by
Marsha West
Witchcraft on the Home Shopping Network?
March 31, 2008 12:00 PM
EST
Last week I received an email from a pastor asking if I’d help inform the
public of the Home Shopping Network’s participation in peddling witchcraft.
Included in Dr. Greg Allen’s email was a letter addressed to HSN accusing the
company of selling materials with spiritual principles that can be used to
“teach their ‘power’ and promote New Age spirituality.” It seems HSN is
marketing the Evolve with John Edward collection. Since I don’t watch
HSN, I have no idea what products are being peddled to the public. So I needed
to visit the website.
Sure enough, the Evolve with John Edward collection has an entire
page [1] featuring Edward’s picture and several products. HSN’s “exceptional
array of celebrities” includes Wolfgang Puck, Suzanne Somers, Jennifer
Flavin-Stallone and Tori Spelling.
The description reads,
Hope, comfort and inspiration: Discover the Evolve with John Edward Collection,
an HSN exclusive featuring the comforting and
hopeful message of this world-famous psychic medium, best-selling author and
renowned motivational figure.
The collection includes,
7-Strand Beaded Chakra Bracelet -- “Each color representing one of the seven
‘chakras.’ Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘spinning wheel of
energy.’"
Practical Praying Book with 2-Tone Glass Bead Rosary -- “Helps you learn
about the power of prayer and how it can illuminate a path for each of us to
follow. Also, learn to use this rosary as a tool to bring focused energy and
creative thought into your everyday life.”
Handsigned Limited Edition Trilogy Book Set -- “Helps answer many of your
lingering questions about the afterlife… Chronicle of personal transition -
John
deals head on with the controversial issues he has confronted on his voyage as
a
psychic medium ”
Proverbs 24:11says,“Rescue those being led away to
death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.” By writing this
article I’m hoping to rescue those who are being led into the occult [death] by
John Edward.
What do we know about John Edward? Mr. Edward is best known for his
syndicated TV show “Crossing Over” on the Sci-Fi channel. The superstar psychic
engages in after-death communications and purports to receive messages from
friends and family “on the other side.” He also claims to communicate with dead
animals.
In her article “I See Dead People: A Look at After-death Communication [2]”
Marcia Montenegro enlightens us on John Edward’s early years,
“He claims he astral traveled (traveled out of his body) from ages four to
seven and had psychic abilities, which he thought were normal. An uncle who was
involved in yoga and psychic practices and whose wife was a card reader,
greatly
influenced Edward, whose own mother ‘was constantly getting readings from
psychics’ and often brought them to the house to do readings and séances for
groups.
“At age 15 when Edward received an accurate reading from a psychic and was
told he was psychically gifted, he was motivated to do research. He read
‘everything’ he could on topics such as psychic phenomena, spiritualism, and
spirit guides. He studied tarot cards and other ‘metaphysical’ topics,
eventually leading him to work at psychic fairs and seminars.
“At one of these psychic fairs, Edward had his first contact from what he
believed was a dead person, which he claims was a ‘very different energy.’
These
spirits continued to interrupt Edward’s readings, but they brought to him ‘a
feeling of contentment, love, and peace,’ so he decided to learn about
after-death communication.” (You can read more about John Edward here, or go to
link 2 below)
Now back to Edward’s page on the HSN website. In the Customer Review section
Donna from PA wrote, “Received the bracelet yesterday. I think it is very
inspiring, 1 of my sons passed away, and the bracelet makes me feel close to
him. I love watching John Edward and I have all his books. I am so glad he came
to HSN. Look forward to seeing more of him. Would recommend his things anytime,
I really believe him.”
Donna may believe Mr. Edward, yet skeptics who have investigated John
Edward’s claims to receive messages from family and friends believe he’s a
huckster who preys on those who have lost loved ones. Which brings to mind
Terri
Irwin, wife of deceased Croc Hunter Steve Irwin.
