness that the world
will be changed. This is our responsibility. The inclusive language movement
is born out of this sense of responsibility to change the world away from
the perceived oppression of a patriarchal Christian God to a New Age god
made in the image of the new agers it has nothing to do with alleged
discrimination or insensitivity to women. Through the educational system
these notions of a new age new order can be inculcated into our youth.
The reason for this effort to bring the educational industry under the thumb
of the New Age agenda is clear through education they are mold future
generations into their view of the new world order.
A. Games: Ten years ago games would have been put into the Primary
category. But due to the solidification of the Unholy Trinity, we believe that
games (while closely related, are now a secondary source of recruitment.
B. Direct Recruitment: Direct Involvement ten years ago also was considered
a primary method. But again, the power and thoroughness and success of
the Unholy Trinity make direct recruitment less needed. Thus Direct
Recruitment now represents a secondary technique of recruitment. However,
it should not be considered a dead technique. By no means is it dead. The
lure of power, sex, drugs, material possessions is still a powerful enticement
to youth and adults especially those who feel powerless.
This method is also the follow-up to the Primary techniques listed above.
Once people are inculcated into the new age and occult worldview through
the primary methods of the Unholy Trinity, then, for some, they are ripe for
recruitment into the deeper levels leading eventually to full-blown Satanism.
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D. Sexual Abuse: Even if the perpetrator is not consciously intending it, sexual
abuse is a common entryway into involvement into the occult. Abuse is not
just a rape of the body, it is the rape of the mind and the soul. It damages
the person so badly that it effects all aspects of the person. This leaves an
opportunity to the devil to take advantage of the vulnerability of the abuse
victim
Again, people in position of power over the person are the ones most likely to
cause the most damage to the persons whole self AND the most likely to
abuse the person after they have been initially abused. Family members do
the most damage, followed by abusers coming from the trust professions.
This means many people abused by family, clergy, teachers, strangers, etc.
will then go to the mental health profession for help only to get abused
again. This is true evil.
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F. Generational Involvement: some are born into the occult and continue to
maintain their occultic activities and participation into adulthood. Often
those who wish to leave this life do not out of fear of being killed.
G. Religious: membership and involvement in some religions, such as
paganism, witchcraft, some forms of Hinduism, etc. actively encourage
occult experimentation or practices.
H. Peer Pressure and Hero Worship: this area represents a significant source
of motivation. Teens in particular want to be accepted by the group. But
teens are not the only ones susceptible to this. Adults may get involved for
the same reason. Hero worship also leads to involvement if the hero is
involved. Many movie stars and athletes are into occult and new age cults.
Their presence in such groups gives those so inclined to be influenced by the
celebrity to presume the participation is okay, and more, may be motivated
to join up with a cult specifically because the hero is a member.
Counter-Recruitment Techniques
I. Prayer:
A. Share from the rich heritage of the Church and her saints. If this has always
been apart of the raising of a child, it will be easier when the child is
tempted as a teen to experiment with other values.
B. The Church teaches a way to live counter to the negative motivators listed
above
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2. To replace curiosity the Church offers health curiosity from the rich
heritage of mysticism as well as a wealth of insight and inspiration and
wonder about the nature of God.
3. To replace revenge with embitters oneself, the Church offers a way for
forgiveness and freedom from the hurts one has received. Forgiveness is
not about letting the other person off the hook, but letting oneself off the
hook. As long as we hold on to the hurt, the person who has hurt us
continues to hurt us even though he is not around, even if he is dead.
We need to let go and let God deal with the justice needed and
required from the perpetrator.
4. To replace power that is based in insecurity and a false power, the
Church offers the true power of God that comes with a security and hope
that comes from being in the arms of Jesus.
5. To replace instant gratification for unmet needs, the Church offers us
Jesus who will meet our true needs and give us the freedom that comes
from letting Christ be the sufficiency in our lives.
6. To replace generational involvement in the occult, the Church offer the
generations involvement of the family of God and the human family
within the Church to nurture our true identity as a child of God.
7. To replace false religions, the Church gives us the One, Holy, Catholic,
and Apostolic Church established by Christ Himself that will encourage
us to be all we can be according to Gods design and plan.
8. To replace peer pressure and hero worship the Church gives us her
saints as role-models and the support of a community of the faithful to
encourage us to live the Christ-life which is the only life that will give us
full potential.
C. In accordance with ones state in life, we also have the charism of the
Evangelical Counsels to give us a model of the way of Christ to counter our
need for power.
D. The Church in her teachings on these issues gives us our basic tools to
counter-recruit Satans subtle lures.
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D. Mark 5:6,7 Disintegration of the personality
E. Mark 5:7 Resistance and opposition to the Christian faith or to
spiritual things
F. Mark 5:7 Demonstration of occult powers (ESP)
G. Mark 5:9 Alteration of voice. Another voice speaking
H. Mark 5:13 Occult transference. The demons leave the person and go
elsewhere (to another person or animal, etc.)
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2. Sense of self that fluctuates between feelings of despair or inner
emptiness and the feeling of inflation and grandiosity. (depression comes
from self and the highs from elsewhere).
3. See dark figures and apparitions, hear voices.
4. Experience dissociative states or trances, out-of-body experiences, or
other personalities encountered.
5. Convulsive reaction to Christ and Christian objects.
6. Paranormal, parapsychological occurrences, e.g. levitation.
7. Phenomena that affect others: cold, stench, sense of oppression.
The first three items may be typically seen in psychiatric illness. The fourth
item may or may not be an indicator in itself of psychiatric illness. The last
three items are more are those specifically seen with demonization.
A. External Signs
1. Fascination with Death
c) Objects used for occult worship (sea shells which form bowls, skulls,
bones, finger-tip joints, ceremonial knives/swords/daggers, candles,
wax, wax drippings, bells, feathers, symbolic jewelry, incense, oils,
powders, altars, religious artifacts such as a silver chalice, or goblet,
religious relics, the Eucharist, pentagrams drawn on the floor).
d) Room draped in black gauze or red materials.
e) Perverted posters on the wall.
f) Bottled ashes used as protection from demonic forces.
g) Voodoo dolls made of cloth, wax, paper, straw with pins sticking out.
h) Robes, especially black, light, or scarlet.
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3. Books-Letters
4. Socialization
5. Physical Changes
6. Animals
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7. Entertainment
9. Symbols
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66
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B. Internal Signs
1. Emotions
2. Actions
a) Bored.
b) Disillusioned.
c) Abrupt emotional changes.
d) Curious (will experiment beyond the normal).
e) Low self-esteem.
f) May have been abused or neglected in the past.
g) Underachiever, but creative, intelligent, perhaps artistic.
h) Socially marches to the beat of a different drummer.
i) Has difficulties in peer relationships.
j) Over-identification with negative or destructive themes such as that
involved in black heavy metal music.
k) Nightmares about demons.
C. Within the spiritual warfare prayers that we offer we can refer to the demons
by attribute, such as a demon (or spirit) of hatred, lust, anger, etc.
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Six Stages of Involvement in Satanism/Occultism
There are five stages of involvement in this life, the sixth stage takes place after death.
