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That seems awfully contradictory, Mee. If there are spirits of the dead (whether they are able to speak to the living through something like the Ouija or not) then clearly something of them survives death. From your Bible-inerrantist perspective, are these spirits of the dead real or not...

All those Bible prophecies... like these ones? Or maybe you were talking about these ones?

For those who are interested, there is an interesting collection of logical fallacies with examples and explanations of why they are not valid logic at Logical Fallacies .info

Some people use divination techniques, including things that rely on the ideomotor effect such as the Ouija board and pendulums or dowsing rods as a way to communicate with their own subconscious. When one is faced with problems frequently the best advice is that which comes from within. It...

So you didn't really mean it when you said previously that if something isn't in the Bible then it must be bad? Not everyone believes that the Ouija or other forms of divination have anything to do with spirits or dead people. (It's that little word "ideomotor.") Does that mean that people...

It's spelled Ouija -- oui is French for "yes", and ja is German for "yes." It's the "yes-yes" board. (Yup, it is a weird name but that is what the inventors decided to call it.) That's pretty talented to come through a ouija board like that, even if they misspelled your name.

I have a major problem with the assumption that if it's not in the Bible it must be wrong. By that logic, the vast majority of the things we take for granted today like modern medicine, computers, the internet, etc. are wrong. After all, they aren't in the Bible. And which Bible is...

When you get to the point of wanting to connect with people in your area who are practicing Pagan and/or magickal spiritual paths, be sure to look through Witches' Voice - 09 November, 2007 - 3:39:14 PM They have listings for individuals, groups, stores, classes, etc. for everywhere in the...

The history of the UK is a history of invaders. Christianity is just one of the more recent ones. Before them, it was the Romans, and the Vikings, and the Angles and the Saxons, the Celts, etc. I'm not sure if there is anything like a "native Briton" left either genetically or culturally; and...

Magickal practices are explicitly forbidden in a number of religions, but that doesn't mean they are absent. For instance, in Christianity there are some pretty clear prohibitions in the Bible against magickal practices such as working with spirits, performing divination, etc. yet there is also...

I'm of the opinion that the cunning arts are the same thing as witchcraft or occult practices or folk magick or folk healing. The specific term used tends to vary with the circumstance and the person you happen to be talking with. The practices are all of the same general type. And just...

From a sceptical, rational, scientific point of view the ideomotor effect is the most likely explanation for how the Ouija works, as well as things like dowsing and pendulums. Other divination systems like astrology, tarot, etc. work (from a sceptical point of view) by providing so many vague...

The Christian worldview is just one of many. The Christian worldview is only considered to be correct by those who are Christians. Why should non-Christians be expected to accept Christian explanations of things as any more authoritative than explanations given by any other religious group...

I'm not sure what you mean by "Halloween in the US as it is today was created less than a half century ago..." Trick or treating, pranks, dressing up, decorating houses in ghoulish style, parties, and general merriment and mischief with a dark overtone goes back to at least the 1800s if not...

I've actually noticed that Halloween seems to be getting less popular over here in the US. A few years ago it was really big, with most houses putting out decorations, but this year there are a few places with decorations on each block (like my house) but not most of them. The stores also...

Samhain is all about remembering the dead and perhaps being closer to them than we usually are at other times of year. A lot of the folklore about this time of year says that the veil between the land of the living and the land of the dead is thin, and the dead can come back to visit their...

We have a big potluck meal, and have extra places and chairs set at the table with us for the spirits that care to join in. The people who sit next to an empty spot take care to put food on the spirit's plate as the food is passed around, as well as food on their own of course. We also make...

I hope everyone has a blessed Samhain this year. My group will be getting together tomorrow night (the night before Halloween) to have a silent supper. We will have extra places set at the table, and will serve food at those places along with our own, so that the spirits of our dearly departed...

Moderator note: I edited the title of this thread to reflect the content -- the previous title could easily be misinterpreted as though the rules being presented were the rules for the Esoteric section of the Comparative Religion forum (they aren't.) Ben Gruagach moderator, Alternative...

Good post! You are absolutely right that "occult" is a value neutral term, and that the negative connotations have been projected onto it.