Truth Magazine

By Cecil Willis

In a previous article, we talked about some of the scriptural proscriptions against astrology, witchcraft, or black magic. This strange mixture of pagan religion, superstition, quackery, and big business is sweeping our land, as I wish to show in this article. See last weeks articles for the scriptures which condemn “star-gazing.”

Prevalence

Nearly everyone in this country has heard of the predictions of Jeane Dixon, or read Carroll Lighters horoscope column, or heard of Bishop John A. Pikes alleged communion through ,several mediums (including one Christian, church preacher, Arthur Ford of Philadelphia) with his son who had shortly beforehand committed suicide.

But these false prophets are only the tip of the iceberg. That is much more! Twelve hundred daily newspapers in the United States now publish horoscope columns. Twenty years ago one hundred papers carried such a column.

Sybil Leek, “a self-proclaimed, practicing witch,” counts 400 “authentic witches” among her personal friends in the United States, and estimates that the world witch population is eight million. There are estimated to be ten thousand Americans who make their livings fortune-telling.” And some members of the church are not reluctant to patronize these witches! Many business firms now employ full-time astrologers. New Yorks Abraham and Strauss department store is reported to have retained Lloyd Cope in 1969 as its official astrology consultant. One member of the New York stock exchange “likes to conclude important deals at three A. M. because of his astrologers counsel,” as reported by Life Magazine. Joseph Bayly states: “Witchcraft is probably been helped with the historic problem of its image by the recent movie Rosemarys Baby, and by the television series, Bewitched; the latter features a beautiful witch, Samantha” (What About Horoscopes? p. 27).

If you doubt that astrology and witchcraft are widespread in this country, go to a local bookstore or magazine display rack and note the book and article titles. One such bookstore had the following titles: Astrology for Everyday Living; Astrology Made Practical; Fortunetelling With Cards; Dreams and Your Horoscope; Your Character in the Stars; Numerology; Your Future in Your Hand; Astrology Answers Your Questions; Astrology, Mythology, and the Bible; Astrology and Your Destiny; The Tarot Revealed; and Your Sun Personality.

Then there are all kinds of specialized astrology books. One hundred thousand gamblers bought Astrology and Horse Racing in a recent year. The spring 1972 Saturday Evening Post on p. 36 has a regular feature entitled “Dog Horoscopes,” by Liz Tresilian, sub-titled “A Dissertation on matters of canine zodiacal import,” in case you are worried about your dogs future.

Or you can buy Your Babys First Horoscope; Astrology for Teens; or How to Find Your Mate Through Astrology. Then there is an Astrological Guide to Good Health; or a Five Year Diet and Health Horoscope; or Cooking with Astrology, and a Zodiac Cookbook. Then there are other books entitled Astrology and, the United States, and The Bird-feather Astrological Space Book. Then there is Astrology for Hounds, or Cat Horoscope Book. Like other false religions, just nearly any kind you want!

According to the New York Times, each book in a series on the signs of the Zodiac has sold 2.5 to 3 million copies every year. In less than two years, Doubledays occult Universe Book Club attracted over one hundred thousand members from all ages, sexes, and localities. Bayly reported: “A Bantam sales executive says that the market for his companys occult line is primarily in the Bible-Belt and the Deep South.” (P. 10). Frankly, I do not know what the implication of that statement is.

But with this modern outbreak of what is alleged to be witchcraft, what should be the attitude of Christians toward it? In 1691-92, at Salem Village, Massachusetts, there was an outbreak of what was adjudged to be witchcraft. Initially two people were fascinating some teenage girls during winter afternoons with palmistry, fortune telling, necromancy, magic, and spiritism. The Salem community became so wrought up over this resurgence of black magic that they conducted the now infamous Salem “witch trials.” Before the matter was ended in Salem Village, nineteen alleged witches were hanged!

Now I am not advocating the hanging of anyone, but I do think the attitude of Christians toward these self-confessed witches should be different than what it oftentimes is. Salems extreme reaction to witchery drove the black magic business underground for three centuries. It now has been exhumed and given respectability by some who do not even profess really to believe in it. Some forms of witchcraft have become afternoon and evening fun-games, even to some Christians. Bayly speaks of “Our light and frivolous approach to the unseen spirit world today, our craze for horoscopes and mediums, fortune-tellers and Ouija boards-turning it all into one big game . . .” (p. 45).

