Is Vampirism Real?
Dr.
Roger Barrier
Dear Roger,
I believe vampirism is
alive and well today. Vampire lore seems innocuous enough, but I have observed
cases in my counseling practice that give me pause. Several years ago, I had a
client who was involved in the vampire cult. When I asked him to explain to me
what he meant, he replied that he belonged to a cult here in Tucson who met at
a local cemetery once a week to engage in a variety of rituals including
drinking one another's blood.
I asked him what it was
that he got out of his participation in this act. He replied that the night
would start out with certain rituals of chanting and dancing around headstones,
then everyone would run around the cemetery to get their endorphins
"revved up." At that point they would get out their blood-letting kits
that included a needle, a tube, and a tourniquet, which was used to get the
blood vein ready for piercing. They would each take turns drinking each other's
blood through the hollow tube.
He was told that since
their endorphins were so high, he too would received a high from the blood they
drank. He admitted to never feeling an actual "high" from the
drinking of the blood but did it anyway to feel accepted as a cult member. I
asked him if he was aware of blood born pathogens. He believed because they did
a "certain ritual" prior to drinking the blood that this would
prevent any negative illnesses from being passed between the cult members.
At first I found it
difficult to believe this was real. However after he showed me his arms and the
totally collapsed blood veins in each, I was then convinced he was engaging in
something unusual. He even showed me his blood letting kit.
The reason he came to me
for counseling was not because of the vampirism, but because he was suffering
from heavy depression. He was unclear why he was so depressed all the time. I
asked him if he felt depressed during his time at the cemetery.
He stated he felt good
after spending time with his cult once a week and doing the rituals but that
high led to a greater feeling of depression later on. He not only felt empty,
he also felt a sense of numbness. His life had no meaning and he often stated
he was suicidal. He was promised by the cult that he would be a part of a
family that loved and adored him. He soon realized that all they wanted was to
simply use him and the love they described was a deception.
Roger, the cult he belonged
to was located here on the northwest side of our hometown, however he stated
there were similar cults all over town. Both men and women including teenagers
are involved in these cults.
How would you address those
issues as they pertain to the incredibly popular vampire-themed books and
movie series? Can fiction that features vampirism be a doorway to satanic
ritual abuse?
A Concerned Counselor
Dear Concerned Counselor,
The vampire legend can be traced back to medieval and
later Eastern European folklore, but variations of tales of vampire-like
creatures also exist in Africa, Asia and the Americas. The current vampire
craze really has its roots in two quasi-romantic novels of the 19th
century, The Vampyre by
John Polidori (1819) and Dracula by
Bram Stoker (1897).
These two are the progenitors of the romantic vampire
genre of fantasy fiction. The seductive “kiss of the vampire” has generated an
alluring mystique, especially for young women, and that mystique, along with
the “forbidden fruit” syndrome, is the basis for the popularity of the Twilight
series.
The romantic/sexual attraction of the suave,
sophisticated vampire Count Dracula as portrayed by Frank Langella in the movie Dracula (1979)
is an example of the allure of the vampire. The film's tagline is:
"Throughout history, he has filled the hearts of men with terror, and the
hearts of women with desire."
While fantasy fiction does not necessarily lead to occult
practices,
any
obsessive interest in vampires—or for that matter witches, ghosts, and other
occultic figures—can be unhealthy at best and dangerous at worst. It depends on
the spiritual state of the person whose interest is piqued by such subjects.
A weak, emotionally fragile young girl, for example,
whose life is characterized by family stress, self-esteem issues, and a lack of
strong role models, could be at risk for developing an unhealthy interest in
the occult.
Such an interest can be an open door for destructive
demonic influence to infiltrate her mind and spirit. Satan, as we know, is the
enemy of our souls, who “prowls around
like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1
Peter 5:8).
The Bible does address the issue of drinking or eating
blood. In essence God says, “Don’t drink it.”
For example, God says in Leviticus 17:10-12: “Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats
any blood—I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut
him off from his people. For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have
given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood
that makes atonement for one's life. Therefore I say to the Israelites, ‘None
of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood.’"
But, why did God so strongly prohibit the drinking of
blood? Without sounding sacrilegious, I might direct your attention to John
chapter six.
In one of Jesus’ most demanding teachings on discipleship
He declared that only those who eat His flesh and drink His blood will be
“part” of Him. He was talking about total commitment.
We can taste something and still spit it out. But, once
we eat or drink it, it becomes part of us. It is no wonder that the people who
heard His challenge were scandalized! They were quite familiar with Leviticus
17!
It is no wonder that every one of His followers left Him
that day—except the Twelve.
Communion (or
the Lord’s Supper) is a symbol of eating the flesh and drinking the blood of
Jesus. His body and blood were given on the cross as the working tools of the
divine transaction that forgave our sins and made us Christ Followers fit for
Heaven.
Christ’s work on the cross is often identified as the
“atonement” God was pointing to in Leviticus 17:10-12. By sharing communion we
not only remember His sacrifice on the cross, we are demonstrating our
whole-hearted commitment to Him.
So back to vampires—in a
sense, the concept of a vampire is a perversion of Scripture. When we come to
Christ, we choose to trust Him and give control of our lives to Him. The
metaphor of “drinking his blood” represents
becoming a part of His body—part of His family.
