Dr. Herbert Basedow (1925), in his book, The Australian Aboriginal, has presented a vivid picture of the first horrifying effect of bone pointing on the ignorant, superstitious and credulous natives, and the later more calm acceptance of their mortal fate: The man who discovers that he is being boned by any enemy is, indeed, a pitiable sight. He stands aghast, with his eyes staring at the treacherous pointer, and with his hands lifted as though to ward off the lethal medium, which he imagines is pouring into his body. His cheeks blanch and his eyes become glassy and the expression of his face becomes horribly distorted. . . . He attempts to shriek but usually the sound chokes in his throat, and all that one might see is froth at his mouth. His body begins to tremble and the muscles twist involuntarily. He sways backwards and falls to the ground, and after a short time appears to be in a swoon; but soon after he writhes as if in mortal agony, and, covering his face with his hands, begins to moan.

After a while he becomes very composed and crawls to his wurley. From this time onwards he sickens and frets, refusing to eat and keeping aloof from the daily affairs of the tribe. Unless help is forthcoming in the shape of a countercharm administered by the hands of the Nangarri, or medicine-man, his death is only a matter of a comparatively short time (Walter B. Cannon, “Voodoo Death,” American Anthropologist, vol. 33, 1942).

Another anthropologist described the circumstances in which superstitious fear can take hold:

In “Voodoo Death” (Cannon 1972 [1942]) a person violates a taboo, such as walking on sacred ground, [or] eating a forbidden fruit, and, shortly after discovering that a taboo has been violated, the person is dead. The closely related phenomenon of “hex” death (Seligman 1975, p. 1977) occurs when a person learns that they have been cursed by someone with the appropriate technical knowledge and supernatural authority. As in the case of voodoo death, hex death kills within hours or days. While such deaths exhibit a fairly standard set of physical symptoms, they cannot be attributed to external agents such as poisons or bacteria nor to externally induced physical trauma. The death is psychosomatic.

A person who violates a taboo has broken the deepest rules of their culture and thereby is thrust outside the protective web of memes and traits which give meaning and structure to the world. The person who is cursed believes that someone else has severed the link between their soul and the cultural forms and practices in which that soul lives its life. Such people are in a situation where, in effect, they see no hope of ever again satisfying their higher reference levels. They are cut off from their culture. That kills them as surely as being cut off from food or water (William Benzon, Culture as an Evolutionary Arena).

In spite of the power pagan sorcerers and witch doctors hold over people who accept their authority, Christian missionaries confront “powerful” witch doctors with immunity to curses and black magic. I personally recall a confrontation between a Christian missionary in Haiti and several witch doctors at a famous voodoo shrine, the missionary laughing at their threats while ripping their inverted cross fetishes out of the ground and throwing them into a nearby lagoon. On another occasion, a voodoo houngan actually placed a curse on a son of this missionary, only to die himself in the time frame he had set for the death of the boy. Another witch doctor cursed the womb of a woman newly converted to Christianity. When she became pregnant, she fled to the mission compound and lived there for several months out of fear for her baby. Concerned for her feelings, but realizing that she was giving in to her fear, the missionaries helped her understand that the witch doctor’s curse had no power over a believer indwelt with the Holy Spirit’s power. She moved back home, and in a few months delivered a healthy baby boy.¹The Bible describes the awesome power of the Creator (Genesis 1; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 8:3-4; Proverbs 8:29; Proverbs 16:4; Isaiah 44:24-28), a power that instantly brought the material world into existence and is equally capable of instantly destroying it. The feeble magic of demons and sorcerers can no more thwart such boundless power than a grain of sand can stop a tsunami or a drop of rain the eruption of a volcano.

Obedient people empowered by God’s blessing and immersed in His favor are impervious to Satan’s power. A loyal child of the Creator stands in the power of the Creator (Genesis 15:1; Proverbs 18:10; Ephesians 6:16).

