Contents
Why
Fortune Telling? 
Why
do people go to a fortune teller? What do they want from it? What is
missing in their lives that they are trying to remedy?
People
probably go to a fortune teller for one of two main reasons:
•
They come across a fortune teller and they do it “for a bit of fun”
•
They have a yearning for an understanding of their future destiny,
they genuinely want to know something about their future.
Wisdom
or Folly?
Before
we examine the subject in more detail, let’s consider some basic questions
about it:
•
Is it a good thing to know about the future?
Surely knowing about the future means we are constantly focussing
on the future and missing the significance of the present? If the
future holds bad things, do we want to know about them and therefore
worry about them? Unlimited knowledge would be bad.
•
What is behind our desire to know?
We perhaps feel that knowing gives us power over what
will happen, we can have a greater control over our lives, it will
bring a greater sense of security to us? But surely that isn’t true?
Simply knowing what will happen doesn’t mean we can change it? Perhaps
destiny is fixed?
•
What is the power that enables us
to know? Have we got some inner force that tunes
into time and reveals what is to come? Is there some power that can
communicate with us to tell us what is coming? If there is such a
power, is it good, is it truthful, is it “on our side”? How do we
know how it works. Is it harmful for us? What are the effects upon
us of this power working like this?
Forms
of Fortune Telling
Consider
for a moment some of the better known means of “telling the future”:
•
A medium in a seance
: see the page in this series on that. This could involve the
use of a crystal ball which still requires a “seer” to see the unknown.
•
Reading tea leaves :
the assumption is that some force (or is it blind chance, and if so
why should it be right?) creates a picture that gives us clues to
what is coming.
•
Reading the cards
: again an assumption that some force (for again if it is blind
chance why should it be right, it may just be one of a million possibilities)
directs which cards come up.
•
Palm reading :
here the assumption is that one hand shows the person’s destiny
and the other how that has been modified by their life, that shape
of the hands, lines on the hands etc. have somehow recorded this information
like some form of human computer disk.
Common
Features
If
one is to deny that the facts of the leaves, cards or features is pure
blind chance, we are only left with the conclusion that if they do tell
the future then they are created by some power outside ourselves.
What
is that power?
If
it is pure chance that the leaves remain in a particular way, or the
cards come in a particular order, then they have NO meaning whatsoever
!
In
each case there is also the whole question of interpretation .
Who is to say the means of interpretation is true? Why is this person
right? Would different people give different interpretations?
Two
Possibilities:
When
we think about these things, we must arrive at one of two possibilities:
•
The “reading” is pure fraud and is simply the imagination of the
so called “seer”.
•
There is actually some force at work which brings a revelation of
the future
What
is the Power at Work?
Let’s
assume the second possibility for the moment. What force is there that
can look from outside time and tell us the future?
To
feel comfortable, we would prefer it to
be some impersonal force, rather like gravity,
that is neither good nor bad, but is that likely?
Seances
and other forms of “interactive” guidance clearly indicate a personality
that seeks to communicate. We must conclude we have a spiritual force
at work here.
What
spiritual forces are there? For the Christian the Bible is the text
book of the truth, the only such book that stands under scrutiny.
The
Bible declares that there is first of all God, who works for good, and
good angels who work under His direction.
Then
there are fallen or rebellious angels, otherwise called evil spirits
or demons, the chief of which we call Satan or the devil. These are
the ONLY forces at work in the spiritual realm
God
or Satan?
Is
it God who is showing us the future, or is it some other dark force
opposed to Him. The answer probably depends on who it is you seek.
If
you love God, He may speak to you (prophecy), but if not, you are only
left with what the Bible calls “powers of darkness”.
What
does the Bible say?
If
you look at the page in this series on “Mediums and Seances” you will
see a number of verses from the Bible that show that God is
strictly against seeking out the
future through mediums or divination
(which is what fortune telling is), so whatever happens in fortune
telling it WILL NOT be God!
But
it seems to be true?
Remember
we’re left with only two possibilities: either it’s pure chance or there
is some occult force at work that knows you and your circumstances and
may even be working in your life circumstances without your awareness.
But
does that matter?
It
matters if we understand the true nature of these powers at work. Jesus
said that the devil was both a liar and a murderer (John 8:44). Those
who look for help, encouragement and security through the means of fortune
telling end up enmeshed in a web of fear, that some would say is superstition
but others know has its origins in real evil.
The
Bible also describes Satan as “an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14),
one who often makes himself look good and his works harmless. Many have
found that that is pure camouflage and the result of his works is deception
and destruction.
“Fortune
Telling” is not harmless. It leads people into a reliance upon half
truths or lies and takes them away from God or confirms them in their
godlessness. If you feel you need help, please turn to the back page
of this page.
Can
we help?
Should
you wish to talk further about these things, the leaders of Rcohford
Community Church are available to help you.
Remember,
if you want to e-mail Tony, it's tony.thomas@rochfordcc.co.uk
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