1. Ouija Boards
2. Fantasy role playing games
3. Heavy Metal Music or other negative music
4. Satanic Symbols
a) Drawings
b) Wearing symbols on clothing
c) Tattoos (real or temporary)
d) Self-made tattoos of symbols carved into skin
e) Defacing public Property
5. Spiritism
6. Tarot Cards
7. Seances
8. Free drugs/alcohol
a) Not all drug users are Satanists/occultists; however, a high
percentage of Satanists and Occultists are drug users. There is a
significant need for mind altering chemicals in occultic activities (Mitch
Anthony)
b) Henri Cellini, a national consultant on juvenile corrections, says that
Satanic cults use drugs to attract and keep members. Especially
popular are hallucinogens, used to produce trances and paranormal
experiences.
9. Free Sex
10. Movies, videos dealing with the occult
11. Specialized groups that are violent-oriented:
a) Skin heads
b) Motorcycle gangs
c) Neo-Nazis
d) Klu Klux Klan
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12. Other non-violent occultic activity such as Wiccan practice, astrology,
etc.
B. People do not just dabble in Satanism or the occult. They are making a
statement. Try to find out what that statement is.
C. Dabbling may bring on demonic activity.
Some of the key thoughts of Satanism and/or the occult include the following:
A New Age occultist, however, will not believe in God as such. His belief is in
a pantheistic god and a god who in One with All, as taught in Chinese
Taoism.
H. Every man is a god as he chooses to recognize that fact.
I. Satanism is a blatantly selfish and brutal religion. It is based on the belief
that man is inherently a selfish, violent creature, that life is a Darwinian
struggle for survival of the fittest, and that the earth will be ruled by those
who fight to win.
The New Age occultist believes just the opposite. He believe that human
beings are inherently good and to not have evil within them. The evil that
men do comes from societal and religious (Christian) influences that
encourage bigotry, injustice, greed, etc. The New Ager thus seeks to
reestablish the pristine divinity within himself, ridding himself of the
societys corruptions. Rather, he develops his own divinity into a personal
enlightenment that comes from the realization that we are all One, that we
are all apart of the cosmic plasma.
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III. Stage Three: Trivial Practices (not meaningless, but trivial compared to
stage IV)
A. Animal sacrifices
B. Grave Robbing
1. Removing human skulls and certain bones provide power plus help to
foretell the future.
2. Used for a variety of initiation rites.
3. Used for a variety of other purposes.
C. Black Mass
A. Rape
B. Murder human sacrifice
C. Generational breeding
D. Child Abuse
1. Sexual molestation
2. Kidnapping
3. Buying and Selling babies
4. Brainwashing children
E. Suicide
F. Cannibalism
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V. Stage Five: The Dump Stage
Satan gets rid of all of his followers when they become useless to him, or just
for his own pleasure. Satanists are taught that there is no way out of Satanism.
There are at least four ways of departing Satanism (that is getting dumped by
Satan):
1. The Satanist may know too much and is seen as a threat to the other is
he talks. Therefore he is killed or family members threatened or killed.
2. The Satanists body may be wiped out by sexual disease, blood letting or
drinking, drug involvement, torture, etc.
For the survivors (new Christian converts or those somehow still alive) there
are numerous death-threats plus many unbelievable challenges if recovery
is to take place.
Satan, unlike God, does not love you. He only wishes to use you to further
advance his cause (keeping people away from God).
A. If the person dies outside of Gods grace (with unconfessed and unrepentant
mortal sin on his soul) then eternal damnation will occur
B. But we cannot determine the state of ones soul. A person, even if an avowed
Satanist all his life, may repent at the last second before death. The
disposition of a persons soul is left to God
NOTE: This material is for informational purposes only. Unqualified persons should not
attempt diagnosis.
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Stage 1: REGRESSION
Stage 2: SUPPRESSION
Stage 3: DEPRESSION
After one has regressed from their previous level of maturity, and has
begun withdrawing in emotions and spiritual insight, the next stage is
one of festering (Depression).
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These feelings about oneself and ones life condition create a sense of
being weighed down. Lack of purpose is the resulting emotional sense.
Depressed people feel not only a sadness about themselves and of their
life condition, but also a sense a void within their spirits, an emptiness
and sense of loss. The final result is despair, paranoia, and
hopelessness.
Stage 4: REPRESSION
Any pain and misery the person may still feel consciously, by this stage,
is forced out of the conscious mind and placed into the unconscious.
With the majority of the negative emotions safely hidden in the
unconscious the person no longer has to confront his problems; he may
even appear to cheer up a little. But the pain is not gone. The sense of
void still plagues the person's inner soul and he feels his life is without
meaning. Although the person may have a yearning for meaning in his
life, any attempt to grasp it is alluded.
While it is still possible for a person in this stage to find deliverance and
healing without help, this stage represents a good recruiting opportunity
for the cults and the occult. A repressed person is very vulnerable
because of their despair and sense of inner void, yet still having a
yearning for answers to the meaning of life.
Stage 5: OPPRESSION
Thus any relief from pain found in Stage 4 is replaced with the
realization that one is still in despair. Such knowledge (conscious or
unconscious) weighs heavily on the person. This sense of heaviness
pervades all aspects of the person: mental, physical, psychological, and
spiritual. The burden eventually becomes too much to carry. The sense of
helplessness increases, no one or thing seems to help. Sex, drugs, travel,
crime, or any other distraction doesn't help. The sense of helplessness
grows worse until the despair is overwhelming.
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purpose. While he has adapted somewhat to this intolerable situation by
repressing painful thoughts and feelings, the repression hasn't worked.
At this point the person feels like they are in a bottomless pit. They may
do anything to get out. They are scared...frightened that perhaps they
won't get out. Any life jacket offered to them from any source may be
seen as the only alternative to suicide.
This is when recruitment into cults and the occult is most dangerous.
The person is so vulnerable and susceptible to influence that any
rational thought processes or critical thinking is short-circuited.
Seduction is easy.
Once seduced, a person may find himself doing things they would not
normally think of doing.
Stage 6: OBSESSION
This is the stage of false hope and total delusion. The vulnerable
condition of the person's psyche and spirit allows Satan to intrude in an
irresistible way with occultic ideas and promises.
The person may become obsessed with the ideas, philosophies, and
activities of the occult or other false doctrines as if doing such is the only
possible solution to his problems. He begins to believe the Satanic lies as
the only solution.
The obsession with Satanic ideas may include intense curiosity about the
demonic or with what it might feel like to rape or murder someone, or to
do some other terrible act to others or self.
Satan, by this time, has a very strong hold on the person; the bonds are
strong and tightly controlled. Trying to reason with a person in this
condition may be similar to attempts to reason with a schizophrenic.
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Stage 7: SUBMISSION/POSSESSION
This is the stage of near total defeat. Satan never actually has complete
control, (and thus the term possession is misleading and inaccurate),
but for all intents and purposes, the person has completely submitted to
the authority and influence of Satan. [This may also happen to a
Christian. It is the personality and imagination under influence and
control to such a degree that the soul & will is nearly totally bound to the
desires of the evil one. The spirit does not come under Satans control.]
The non-Christian may also have the same yearning from the inner
spirit, but unless a decision is made for Christ, such human spirit does
not have the strength to overcome the demonic control.
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Responding to those Involved
I. Preliminary Caution
Many symptoms of occult involvement are the same symptoms for other
problems, such as drug and alcohol abuse. Some symptoms are similar to
behavior which is normal for teenagers who normally exhibit a degree of
rebellion. Other symptoms are similar to psychiatric conditions or psychological
factors apart from any spiritual issue.
The following lists and information is designed for FIRST AID purposes only.
Knowledge of the signs, symbols, and symptoms of occult involvement is needed
to know when a problem might be present. But DO NOT MAKE A DIAGNOSIS
YOURSELF. If you believe a problem exists with a loved-one, friend, or
neighbor, CALL A QUALIFIED PERSON who can investigate and make a proper
determination as to what might be taking place in the situation you observed.
