A Malignant Obsession

It was simply a trip to a major retail bookseller with a friend who wanted to pick up a book. Who knew it would be an eye-opening experience? Unless you go to movie theaters, watch a lot of popular television shows, or peruse the popular books at your favorite retailer, you may not be aware of the current obsession involving vampires, zombies, and other macabre subjects and creatures. As I walked through the sprawling store, there was a huge display of books under a large sign with the heading “Paranormal Romance.” Other sections had other similar categories of books and games with the themes of the “living dead” and other demonic characterizations.

I suppose this craze gained momentum over the past few years with the popularity of the Harry Potter series of books and blockbuster movies. Then, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies came along with colorful adventures spiced up with a big dollop of demonic characters.

The whole dark, paranormal genre of entertainment has even taken on a distinctly sexual connotation. This titillating possibility seems to be particularly attractive to young teens who are becoming more aware of their gender and are, it seems, drawn to this subject as something new, strange, and exciting.

Publishers, moviemakers, and the popular music industry, always sensitive to fashionable trends, have hit a gold mine of interest with the mass marketing of related products. Many parents are oblivious to the impact of such aberrant behavior, and purchase for their children all sorts of clothing and related items with this theme.

You might be thinking, “Aww, just lighten up! It’s all in fun. Let the kids enjoy it.” Perhaps if the whole pattern of such activity did not have a sinister, demonic undertone, one might take it all in stride as a harmless fad. But, in fact, it is evil—and wrong on several levels.

It might surprise you to know that such activity has been around since ancient times and the Bible has much to say about it. For example, God, through Moses, gave this instruction: “When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. 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. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord” (Deuteronomy 18:9–12).

A number of other scriptures condemn the practice of casting “spells” or attempting to communicate with the dead.

The basic premise behind today’s derelict ideas about the “living dead” is based on a classic untruth—that the dead live on in some other form of existence, when, in fact, the Bible plainly states they do not. Wise King Solomon understood this when he wrote, “For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). He also wrote, “for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going” (v. 10).

There are many wholesome and worthwhile activities for young people today, but one has to seek them out. If your children or grandchildren are enamored with today’s grisly, malignant obsession with vampires, zombies, and other ghoulish foolishness, consider the admonitions from Scripture as you steer them toward more beneficial and enjoyable entertainment.

To learn how to keep yourself and your family safe, read our Tomorrow’s World magazine article “Dangers of the Occult,” or watch our telecast “The Devil and His Demons.”  They will help you stay close to God as you strive to please Him in the midst of the modern obsession with evil.