Echo Zoe Radio Podcast

Marcia Montenegro: The Occult

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The occult is becoming increasingly commonplace in our society today, and Marcia Montenegro took some time to talk about it. Before Marcia became a Christian, she was a professional astrologer, and engaged in many other occult practices as well. She is currently a full-time missionary with Fellowship International Mission, and has her own ministry called Christian Answers for the New Age.

NOTE: Marcia and I are discussing a follow-up discussion on this topic. There is much she would have liked to cover, but couldn't get to for lack of time. We will likely revisit this in late 2012. If you have any questions you'd like to ask for the follow-up, please feel free to ask them in the comments, via email, or via social media.

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Discussion Outline
  • Marcia begins with her experience in the New Age and the Occult
    • Involved in: Zen Buddhism, the New Age, and the Occult
    • She was a professional astrologer for over eight years, and taught astrology for five. She was also the chair of the board of astrology examiners in Atlanta, Georgia, and president of the astrological society in Atlanta.
    • She used Tarot Cards, took a course in numerology, and learned palm reading; with friends who were into many of the same things, as well as psychics and other occult practices.
    • Many of her friends and clients were also into Wicca, Witchcraft, and Neo-Paganism.
    • She now runs Christian Answers for the New Age and is a full time missionary with Fellowship International Missions, based in Allentown, PA
  • While the New Age and the Occult have a lot of similarities, and overlap in many ways, I asked Marcia to describe some of the differences between them.
    • The New Age is more transcendent, and looks ahead to the future. It is based on the idea of evolving through reincarnation.
    • The Occult is much more focused on the here-and-now.
    • The New Age is more of a worldview, whereas the Occult is more of a set of practices.
  • Marcia divides the Occult into three main categories: Divination, Spirit contact, and Sorcery/Magic (a.k.a. Magick).
  • Divination:
    • Many different words used in Bible translations to try to describe the Hebrew terms, including: sorcery, sooth-saying, divination, witchcraft, augury, and others.
    • Divination is described as reading hidden meaning into patterns, things in nature, or the supernatural.
      • Numerology – meaning in numbers
      • Meaning from images – Tarot cards
      • Meaning from the lines on your hand – Palmistry or Palm reading.
      • Meaning from the positions of the planets – Astrology
      • More subtle forms, such as swinging a pendulum to derive answers to questions or problems.
    • Marcia sees the magic 8-ball as not quite divination, but dangerous because it can be a tool to open people up to divination.
    • She does not see tossing a coin as a form of divination. Her example was deciding to go to an Italian or Mexican restaurant, and flipping a coin to determine which to eat at.
    • Casting lots was not an occultic form of divination because it was done at the direction of the Lord. Marcia observes that lots where never used after the giving of the Holy Spirit in Acts.
    • Psychic get information via a supernatural means, so Marcia puts them in the category of divination, though there is some overlap with Spirit Contact.
    • Words ending in mancy are typically forms of divination: necromancy (consulting the dead), tasseomancy (tea-leaf reading), arithmancy (numerology), geomancy (divining geological forms, used in Feng Shui)
  • Spirit Contact:
    • Some occult practices overlap between divination and spirit contact, such as necromancy, psychics, etc.
    • Spirit guides.
    • Channeling, Mediating (mediums), Ouija boards, and simply talking to spirits are all methods of engaging in spirit contact.
    • There are many spiritualist “churches” that engage in occult practices.
    • The Ouija board was designed as a means to spirit contact, not as a game.
  • Sorcery/Magic (Magick)
    • The attempt to alter reality, be it present or future.
    • Incantations, rituals, magical tools, and casting spells are forms of sorcery.
    • Healing is very common in sorcery. Using sorcery to heal is not a good thing.
      • A Shaman is a Witchdoctor.
  • There are many aspects of the occult that are manifested and glamorized in popular culture.
    • Astrology/horoscopes.
    • TV/Movies:
      • Contact with the dead
        • Medium
        • Ghost Whisperer
        • Hereafter
        • Silvia Brown on Montel Williams
        • Jonathan Edwards in Crossover
        • Harry Potter books & movies
    • Feng Shui
      • A form of geomancy that is popular in construction and real estate.
      • Comes from Daoism (Chinese mysticism)
      • It's not just about eliminating clutter.
  • Understanding the occult is important for Christians.
    • It's a form of deception.
    • It's a way to draw people from Christ.
    • It desensitizes people to evil.
  • Marcia also discusses the difference between fantasy and occult in entertainment.
    • Fantasy does not glamorize the occult.
      • Lord of the Rings
      • Awake (NBC) (as of the first few episodes)
Scriptures Referenced
  • Deuteronomy 18:10-12
  • 1 Samuel 15:23
  • Ezekiel 21:21
  • Acts 1:26
Additional Resources
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