If your pastor does not feel qualified to handle this, and there are no qualified
deliverance teams in your area, you may contact the Legion of St. Michael for
assistance. We will try to help in any way we can, given the limitations of
distance. We can always give prayer support.
A. PRAY, PRAY, PRAY spiritual warfare prayers, the rosary, Also ask St.
Dymphna, the persons guardian angels, and St. Michael the Archangel for
help.
B. Live a consistent Godly Life as an example and role-model.
C. Lovingly confront the individual. Be straightforward with observations. Give
specifics. Ask for explanations (not in an accusatory tone, but in a tone that
you are really interested in learning about their beliefs and thoughts). Listen
to the answers for Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks (Mt.
12:34). In the case of children or adults living in your home, be lovingly form
and in control, It is your house, but we also need to try to help the person.
D. Understand with you head and heart that these are real, normal people.
People who have needs; and people in whom God can meet those needs. God
loves them.
E. Love the sinner; hate the sin.
F. Talk to the person, balancing statements with questions.
G. Find out what any signs, symbols, or activities mean to them.
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H. Help the person understand the long-term implications; find out what they
are really wanting; what are they looking for in their life to lead them in this
direction.
I. Respect opinions and choices. Agree to disagree if necessary.
J. Support positive ventures and alternative activities.
K. Be informed and knowledgeable so that you can intelligently talk about the
persons beliefs.
L. Seek out the proper help: spiritual, medical, psychiatric, or legal
M. Keep the door open for future involvement with the person if possible.
N. Know and avoid Satans traps and snares (Be a Spiritual Warrior).
1. Talk to your teenager. TALK; do not grill. Ask specific questions. If you
receive specific information, ask how they learned the information.
2. Follow the advice of the Respond Wisely paragraph above. Listen to
what the teenager is saying; learn what THEY think the signs and
symbols mean, listen for clues on what the real issues are.
3. Watch for an overemphasized interest in the occult. (see Signs and
Symptoms Section).
4. If there is Sufficient Reason and Cause to believe that your child is
involved in the occult, and you believe that your child is not being
forthright and honest about their involvement (which most often they will
not be), SEARCH THEIR ROOM.
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Shock yourself. When you suspect satanic dabbling, look in the
room. Search for and read the Book of Shadows journal or other
writings or letters which might reveal occultic involvement. Take Los
Angeles Police Detective Pat Metoyer;s advice: He wont let you in
his room because its private? Hes got the door padlocked? Call an
handyman and tear out the door. Take the advice from Betty
Naysmith, an occult researcher, or Chicago Policeman Jerry
Simandl: The goal is to prevent suicide and criminal acts. Search
the rooms.
a) Destroy this items (or if you dont want to destroy your childs
property, at least place the material in secured storage until your
child is an adult and on their own.
b) You are NOT morally or legally bound to allow anything in your home
that is destructive. It is your home and you can and should insist
that improper materials not be brought into your home.
c) Once these materials are disposed of, do not allow any such items to
re-enter your home.
d) Ask your priest to bless your home especially the bedroom or other
rooms used by your child.
5. Gently insist that school officials search and remove any occult
paraphernalia or literature from the childs locker or desk. Have an
authority back you up if necessary when approaching school authorities.
6. Set specific and enforceable limits on your teenagers activities and
whereabouts to preclude further occult involvement.
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7. Deal with the spiritual dimension of the problem (encouraging the child
to attend Mass, seek confession, and to participate in the Sacraments, as
well as participate in family devotions. The teen will most likely resist
this, but encourage this, not force it.
8. Pray. As a parent you have the obligation to protect your child. Pray
as a spiritual warrior in behalf of your child. Place a hedge of prayer
around them. Proclaim the victory of Christ for your family. (See the
section on Spiritual Warfare Prayer). Prayer does not guarantee results.
Remember that your child has free will to choose God or to rebel. But
God does hear and He does answer, but not always in the way we want
Him to. God is a gentleman; He does not violate anyones free will. But
He has GREAT powers of persuasion. Continue to pray. This could be a
long haul.
1. Check your teenagers room about an hour or two after you/they have
gone to bed. The child may be doing rituals once he thinks all have gone
to bed.
2. When asking questions about the occult DO NOT expect straight
answers. EXPECT DENIAL.
3. Remember that truth without love can be cruel. Love without truth can
be sentimental and will enable dysfunction and dangerous behavior.
4. When making an assessment of your childs involvement, do not let your
heart get in the way. Be honest with yourself and with the evidence
before you. The life of your child could depend upon it. But
remember, do not jump to conclusions either. Ask a qualified person
about what you find.
You can believe what you choose. You cannot practice certain
things in our home or on this property. Nor will I willingly
allow you to practice this anywhere else. We love you and are
concerned for you. Our making these boundaries is because
we love you and are concerned for your physical and spiritual
safety.
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Brian Brody, an occult authority in the field of psychiatry, commented in
Group Magazine, September 1989, p. 21:
All the problems that we see today in society and in our church can be traced to these
three fundamental strategies. It is the basis of the politically correct movement and of
the heresy of individualism. These strategies are the fuel that powers feminism, the
engine that drives liberalism, and the vehicle of the post-modern worldview that
predominates our world today and that contaminates the Church.
No one escapes the sinister tentacles of these devilish doctrines; we are all
contaminated by these strategies every one of us. The question is not whether we are
immune from these strategies, for we are not; it is not whether we are indeed
contaminated by them, because we are; the only question is what are we going to do
about it? How are we to exorcise the contamination of this pervasive worldview from
our minds?
This essay will present the first step, which is to recognize the strategies for what they
are.
The modus operandi of todays mores is to believe that all opinions are equal. Each
persons opinion has the same dignity, deserves the same respect, and is equally as
valid as any other opinion.
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It is a demonic lie because genuine opinion is necessarily related to the virtue of
Truth. Objective and fundamental truths are either true or they are not; they cannot
be both true and untrue at the same time. Since those issues of faith and morals
relate to objective Truth, varying opinions about such issues cannot be equal. In fact,
some opinions are silly, some are better than others, and some are just plain wrong.
Honest opinion seeks to know the truth and to express it. To know the truth we must
know the One who is the Truth: I am the way, and the truth, and the life declares
Jesus, and through this Truth we shall find freedom freedom from sin and freedom
from the slavery of our limited understandings.
As the Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 13:12: For now we see in a mirror dimly, but
then [in heaven] face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully.
Thus we must rely not upon our own understanding, but upon God who understands
all:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight
[understanding]. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight
your paths. Be not wise in your own eye. Proverbs 3:5-7
To rely upon God for understanding is to submit our will and our opinions to the
wisdom and understanding of God. Our opinion can never be equal with God and thus
our notion of truth cannot be discerned except through God. To fool ourselves into
thinking otherwise, into thinking we can assert an opinion contrary to Gods opinion
is utter arrogance and foolishness. The Bible informs us:
Therefore men fear him [God]; he does not regard any who are wise in their own
conceit. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: Who is this that
darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man, I
will question you, and you shall declare to me. Where were you when I laid the
foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its
measurements surely you know! Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you comprehended the
expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this. Do you know the
ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth? Is it by
your wisdom that the hawk soars, and spreads his wings toward the south.
