You may think you don’t have time to deal with your child’s obsession with astrology, weird Internet games, horror movies or dark-themed music. Or that new book about cool teens who are witches.
Don’t dismiss it as just a phase. You need to make time and make some changes. Their lives and yours could turn into a living hell if you don’t.
Two middle schoolers in central Florida were just arrested after officials discovered their plot to stab and kill other students, drink their blood and then kill themselves.
The girls, ages 11 and 12, brought knives and pizza cutters to school. The pair revealed they had recently watched Halloween horror movies, and were fans of “Slenderman.”
It’s not the first time the online fictional character “Slenderman” was cited as the influence behind violent plots by middle school girls against classmates. In 2014, two Wisconsin 12- year -old girls stabbed a girl classmate. The girl survived despite multiple stab wounds. The attackers were both sentenced to mental institutions.
They said they committed this horrific crime to protect their families from Slenderman.
Uhh…what can we even say? Except… where were the parents?
The Wisconsin and Florida parents are probably heartbroken, with shattered lives that will never be the same. But surely there were signals.
No mom or dad looks at their infant daughter and thinks, “My dream is that she becomes delusional or a murderous Satan worshipper, ideally before high school.”
More and more kids are being twisted by online fantasies and too many identify as witches, pagans, even proud Satanists. Most don’t know what they are dealing with, so it’s up to adults to steer them away. And the best remedy is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, prayer in your home and a family life centered around Him.
But too many Americans are dismissing any Christian walk at all and turning to experimental and sensational “spirituality,” the kind that allows humans to do pretty much whatever they wish. They assume this is the road to happiness.
Of course, believers know it’s the road to destruction.
It’s a Halloween trick on a cosmic scale. As more Americans than ever -- including youth - are turning to astrology, trances, witchcraft, paganism and even Satanism, there’s a very real probability that the spiritual door to the occult opened for many people within supposedly Christian congregations with these elements of apostate belief:
- Worship of “gods” alongside Christ – Allah, Buddha, etc.
- Praying to female goddesses—Sophia, Kali, Isis-- to reflect “equality”
- Seeking altered consciousness (a trance or meditative state)
- Praying to the dead or conducting a séance
- Practicing astrology
- Deviant sexuality
All these sinful practices open one’s spirit to rebellion where Satan and his demons deceive and entice. As 2 Corinthians 11:14 tell us,”… Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” But it’s a lie leading to hell.
Recent reports point to self-declared Christian “witches”along with a dramatic rise in the number of witchcraft adherents. Christian faith in some circles is never weighed as a serious option.
Witchcraft is being normalized and glamorized to young girls through media like Teen Vogue. This fall, a revived “Sabrina” series is debuting on Netflix, and this time, it’s not a comedy but a gruesome drama with storylines that include Satanism. And “Charmed” is back as well, with a plot that’s a diabolical stew of occult rituals along with feminist politics—and of course, the requisite sexual perversion. One of the characters is a lesbian.
YouTube videos feature attractive, cool kids who are witches or pagans. It’s a sales vehicle of the first magnitude, and many kids binge-watch videos on favorite subjects—unless parents step in.
And current “progressive” politics isn’t helping. Many young people are turning in ignorance away from “patriarchal” Christianity, buying the narrative that faith in Christ is only for the racist and hateful. So they go searching, and what’s the alternative? What other spiritual power is available out there?
Many glittering paths lead to the bondage of Satan, some of them initially attractive, especially to the unchurched, or the young, self-indulgent, worldly adolescent.
Witchcraft is losing its formerly wicked reputation, and even taken on a rebellious counter-culture cache that promises sexual and ethical freedom, ritual control of one’s world (and even punishing one’s enemies), and no messy conscience issues.
And some of these experimenters are children or teens, who, if given no boundaries or warnings, think nothing of moving past witchcraft to outright Satanism.
The negative, ungodly influences are only growing. Remember those after school Satan Clubs that were a sensation several years ago? They are still around, seeking entry to whatever schools will host them.
So, I ask again, where are parents? Even most unbelievers know that occult practices put children at risk.
If you don’t want your child to implode and heartbreak to be your daily companion for the next forty years, then start today removing objectionable material and friendships from your child’s life. Wil there be arguments in your house? Yes, but you can take it.
Start sending emails to outrageous Internet sites, going to meetings, boycotting child-exploiters, and voting for conservative school board members.
Most importantly, take your children to a Christ-honoring, truth-teaching church where they will be discipled in a faithful Christian walk.
Pray daily and specifically for God to protect your child and to reveal any negative influences—and then deal with those problems. Diligently use parental TV and Internet controls, and keep social media out of your child’s life. Yes, they may complain but these sites are almost always a source of teen angst, cruel gossip and misinformation. One day, they will thank you.
As the power of Christianity wanes in so many families—unfortunately—another dark power moves in. It’s the opportunity our diligent enemy has been looking for.
But God will protect our kids if we seek Him continually.
