Via the Young Fogey Fr. Dwight Longnecker (a respected Anglican cleric who recently swam the Tiber) has an interesting post up on things supernatural. It is worth the read as are many of the comments.
As long time readers will be aware; this blog is pretty eclectic. One topic however that I have no recollection of ever broaching is the supernatural. By which I refer to the occult, witchcraft demonology ghosts etc. There is a reason for this. A long time ago, I got some advice from a Roman priest that struck me as very sound, and I have not changed my opinion.
Stay away from it. Do not play with Ouija boards, tarot cards , Dungeons and Dragons or similar games, seances etc. If it deals with the supernatural and it's not definitively Christian then give it a wide birth. Avoid the temptation to "study" the occult or demonology. Such should be undertaken only by those who are very strong and mature in their faith and then only for a compelling reason with the blessing and guidance of their spiritual father.
Many of us enjoy a good old fashioned scary movie. When younger I was rather partial to the vampire genre (Christoper Lee will always be THE vampire in my mind). Even here though, my feeling is that great discretion should be exercised, especially by the parents of young children. Sometimes the line between cheesy fiction and reality can be blurry. This is especially so when dealing with the supernatural. A lot of people have seen a particularly obscene film from the 1970's which has since become a cult (no pun) favorite, called The Exorcist. What many do not realize is that it was at least loosely based on real events that occurred in the 1950's in Maryland. This stuff is not a joke or a game.
Once again... if it deals with the supernatural, and it is not Christian then stay well clear of it.
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