Job 37:24; 38:1-5a, 17-18; 38:33; 39:26
Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For the foolishness of God
is wiser than men 1 Corinthians 1:20, 25a
O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the godless chatter and
contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, for by professing it some have
missed the mark as regards the faith. 1 Timothy 6:20-21
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God is the only true reality and the only genuine Truth. Because of this we learn
1) Our opinion has dignity only to the measure it conforms to the opinion of
God.
2) Opinion has value only as it is consistent with Truth. Since God is Truth
that means we must submit to and obey Gods Truth, Gods opinion, and
not our own understanding.
3) Opinion has value only as it serves to reveal Truth.
Therefore, if two opinions are in competition, the opinion more closely aligned with
Truth is the better opinion, and the opinion that conforms to Gods opinion is the only
right opinion.
How do we know Gods opinion? Christ made Peter his vicar with the authority to
infallibly declare upon issues of faith and morals. Thus the Holy Spirit protects us,
through the Magisterium of His Church and the successor of Peter, from the
capriciousness and enslavement of personal opinion asserted independently and
without obedience to God and His Church.
Why submit our opinion to the Church when God is Truth? Can we not discern for
ourselves what Gods opinion might be?
We must submit our opinion to the Church because Christ gave the Church the
authority to guard His Truth. The Church by this appointment is the pillar and
bulwark [foundation] of truth as St. Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 3:15. Thus if opinion is
to submit to truth, that is, if it is to submit to God, then opinion must submit to the
guardian and pillar of that truth the Church and Gods Vicar, the Pope.
We can now see what is really one of the greatest spiritual wars we wage. It is the war
with ourselves, with individual self-determined opinion. This is why St. Paul declares:
For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the
weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy
strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of
God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every
disobedience, when your obedience is complete. But we will not boast beyond
limit, but will keep to the limits God has apportioned us 2 Corinthians 10:3-6,
13a
Notice what Paul identifies as this non-worldly weapon with divine power to destroy
strongholds OBEDIENCE (taking every thought and opinion captive under
obedience to Christ).
Let us put it this way. You are in a taxi and the taxi crashes breaking your leg. A bone
is protruding from your leg. On the scene are the taxi driver who barely knows first aid
and a passerby who happens to be an orthopedic surgeon. Whose opinion has
precedence over how your leg will be treated? Does the taxi driver have an equal
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opinion to the orthopedic surgeon? Does the taxi driver even have a right to an
opinion?
The taxi driver trying to assert a contrary opinion against the orthopedic surgeons
professional expertise is utter arrogant foolishness; and to accept the taxi drivers
opinion over the surgeons risks losing your leg or even your life.
Yet even in obvious situations like the case of the taxi driver, or when discussing the
equally obvious objective Truth taught by the Church, some in the midst of the
argument will innocently say (usually to politely dismiss a heretic who will not listen),
Well, let us agree to disagree. This writer never does that when the issue is an issue
of fundamental truth. If we are talking about PCs versus MACs we can agree to
disagree, or preferences of apples over oranges we can agree to disagree, though I
think the opinion in favor of MACs is misguided and I personally prefer apples. But if
we are talking about dogma, about the definitive teaching of the Church, about
objective truth, there can be no agree to disagree.
To agree to disagree with error is to grant to that error a false recognition that it is
somehow on the same level of dignity as the Truth. Error is never on the same level of
dignity with Truth. Error has no dignity except as a possible motivator to lead us to
the Truth that we missed. But if we are not confronted in our error, how can we be
motivated to move toward Truth?
For there are many insubordinate men, empty talker and deceiversthey must
be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for base gain
what they have no right to teach... therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may
be sound in the faith, instead of giving heed to Jewish myths or to commands of
men who reject the truth. Titus 1:13
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living
and the dead, preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season,
convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. For a time
is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears
they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will
turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. 2 Timothy 4:2-4
In these passages we have the clue as to why Satan wants us to believe that all
opinion is equal. If we believe in this doctrine of demons we will then.
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Those who tell the Truth love you. Those who tell you what you want to hear love
themselves. -- Mother Angelica
As just stated above, error has no dignity except as a possible motivator to lead us to
truth. But if we are not confronted in our error, how can we be motivated to move
toward truth?
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living
and the dead, preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season,
convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. For a time
is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears
they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will
turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. 2 Timothy 4:2-4
We are to judge the teaching of teachers, the opinions of people, the attitudes and
behaviors of people. If we dont, then we allow sin and Satan to exploit the weak and
ignorant and vulnerable with his lies.
We are to preach the Truth and rebuke those who assert error not in an attitude of
rock throwing or some sort of controlling self-righteousness, but in a loving attitude of
helping the person return to God (2 Timothy 4:2). We are our brothers keepers (ref.,
Mark 12:31; Luke 10:25-37; Matthew 7:12; 18:23-35; Luke 6:31). We have a
responsibility to warn and admonish our brethren in the faith, just as we have a
responsibility to our blood-brothers to warn them when they go astray because we love
them.
St. Paul to the Romans exhorted good Catholics to instruct one another (Romans
15:14). To instruct someone necessarily means to evaluate (another word for judge)
the one to whom instruction is given.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states (No 1868): we have a responsibility
for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them: by (among several actions
on our part) not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obligation to do so.
We cannot disclose a sin without first assessing (yet another word for judging) that
the sin is in fact there in the first place.
In addition, one of the traditional seven Spiritual Works of Mercy is to Admonish the
sinner.
Again, we cannot admonish that which we refuse to recognize in the sinner. We must
make an assessment (judgment) that the person is sinning and thus needs
admonishment.
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Our model in this tough love is no less that Jesus Himself (who, contrary to popular
opinion was not a 60s flower child with flowers in his hair repeating a mantra of peace
and love). Jesus preached a demanding love, a love so demanding that in some cases
it would rip apart families:
Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to
bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a
daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law a
man's enemies will be the members of his own household. Anyone who loves his
father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his
cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Matthew 10:34-38
The Bible is filled with passages talking about how we are to judge others. Before
listing some of those, first let us look at the kind of judgment we are not to do.
The most famous of the several do not judge passages are found at Matthew 7:1-3
Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgement you pronounce you will
be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you
see the speck that is in your brothers eye, but do not notice the log that is in your
own
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In this passage, Jesus does not say that we cannot judge. He says that we are not to
judge in the manner of presuming condemnation on another or to make judgements
borne from hypocrisy (double-standard & self-righteousness).
In verse 5 Jesus continues: You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and
then you can see clearly to take the speck out of your brothers eye.
Taking the speck out of our brothers eye is not condemned in itself. Hypocritical
judgment is what Jesus condemns.
We can immediately see this is the meaning of these passages by going on to the very
next verse:
Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest
they trample them under foot and turn to attack you.
Dogs? Swine? How are we to know who is a dog or a swine? We cannot take Jesus
advice, which is advice for self-protection (e.g. when Jesus said the swine will turn to
attack you), if we do not judge a person, that is, to identify a person as a
metaphorical dog or swine.
Who are the dogs and swine? Verse 15 gives us one clue when it talks about false
prophets who come in sheeps clothing. Verse 21 Jesus talks about people calling to
him, Lord, Lord yet some of these will not enter heaven. They will not enter heaven
because despite their calling upon the name of the Lord, they are people who refuse to
do Gods will.
Verse 26 tells us more about these people. They are people who do not just fail to
follow Gods will, but who actively disobey the teachings of Jesus and thus they build
their house on sand (and that includes disobeying the Church, who has been given
authority to speak infallibly and definitively in Jesus name to the faithful when the
Church speaks, Jesus speaks).