These who claim to be witches and fortune-tellers affirm that they have contact with the unseen and evil spirit world. If you do not believe they do have such contact, you should certainly leave them alone and not patronize them. And one is paying their fee, whether he pays it directly to the fortune-teller or medium, or whether he buys a newspaper or magazine in order to read his horoscope. And if one really believes he has contact with some mysterious spirit world through a Ouija board or a fortune teller, he has accepted already the deadly sin of sorcery. Whether he believes it is for real, or just uses it for an afternoon or evenings fun, the Christian should have no part in satanic stargazing or sorcery. (One More Article to Follow)

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 29, pp. 3-4
May 25, 1972

By Luther Blackmon

Not having the moral strength to meet the demands of his Creator, an atheist tries to convince himself that there is no such Creator. This is like breaking the barometer to avoid the storm or shooting the diagnostician to cure the disease. Some have become atheists because they want to wave the flag of the intelligentsia (having been informed that most of the intelligentsia are in the camp of atheism) whether they qualify or not. So they read a few books on how man developed from the tiny, one-cell or two-cell amoeba up to the Edisons and Einsteins and decide that the theory of evolution must be true. It doesnt seem to bother them at all that this select group can offer no reasonable or sensible explanation as to how the one cell thing came to be, or, how it came to have life. Life comes from antecedent life. However, such trivial questions as the (a) origin of matter (b) origin of life (c) order in the universe (d) laws of nature (the atheist talks about the laws of nature, but denies that there was an intelligent law-maker) do not seem to bother him. All these obstacles the atheist brushes aside or ignores. He evidently thinks that if he will hold his head high enough, and try to look as smart as he thinks he is, and talk loud enough about the gullibility and credulity of these simple-minded Bible dreamers, that people will not notice the impotency, absurdity and inconsistencies of his theory.

Fruits of Atheism

What does one have to believe to be an atheist? Nothing. His system is built on disbelief. What does one have to be, to be an atheist? Nothing. One can be the lowest down moral leper in all society, a thief or murderer, and it will not affect his standing as an atheist. I am not saying that all atheists are evil in these respects. I am simply saying that atheism has no moral standing. One does not have to believe anything, be anything or do anything to be an atheist. His platform is negation.

I wrote an article that was printed in one of the Houston, Texas papers several years ago, in which I said that no one college or hospital or eleemosynary institution in existence, was built by atheism. There was an answer in the paper by an irate atheist, informing me that Stephen Girard College in Philadelphia was built by an atheist. That is some record. But I still say that even that one was not built by atheism. An atheist built it, but the spirit that motivated him in building it was not the spirit of atheism. Let someone name one single thing that is peculiar to atheism, which makes any community a better place to live. Let him name one thing, peculiar to atheism, which makes life in this world more pleasant. Let him name the time when a broken heart was healed, or a broken home salvaged, or hope brought to the hearts of despairing men and women by the theories of atheism. I am sure that atheists do have feelings of charity and kindness towards their fellow-men, but these feelings were not generated by anything they learned or received from atheism. These feelings are but expressions of the nature placed in man by the God whom atheism denies. He has these feelings in spite of his atheism and not because of it. If a man wants to believe that he is no better than the fly that he swats and sweeps into the trash-can, this is a free country. And he was created with the inalienable right to deny the God who made him, if he wants to do so. But when he looks with contempt upon those who believe in the God he denies, I claim my right to remind him that every right he enjoys in this free land, or anywhere else in the world, was made possible by the people who believe in God.

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 29, p. 2
May 25, 1972

By Harold Tabor

The world in which we live is an ever shrinking globe. This process of the world getting smaller has accelerated in the twentieth century largely by advances in international travel and communication media. Radio messages can be transmitted anywhere around the world in a matter of seconds. Television via Telstar transmits live coverage of news events. Aircraft transport more people at an increasing rate of speed and number of available flights.

Every Christian recognizes that all men are created “in the image of God” and yet man is in bondage to sin of every thought of the imagination. Before the Lord ascended into heaven, He gave the church a command to evangelize the world. Matthew 28:18-20 has often been called the “marching orders of the Church.” Every Christian should be reminded that men are “the offspring of God” (Acts 17:28) and that men are divided into two classes: the saved and the lost. He must also realize that he has the responsibility of taking the gospel to all men everywhere. This means men “of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Rev. 5:9). There is also a sense of urgency. Our lives are short and truly “the harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few” (Matt. 9:37).

We should be well aware that English is the most common language of the world.” This is especially true of Christians. We have English-speaking missionaries in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Norway, England, Africa and perhaps others. It would be wonderful if we had English as the language of the world and missionaries in every country. However, we do not. Besides this, Spanish is spoken almost as widely as English.

There are some twenty countries in the world where Spanish is the language of almost all of its citizens. Eighteen of these are Latin American republics plus the commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the nation of Spain. In these countries alone, there are well over 200 million native Spanish-speaking inhabitants. The United States has about ten million people whose native language is Spanish. Many of these live in Florida and Texas. The general use of Spanish as a second language is increasing. One estimate states that by the year 2000 A.D., 22 million Americans will speak Spanish.