A few months ago the grieving widow arranged a “private reading” with John
Edward. Translation: He held a séance. On January 6, 2008, Steve allegedly
"spoke" to Terri and his father, Bob Irwin, through Edward. "There's no doubt
that Steve was with us," Mr. Irwin said. "It's not black and white, it's grey,
but there was a definite, unmistakable Steve energy [3]."
Terri, who says she’s a Christian, addressed the crowd of 5,000 who paid $90
a head hoping to “see” Steve at the Astralia Zoo. "If any of you are wondering
why Steve didn't come through,” said is wife, “it's because look around you,
he's everywhere."
One disgruntled Crock Hunter fan growled, “Steve Irwin spent a lifetime
establishing a rock solid reputation of credibility and integrity. Terri has
just shattered that rock with one blow. I wonder if John Edward will pass on
Steve's thoughts about that?”
Amazing what extremes some people will go to get their names in the
headlines.
Perhaps John Edward is a fraud and a brilliant con man. Then again, it’s
entirely possible that he does, in fact, receive information from the spirit
world. My question for those who believe he’s for real, and that he actually
communicates with spirits of the dead, is this: What if the info that’s piped
into the medium’s mind comes from another sort of spirit, a spirit not from a
deceased loved one, but from a demonic spirit?
God’s Word tells us that there are dark powers lurking in the unseen world.
One such spirit is the fallen angel, Lucifer, AKA Satan, also the Devil.
The Bible is the Christian’s ultimate authority. So naturally Christians want
to know what it says about the dark forces of evil. In Ephesians 2:2 the
Apostle
Paul calls Satan "the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at
work in those who are disobedient."
For a glance into the spiritual realm read Ephesians 6:10-20. Paul paints this
vivid picture in verse 12,
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
When speaking about the Devil, Jesus Himself said, “He was a murderer from
the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he
lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies”
(John 8:44). In other words, the devil is a big fat liar! (1 Kings 22:20-23
tells about a “lying spirit” who offered his
services.) Jesus also referred to Satan as "the ruler of this world" and "the
prince of this world" (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11).
So, according to Jesus Christ, demons are real. What’s more, it’s impossible
to make sense of Jesus and His ministry without acknowledging that demons
exist.
The spiritual forces of evil are ever present, waiting for humans to let their
guard down. Dwelling on demons is never a good idea. But if Christ acknowledged
that they exist, we can too! Yes, Satan and his minions are powerful, but they
are created beings, fallen angels, who were defeated by Christ when he went to
the cross. Satan is by no means God's equal!
To me it’s perfectly rational to assume that a psychic medium who channels
spirits could be hearing from a demon, not a dead person! Now, some people will
out and out reject the notion that spirits are demonic. Why? Because they
choose to believe that the info the medium passes on to them comes
directly from someone they know and trust. But what if it’s actually a
knowledgeable demon, full of lies and treachery? In other words, a lying
spirit!
There are many skeptics who believe that so-called psychic mediums are not in
contact with the dead or even evil spirits. It’s all smoke and mirrors.
“The smoke and mirrors behind his [Edward’s] self-professed ability to
communicate with the dead is a simple application of the laws of probability.
Basically, if you keep trying something whose results are independent, your
odds
of getting your desired result increase.
“For example, the odds that you will roll a 3 on any one roll of a six-sided
die are 1 in 6, about 17 percent. After six throws, the chance that you will
have thrown at least one 3 has increased to about 67 percent. After 12 throws,
it's nearly 90 percent.
“Lucky for Edward, most audience members on his television show are too
hopeful and trusting to pull out a calculator and expose the charlatan behind
the prophet [4].”
Sadly, Edward’s audience often includes Christians. Many Christians who
involve themselves with psychics are unaware of what the Bible says about them.
So allow me to clear things up once and for all. God opposes those who practice
the magical arts! He says,
“When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to
imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you
who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or
sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a
medium or spiritist or who consults the dead” (Deuteronomy
18:9-11).
Could God be any clearer than that?