Throughout Scripture we are given examples of these dogs and swine and are
repeatedly told to shun them, to avoid them, and even to kick them out of our
community as to give them up to Satan.
In Matthew 10:13-14 Jesus tells the disciples to shake the very dust off their clothes
of any city that refuses to listen to them. That requires a judgment.
St. Paul in Titus 3:9-11 tells us to warn a heretic (divisive person) twice and then have
nothing more to do with him because such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-
condemned. We dont condemn him, he condemns himself, but we do judge him to be
divisive beyond tolerance because we tried to admonish him (judge his behavior and
warn him of his sin) twice but he would not repent.
St. Paul commands us in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 to not associate with people calling
themselves Christians who are guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler,
drunkard, or robber not even to eat with such a one.
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Then Paul actually says and confirms in black and white language in verse 12 without
any shades of gray that we are to judge our fellow Christians (but interestingly to not
to judge those outside of the church): Is it not those inside the church whom you are to
judge? God judges those outside.
We are our brothers keeper and if we love, we will admonish a brother in sin or error.
St. Paul also tells us in 2 Timothy 3:1-9 that we are to avoid people who are holding to
a form of religion but denying the power of it (e.g., liberals who strip our Church of its
sacramental power). Other we are to avoid include those who are Lovers of self, lovers
of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous,
reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.
And finally, St. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 that some people must be
excommunicated completely removed from fellowship and handed over to Satan.
Paul specifically says, I have already pronounced judgment in the name of the Lord
Jesus on the man who has done such a thing you are to deliver this man to Satan for
the destruction of the flesh that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
This form of judgment (excommunication), by the way, is one reserved to the Church
and is not a personal judgment exacted by the faithful.
Jesus, Himself, calls for this formal judgment on the part of the Church in Matthew
18:15-18.
We cannot judge a persons state of soul, of course. We cannot condemn him. We are
also not to judge out of hypocrisy.
But we are to make proper judgments, borne out of love, to admonish a sinner in
order to encourage him to repentance. That is the goal, to save the sinners soul, to
lead him to repentance.
We are to make judgments of behavior, attitudes, and ideas in order to protect our
loved-ones and ourselves from danger. People who practice such dangerous and sinful
behaviors, or have such dangerous attitudes and ideas, we are to avoid. We cannot
avoid them until and unless a judgment has been made that such people are of the
type the Bible tells us to avoid.
Satan would love us to avoid making judgments. If he can convince us of this, sin can
abound without criticism and we could continue in our sin without accountability and
the philosophies of Satan can contaminate all of us with impunity unchecked and
unchallenged.
Oh, how Satan loves those who think we are not to judge and those who think Jesus
was a love-freak hippie from the 60s.
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Never Step on Toes
These strategies build upon one another. We began with the lie that all opinions are
equal. This illogic leads to the idea that if all opinions are equal, then we cannot judge.
What is there to judge if we all stand equally in our views and behaviors apart from an
assessment of truth? Judgment requires distinguishing between things and
determining relative validity between the distinctions; e.g., one right and the other
wrong. If all is equal there can be no value distinctions, only different but equal
assertions that have equal validity.
Now with the first two legs of this devilish worldview in place, we come to the third leg,
the third secret strategy Never Step on Toes.
This strategy is the police officer of the triad and the foundation for the other two. The
job of this strategy is to protect the other two strategies from challenge, to keep
anyone from exposing the lies. Insisting that we all be nice to each other does this.
This niceness, of course, is a mask for obfuscating the truth.
Nice comes from the Latin, nescius, which comes from nescire. Nescire is formed
from ne (meaning not) and scire (meaning to know). Thus the word, nice, means
to not know, to not separate from another, to not discern.
This is interesting in that, for example, the standard liberal tactic of political
correctness is to use the idea of niceness as a way to control people to keep them
from discerning the truth, to keep from judging distinctions between that which is
right and that which is wrong.
In Middle English the word nice referred to being foolish and without sense. By the
15th Century the word referred to being elegant in conduct and dress, but not in the
sense of a compliment; it was an insult referring to people behaving with false
civility.
The use of the word nice as a compliment was first recorded in 1769 when is came to
mean agreeably delightful.
But in the post-modern times of today, this word, as used by those not wishing to
admit to the truth of things, has come to be a negative weapon meant to cut off the
knees of ones opponent Youre not being nice! No one wants to be thought of as
being unkind, of course.
To be sure, a person who asserts a truth that the hearer doesnt wish to admit to is,
indeed, not being agreeably delightful. In fact the truth-sayer is being disagreeable
by destroying the delight the erroneous person had in being free and unchallenged in
their error.
But more than this, the way in which those asserting error use this concept of
niceness strategically is to demand this false civility in order to control the
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situation, in order to ensure their lies are not exposed. It is a civility that demands
agreeable demeanor even at the compromise of truth. It is better to be agreeable than
it is to tell the truth. And with this value of agreeableness, error goes unchallenged
and truth obfuscated.
What is often used against those who ignore this game of niceness, is to accuse the
person of not acting in a way that Jesus would act. As mentioned in the previous
discussion, Jesus is seen as a 60s flower-child type person who is a mild mannered
milquetoast, gentle as a lamb, always agreeable and never harsh.
It is a delusion. It is a delusion because the Scriptural evidence does not support this
image as the exclusive way in which Jesus conducted himself, yet despite the clear
record of Scripture, people insist upon the milquetoast image.
Many verses have already been quoted in this essay that show an image of Jesus that
is not always so nice. Jesus never compromised truth for niceness and cordiality. He
told us he did not come to bring peace but division, even the division of our families
(Matthew 10), he told us to not throw pearls before swine (Matthew 7), to shake off the
dust of places who would not listen (Matthew 10). Jesus himself called people names
of great insult, like brood of vipers (Matthew 3:7; 12:34; 23:23) which was one of the
greatest insults a person could heap on another in those days. Jesus also gave
tongue-lashings such as this famous thou hypocrite speech in Matthew 23:1-38
(calling a person a hypocrite was also one of the major insults of the time).
In addition, His apostles preaching His teaching instructs us to not associate with
those calling themselves Christian but living a life of sin (1 Corinthians 5). Also to
avoid certain people who pretend to religion but who deny its power (2 Timothy 3), to
shun heretics and divisive people (Titus 3), and even to hand unrepentant sinners over
to Satan (1 Corinthians 5).
All these things require judgments to be made. When confronted with the situation
that warrants it, the teachings of Jesus fly in the face of niceness. The teachings of
Christ step on toes.
Jesus also gives us the image of the shepherd. Jesus is often depicted as the gentle
shepherd who searches for his lost lamb and brings it home safely in his arms.
Well, Jesus does do that, and so should we. But Jesus does more than just this gentle
image. He gave His apostles the image of a shepherd. This image, contrary to popular
opinion, is not an image of mere gentleness.
When Jesus called His bishops and priests to be Shepherds what did that mean? The
apostles knew exactly what that meant for they were intimately aware of the role and
job of a shepherd. In todays industrialized world, most people who dont live on farms
at least, have lost touch with the realities of raising livestock.
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The real shepherd was a person who gently guided his sheep to pasture with his
staff. He was a man who would search for the lost lamb and lovingly bring the lamb
back in the safety of his arms. But that is not all he did.
The staff of the shepherd was also used to discipline loitering sheep. If a sheep refused
to come back to the flock the shepherd was not so nice in convincing the rebellious
sheep to return. In extreme circumstances, the rebellious sheep may even be killed if it
refused to return to the flock (note: a rebellious sheep is not the lost lamb happy to be
brought back to the flock in the loving arms of the shepherd, but one who stubbornly
refuses to return).
