Truth is Stranger than Toons
Speed Bump does it again. Funny and poignant. There was a time when I found Ouija Boards fascinating entertainment and wished that I could genuinely connect with "another plane."
Then I grew up. I realized the true danger of giving into the occult. No, I didn't think the board would actually work, but it could be an invitation to Evil. The potential for harm increases dramatically if simple acknowledgement of Evil progresses to actively seeking it and then openly encouraging it.
Satan and his minions can only do harm if permitted. They, too, are bound by God's laws, but humans have an exclusion clause called free will. We can choose to ignore God and we can go further by inviting Satan's influence.
Ouija Boards are excellent invites because the perceived entertainment value or it's use as a social lubricant. Impressionable minds -- and I won't pick on the young here, just the developmentally and spiritually immature -- can easily take the fun too far. Whether becoming disappointed by the reality of the process, bored with the eventual banality, or becoming too carried away with the social situations than develop during the party atmosphere often associated with the board's use, some people seek to extend the adventure. This is the invitation. This is the willing abandonment of God that Evil most desires.
The cartoon is amusing but it is far from being a vote for Evil so don't be afraid to laugh. However, avoid the next step! This can be difficult, I know. A clerk at a local bookstore and I were getting along rather well one afternoon and I sensed some potential for a date. As we chatted, though, she had a side conversation with another clerk about store business in which she brought up her plans to consult her tarot cards about something.
Bam! In that instant I had to decide if pursuing something more than a mutually enjoyable talk was worth having to deal with the occult issue. The evangelist in me was overjoyed because it would be an opportunity to perhaps save a soul -- the ultimate thrill. But the chicken in me felt the task was too large. That hurt. Vanity, active oppression, social ineptness -- who knows the cause. In any case, the opportunity passed and I may never know what could have been. Or maybe I'll go back when my faith is stronger. Let's call this battle with God's enemies a draw.