Since vulnerability to black magic is rooted in fear and lack of trust, Christians can count on God’s protection when they submit to His authority. But if they actively suppress or ignore God’s moral law for selfish purposes, they enter the realm of the demonic and become vulnerable to its power. If they live a gangster’s lifestyle, they become vulnerable to its dangers.  If they live by Satan’s code, they become subject to its rules. Sin and rebellion feed and magnify fear. Trust in God is manifested by a willingness to resist sin.

Christians should also keep guard over their imaginations, thinking of the admonitions of Paul and James:

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8)

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

If we don’t put our trust in God, we may become more and more obsessed with Satan. In the Middle Ages, imaginations obsessed with Satan’s power led to the witch craze, causing hundreds of thousands of innocent people to be tortured and killed. The witch craze was the consequence of people becoming so obsessed with satanic power that they viewed the normal tragedies of a fallen world as the result of black magic. (See the ATQ article, Did Church Authorities Seek to Eradicate Paganism in Europe by Killing Millions of “Witches”?)

Once a person has accepted the authority of Jesus Christ, he has the Holy Spirit dwelling within (John 14:16-17). All of us are susceptible to the temptations and trials of the “world, flesh, and devil.” However, the Creator God loves us, sent His Son to die for us, and will protect us if we are willing to trust Him enough to do right. The focus of spiritual warfare in a Christian’s life needs to be his own sinful nature and desires. We don’t need any rituals or charms to protect us. Just a simple prayer for protection, and willingness to acknowledge and forsake any conscious sin is enough.²

1. This baby boy went on to be raised by his Christian parents, attended mission schools and college, and now is an accountant. This family’s courage to resist Satan’s lies made it possible for their family to be lifted out of the most extreme poverty and spiritual darkness to new horizons of spiritual and material hope. Back To Article
2. Using the metaphor of a well-equipped Roman soldier, Paul told us how we could be prepared for spiritual warfare. We are to put on the armor of God  (Ephesians 6:11-18), which includes:
   • The belt of truth. Since Satan depends on deceit to maintain his power, our first line of defense is always truth. We must never distort or misrepresent the truth, regardless of any advantage we might gain by doing so.
   • The breastplate of righteousness. Any sin in our life leaves us open to Satan’s attack. Even though we are given the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21), we must still continually put on the protection of holy living.
   • The shoes of the gospel of peace. With our feet firmly planted on the truth that we are at peace with God and that He is on our side, we can stand firmly against Satan’s attacks.
   • The shield of faith. In order to quench the “fiery darts” of Satan’s temptations, we must trust and believe what God has said about every area of our life.
   • The helmet of salvation. This is the confidence that there is coming in the future a great victory celebration. It is also referred to as the “hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8). This helmet protects us against Satan’s missiles of discouragement and doubt.
   • The sword of the Spirit. Since the Word of God is the basis of our faith, we need to learn how to wield it with authority. Scripture is our best offensive weapon against the devil (Matthew 4:1-11; Hebrews 4:12).

   After he described the various elements of the armor, Paul said that we are to be in constant prayer. Prayer expresses our dependence on God. We can fight against Satan only “in the [strength of] the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10). In the power of Christ and with the armor of the Spirit, we will be victors. Back To Article

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However, even though it would be wrong to assume all illnesses and injuries have spiritual causes, modern science has concluded that physical disorders often are based at least partially on psychosomatic causes—factors that aren’t physical (material) but psychological (spiritual.) (See the ATQ article, Can a Christian be hurt by witchcraft or black magic?) ¹

The New Testament confirms that physical illness can sometimes be caused by sin. In 1 Corinthians 11:26-32, the apostle Paul implies that taking part in the Lord’s Supper unworthily (i.e., with unconfessed, unrepentant sin) can result in physical illness or death:

“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:26-32 NIV).

Also, the epistle of James indicates that unconfessed and unrepentant sin may result in physical illness:

“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:13-16 NIV).

These passages affirm not only that some illness has a spiritual cause (unconfessed sin), but also that dealing with unconfessed sin may result in physical healing.

What would happen if someone suffering illness because of serious, unconfessed sin sought healing through faith in occult ritual or an occult healer?

Because any kind of faith is a powerful force for healing, even placebos might bring relief. (See the ATQ article, Why Are Believers in Magic or Other Religions Sometimes Miraculously Healed?) However, if the person’s illness is based in unconfessed sin, the relief he might experience will only be temporary. Since the cause of the inner conflict creating the physical symptoms remains unresolved, the illness will return. This is one of many reasons that placebos can be harmful.²

The same principles apply when a person suffering illness from unconfessed sin goes to an occult healer for help. Because the healer can do nothing to resolve the sin-based conflicts causing the physical problem, they remain hidden like a dormant cancer. Faith in the healer will produce a growing dependency that at the very least will keep the victim from identifying the source of his/her problem and experiencing spiritual growth. In the worst cases, dependence on an occult healer could lead to full-fledged demonic control.

A person with unrooted faith may experience temporary healing, but the long-term effects of his counterfeit faith will be worse than death. The Bible makes it clear that our spiritual condition is ultimately much more important than our physical health (Matthew 16:26; Luke 12:19-20; 16:19-23). For genuine spiritual healing to take place, faith needs the right object. This is why physical healing that depends on faith in falsehood comes at the cost of spiritual sickness, judgment, and destruction.

Jesus said: “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26 NKJV).

1. “Psychosomatic or Somatoform disorders are among the most common psychiatric disorders found in general practice.
   “It is a condition of dysfunction or structural damage in bodily organs through inappropriate activation of the involuntary nervous system and the glands of internal secretion.
   

   “Psychosomatic disorder is mainly used to mean a physical disease which is thought to be caused, or made worse, by mental factors. Some physical diseases are thought to be particularly prone to be made worse by mental factors such as stress and anxiety.
   

   “The DSM III has dropped the category of Psychosomatic diseases, but according to the DSM II classification it has listed 10 categories of psycho-physiologic disorder:

   • Skin disorders
   • Muscoskeletal disorders
   • Respiratory disorders
   • Cardiovascular disorders
   • Genitourinary disorders
   • Endocrine disorders
   • Disorders of organs of special sense—Chronic conjunctivitis
   • Disorders of other types—Disturbances in the nervous system in which emotional factors play a significant role, such as multiple sclerosis.

   “Sometimes a physical symptom is a metaphor for the person’s psychologic problem, as when a person with a “broken heart” experiences chest pain. Other times, a physical symptom reflects identification with another person’s pain.
   

   “Some people also use the term psychosomatic disorder when mental factors cause physical symptoms, but where there is no physical disease. For example, a chest pain may be caused by stress, and no physical disease is can be found.” (Quoted from an article from the www.surgerydoor.co.uk Web site.) Back To Article

2. “Contrary to popular belief, placebos can be harmful. Placebo responses can ‘teach’ chronic illness by confirming and/or reinforcing the delusion of imagined disease (Jarvis 1990). Patients can become dependent on nonscientific practitioners who employ placebo therapies. Such patients may be led to believe they’re suffering from imagined ‘reactive’ hypoglycemia, nonexistent allergies and yeast infections, dental filling amalgam ‘toxicity,’ or that they’re under the power of Qi or extraterrestrials. And patients can be led to believe that diseases are only amenable to a specific type of treatment from a specific practitioner. On the other hand, the practitioner can also be blinded to the real disease because of being convinced that the patient’s condition is only imagined. Jarvis (1990) reminds us that ‘for both patient and practitioner to be blind to the clinical realities is an unacceptable version of the double-blind.’
   

   “The use of placebos can undermine the doctor-patient relationship by requiring deception on the part of the caregiver. Consumer advocate Stephen Barrett has explicit reservations concerning overreliance on the placebo effect in clinical practice: ‘I am against people being misled. The quack who relies on a placebo effect is also pretending he knows what he is doing—that he can tell what is wrong with you and that he has effective treatment for just about everything . . . he is encouraging people to form lifelong habits of using things they don’t need’ (Barrett 1977).
   

