Catholic Website Advises Parents: Obsession with the Occult is No Big Deal

The recently launched online Catholic magazine Crux has an advice column up, in which a parent is told that her child’s obsession with the occult is probably no big deal:

How would you feel if she were immersed in the Narnia books, written by the Christian apologist, C.S. Lewis, or in the dark and fantastical worlds imagined by J.R.R. Tolkein – a Catholic — in “The Lord of the Rings” novels?

Many children in their pre-teen years find escape in fantasy.

Yes, escape into fantasy is lovely.  Escape into the spiritually-deadly world of demonic activity is not.

Here’s Fr. Longenecker on the reality of demonic possession.

Here’s Bishop Montrose, in a somewhat more academic take.

The Catechism’s treatment of the First Commandment is unequivocal:

2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future.⁴⁸ Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

2117 All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one’s service and have a supernatural power over others – even if this were for the sake of restoring their health – are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another’s credulity.

Just no.

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But hey, Crux could start a whole series . . .

Q. My teenage son has recently started working as a Mafia henchman. Should I be worried?

A. It’s important for youth to develop independence and self-sufficiency. Would you be upset if he were working at McDonald’s, or Wal-Mart?

Q. My daughter’s got a Meth lab in our basement, should I be worried?

A. It’s important for teens to have hands-on learning opportunities.  Would you be worried if she were baking cookies, or building a computer?

Q. My husband’s sleeping with his boss. Should this bother me?

A. It’s important for your husband to have his own circle of friends. Would you be upset if he were playing poker with the guys, or going down to the sports bar?

So, so many things we get upset about!  Relax! It’s just good clean fun!

Image: Michael Pacher [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons