Q. I know the Bible speaks out against witchcraft and magic, but how does that translate to things today like stories about magic and wizards, magic tricks and fortune telling? What does the Bible mean?

A.Sorcery is condemned in the Bible (Leviticus 19:26), but I don't believe God is against card tricks, illusions, special effects, or the other elements of a magician's show. I also don't think there's anything wrong with reading fictional fantasy stories about boys and girls with superpowers or magic wands (yeah, you know who I mean). After all, if you're going to avoid all depictions of magic, you'll have to avoid the Bible because it includes stories about people who practiced magic and sorcery. And in the Bible, not all magicians are viewed as evil.

Remember the three wise men of the Christmas story who brought gifts to baby Jesus? They were Magi. Historically, Magi weren't known for pulling rabbits out of hats, but they were a part of a long line of consultants to kings who worshiped various gods, practiced the occult, studied the stars, foretold the future, interpreted dreams, and probably experimented with spells, potions and elixirs. Then around 600 B.C., the Old Testament prophet Daniel was put in charge of the Magi of Babylon (Daniel 2:48). That's when there was a noticeable shift in how the Magi of Babylon worked. They operated more like a priestly order, became monotheistic (worshiped one God), and even sacrificed animals for their sin. Daniel no doubt turned them to depend upon God for their powers. So while sorcery is condemned by the Bible, not all the magicians in the Bible are "bad guys." The difference? The three wise men bowed before Jesus, and Daniel was clear that he could interpret dreams by God's power, not his.

What the Bible warns against is interacting with powers of the spirit world without God being a part of it.

God outright forbids worshiping other deities (goddess worship, animism), using divination (fortune-telling, psychics, tarot cards, numerology), interpreting omens (astrology, horoscopes), consulting mediums (channeling spirits, contacting the dead), and practicing witchcraft (spell-casting, shamanism).

The Bible wouldn't warn against these things (Deuteronomy 18:10) if their dangers weren't real. So what's wrong with them? Two things.

First, contacting evil spirits places us under the influence of the Evil One. Remember, Lucifer is known as "the father of lies." This means he usually makes things look harmless or fun—for a while. And fortune-telling, curses and horoscopes can seem harmless at first. But the longer we dabble in Lucifer's laboratory, the more likely it will affect our faith and thinking.

Second, a deeper danger is your motivation for dabbling in such things. Doing magic tricks like "the disappearing coin" may be just a fun way to entertain your friends, but people who get into real sorcery do it to exercise power over other people, to influence them to do something they wouldn't do otherwise, or to get knowledge that isn't humanly available.

This is what God forbids. In fact, the Bible tells about one sorcerer named Simon, who was willing to pay cash to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:9-24). But the apostle Peter saw through to his motivation, and harshly condemned him for trying to use the good side of the spirit world to gain control over others.

Only God has the right to enter another person's heart and mind and soul. When a person tries to do that, it's another way of trying to become like God, which is the sin that got Lucifer kicked out of heaven in the first place.

Marshall, a former pastor, is editor of Leadership, a magazine for pastors.

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