Q: . . . Am I sinning by paying an interest in the supernatural? I do not dabble in the occult and would never try to contact these spirits myself. These recordings were made by other people and not myself. The bible is clear that you should not consult a spirit medium. Asking a spirit medium for advice is something I would not do. Surely taking an interest in the supernatural for purely educational reasons is not a sin particularly if it builds my faith in God.

My sister and mother are both baptized Jehovah's witnesses. I am probably being paranoid but I feel that the troubles my family has had recently and the nightmares my sister sometimes has could have something to do with my interest in the demons. One nightmare she had was about demon possession. I have since stopped researching the supernatural when my sister found out and rebuked me. What is the chance that by paying an academic interest in the demons that they will become interested in me?
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A: Thank you for sharing your personal experiences. Now that you have proved to yourself that Satan and the demons are real, and are masters at deceiving mankind, you are better equipped to be on guard against them.

The demons are very real, and they are very busy in causing problems and deceiving mankind! Last year a close relative of mine told me how his twelve year old daughter was feeling a presence, not only in her room, but even more scary, in her bed. Even when she was with her back to the wall she could feel someone or something pressing against her body, between her and the wall. She became too afraid to sleep in her room. Her father told me about it, and I asked if there was anything that she had recently received or bought that may show her having some interest in demons or the supernatural. He told me about a recent DVD that she had brought home a couple of weeks earlier, a movie that was very popular at that time, and other things related to it. She was a fan of the movie and its stars. When he explained to her what I had told him, she was immediately willing to get rid of the likely problem. She had no further disturbance after that.

I could speak from personal experience, because at one time, when my wife became suddenly very ill while we were pioneering, Jehovah helped me to identify the source of the problem; it was a piece of jewelry she had in her possession. (I have the experience posted on my Site: "A Troublesome Locket") From her I learned much about how the angels, who had forsaken their heavenly places in order to marry the daughters of men and have offspring, have mourned the loss of their families, especially their children, in the flood of Noah’s time that God brought upon the earth. (Genesis 6:1-8; 7:11-24; 1 Peter 3:19,20; 2 Peter 2:4,5) To them it is fresh in their memory, as if it happened only recently, although over four thousand years have passed. Since they can no longer materialize, like they once did, they seem to “adopt” little children that, perhaps, remind them of the ones they once had. There is so much more to say about the experiences of this young lady but I have promised to keep certain things confidential, at least for now, as she has requested.

Believe me, the demons are real, and they are very active in mankind’s affairs today. Is it dangerous to be interested in them and their activities? God’s Word tells us, “Subject yourselves, therefore, to God; but oppose the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.” (James 4:7,8) If we draw close to God and he will draw close to us, then it stands to reason that if we seek to draw close to the Devil and his demons that they too will draw close to us.

We cannot be friends with Jehovah and at the same time show an interest in the ones who are his enemies. (compare 2 Chronicles 19:2) At the time of the rebellion in the Garden of Eden, Jehovah pronounced sentence upon the one who made himself Satan the Devil, and determined that there would be enmity between those who are on God’s side and those who side with Satan in opposition to Jehovah. (Genesis 3:15) God’s Word tells us that “we belong to God and the whole world belongs to the devil.” (1 John 5:19, Worldwide English (New Testament)) We cannot be friends with Jehovah and at the same time show an unusual interest in the demons. As the same Bible translation puts it, “I do not want you to have anything to do with bad spirits. You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of bad spirits. You cannot eat food at the table of the Lord and at the table of bad spirits. Do we want to make the Lord jealous? Are we stronger than he is? No!” (1 Corinthians 10:20-22, Worldwide English (New Testament))

The young lady that I mentioned, has come to understand that God is not the one that is bad, but rather the angels that disobeyed and thus reaped the consequences. She has progressed well in her study and has not had any demon interference for several months, although for quite a while it was a real struggle for her and the one studying with her. And she has made adjustments in her life already, making efforts to bring it in harmony with what she is learning. She has a strong sense of right and wrong and has no use for hypocrites. She is very outspoken and immediately started to share with others what she has been learning. I told her that Jehovah has known her from the beginning and saw a diamond-in-the-rough in her, and therefore has enabled her to get to know him. Now she needs to get to know Jehovah also, and as he teaches her and polishes her, she will sparkle like the diamond she is. Her advice to you would be: have nothing to do with the demons, nor show any interest in them.

Please, take serious the danger there is in even taking a casual interest in the world of the demons. It is hard to break free from their grasp once they have you under their power. Draw close to Jehovah, and as he has promised, he will draw close to you. He is the one that cares for you and can protect you when he brings the demons, their ruler, and the world under their influence, to its end. (Luke 11:14-20)