CURSES AND MAGICAL SPELLS

• CURSES AND MAGICAL SPELLS: TRUE OR FALSE?

Fr. Freddie Santhumayor SVD

1.  My personal opinion on this subject is written at the request of a well-meaning relative of mine who was perplexed and confused to hear about this topic from Christian preachers and healers. I feel, the clarification which I wrote her may help so many other Christians undergoing the same doubts and confusion.

2.  Belief in curses and spells is a very controversial subject. There are diverse and contradictory opinions about this. Quite many people, including good Christians, believe in curses. Even some Catholic preachers, including priests, believe in them and preach about their catastrophic effects.

3. No matter what others say, I firmly believe that a curse cannot affect a fearless, psychologically sound or balanced person with a strong faith in God. I feel that belief in a curse within catholic community is itself a big ‘curse’ on it. Here, by calling it a ‘curse’, I mean a black spot on our community’s faith.

4.  Why do people believe in curses and their disastrous consequences? There are so many reasons for it. Here are a few as per my analysis:

(1) A curse is the result of human jealousies, anger, hatred and revenge. There is so much negativity in all of us which is not healed. It comes out in the form of curses and wishing evil on the so-called ‘bad people’.

(2) Belief in curses is justified by quoting the Bible, especially the Old Testament (OT) by understanding its words literally. First of all, the OT was originally a Sacred Book (called Scripture) of the Jews before Christ was born. The Early Church made it a part of Christian Bible and added it to the New Testament (NT), but understood it always with the light brought by Christ found in the NT. Jesus himself has re-interpreted the OT thus: “You have heard it was said (in the OT)…..but I tell you ….(differently). Read Matthew 5:21-48. Therefore, we have to understand the story of flood in the OT at Noah’s time when God drowned the whole world and showered rain of fire and brimstone over Sodom and Gomorrah in a symbolic way. Even today this biblical message has relevance – If we do not lead a virtuous life (like the wicked people in Noah’s days), surely it has disastrous consequences for ourselves and our society. You see the fire and brimstone coming down on the Mother Earth every summer due to global warming and climate change. This year we had unbearable heat, to the point of saying hai, hai everyday till showers came so late. Why? Human beings have overexploited the nature out of their greed. Can we say that climate change is God’s curse?

(3) In the OT, though God is generally depicted as gracious, merciful and forgiving, sometimes he is depicted as the one who curses and punishes his enemies. Jesus has purified this OT idea of a punishing and terrifying God, and has given us the image of a Dear Daddy (‘Abba’ in Jesus’ language) who loves without any limit and conditions. The parables (stories) of the Lost Sheep and the Prodigal Son ( found in Luke 15) tell us that God loves a sinner even while sinning and never rests until he/she returns, and forgives as if nothing has happened (when he/she repents). It is a pity that some of our preachers and believers are still in the OT. They seem to read it without using the ‘torch’ provided by Jesus in the NT.

(4) Belief in curses is also caused by our fear of being harmed by others, mainly because of the fear of sickness, death, accidents and other natural or man-made calamities (misfortunes). Our fears make us believe in an evil power behind every misfortune like illness and accident.

(5) I believe, people who firmly believe in curses, try to rationalize (go back in their memory lane to some past events) and find out in imagination, who has caused misfortune to them. Sometimes, two incidents occur together by chance. It is called “coincidence”. If there is an accident or sudden death, they try to remember words used by persons of “bad character”. Even if they have not heard them, they imagine that those wicked people might have said something. When what their ‘enemies’ or even holy persons said matches with the misfortune that happened, they spread news about it all around. Then a fear grips the minds of people. If no misfortune takes place, what “bad or wicked people” said is simply forgotten. For example, in some cultures people say if a crow crows, guests will come. Everyday so many crows may be crowing. They are not remembered. Once a while when a crow crows guests really come. This coincidence is spread like gospel-truth. Then everybody believes that it is true.

(6) Many Catholics believe that what some highly spiritual-minded priests say will happen. When misfortunes fall on people who misbehaved with respectable priests, naturally the public relates it to those people’s misbehaviour with the man of God. Is it because of the curse of a priest? As a man of God, can he curse? Or is it because of the guilt-conscience of evildoers who always fear that something bad will happen to them, since they have misbehaved with a holy man? Or is it because people in general, attribute misfortune of evildoers for their misbehaviour with a man of God?  I am not sure. What I am sure is, I don’t believe in a cursing, punishing, revengeful God, but in a God who blesses even his worst enemies. This is hundred percent clear to me from the teachings of Christ.

(7) Neither curse nor evil spell cast by witches and sorcerers can affect a person of deep faith in Jesus Christ who has won a victory over Satan and evil spirits by his Resurrection. Now because of the Resurrection, for a firm believer, Satan’s battery is down. Please don’t charge his batteries. Though that Evil Power called Satan does exist, he cannot do any harm to firm believers, unless they recharge Satan’s batteries with their little or superficial faith and fear-complex that makes them suspect the work of evil spirits or evil people at the time of misfortunes.

(8) I believe two problems give rise to these superstitions: (1) fear of the unknown (2) a superficial and weak faith in God or Jesus.

(9)This belief system in curses or evil influence of demons and witches is injected into our subconscious minds from early childhood. I still remember the stories of ghosts that frightened me in childhood. Now I am trying to hammer these ghosts with all my strength which comes from God. Curses, ghosts, witchcraft, black magic, etc., are very much prevalent in many societies that propagate these beliefs through their culture. Naturally Christians also get influenced by this common culture of a society. Though Christian faith is supposed to predominate over superstitions, in many people (due to fear, ignorance, lack of proper catechesis or faith-education, superficial faith, etc.) superstitions predominate over faith.

(10) Having said all this, the question whether some people have mysterious powers to cause evil to others remains. It is a much disputed question and belongs to the field of para-psychology. I am not an authority on it. My opinion is, even if it is true, it is because of our inability to explain certain unexplainable events in rare cases. Even if such a mysterious power is inherent in a few people, surely they cannot be branded as witches and sorcerers and persecuted with inhuman punishments – as we observe in some societies all over the world. After all Jesus came to liberate us from the clutches and fear of Evil Power (symbolized by his casting out demons/Satan/evil spirit). He came to destroy the kingdom of Satan by the power of God’s Spirit and establish the Kingdom of God among us – a new society where God’s power rules supreme over evil power (Mt 12:28).