   “In addition, placebos ‘need not always be beneficial and may be frankly toxic: dermatitis medicamentosa and angioneurotic edema (allergic-type reactions) have resulted from placebo therapy. More subtle but equally important negative placebo effects must occur when the physician by virtue of a moment of inattention, a raised eyebrow, or a transient look of disgust, loses the trust of his patient’ (Bourne 1991).
   

   “Paracelsus (Swiss alchemist and physician 1493–1541) wrote: ‘You must know that the will is a powerful adjuvant of medicine.’ It is imperative that skeptics recognize the wisdom and warnings inherent in this statement.” (Excerpted from the article, “The Mysterious Placebo,” by John E. Dodes) Back To Article

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Writing from his extensive experience of treating cancer (including more than 1,000melanoma cases) at Sydney Hospital, Milton (1973) warned of the impact of the delivery of a prognosis, and how many of his patients, upon receiving their prognosis, simply turned their face to the wall and died an extremely premature death: “. . . there is a small group of patients in whom the realization of impending death is a blow so terrible that they are quite unable to adjust to it, and they die rapidly before the malignancy seems to have developed enough to cause death. This problem of self-willed death is in some ways analogous to the death produced in primitive peoples by witchcraft (‘Pointing the bone’).” (p. 1435, from article by W. B. Cannon)

Another example of the devastating effect of despair is called takatsubo cardiomyopathy, or “broken heart syndrome.” ¹ In contrast, faith—the spiritual foundation of hope—is a powerful force for healing.

God has given us freedom and allows us to choose. (See the ATQ article, Why Would an All-Powerful God Permit Evil?) This means that faith of any kind can get results. Medical science is familiar with the powerful effect of placebos, for example.² Even faith in superstition or occult ritual can sometimes bring physical healing. God will apparently even allow counterfeit miracles performed through preternatural satanic power (Matthew 24:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Revelation 13:3). This is consistent with God’s commitment to the freedom and awareness of the creatures He created in His image. However, healing that comes from misplaced faith is likely to be only temporary. (See the ATQ article, Why Is It Dangerous to Seek Physical Healing Through Magic or the Occult?)

1. “Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered that sudden emotional stress can also result in severe but reversible heart muscle weakness that mimics a classic heart attack. Patients with this condition, called stress cardiomyopathy but known colloquially as ‘broken heart’ syndrome, are often misdiagnosed with a massive heart attack when, indeed, they have suffered from a days-long surge in adrenalin (epinephrine) and other stress hormones that temporarily ‘stun’ the heart.
   “‘Our study should help physicians distinguish between stress cardiomyopathy and heart attacks,’ says study lead author and cardiologist Ilan Wittstein, M.D., an assistant professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and its Heart Institute. ‘And it should also reassure patients that they have not had permanent heart damage.’

   “In the Hopkins study, to be published in The New England Journal of Medicine online Feb. 10, the research team found that some people may respond to sudden, overwhelming emotional stress by releasing large amounts of catecholamines (notably adrenalin and noradrenalin, also called epinephrine and norepinephrine) into the blood stream, along with their breakdown products and small proteins produced by an excited nervous system. These chemicals can be temporarily toxic to the heart, effectively stunning the muscle and producing symptoms similar to a typical heart attack, including chest pain, fluid in the lungs, shortness of breath and heart failure.” (from the article “Broken Heart” Syndrome: Real, Potentially Deadly But Recovery Quick” on the Johns Hopkins Medicine Website) Back To Article

2. The effect of placebos on healing is well documented. A placebo, “a harmless, unmedicated preparation given as a medicine to a patient merely to humor him, or used as a control in testing the efficacy of another, medicated substance” (Webster’s New World Dictionary) can have spectacular effects, depending upon the suggestibility and expectations of a patient. Healing can even occur when a patient doubts the treatment being administered. Back To Article

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The Scriptures condemn mediumship and Spiritism in these severe terms:

A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads (Leviticus 20:27 NIV).

There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead (Deuteronomy 18:10-11 NKJV).

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