The Greek term used for contacting the dead is “necromancy.” According to
Wikipedia.com, “Necromancy is a form of divination in
which the practitioner seeks to summon ‘operative spirits’ or ‘spirits of
divination’, for multiple reasons, from spiritual protection to wisdom. …
[S]ince the Renaissance, necromancy has come to be associated more broadly with
black magic and demon-summoning in
general, sometimes losing its earlier, more specialized meaning.”
Now for the definition of witchcraft: “Witchcraft (from Old English wiccecræft
"sorcery, necromancy"),
in various historical, anthropological, religious and mythological contexts, is
the use of certain kinds of supernatural or magical powers.”
There you have it. Necromancy, which is what John Edward practices, falls
into the category of witchcraft. So when Dr. Allen accused HSN of
promoting witchcraft, he was dead right!
By promoting sorcery on their website it would appear that HSN has joined
those who are looking to change society’s “conversation.” And “someone who has
the capacity to change a society's conversation has the capacity to change the
society,” said New Age guru Marianne Williamson. It is no secret that a cabal
of
New Agers, including Oprah Winfrey, is inviting people all over the globe —
from
North America to South Africa, from Europe to Australia — to involve themselves
in New Age Spirituality – or what some call Cosmic Humanism.
Evangelist Bill Keller goes so far as to accuse Oprah of pushing “spiritual
crack.” Keller has been quoted in the national media as labeling Oprah a “New
Age witch.”
Speaking of witches, John Edward has been a guest on Oprah’s daytime program.
One would think that Oprah would use great caution when dealing with so-called
psychics. Yet she just settles back in her chair and allows snake oil salesmen
to push Eastern mysticism on a gullible audience. She claims she’s not trying
to
tell her fans how to think about anything.
That’s bunk! It doesn’t matter how Oprah tries to couch it, she provides an
uncritical platform to both her TV viewers and XM Satellite radio listeners.
Last year I wrote a piece on Oprah’s endorsement of the self-help manifesto The
Secret, “Is Oprah Peddling Snake Oil?” In it I said,
“Oprah Winfrey’s message comes straight from the pit of hell. Think about
that for a moment. Who else but Satan would be behind such a diabolical movie?
Why would any serious follower of Jesus Christ worth their salt waste his or
her
time watching Oprah’s show? Christians (wittingly or unwittingly) are entering
into practices that are contrary to the Word of God. Whether they know it or
not, their actions are counterproductive to the cause of Christ. My love and
concern for them is what drives me to speak the truth in love [5].”
I would like to suggest that HSN shoppers contact the execs and ask them why
they’ve climbed in bed with occultist John Edward. Inquiring minds want to
know!
You can Email HSN Customer Service by clicking here: (Or you can copy and paste
the URL into your
browser http://hsn.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/hsn.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php)
Write to HSNChief Executive:
Mindy Grossman, CEO, IAC RetailingPO Box
9090
Clearwater, FL 33758
Phone HSN800-284-3900
One last comment. HSN has a perfect right to sell whatever products they so
desire, as long as what they’re selling is legal. Conversely, if HSN’s
customers
find what they’re selling objectionable, he or she should consider taking the
high road and shop elsewhere.
“I will destroy your witchcraft and you will no longer cast spells.” -- Micah
5:12
Notes:
[1] Evolve With John Edward collection -- Home Shopping Network
website
[2] I See Dead People: A Look at After-death Communication By
Marcia Montenegro
[3] Irwins 'reunited' by controversial psychic By Lou Robson
[4] Shooting crap: Alleged psychic John Edward actually gambles on
hope and basic laws of statistics. By Shari Waxman
[5] Is Oprah
Peddling Snake Oil? By Marsha West
Additional Reading
Oprah Winfrey and Her Self-Help Saviors: Making the New Age
Normal By Kate Maver
Oprah
the Most Dangerous Woman in the World says Internet Evangelist, Bill Keller –
Christian News Wire
Copyright by Marsha West, 2008
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