Religion
Versus The
Paranormal
Are Paranormal Beliefs Similar to
Religious Beliefs?
Is there a real
connection between religion and belief in the paranormal?
Some,
particularly adherents of various religious faiths, will often argue that the
two very different types of beliefs.
Those who stand
outside of religion, however, will notice some very important similarities
which bear closer consideration.
Certainly
there is no exact correspondence between religious and paranormal beliefs —
there are people who are very religious but who don’t believe in things like
Bigfoot or UFO’s and there are people who believe in many paranormal events but
who are not part of any religious tradition.
One might be inclined to argue, then, that one does not have anything to do
with the other.
Those
who are adherents of religious traditions may often be particularly eager to
disavow any similarity because paranormal beliefs are often portrayed as less
rational and credible than religious beliefs.
Even worse,
conservative and fundamentalist believers often regard paranormal claims as
having quite a lot to do with the actions of evil forces in the universe — not
the sort of thing they would want to be associated with, quite understandably.
Nevertheless,
religious beliefs and paranormal beliefs do share a number of important things
in common.
For one thing,
both the paranormal and traditional religions are non-materialistic in nature.
They do not conceive of the world as a place controlled by sequences of cause
and effect between matter and energy.
Instead, they
presume the added presence of immaterial forces which influence or control the
course of our lives.
Furthermore,
there is also the appearance of a desire to provide meaning and coherence to
otherwise random and chaotic events.
If we are
suddenly aware of a distant event we shouldn’t know about, it might be attributed
to clairvoyance, psychic powers, spirits, angels, or God.
There seems to be
a genuine continuum between what we tend to call “paranormal” and the ideas in
many religious faiths.
The
relationship between paranormal beliefs and religion may be even closer than
that between superstitions and religious beliefs.
Whereas
superstitions are often isolated ideas, paranormal beliefs are commonly part of
an integrated beliefs system about the very nature and substance of the
universe.
These belief
systems are very similar to religion — they can provide meaning to our lives as
well as the events in our lives, they can provide social structure, and they
can provide comfort in difficult
times.
Paranormal
belief systems do, however, lack some of the critical characteristics of
religions.
They don’t
typically involve ritual acts, it’s unusual for them to differentiate between
the sacred and the profane, and it is rare for people to base a moral code upon
those beliefs.
Although this
means that paranormal beliefs are not the same as religion, the strong
similarities do suggest that they stem from some of the same needs and desires
as religious beliefs.
Are
you struggling with a big decision or wondering how your eternal future will
play out?
Why
not talk to the God of the universe and let Him work in your behalf?
He says, “I will instruct you and teach you the way
you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you" (Psalm 32:8).
Ask
God to show you what to do. Pray the following prayer:
“Heavenly
Father,
I admit that I am a
sinner and my sins have separated me from You. I now want to turn away from my
past sinful life and begin a new life with You. I receive Your free gift of
salvation.
Please forgive me. I now
receive your Son, Jesus Christ as my Savior, my Master and my Lord. I believe
and confess that Jesus Christ died for my sins, was buried, and rose from the
dead.
I want to receive all
that Jesus Christ has provided for me as my Savior. Your Word says, ‘Whosoever shall call on the name of the
Lord shall be saved’ (Romans 10:13).
I believe and confess
that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes unto
the Father, but by Him.
Lord Jesus, I pray and
ask You, to come into my heart and be Lord of my life. I thank You that you
have given me eternal life, and according to Your Word, I am born again and I
am now a child of God.
Heavenly Father, thank You
for the gift of the Holy Spirit Who is in me now to help me do Your will for
the rest of my life. I surrender my life to You. I promise to study Your Word –
the Bible.
Use me for Your glory.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
If
you have just put your trust in Jesus Christ, you have been born into God’s
family.
As
a spiritual baby, you need to grow by feeding on God’s Word – the Bible (1 Peter 2:2).
You
must have a good modern translation Bible and begin prayerfully reading it. Start
in the New Testament, such as the Gospel of John or Paul’s letters to the
Ephesians.
As
you read, ask two questions: “What are
You, Lord?” “What do You want me to do?”
Also,
you need to join a Christian fellowship where the Bible is taught and where God
is truly worshiped.
God
bless you as you begin your new life with Him!
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