There are many millions of people who have some knowledge of Spanish through school, self study programs, travel or personal contact in the neighborhood. There are many linguistic similarities to Portuguese, Italian and French which make it attractive as a second language for many people of the world. Even native English-speaking people can usually get the idea of a written paragraph. Spanish is an “easy language” because its pronunciation is simple or similar to English. The grammar is also relatively regular and uncomplicated. Many college students choose Spanish for their language requirement.

The point is this: With the exception of the Spanish works in Florida and along the Mexican-American border, conservative brethren have had only a couple of foreign missionaries in Spanish-speaking countries. If the Latin American Republics continue to grow at the present rate, it is estimated that there will be 600 million people by 2000 A.D. Mexico alone is expected to have over 70 million people by 1980 A.D. If these estimates are realized then the potential of Spanish as a world language is most impressive and our missionary efforts need to be awakened toward the vast number of people without Christ in these areas.

I pray that some elderships will investigate the possibilities of doing work among the Spanish-speaking people of the world, for “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Prov. 29:18). I also pray that there will be a number of gospel preachers or Christian families who will prepare themselves by learning Spanish and join those now working among the Spanish-speaking people. “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest” (Matt. 9:38).

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 28, pp. 12-19
May 18, 1972

By Grant B. Caldwell

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce a series of articles to be published here on the subject of evidences. The series was originally written for The Gospel Teacher, the bulletin of the church of Christ in Hilliard, Ohio. When that bulletin began, it was thought that before anything else was done, a thorough study of “first principles” should be undertaken. With this in mind, the first year was used to discuss the six topics said to be “first principles” by the Hebrew writer. (Hebrews 5:12-6:3) This series was the primary portion of the section dealing with “faith toward God.”

The series was written solely for that bulletin and was not intended for further publication. Within, however, the publication of only a few of the articles, much was being said about giving the articles wider circulation. At the insistence of my wife and brother Earl Robertson (associate editor of Truth Magazine), I discussed the matter with Brother Cecil Willis. The result of that conversation is the publication of the series in this paper.

There are no claims made for originality of material in these articles. Our sole concern is with our mutual investigation of this important question. Many are they who have been and will be taken by the claims of modern philosophy and pseudo-science. (I Timothy 6:20)

Reasons for Such Discussions

Reasons for such discussions ought to be obvious. However, I am persuaded that they are not always as readily seen as they ought to be. Even among many who preach, it is thought that church going people have basic attitudes toward faith and that there is no need to waste time in such discussions. This idea is far from the truth.

First, we may not assume that church going people have basic attitudes and dispositions toward the divine personages and the divine publication. It is almost impossible to go into any congregation and not find that someones faith has given way under the pressures of the society in which we live. How many times we find that all our sermons on Bible doctrine are wasted on some because they are not sure the Bible is indeed the word of God. How many young people are lost each year because there is not enough teaching by their parents, by the preacher, and yes, by the church on basic principles to offset the teaching of the infidel professors that teach them hours each day! How many of us live with doubts in our own minds until finally the unanswered questions become doctrine to us and we lose our faith! And how many of us are troubled because of questions we are unequipped to answer questions arising even from our discussions of the Bible with others!

Second, if we admit that in many there is a basic attitude toward faith, this faith is too often not the faith that Jesus expects us to have. If our faith is based upon the wrong things, then that faith is unacceptable in its nature. Such faith will not stand under the pressures of life. It will prove dishonest, childish, and insecure. If we believe that for which we can show no reason, we are prejudiced. If we believe only that which we have been taught by our parents, we are childish. If we have unfounded faith, we will be as “children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine.” (Ephesians 4:14)

Third, we need to be ready always to give an answer for the hope in us (I Peter 3:15). Our faith should not be blind. If it is, our attempts to help others will only result in “the blind leading the blind” (Matthew 15:14) the result of which action all know. One of the major differences between the faith we have in Christ and that of heathen peoples is that the faith which is had in Christ is based on facts and can be demonstrated. Other faiths cannot be so demonstrated. Faith in Christ can be clear, honest, logical, based on weighty evidence and without prejudices if we will but carefully examine the subjects.

Examination Legitimate

In man, God has placed the ability to reason. Not only has it been placed there, but the divine injunction to use this ability reads “Come now and let us reason together” (Isaiah 1: 18). This ability was used by Gods people to show others the way of salvation. Paul “reasoned,” “alleged,” “persuaded,” and “defended” those things pertaining to the gospel of Christ. (Acts 17:2; 18:4, 19; 24:25; Phil. 1:7) He said that all knew that he was “set for the defense of the gospel” (Phil. 1: 17) and his watchword was “Prove all things.” (I Thessalonians 5:21)

Thus, the Lord is pleased with investigations such as these and we sincerely trust that your faith will be strengthened as has ours by this study. Having thus been strengthened, we can in great courage and without fear of what men might do (Hebrews 13:6), “contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3)

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 28, pp. 11-12
May 18, 1972