“Crossing Over” The Line [I See Dumb People!] Not time to talk about this subject completely, and there’s no cause to do more than an overview. You need to be aware, but we need to spend most of our time talking about Jesus, not Dumb People! John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. • 1997-2001 occult book sales doubled [Harry Potter/Goosebumps for younger kids!] • Colleges/Universities offer credited courses on the occult and more than 2k college campuses are known to be set up w/ computerized horoscopes, 24 hours a day, so students can seek the guidance they are demanding! • Psychic hotlines, admittedly small-time and laughed at back in the days of Dionne War-witch are now a multi-billion dollar a year business employing tens of thousands and touching tens of millions! Television psychic hotlines and shows featuring psychics like John Edward have become more popular. Psychics (sometimes called clairvoyants) will tell you that everyone has psychic ability, which can be developed. • Americans today spend over $200 million per year on Astrology. • Today there are over 10k practicing witches registered in America. • NYC yellow pages: look up witches and it takes up 2 full columns! • America buys 2 million Ouija boards each year. • Thousands of public schools w/ prayer outlawed now have courses which teach witchcraft and many make Harry Potter required reading! • Video game industry today is held up primarily by games of wickedness, violence, and the occult [D & D]. 1 • The Gothic Movement is big now and claims to be nothing but an outward expression, simply a style of dress, not reflective of the person underneath…but God’s Word shows what’s deeper: 1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. [there is a connection!] A USA Today-CNN-Gallup poll found that 70 million Americans believe, as Haley Joel Osment’s character did in “The Sixth Sense,” that it is possible to talk to the dead. “I see dumb people!” [dead people] Twenty-eight percent of Americans believe that people can hear from or communicate mentally with the dead, a new Gallup poll reports. Another 26% aren’t sure, but won’t rule it out. Half of all Americans believe in extrasensory perception. And notable individuals, from Hillary Clinton to Nancy Reagan to Adolf Hitler are known to have consulted with psychics. [evidently many believe that Sonya, “the pet psychic”, can communicate w/ animals!] Let’s talk about Psychics first: not many REAL ones out in the open, and REAL ones use the power of Satan and are more accurate than most popular ones! Longtime skeptic and magician James Randi, 72: his standing offer of $1 million [see website] to psychics who can independently verify their craft has gone unclaimed for many years. "Everyone wants to be reassured about loved ones who have passed." And that’s why so many are duped! Claim to be congruent with the Bible 1. State that Jesus was the greatest medium of all Claim Jesus was clairvoyant, telepathic, and a materializing medium - 2 Matthew 21:2 2. Claim that Abraham, Moses, Saul, Samuel, Isaiah, Daniel, and Paul were all psychics. WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT CROSSING OVER Deut. 18:10-12 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, [11] Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. [12] For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Leviticus 19:31 "Regard not them that have familiar spirits (’ôb - spirit of the dead), neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God." I Timothy 4:1 "Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;" Mark 13:22 "For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect." I John 4:1 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." How does one Cross-Over? [the line w/ God!] A. Fraud 1. Cold Reading 2. The currently-popular "psychics" like Sylvia Browne, James Van Praagh, and John Edward, employ a technique known as "cold reading." They tell the subjects nothing, but make guesses, put out suggestions, and 3 ask leading questions. This is a very deceptive art, and the unwary observer may come away believing that unknown data was developed by some wondrous means. Not so. Examples: "I get an older man here" is a question, a suggestion, and a guess by the "reader," who expects some reaction from the subject, and usually gets it. That reaction may just be a nod, the actual name of a person, or an identification (brother, husband, grandfather), but it is supplied BY THE SUBJECT, not by the reader. "They’re saying, ’Bob,’ or ’Robert.’ Do you recognize this person?" is another question, suggestion, and guess. If there’s a Bob or Robert, the subject will amplify the identification. But if there’s no Bob or Robert immediately recognized, the reader passes right on, after commenting that Bob is there all right, but not recognized right now. If any Bob is remembered later, that is incorporated into the spiel. In one such by the mediumVan Praagh, prepared by the "48 Hours" TV program, a reading that lasted 60 minutes, there were only TWO actual statements made, and 260 questions asked. Both actual statements--guesses--were wrong. Van Praagh was looking for the name of the woman’s deceased husband, and he came up with it by asking, "Do you know anyone named, Jack?" The woman answered, "Yes! Jack, my husband!" But Van Praagh didn’t identify "Jack" at all. He asked her if SHE would identify him. By that time, Van Praagh had already tried on her 26 other men’s names--all wrong. But, the woman--the subject-- forgot about those failures, because they were not important to her. "Jack" was important. The readers have a way of leading the subject to believe that they knew something they didn’t. Example: Reader: "Did your husband linger on in the hospital, or did he pass quickly?" Subject: "Oh, he died almost immediately!" Reader: "Yes, because he’s saying to me, `I didn’t suffer. I was spared any pain.’" It’s strange that the reader had to ask that question... 4 And remember these readers often go out and interview the audience members when they’re in line waiting to get into the studio or auditorium. That technique was employed by the very successful reader Doris Stokes. She would feed back any data she got as if she were receiving it just then. "Are you the lady who has a passed-on sister, dearie?" would of course receive assent from the victim, and “ahhhs” from the audience. Also, a person who approaches the reader before the TV show or auditorium meeting and says she has a question about her deceased grandmother, can then later be selected out of the audience when they’re on-camera or during the live encounter, and can then be asked, "Is your question about your grandmother?" and that appears--to everyone else-- like a bang-on "hit." Or, and this is very subtle indeed, people in the studio or auditorium audience--usually seated up front for best visibility--are sometimes those who have already been to the "psychic" for a private reading, and have then been asked to show up later to occupy reserved seats at the public in- person gathering "to develop more information" using the "collective power of the assembled audience." The reader then repeats previously gleaned data, and that appears miraculous both to the audience in the studio and at home, watching, or elsewhere in the auditorium audience. 3. ’Miss Cleo’’ - real name, Youree Cleomili Harris - is an actress who claims to be a psychic. She is employed by Access Resource Service, a Florida-based telemarketing company owned by multimillionaire Steven Feder. The company has conflicted with several telemarketing laws. Thus far, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, and New York have taken actions against the company. Another kind of psychic…not frauds: B. Apparent Bona-Fide 1. II Corinthians 11:14-15 "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end 5 shall be according to their works." 2. Acts 16:16-18 "And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: the same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.