On the other hand, vampires are imagined to forcibly
drink the blood of others. The victims have no choice. They are often forced to
become part of this dark world without their consent. See the contrast?
Here is another thought about vampires and the Bible.
When we think of vampires, we think of blood, death and gore.
But, remember, the Bible is
also filled with blood, death, and gore. One of the goriest Bible stories is
found in Judges 19:25-30: “So the man took his
concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her
throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. . . . When her master got up
in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on
his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her
hands on the threshold. He said to her, ‘Get up; let's go.’ But there was no
answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home. When he
reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into
twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel. . . .” Vampire
stories are not the only unpleasant stories in the world.
Now, let me share a few simple observations about helping
your family with media that glorifies vampires.
1. We are wise to realize that many stories are written
with hidden agendas—like hooking children into witchcraft and evil. Many
stories espouse values that are unchristian or certainly not the values that we
want our children to emulate.
Some really nasty aspects
of our culture reside just below the surface where our children are too easily
exposed to them. Here we must be vigilant. We also need to be aware of the
video games our progeny play. Many are great and fun, some are dangerously
addictive and/or filled with occult images.
Regarding literature like
the Twilight series, Stephanie Meyer, author of the Twilight series,
the inspiration for her first book came from a “very vivid dream.”
She writes: “In my dream,
two people were having an intense conversation in a meadow in the woods. One of
these people was just your average girl. The other person was fantastically
beautiful, sparkly, and a vampire.
They were discussing the
difficulties inherent in the facts that (a) they were falling in love with each
other while (b) the vampire was particularly attracted to the scent of her
blood, and was having a difficult time restraining himself from killing her
immediately. For what is essentially a transcript of my dream, please see
Chapter 13 ("Confessions") of the book.”
2. Anne Rice is a popular writer of vampire stories. She
has inspired a massive cult following, becoming one of the bestselling fiction
authors of all time. Her stories are dark, morbid, and frightening. But people
are utterly fascinated by the world she has created.
In an incredible spiritual
twist, Anne recently became a Christian and has written significant novels
about her journey moving out of darkness into light. She wrote a series of
novels about how Jesus related to people during His life on earth.
Her first two books
are Out of Egypt and The Road to Canaan. On her
website she addresses her new Christian status like this: “I am being asked
many theological and religious questions. When I get back to my home in
California I will write more on these.
People are far more
interested in my conversion to Christianity than I ever expected. MY HEARTFELT
THANKS TO ALL OF YOU, MY READERS FOR SUSTAINING ME DURING THIS JOURNEY TO
FAITH.” Hers is a testimony worth sharing with your child or teen.
3. Recommend to your sons and daughters that they read
the Christian classics like This Present Darkness and Piercing
the Darkness by Frank Peretti.
These Christian novels are
about the battles behind the scenes in the spiritual realm for the souls of men
and women on earth. The books are filled with adventure and suspense. I
guarantee that they will not be able to put down either book.
Even though they are
fiction, they hold much truth about the reality of the spiritual world. I think
that many people are captivated by the spirit world because we do inherently
know that there is something beyond our physical senses. These books can begin
a study of what is really happening “behind the scenes.”
4. Be informed about the books and media that your child
or teen wants to watch or read. I often encourage parents to get involved in
their kids’ worlds. This may sound controversial, but you might choose to read
this book together, discussing the concerns you both have about the content.
Go to the movies he/she
watches as often as you can. Read some of the magazines he/she reads. And then
talk. Don’t panic! Be open to their opinions. Be careful not to instantly
dismiss them out of fear.
Consider that it is OK for
them to be searching for truth rather than already knowing the truth. The
ultimate goal is for you, as a parent, to lovingly help him/her develop a
spiritual “filter”—a high level of spiritual discernment. As they becomes
adults, they will be able to search out and formulate answers to these
questions on their own.
5. Educate your child’s conscience. Help him or her to
recognize that they should avoid media he or she “doesn’t feel right about.”
God instructs us never to
violate our consciences because the conscience often acts as the interface
between our inner spirit where God lives and our mind where we live. We must be
careful never to violate it (1 Corinthians 10:23-30).
Remember, Paul wrote, for
Christians to stop worrying about “disputable things”—enjoy them! On the other
hand, if your activities (freedoms of conscience) violate your conscience—or
the consciences of those around you—then stay away from them.
6. Finally Philippians 4:8-9 gives good advice for
anything we allow ourselves or our children to read or be involved in: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such
things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in
me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
As parents, we should be
well-informed and screen what our children read or watch. Openly discuss the
“hidden” and “open” messages of the Twilight series, or any
other media with occultic overtones, no matter how clever and popular they
are.
Teach your how to discern
good and evil by studying God’s Word and being an active part of a local
church. May God give you wisdom—and spiritually discerning sons and daughters.
Love, Roger
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Dr. Roger Barrier, founder
of Preach It, Teach It, is a well-known author and sought-after conference
speaker. Roger has taught thousands of pastors, missionaries, and Christian
leaders in 32 countries worldwide.
http://www.preachitteachit.org/ask-roger/detail/is-vampirism-real/
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