In addition, the staff of the shepherd was a weapon of defense. If a feral dog or a wolf
were to be among the flock, a shepherd would race through the flock to get to the dog
or wolf to kill it before it killed any of his sheep. When racing through the flock to get
to the intruder the shepherd would not politely hurry through the crowd of sheep
saying, Oh please excuse me, I must get through here. The shepherd would race
through the crowd knocking sheep to the ground, stepping on toes, knocking them left
and right, whatever he had to do to get to the wolf in time to kill it before the wolf
killed any of the flock.
This is the image of the shepherd. How many shepherds do we have in our Church
today?
The motive of plausibility, the motive not to offend or exclude is good and
important in itself, but not at the expense of important truth. Authentic
inculturation of truth cannot be achieved with plausibility as the presumed first
principle.
He said that this motivation to not offend has caused serious deficiencies on
catechesis, preaching, and liturgy. Indeed how can we expect our young people
especially, but also the adults, to know their faith, to believe what the Church
believes, to understand proper liturgy if we avoid the truth out of a misplaced sense of
niceness, or plausibility as the Archbishop calls it.
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This is remarkably similar to the definition of nice. Nice, we remember, came to
mean agreeably delightful Plausibility is pleasing and acceptable.
The Archbishop is saying that truth cannot be sacrificed for niceness (plausibility):
Christ calls us to truth, even when it hurts. Certainly Christ calls us to gentleness,
and civility, but never at the expense of truth. Even when tough love has to be applied
to those inscrutable souls who refuse to obey God through His Church, we so clearly
learn from St Paul in 1 Corinthians 5, that these measures of tough love are
designed to make it clear to the sinner the seriousness of his actions. The sinner
needs to know the risk he takes with his soul. The tough love is exercised always in
hope that the sinner will return to the faith and once again partake in full fellowship
and communion with Christs Church.
We do no favors to wayward souls by enabling their errors with our false civility any
more than we do a favor to a child who deserves an F on a term paper, but receives
an A for fear we might hurt his feelings.
Surely we agree that evangelizing catechesis or preaching and also worship and
prayer cannot succumb to the weight of plausibility (that is, public approval) over
doctrine and theology in the practice and life of the Church.
Yet we do precisely that, allow our lives and our Church to become even slaves to a
worldview of plausibility (niceness) that asserts all opinions are equal and we are never
to judge even when it might lead a soul to hell.
We must proclaim the Fullness of the Truth. To do that we need to understand the
three secret strategies of Satan proposed in this essay. With that understanding we
can then discern when we have crossed the line into, or have been contaminated by,
these demonic notions. With that understanding we can guard ourselves from the
error of the primacy of plausibility. Then we are able to teach and live the Divine
Truth.
We must do so, as the Archbishop concludes, with the greatest fidelity and yet
do so in such a way that speaks to the minds and hearts of the human family in
our times. The primacy of plausibility [and this writer would add, with its desire
to respect opinions and never to judge even at the expense of truth] must be
overshadowed by our deep commitment to proclaim the fullness of truth in season
and out of season.
Now that you know his secret, his scheme and strategy to destroy our children, our
families, our culture, and our Church, what are you going to do?
I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of
the Lord John 1:23
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The Role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Spiritual Warfare
(excerpts from Kosicki, Rev. George W. 1990. Marys Role in Spiritual Warfare. Chapter 2 of
Spiritual Warfare: Attack Against the Woman. Milford, OH: Faith Publishing Company)
_________________________________________
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.
Mary plays a key role in spiritual warfare. If we are able to grasp the significance of
her role in crushing Satan, then we can better grasp the grandeur of Gods plan.
Marys role goes back to the rebellion of Lucifer (Satan). When God created Lucifer (the
morning star or light bearer) He created a magnificent being who shared in His
own freedom and power. And God respected His creature and would not violate the
freedom and power He gave Lucifer and the angels, even if they might abuse that
power and freedom. When Lucifer and his angels did in fact rebel with a cry, I will not
serve, it was over the issue of the Son of God becoming incarnate born of a woman
by the power of the Holy Spirit. God revealed His plan, that He would save man from
sin by lowering Himself below the angels by becoming man. In doing so, Lucifer would
thus be lower than the woman and her offspring. Such a humiliation was just too
much for Lucifer and his angels and they rebelled. The words of Isaiah can be applied
to this rebellion:
How have you fallen from the heavens, O morning star (Lucifer), son of the dawn!
How are you cut down to the ground, you who moved the nations! You said in
your heart: I will scale the heavens; Above the stars of God I will set up my
throne; I will take my seat on the Mount of Assembly, in the recesses of the north.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will be like the Most High! Yet down
to the nether world you go to the recesses of the pit! (Is. 14:12-15)
This magnificent creature of God, the light bearer, the morning star, along with his
angels sinned against God with a rebellious cry of pride, I will not serve!
Satans continued rage has been directed against the woman who gave birth to the
Saviour and against the members of His body, also her offspring, the Church:
Engaged at her escape, the dragon went off to make war on the rest of her
offspring, on those who keep Gods commandments and give witness to Jesus.
(Rev 12:17)
Gods answer to the rebellious Lucifer is Mary. Mary is Gods perfect creation, the new
morning star replacing Lucifer. She is the Ark of the Covenant (Rev 11:19) bearing
the Lord of the New Covenant. She is the great sign which appeared in the sky, a
woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of
twelve stars Rev. 12:1). Mary is Gods perfect creation who was immaculately
conceived, and so was never under the domain of Satan or of sin.
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Marys response to the angel of the Lord, I am the servant of the Lord, Let it be done to
me as you say (Lk. 1:38), is the perfect rebuttal to Lucifers, I will not serve! Marys
canticle (Lk. 1:46-55), in response to Elizabeths greeting, is the perfect response to
Lucifers pride.
Mary cooperated on the passion with her compassion, as she stood at the cross of
Jesus, and her heart too was pierced with the sword of sorrow (See Lk. 2:35). By her
cooperation, Marys continued and renewed yes of the Annunciation became the
yes that crushes the head of Satan.
Marys Son and His body, the Church, continue to crush the head of Satan. In Marys
offspring is fulfilled the prophetic word:
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and
hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel. (Gen. 3:15)
The Second Vatican Council developed the grandeur of Marys role in two passages
that speak of her Immaculate Conceptions:
It is no wonder, then, that the usage prevailed among the holy Father whereby
they called the Mother of God entirely holy and free from all stain of sin,
fashioned by the Holy Spirit into a new kind of substance and new creature.
Adorned from the first instant of her conception with the splendors of an entirely
unique holiness, the Virgin of Nazareth is, on Gods command, greeted by an
angel messenger as full of grace. To the heavenly messenger she replies,
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to thy word.
(Lumen Gentium, #57)
In the second passage, Marys Queenship is described. She shares in the victory of her
Son, the Lord of lords:
Finally, preserved free from all guilt of original sin, the Immaculate Virgin was
taken up body and soul into heavenly glory upon completion of her earthly
sojourn. She was exalted by the Lord as Queen of All, in order that she might be
the more thoroughly conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin
and death. (Luman Gentium, #59)
It is her flesh the Word made flesh, and His body, the Church, that crushes
Satan. It is the flesh and blood of Jesus, born of Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit,
present among us in the Eucharist, that makes present that victory.
