The Bible is clear that Christians are not allowed to practice sorcery, magic, divination, witchcraft, the occult or any such thing. Most Christians know this. However, books, movies, and television shows that glorify sorcery, magic, divination, witchcraft, etc., such as Harry Potter, have become extremely popular in the 21st-century Western world with many Christians reading and watching them for entertainment and enjoyment. This article questions whether or not Christians should gain enjoyment and entertainment from media that glorifies witchcraft, sorcery, magic, etc.
Christians should not gain enjoyment and entertainment from books, shows, and movies that glorify sorcery, magic, and divination because God abhors these practices and because they are satanic. Rather, Christians should love what God loves and hate what God hates.
I’ll first review God’s attitude and thoughts toward sorcery, magic, divination, witchcraft, and such things. Then I’ll give a brief review of how popular books, film, and shows glorify magic. Finally, I’ll answer the question whether or not Christians should gain enjoyment and entertainment from such media.
God Hates the Practices of the Occult
The clearest passage in the Bible on God’s utter hatred for occult practices, such as sorcery, magic, and divination is Deuteronomy 18:9–14 and is worth quoting at length:
“When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God, for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do this.”
DEUTERONOMY 18:9–14, emphasis added
Although the command not to engage in the practices of the occult listed above is for those under the Sinai Covenant of which Christians are not, the label God gives these practices is telling of his attitude toward them. God calls the practices of the occult listed above “abominable practices” and “abominations.” What God calls an abomination is always an abomination. Because God calls sorcery, witchcraft, magic, divination and other such practices abominations, they are always abominations. Thus, God’s people should never engage in these practices because they are always “abominable practices.”
Christians are Forbidden from Practicing Sorcery
It is not only in the Old Testament that sorcery and like practices are condemned. The New Testament also treats the practices of the occult with contempt and as something Christians should avoid.
In discussing the works of the flesh, the apostle Paul presents a list of practices that Christians must avoid if they wish to enter the Kingdom of God. Sorcery or magic (φαρμακεία) is one of the practices all Christians of all generations are forbidden to practice:
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery [φαρμακεία], enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
GALATIANS 5:19–21, emphasis added; cf. Revelation 9:20–21
One of the reasons Christians are forbidden to practice sorcery is because sorcery is a practice of the Prostitute from Revelation, which is the anti-God city of the Beast (also called “Babylon”) who serves Satan (see Revelation 13). The Prostitute of Revelation seeks to woo Christians away from serving and worshipping Jesus and toward serving and worshipping the Beast, who is the antichrist. She uses sorcery to do this:
“Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, ‘So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more; and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by yoursorcery [φαρμακεία].’”
REVELATION 18:21–23, emphasis added
Sorcery/magic is a Satanic practice and a practice of those who are opposed to God and his son, Jesus. Christians are forbidden to engage in sorcery of any kind. If they do seek out this power and engage in it, they will be barred from the Kingdom of God unless the repent and stop using it.
Modern Media’s Portrayal of Occult Practices
Modern media is rife with sorcery, magic, divination, and other such occult practices. For example, The Lord of Rings books and movies are still popular today. Harry Potter became a cultural phenomenon with its books and movies. More recently Netflix has produced the movie The School for Good and Evil as well as the extremely popular Wednesday, which has become the third most watched Netflix show to-date. I could go on listing books, shows, and movies that include occult practices because they seem never ending, but the above list is sufficient.
All of these books, shows, and movies glorify occult practices, such as sorcery, magic, and divination, and they present the practice of them as amoral (neither good or bad). The wielder of magic is neither good nor bad; it is how the wielder uses his magic that makes the wielder of magic good or bad. For example, Gandalf wields magic, but to help defeat evil. Harry Potter and his friends wield magic and divination for mundane things (like fixing broken things) or for fighting against those they perceive are evil.
Thus, a key message (whether intended or not) in these books, shows, and movies is that the practices of the occult are good if they are used for good. Any person can engage in sorcery, speak to the dead, tell fortunes, etc. as long as they do this for good.
Modern media’s portrayal of the practices of the occult is very different from God’s perspective. As noted in the above two sections of this article, the mere practice of sorcery, magic, divination, etc., is an abomination, regardless of reason. When one engages with the practices of the occult, that person has engaged with the antichrist’s city, the Prostitute; that person has engaged in a satanic practice. According to God, sorcery, magic, divination, etc. is abominable and satanic. There is not good in it and it should never be glorified.
So, when Gandalf uses magic to save his friends or fight off Sauron’s minions, he is engaged in a practice that God hates and calls an abomination. Yes, the Lord of the Rings presents evil practices as good and Tolkien was wrong to include a ‘good’ magic wielder because there is no such thing according to the Bible. When Mrs. Weasley uses magic to clean her house, she is engaged in an abominable and satanic practice. When the sirens from Wednesday use their ability to save most of the students and staff in the final episode, they too are engaged in a wicked and abominable practice. All of these people who have given themselves over to their craft will be barred from the Kingdom of God according to Galatians 5:19–21—even Gandalf.
Should Christians Gain Enjoyment from Sorcery, Magic, and Divination?
The vast majority of Christians know that to engage in the practices of the occult (sorcery, magic, divination, etc.) is sinful and prohibited by God. However, many Christians in the West still ingest books, shows, and movies that glorify occult practices for entertainment and enjoyment. That is, many Christians intentionally read books and watch shows/movies that glorify occult practices because they enjoy these types of stories. My question is, should we? Should Christians gain enjoyment and entertainment from books, shows, and movies that glorify sorcery, magic, divination, etc.?
No, Christians should not gain enjoyment and entertainment from books, shows, and movies that glorify sorcery, magic, and divination because God hates these practices and Christians are forbidden from engaging in these practices because they are associated with Satan. Those who love God and love his ways should adopt God’s mindset and worldview. If God hates the practices of the occult and calls them an abomination (which he does!), then Christians should hate such practices and call them an abomination. We should not gain pleasure from the occult and we should not enjoy it when others practice it or pretend to practice it because it is evil and satanic.
Not only that, but Christians are commanded to dwell on better things, not those things that are abominable and satanic:
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
PHILIPPIANS 4:8–9, emphasis added
Christians should love what God loves, hate what God hates, and put into our minds what God tells us to put into our minds. Christians should never support, enjoy, or be entertained by books, shows, and movies that glorify the practices of the occult and show them in a good light.