Atheism has been on the rise for at least the two most recent generations. Church attendance is radically declining—52% of self-identified Christians do not attend a brink-and-mortar church—so churches are closing, but pop spiritualism focused on the self, called “self-care” or the “wellness movement,” is on the rise.
Yes, it is the great “awokening,” but rather empty as movements go. So, what’s the draw? Shunning the old-time religions is part of the fun, especially that Christian one. Getting hold of ethereal energies is another, but again, only if it has nothing to do with any “organized” religion. Out with you!
Trouble is there is something innately spiritual about us, some kind of knowledge of and longing for something more. We refuse to go to a church to find it, and our device screens take us only so far. So, where is it happening?
The move back to the occult, what Tara Isabella Burton calls Contemporary Occultism, could very possibly be it. (I suggest getting her book, Strange Rites.)
I live in Marin County, California. It is said to be the least Christian county in America. I have been the pastor of Miller Avenue Baptist Church of Mill Valley, now in my 37th year. There are multitudes more atheists, Wiccans, Buddhists, and shamans than Christians here. After all, Mill Valley is said to be at a major vortex of spirit power—Mt. Tamalpais. Tomorrow I begin a television program series where the area’s chief spokesperson for shamanism and I discuss and spar. After that will be a Buddhist, then I am hoping to find a Wiccan witch who is up for the challenge.
Frankly, the most interesting of the above groups is the Wiccan witches. They are knowingly in touch with the supernatural, and they love it. You can bet, they will acknowledge being in cahoots with the devil, probably renamed as some lord or master in nature.
These groups usually have rituals and items identified as “sacred” or “divine” elements to help with focusing the mind and the attention on the ceremony. It may be candles, burning sage, drumming, ingesting some psychotropic substance, chanting, meditating, or dancing in swirling rotation for long periods.
For the uninitiated who are just looking for an interesting pastime (at first) to play at with friends, there is the Ouija board. It has a peculiar allure, and it is quite strong. Picture this: guys and gals, a hookah with good stuff in it, some pills with mind expanding capacity, and up all night. All good? Sounds innocent! Someone brings out the board, and all gather about for a fun game. What could go wrong?
The pros insist it is nothing more than a mind game, called “the ideomotor effect, where your brain may unconsciously create images and memories when you ask the board questions. Your body responds to your brain without you consciously ‘telling’ it to do so, causing the muscles in your hands and arms to move the pointer to the answers that you — again, unconsciously — may want to receive.” (from the Vox article)
The scientific researchers are sure that the idea of anything supernatural or spiritual is a folk tale or worse, a hoax perpetrated on the young and naïve. That’s what they say.
But what is happening here? A man from the group gathered the other night around a Ouija Board says that two demons introduced themselves via the board: one was identified as a good demon, but another was a bad demon. They all decided to listen to the good demon but ignore the bad one. They don’t know that demons love to lie to humans. Oh, and forget the ideomotor effect, because the planchette continued to move and spell out words when all the participants had removed their hands!
No matter, who cares. There is no God. Let the Bible thumpers jump up and down. This is for real.