The uniqueness of Marys rile in spiritual warfare is that it is Gods plan. The Lord God
chose a human being, a woman, someone totally human, to be the instrument of His
victory over Satan and his followers.
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In God plan for victory, Mary was the first to share in this holiness, this sinlessness,
through her Immaculate Conception. Because she is sinless, Satan has no hold on her
as he as no hold on Jesus. Because she is sinless, Gods power flows through her
without any hindrance. Because she is sinless, she is Gods answer to the father of
sin. Because she is sinless, God has chosen to use her to defeat Satan in his attacks
on us.
Marys part in the plan to defeat Satans hold on us, which he has through sin, is to
share with us her sinlessness. She wants to make us immaculate a glorious bride of
Christ, holy and immaculate, without stain or wrinkle of anything of that sort. (Eph
5:27). Her plan is to cloth us in her own holiness, she wants us free from sin, the only
thing that keeps us in the kingdom of Satan.
Mary has been teaching us how to be free of sin. Her message at Lourdes is that she is
the Immaculate Conception totally free from sin. Then her message at Fatima
teaches us how to share in that grace by repentance from sin, by doing reparation
for sin, and by consecration to her Immaculate Heart which is a refuge from sin and
an immersion in her holiness.
The issue of spiritual warfare is certainly sin our person sin, our corporate sin, and
the sin of rebellion of Satan and all who follow him. The victory over sin is the Cross of
Jesus, where, by His passion and death, He claims the victory of resurrection over sin,
death, and Satan. Marys role is to bring us to that perfect sinlessness, that
immaculateness which is hers through the victory of her Son. Mary already is, what all
is us are called to be immaculate.
In this secularized age, we especially need to share in these virtues of Mary that stand
in direct contrast and contradiction to Satan. We want to share in her purity and
humility. Her purity is a total transparent immaculateness of body, mind, and heart.
Her humility is true, docile, simple and silent., These weapons of purity and humility
will defeat the tactics of Satan. He uses sex and rebellion to infect us with secularism.
This secularism is the disease of out times and the antidote to this infection of Satan
is the total yes of Mary to the Lord, a yes that is simple, single, and strong. It is a
yes we need to give.
How do we become the humble servants of the Lord? we become the humble
servants of the Lord by submitting ourselves to the tutelage of Mary. She will teach us
and bring us to her sinlessness, her holiness and will prepare us for the victorious
battle of the Cross even as she prepared Jesus! She will bring us to His docility to
the will of the Father, to His humility, to His obedience, to His forgiveness and to His
love which transformed suffering into salvation. We need to enroll ourselves in her
school of holiness by entrusting our lives to her be consecration. By consecration, we
allow Mary to fulfill the Lords plans both of for her and for us.
So in a practical way, each day we can enter into Marys role of crushing the head of
Satan by renewing the consecration of our lives to her.
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Then by doing this, by the daily renewal of consecration to our Blessed Mother we can
then participate in what are the marching orders for the Legion of St. Michael, that
comes from the words of St. Louis de Montfort:
Mary will raise up apostles of the latter times to make war against the evil one....
But the power of Mary over all the devils will especially shine forth in the latter
times, when Satan will lay his snares against her heel: that is to say, her humble
slaves and poor children, whom she will raise up to make war against him. They
shall be little and poor in the worlds esteem, and abased before all like the heel,
trodden underfoot and persecuted as the heel is by other members of the body.
But in return for this they shall be rich in the grace of God, which Mary shall
distribute to them abundantly. They shall be great and exalted before God in
sanctity, Superior to all creatures by their lively zeal, and so well sustained with
Gods assistance that, with the humility of their heel, in union with Mary, they
shall crush the head of the devil and cause Jesus Christ to triumph.
In addition to the Church, the saints, devotions, prayers, the royal priesthood of
believers, Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and all the tools and weapons we have
to us in spiritual warfare, God has also made an army of angels available to help
mankind in this spiritual warfare.
Abbe Boudon in the book, Devotion to the Nine Choirs of Angels, states:
The angelic nature is a whole world of perfection in itself. And this at least we
know, that angels are spiritual substances, incorruptible by nature, utterly
separate from matter and entirely free from all those infirmities which compass
us on every side. They are all brightness and beauty, and their loveliness
surpasses all the untied charms of earth. Their intelligence is godlike, says St.
Thomas, for their knowledge extends to all truths of the natural order, as well as
to a great number of the supernatural order. They are acquainted with all the
secrets of nature and all that remains most hidden from the greatest minds that
ever existed, is intimately known to them. They know without labor countless
things at the same time and in an instant of time, unaccompanied with doubt or
obscurity. They do not make use of discourse like men, nor comprehend the
things they know after out manner that is by reasoning from one thing to
another; they understand everything at a glance, and this is why they are styled
emphatically, Intelligences.
But what is of paramount importance to us is that the holy angels seek in every
possible way to share with us the immense ocean of love and happiness that they
themselves enjoy. Their generosity knows no bounds. We have only to ask for their
assistance. Speaking of their ministry towards men, the Catechism (of the Council of
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Trent) declares: o angels is committed by the Providence of God the office of guarding
the human race and of protecting men from any serious harm. And Holy Writ
confirms this statement: He hath given His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all
thy ways. In their hands they shall bear thee up, lest thou dash thy foot against a
stone. (Ps. 90:12)
Concerning the power of the angels over the world, the Catechism of Perseverance
teaches that there are angels who impart motion to it. Material creatures inert of their
own nature, are set in motion by spiritual creatures, as our bodies are by our souls.
Such is the strength of the angels that one of them is sufficient to put the whole
planetary system in motion and to carry the most enormous bodies wherever it desires
with a rapidity that baffles all calculation. According to St. Augustine, there are
angels who preside over every visible thing and over each different species of creatures
in the world, whether animate or inanimate. If God were to open our eyes and show us
the angels under sensible forms, what wonders we should discover! Let us consider
that all the comfort and benefit we derive from earth, air, water, and fire, from the
heavens from animals in fact from every creature, comes to us through the agency
of the holy angels, who are Gods faithful ministers.
But the special object of the angels care is the human race which they are appointed
to guard. In the opinion of St. Clement, St. Gregory the Great, Origen and other holy
writers, every country, every city, town and village, and even every parish and family
has a special Guardian Angel. Believing this firmly, St. Francis Xavier invoked the
Guardian Angel of every country and city in which he preached the Holy Gospel, and
when he left one place to preach elsewhere, he never failed to commend to the
protection of the holy angels the new congregation he had won to the Faith.
So, too, altars, churches, dioceses and religious institutions have their own Guardian
Angels. Every church has special angels to guard it from desecration and every altar
has thousands of angels to adore the God of heaven and earth concealed in the Most
Blessed Sacrament.
Lastly they guard each one of us. Every man has a Guardian Angel appointed to
enlighten, defend, and guide him during the whole course of his mortal life. This
consoling truth is, next after dogmas expressly defined, one of the best founded in
Scripture and Tradition.
St. Paul expressly states that the specific mission of the angels is to minister to men
who have not yet attained the heavenly kingdom: Are they not all ministering spirits,
sent to minister to them who shall receive the inheritance of salvation? (Heb 1:14).
Every soul, continues St. Anselm, is confided to an angel at the same moment that it
is united to its body. Tradition cannot, on this matter, be more general, more
uninterrupted, or more uniform.
