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My primary reaction to the Heaven's Gate tragedy was sadness. The co-founder of the group, Bonnie Nettles ("Ti"), was a medium, a spiritualist who channeled for the group. Both Nettles and Herff Applewhite ("Do") developed this false religion, based on channeled material and what they read from metaphysical literature.

After Nettles died in 1985, Applewhite would consult her through what they called celestial conversations on matters pertaining to the cult. This tells me that Applewhite continued to depend on occult power for his ideas and guidance of the cult. Both he and Nettles actually believed that they could get to a second level of spiritual development by dying. Because they depended on occult power for so many years, it's sad, but understandable how they became in total bondage to it.

The mass suicide wasn't a surprise. Demonic powers will play with you as long as they can and their goal is your destruction. In my case, I was being systematically destroyed spiritually until I took a stand and Christ saved me.

By God's grace, I don't relive my demonic experiences when I hear other people's stories. Instead, I feel great compassion because I know the demonic influence inside their head—I experienced it. The greater tragedy is they don't know they're deceived.

The New Age influence is not going away. I just heard about an increase in the number of radio talk shows around the country that feature conversations with psychics on the air.

New Agers run the gamut. Some people (like those in Heaven's Gate) are on a spiritual quest, but they find only a false enlightenment. Others are dabblers who see nothing wrong in visiting a psychic, using a Ouija board, or studying astrological charts. It's purely recreational to them; they don't adopt New Age beliefs. My own advice is not to participate in anything that draws upon what could be occult powers—any form of divination or any healing (massage, alternative methods) where people manipulate "energy" with their hands.

Don't be afraid of New Agers or learning what they believe. Befriend them, witness to them, confront the reality of the New Age. Step out in faith and trust that what follows is in the hands of Jesus Christ, our victorious King.

Copyright © 1997 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine (formerly Christian Reader).
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