Psychic & Paranormal AND Christianity?

[Redisbest]

I was wondering if anyone has any web links they can inform me of that discusses the Christian perspective on these types of things... I am not the type of Christian that wants to be told by the church what to believe, however I think it would be a lot easier to kind of find a FAQ rather than having to sort through the entire bible for references/contradictions etc. to factor in. I'm looking for a jump-off point to see where Christianity can fit into this type of stuff/see what the official position I suppose is of the church etc.


I'm not one to have all these experiences (kind of a laid-back, serious INTJ female) but I have no reason to discount these things.
I'd like to go looking on my own to see where I can go safely experiencing things and where I can go to find more information.

Thanks!
Red

[The David]

I don't know of any links, but these are the most common Christian arguments in favor of psychic powers/the paranormal that I have heard:

1. 'Witch' in the OT is a mistranslation of 'one who poisons'. I don't know how they get around the NT position on witchcraft, though.

2. The Apostle Paul is losing popularity.

I guess it depends on what kind of psychic/paranormal stuff we're talking about, and which church we're dealing with.

[AndyMartin]

When you ask this question, what is the "Christianity" whose view you want? Is it a church, a consensus of churchgoers or the pure teaching of Christ? Because those are three completely different sources. The first two you can find on any street corner or web site. But if you're looking for the latter, there's nobody who can show it to you. Why did Jesus over and over say, "Let him hear who hath ears?" Because most people believe with their mouths, not with their ears. They are not listening to the truth that is constantly unfolding, they are looking for simple answers to give them comfort in their correctness. But that sort of answer will never satisfy the question; it can only satisfy the questioner. Ask yourself, what sort of answer are you looking for? What sort of questioner are you? Can your question be satisfied by striving? Or can it only be satisfied by accepting the truth that is unfolding?

[MindReality]

Hi,

The answer to your question about how psychic phenomena fits into Christianity can be found at:

The Universal and Personal Aspect of God » Secrets of Mind and Reality

It contains the core information you need to sort your understanding about the universe and God in this area.

[Reality Handbook]

Originally Posted by Redisbest

I was wondering if anyone has any web links they can inform me of that discusses the Christian perspective on these types of things...

I don't think Christianity has a unified perspective, so you'll probably find a lot of opinions. The religious right is likely to be less tolerant of meddling in the spirit world, and label it "satanic" or "occult".

It seems a bit inconsistent to push people to believe in the existence of the supernatural forces and at the same time discourage experimenting with it. But bear in mind that the story of Adam&Eve is about the dangers of forbidden knowledge. I think the general consensus is that what you need to do for a successful life has been laid out already in the Bible, and you shouldn't step too far outside of earthly senses.

What comes to mind when I think of officially-recognized supernatural events is the miracle certification in the Catholic church. That might be a good area to look for demonstrations of the difference between "good paranormal" (miracle) and "bad paranormal" (occult):

Congregation for the Causes of Saints - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I've seen many efforts to find unifying theories between more established religions and new-age/conspiracy beliefs. These are all over the map, and there are plenty of web pages from self-proclaimed devout Christians who believe Jesus was an alien. Interesting perspectives I'm sure, but further evidence that you're probably better off speaking to your immediate Christian community (your church, your family) about their beliefs rather than expecting something more global.

I do note that the Bible has a lot of mentions of dreams and visions as being important...in terms of messages from God or signals about the future.

[stephencp]

Check out Bill Bodri's webpage at
MeditationExpert.com

He goes into how all the world's religions basically are saying the same thing from an enlightenment perspective and describes how the paranormal/msytical abilities of people like St. Theresa and St. John of the Cross line up perfectly with eastern practices too.

Stephen
Power-Book Library: Free personal development, success, inspiration and motivational classics

[MindReality]

Christianity does have a unified perspective except it belongs to the rare elite which are the True Christian Msytics. The ones who see the universe from a biblical and metaphysical point of view. They know the true workings behind what is going on in reality and they are aware of how angelic activities fit into the grand scheme of things.

[Acting Like Godot]

Isn't the Bible positively filled with psychic and paranormal events?

You know, miracle healings, visions, messages from "higher beings", clairvoyance, demonic possessions etc etc.

Did you really think that such events would just suddenly come to a complete stop on Planet Earth, just because the prophets finished writing the Good News?

[andrew]

There's nothing witch crafty or black magicky about psionics. It's just mental and energy. The great thing about it, is it's not religious. There's Christian psions, Jewish Psions, Morman psions, Agnostic psions, Islamic psions, etc.

It's just a skill set and abilites, nothing really religous about psionics.

[Richful]

Originally Posted by Reality Handbook

I think the general consensus is that what you need to do for a successful life has been laid out already in the Bible, and you shouldn't step too far outside of earthly senses.

What comes to mind when I think of officially-recognized supernatural events is the miracle certification in the Catholic church. That might be a good area to look for demonstrations of the difference between "good paranormal" (miracle) and "bad paranormal" (occult):

Congregation for the Causes of Saints - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just thought we could use some clarification of terms when referring to the occult.
occult - Definitions from Dictionary.com
Occult:
1. of or pertaining to magic, astrology, or any system claiming use or knowledge of secret or supernatural powers or agencies.
2. beyond the range of ordinary knowledge or understanding; mysterious.
3. secret; disclosed or communicated only to the initiated.
4. hidden from view.
5. (in early science)
a. not apparent on mere inspection but discoverable by experimentation.
b. of a nature not understood, as physical qualities.
c. dealing with such qualities; experimental: occult science.
Please note the terms hidden and mysterious.
God works in mysterious ways.

[MindReality]

I mentioned about the true meaning of the occult here:

True Theory of Everything in the Universe » Secrets of Mind and Reality

It is really the secret knowledge that has been kept hidden away from the Church so that the Children of Light will not be able to use power that the Light Bringer does not want them to use.

[Richful]

Originally Posted by mindreality

I mentioned about the true meaning of the occult here:

True Theory of Everything in the Universe » Secrets of Mind and Reality

It is really the secret knowledge that has been kept hidden away from the Church so that the Children of Light will not be able to use power that the Light Bringer does not want them to use.

Thanks for the link mindreality.
I've read The Kybalion and don't recall it ever mentioning the devil or Light Bringer if you prefer. In the spirit of looking into the true meaning of the occult here's two links that look at another way of interpreting the devil:

K15: Bondage
BOTA Highlights of TAROT

Red, the above sites might be a good stepping stone on your journey. While the official opinion of the church is probably that it's heresy much of the work is paralleled in the bible. I believe many of the people involved are Christians.

I consider it the inner meaning of Christianity, others may disagree. Enjoy.

[MindReality]

Of course many books of the occult will not mention the devil or the Light Bringer. The true masters do not show themselves. They remain hidden in the shadows, revealing themselves only when necessary.

But one thing you got to realize is that the source of all universal knowledge is from the angelic powers. They are the princes of heaven that got their spiritual wisdom and understanding from their Father Yaweh.

Some of them have fallen and are now serving under their master the Light Bringer himself. The devil's original role was to be The Enlightener. He is in fact playing that role on Earth right now although he is doing it in a corrupted manner.

[Redisbest]

Thanks for all the links guys!!!!

(p.s. sorry for the slow response; I had finals and a death in the family, and have just begun to creep back into the world of 'normal' life