The ministry of these Guardian Angels consists: 1st, in warding off dangers to body
and soul; 2nd, in preventing Satans suggesting evil thoughts, and in removing
occasions of sin and helping us to overcome temptation; 3rd, in enlightening and
instructing us and fostering in us holy thoughts and pious desires; 4th in offering to
God our prayers and in praying for us; 5th, in correcting us if we sin; 6th, in helping us
in the agony of death, in strengthening and comforting us; 7th, in conducting our souls
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to heaven, or to purgatory to console us there. It is thus to our Guardian Angels to
watch over us, keep us lead us. They see in their charges, souls of priceless value
since they were redeemed by the Blood of God.
St. Theresa was wont to say that great courage is required in spiritual warfare, and
this is very true since our enemies are not only terrible in strength and numerous
beyond conception, but also ever active, day and night, ever alert to work our ruin.
The devil, says St. Thomas, has a certain power over man from the very fact that the
latter is subject to original, or even to actual sin. Consequently, it is fitting that before
Baptism, the demons should be cast out by exorcisms lest they impede mans
salvation. That expulsion, he further explains, is significant by the breathing of the
priest on the one to be baptized. The blessing and imposition of hands is to bar his
return, and the anointing with oil signifies the ability to fight against the demon. The
Church, he concludes, uses words of command to cast out the devils power.
We must always realize that from the moment of conception, to our baptism, and to
our death, the demons rage against us, writes Boudon, is accompanied with such
strength that as we read in Job 41:24 there is no power on earth which can be
compared to it, and that the devil fears no one. All mankind untied could not resist him
without special assistance of heaven, and millions of soldiers in battle array would be to
this spirit like a little chaff which is scattered before the wind. Therefore it is that these
angels of darkness are called in Scripture (Eph 6:12; 2:2) powers, and that they are
styled princes and rules of this corrupt world, the greater part of men being brought by
sin into subjection to their detestable tyranny.
Add to their fury and strength a countless number of malicious artifices which they
employ to seduce us, accompanied by such subtle and whisked inventions, that the
wisest have been deceived by them, and the most enlightened struck with blindness.
The lapse of ages serve only to render them more expert in deceit; hence it is that the
later heresies are generally the most subtle. The temptations they employ become every
day more dangerous.
This then is an enemy whom men have had from the beginning of the world.
Now if this be so let us at the same time reflect what we ourselves are who have to
fight against such forces If we would be let ourselves be guided by the light and
movement of grace, we could do all things in Him Who is our strength. Resist the devil,
teaches the Divine Word, and he will fly from you.
Let us place all our confidence then in Christ and in His Blood which has merited for us
graces of courage and strength to fight our enemy. the combat at times is fierce, but if
our souls are humble, heaven fights on our side and think of the reward!:
Having washed our robes in the Blood of the Lamb, we shall deserve to hear those
words of the Apocalypse: He that shall overcome, shall be clothed in white garments,
and I will not blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my
Father and before His angels.
St. Michael never cease to wage war against his enemy and ours. Lucifer, whom he
once vanquished in the dim and distant ages, and the verdict of that battle will never
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be reversed. No harm can come to the children of God, who place they trust in the
Precious Blood, and in St. Michael, the standard-bearer of salvation, who ever
stands as a firm and impregnable wall against the fiercest attacks of the evil one.
There is happiness also for us in the though that the most exalted among the bright
spirits of heaven owes all his gifts and glorious prerogatives to the same Divine Mercy
to which we are indebted for our salvation. Let us praise the Sacred Price of our
Redemption for all Its magnificent graces, and congratulate St. Michael on the glory
that is his. How beautiful are thou, O Michael, in they heavenly armour, giving glory to
the God whose enemy thou overcamest!
We close this section with a bible study of the most famous St. Michael Prayer and one
of the most powerful of spiritual warfare prayers:
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the
wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray, and
do thou, O prince of the heavenly hosts, cast into hell Satan and all the evil
spirits who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
There are several scriptural references contained in the St. Michael prayer:
1) Revelations 12:7-9 is the reference for St. Michael defend us in battle, and cast
into Hell Satan and all the other evil spirits.
2) The phrase May the God rebuke him we humbly pray is based on Jude 9, where
the archangel Michael says May the Lord rebuke you! to the devil in a dispute
over the body of Moses.
3) There are two scriptural references for the phrase: And do thou, O Prince of the
heavenly hosts... In Daniel 10:13, the archangel Michael is referred to as one of
the chief princes who helped in the fight against the prince of Persia, a demon
opposing the work of another angel. St. Michael is also referred to as a prince in
Daniel 12:1, which states At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince,
guardian of your people.
4) The phrase snares of the devil is from 2 Tim 2:26 which says, that they may
return to their senses out of the devil's snare, where they are entrapped by him, for
his will.
5) The phrase who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls is from 1 Peter
5:8 which says, Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.
6) Finally it is clear from scripture that we can address the angels in our prayer,
because Psalm 103:20-21 says, Bless the Lord, all you angels... Bless the Lord all
you hosts, ministers who do God's will.
So no one should complain that Pope Leo XIII didn't know his scriptures when he
composed the St. Michael prayer (along with a longer formal exorcism) at the end of
the 19th century.
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Thus an annotated version of the prayer would look something like this:
St. Michael the archangel (Ps 103:20-21), defend us in battle. Be our protection
against the wickedness and snares of the Devil (2Tim 2:26). May God rebuke him we
humbly pray (Jude 9), and do thou, O prince of the heavenly hosts (Dan 10:13, 12:1),
cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits (Rev 12:9) who prowl through the world
seeking the ruin of souls (1Pet 5:8). Amen.
I. Scriptures
A. 1 John 3:8b
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
B. Colossians 2:15
C. 1 John 4:4
Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in
you is greater than he who is in the world.
D. Jude 24-25
Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you without
blemish before the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God, our
Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and
authority, before all time and now and for ever. Amen.
E. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit
and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
F. Hebrews 13:20-21
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal
covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will,
working in you what which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ;
to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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G. Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more
abundantly than all that we ask or think, to him be glory in the Church
and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.
The first three Scripture passages above establish a victory relationship with
Christ. We have the victory because Christ is victorious. Thus we have nothing to
fear. We are winners.
The remainder of the Scripture passages above is what the Church has come to
call a benediction, a pronouncement of blessing. Benedictions usually contain
summations of great Truth designed to comfort, assure, and promote
confidence in the hearts of Gods people. They assure us that as Gods own we
are destined to be winners because of the victory Christ has won.
Our battle with Satans dark kingdom is really the Lords battle. It is a battle
that He has already won. It is a victory that He enables us to apply. We have all
that we need to resist the enemy in every encounter that he directs against us.
The daily aggressive application of our victory assures us of an invincible walk
and the fulfillment of Gods will.
We must also stress that a life of successful spiritual warfare and of living the
victorious Christ-life does not guarantee a life without pain and
disappointment. Viewed from the short-term perspective there will be times
when it seems that our enemy has won the day. Such limited sight, however,
does not tell the whole story.
St. Pauls years of imprisonment at Caesarea and Rome must have seemed to
the shortsighted to be a triumph for the enemy. Yet, during those years some of
Gods greatest victories over darkness were won. Pauls letters to the Ephesians,
Philippians, and Colossians were all written from prison. He wrote the Great
Spiritual Warfare Scripture of victory (Eph. 6:10-18), which has been the used
by the faithful as a call to spiritual warfare throughout the centuries, from his
prison cell.
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Mother Teresa: To love is to suffer because you will not suffer for that which you
do not love.
www.saint-mike.org/spcdc/swprayers/default.asp
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