The New Science?

     Perhaps we as "modern" Christians have not given enough consideration to witchcraft, paganism, and even the occult.

     Now that I have your attention, let me warn you that what follows comes from a tiny bit of experience, a little knowledge, a fair bit of pondering, and a boatload of speculation.  I offer this for discussion, not education.
     Secondly, let me reassure you that this isn't a defense of that which the Bible truly teaches to be evil.  We are to leave the dead to be brought back by the Lord, not the occult. We are to discover our futures as we live them out. And demons are still not our friends and definitely not to be trifled with.
     Finally, this is not an argument for modernistic or liberal theology.  Jesus is still the second person of the Trinity.  He is still the only way, truth, and life.  The Bible is still God's inerrant and infallible word.  Right and wrong are still right and wrong, and the world still needs the Gospel as desperately as ever.

     All that said, I would still suggest that we may not have given enough thought to other "spiritual" phenomena.  Think back five hundred years or so.  Science was in its infancy.  The church insisted the Bible taught that the world was flat and the earth was the center of the universe around which the sun revolved.  Today, few if any of us are threatened by talk of the planet earth and its place in the solar system.  Similarly, while we may not agree with every "scientific" proclamation, most don't see science as anti-Christian, and the notion of a scientist who is Christian generally doesn't end in excommunication or imprisonment.
     Nor have we swallowed science whole or made it God, and the fact that some outside Christianity have made it their God doesn't generally move Christians to the opinion that all science is evil.  Rather, we have largely come to the (I believe correct) conclusion that it is a tool, and like any other tool, it can be used or misused.  Certainly worshiping the creature rather than the Creator is never good, but if some people wrongly worship snails, that doesn't make the snail evil.  It is still just a snail, and as Scripture tells us, everything God created is good if it is recognized as his gift and received with thanksgiving. That some people revere cows does not leave most Christians with the conviction that beef is of the devil.  Mostly, we have learned that the physical things of this world are themselves spiritually neutral, even good gifts, and it is our actions that are sinful, not the less-than- or non-sentient things around us.
     We've made peace with the world that is seen and measured, but I would suggest that perhaps our relationship with the less tangible world is still quite young and undeveloped. Let's look at an easier example first.  Would (or should) we immediately conclude that ESP is evil?  No doubt its long affiliation with charlatans and occultists leaves most people dismissive if not condemning, but must we conclude that those with unusual mental abilities are evil?  What if clairvoyance, telepathy, or telekinesis are merely gifts humans have, and we are talking about something we simply haven't adequately studied?  Perhaps they're neither angelic nor demonic, but merely talented, with a talent that can be used for good or evil.
     
     A more careful examination of Scripture muddies the waters even more.  Consider 1 Samuel 28. The witch of Endor that called Samuel's spirit back to speak after his death on that basis correctly identified the man before her as Saul, and the spirit of Samuel she called up out of the earth prophesied for the Lord then as he had in life.  Certainly Scripture repeatedly condemns mediums and spiritists, but clearly it's not because there is no reality in what they do.
     In Numbers 22 we meet Balaam, to whom we are told the Moabites brought a "fee for divination."  Still, God used Balaam the diviner to deliver his own message, and we are told that he sought God's will.  What are we to think of Balaam?
     The Magi were astrologers.  They studied the heavens for signs and portents, and then followed one star in particular, because they were convinced it must mark the birth of a king. Do we condemn them for divining from the stars or commend them for following the one star for which they are remembered?
     Consider the transfiguration.  Some believe the glow of the transfiguration was Jesus' perfect, glowing aura.  They are also quick to point out that early Christian artwork shows full body "halos" and only later did halos become crown-like.  Do we think it impossible that some can see these auras?
     Joseph and Daniel interpreted dreams and signs.  Do we automatically assume that those who claim to interpret dreams today are crazy, lying, or demonic?  Has interpreting dreams become evil since Daniel's time?
     In addition, there is an important distinction to be made between knowledge and action. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that did not mean it became OK to do evil.  We know how to clone mammals, but that doesn't mean we should go and clone humans. We may know of things that we are clearly told not to do.  Did the medium really call up Samuel?  Yes.  Does that mean we should call up the spirits of dead people or patronize someone claiming to be a medium?  Certainly not.  Learning to discern between fact and fiction is not enough.  We must then discern between that which God says is good and that which he forbids.  Even today, there are some who call themselves Christian who believe God has forbidden transfusions, or medical care of any kind, or even machinery or electricity. Who has correctly discerned God's will?

     Let me offer one more less threatening example before moving into more frightening territory.  We've learned that many actions of "shamans" or "witch doctors" actually have roots in science and psychology.  Concoctions often have medicinal substances among their ingredients.  Rituals often have intense psychological consequences that make a very real difference.  Mostly we've learned to ferret out the truth and separate it from the merely superstitious, but the admixture of superstition doesn't remove the medicinal properties of the concoction or the psychological effects of the ritual.  Do we reject the good gift because some have built false worship around it?

     With the slightest nudge, this proposition broadens into unnerving territory.  Alchemy used to be thought occultic, and perhaps for some it was, but now we recognize in it the seeds of chemistry.  Astrologists likely assign more meaning to the heavenly bodies than they're due, but they made great strides in observing the heavens.  What if things we soundly and roundly (and even appropriately) condemn have a basis in morally neutral facts?
     Having caught the scent, follow the trail wherever it leads and the trip is likely to be treacherous.
    Certainly we don't consort with demons or worship the devil, but is every remedy in "witchcraft" evil?  What if a token, a brew, or the burning of an herb has a real effect?  We don't worship nature either, but what if there exist previously unproven energies that can, in fact, be accessed?  We may not be comfortable with a lot of what Edgar Cayce said, but can we ignore the evidence (even within the historic, orthodox church!) that auras exist and that there have been (are?) those who can see and interpret them?
     Even more unnerving, what if some "fortunetelling" devices are not demonic but natural in ways we don't understand?  Is there some sort of Heisenberg-esque reality behind tea leaves or Ouiji boards?  Do the lines on our palms naturally reflect facts about us in ways we don't understand?  Do changes in the astronomical arrangement of heavenly bodies have subtle but poorly understood effects on our lives?

     Christians often accept and welcome what are, on their surface, stranger concepts.  What effect does a blessing or the laying-on of hands have?  How is there a real sense in which bread and wine become body and blood?  What difference does water or oil or the speaking of words make?  We readily accept the incomprehensible in our own faith -- Perhaps, though other faiths may be misguided, there are underlying realities that are worth studying.

     The issues are multi-layered and sometimes lacking in clear information or direction. That said, these things do seem to demand that we really understand them, discern their origins, and sort the good gifts of God from the evil to be shunned.  If we don't do the work now, we might just find ourselves teaching that the unseen world is also flat.
     This is not a plea for universalism, acceptance of pagan religions, or participation in the occult.  Rather, it is a plea for open-minded study.  Perhaps in the 21st century, we can avoid the egg on our faces from insisting that the sun revolves around the earth because God said so, and instead use what we know to help guide the alchemists of our day into the chemistry of tomorrow and the shamans and Reiki healers of our day into the hospitals of tomorrow, all while standing uncompromisingly on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.

     Ready?  Discuss.