Humanism, Satanism, and The New Age Movement
Satanism - The Lure Of The Occult
In Humanism, man attempts to replace God with self. In Satanism, man seeks to control god (whether they see god as being the forces of nature, or Satan or some other being as a god) to get what they desire. Humanism seeks to elevate man by means of the senses. In the Occult, man seeks elevation and superiority apart from the senses.
Spiritually speaking, mankind does not live in a vacuum. Man intuitively seeks for answers outside of self. The preacher tells us "God has set eternity in their hearts" (Eccl 3:11). When the Humanist removes God from the picture, man is going to turn to something as a replacement. Nations that have turned to Humanism/Atheism have all experienced a high interest in the occult, ranging from France after the revolution to the Soviet Union.
Though there may be a renewed interest in the Occult, it certainly is not new. In the Old Testament, we read of those who practiced astrology (2 Kgs 23:5). Some even consulted mediums (1Sam 28:7-13). Israel fell to Assyria, in part, due to these practices ( Isa 8:19, 47:11-15).
There is a tendency to think that things such as this just occur far away from us, but the occult is practiced in virtually every city of the world. Small towns to big cities have reports of everything from cattle mutilations to active witch covens. If one does not believe this to be the case, a call to the local sheriff's department can quickly answer it. A quick trip to the bookstores in the malls will show volumes on the shelves dealing with spells, spirits, astrology, channeling, and the like. One small town library had a book on "Spells For Children" available.
We should define some terms and point out that there is a difference between cult and the occult. Whereas cult implies devotion to a person, occult means hidden and secret. They are not the same. This is a part of the lure, to know things others do not. This appeals to the pride of man as in the Garden, Gen 3:5, when Eve was tempted to be like God, KNOWING both good and evil. Man wants to know the secret things, failing to realize that secret things belong to God, Deut 29:29. That is also the lure of the so-called "lost" books of the Bible. Most who order these haven't read the "never lost" books of the Bible. If you were to tell them Genesis were a lost book, they probably would not know any different. This is the lure of the secret fraternal organizations as well. One such group requires an oath saying "I will by no means reveal the secrets, lest my tongue be ripped out by its roots and buried in the sands at low tide." Sounds like something from the Mafia! Why would one want to join such an organization? Because they claim to be able to "give light to the searching traveler." Jesus told the disciples to "go into all the world and preach the gospel." It was never hidden, but proclaimed from rooftops! Nebuchadnezzar sought answers from his magicians, astrologers and soothsayers, and they could not divine and answer, Dan 2:2. Yet Daniel said the God of heaven reveals secrets, 2:28.
The church at Colosse had a problem with those who wanted to learn more of the "secret" things (Col 2:8, 18). Paul's answer was that we can be filled with all knowledge and understanding (1:9-10) through the inspired preachers in the revealed Word (1:25-27). In Christ are all the "hidden" riches (2:2-4) found in the understanding of His Word (3:10).
Galatians 5:20 specifically lists sorcery as one of the sins which can keep one from heaven, yet many seek this as an answer from heaven. Revelation 2:24 refers to those who have known the "deep things of Satan." Why not instead learn the depths of His Word? - Wayne Goforth