As Halloween approaches, thoughts may turn to trick-or-treat night, bobbing for apples, clever costumes, and, unfortunately, the Ouija Board.
Playing with a Ouija board – which has letters and numbers and supposedly spells out messages from spirits -- is not harmless fun, according to Church teaching.
Ouija is a form of divination, which means trying to get information through occult means. Here’s what the Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say about divination:
“All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.” -- CCC 2116.
At your next Halloween party, or next time the kids want to have a sleep over, skip the Ouija board. Skip the “spiritually protective crystals” too.
Maybe paint faces on pumpkins or sit back and enjoy a movie. And if you want to get a Catholic take on popular movies, check out the movie reviews on AD Today, from the Catholic News Service.
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