Deuteronomy 18 - Pagan Idolatry and Witchcraft is Demonic Evil

There are several very specific things in this passage that are explicitly listed as abominations before God. If our God is unchanging, and He is, then these abominations are still very much abominations today. God also does not prohibit things if they are pure harmless fiction. These forces and practices are very real and very damaging to a people that is to be submissive to the one true and living God. None of these practices should be even remotely close to tolerated within a Christian society and this has been a widely accepted fact for the entire history of the Church as well. God also is very clear to prohibit even the learning of these occultist practices as He knows full well that humans are prone to being curious about these things and can easily talk themselves into simply partaking a little bit of learning exercise on that topic. There are things that humans should never look to for influence as they counteract the Truth from God when dabbled with and God Himself makes it very clear this kind of behavior is not only to be disallowed, but removed from society via banishment at the very least. I approach this topic and study with both humility and love for people who may be deceived by this being harmless or even beneficial for some based purely on the outcome of how it affects their mind. I used to believe the same thing and if not for the grace of God, I would be no different.

Witchcraft (קְסָמִ֔ים) is a word that can be used to describe any practice back then that would be considered to contacting a realm unseen such as the demonic and dark spiritual world. This should be treated with an extremely healthy dose of humility and skepticism as we consider what things such as psychedelics are. The weight of these actions is not light and these practices were used to remedy people even back in those times. Nonetheless, God demands reliance on Him alone for healing, not turning to tempting dark occultist practices from pagan societies of the past. Ezekiel 21 refers to even something as simple as swirling around arrows in a quiver and making a decision based on the first arrow that falls out being witchcraft. If something like this is considered witchcraft, then I am sure the modern pagans worshiping Gaia, "Mother Goddess", and Osiris that self-proclaim themselves Witches or Wicca's would certainly fall into that category. The link to them and drug use for contact with dark entities is definitely indicative of where the utilization of these drugs lies in regards to this prohibition by God.

Soothesaying (מְעוֹנֵ֥ן) is another specific word used that directly falls into this category of contact with familiar spirits mentioned in Leviticus 20 as well. This one I believe links to the use of psychedelics even more than the word for witchcraft that was used in the previous section. It refers to the astrological divination and applies directly to modern astrology as well. Astrology directly stems from demonic practices leading away from trusting in God and instead trusting in psychic "intuitions" placed on powerless things that have been created by God. This all includes things like horoscopes, natal charts, astrological signs, and tarot cards. All stem from explicitly demonic occultist practices of the past and are undeniably what God is referring to by this practice.

One who interprets omens (וּמְנַחֵ֖שׁ) is referring to practices where someone is using physical aids to try and fortune-tell. This would include things like tea-leaves, crystals, Ouija boards, tarot cards, palm reading, etc. Most Christians today want to view this in a comedic fictional-fun point of view. However, it all stems from historical practices from pagan cultures far back. This is probably one of the most commonly fallen into practices by people in our culture due to the flippant nature people give to it despite many people who practice it having full belief in it. These practices are far from harmless fictional fun and are descendants of these old practices warned against in this chapter and should be condemned at all costs.

Sorcery (וּמְכַשֵּֽׁף׃) is probably the most damning word used here for a historical-culture-oriented interpretation of this verse considering it is historically referring to the use of drugs/illicit substances to enter altered states of mind to gain spiritual knowledge or cast spells. There is no such thing as a non-occult psychedelic drug. All of them lead to speaking with entities that try to give some kind of spiritual knowledge not of God, but of demonic nature. Demons are expert deceivers and many people who enter this area of life with the mindset that "if it helps me, it is good" are most deceived by this. Lots of psychedelic practice these days is falling into the category of helpful due to the effects it has on people's depression or other mental ailments such as PTSD. However, this is relying on an alternate spiritual avenue for relief instead of a reliance on God. Just because it can help you escape your mental anxieties does not mean it comes from God. People have used substances for escapism for thousands of years and that still has not changed today. The practice of substance escapism is directly what this Hebrew word is being used to describe back in those days and, though we are more scientifically knowledgeable today, that separation of God from science, has led us right back to repeating the historical past God warned of with the same pagan temptations.

Consulting mediums (אוֹב֙) or spiritists (וְיִדְּעֹנִ֔י) or necromancers (וְדֹרֵשׁ אֶל־הַמֵּתִים) all refer to things along the lines of seances, psychics, or mediums that claim to be able to speak with the spiritual realm or even those that are in Sheol. There are an absurdly high number of Americans that participate in these kinds of behaviors either out of curiosity or desperation which is heart-breaking. I know many people personally who advocate for participation in these kinds of activities to bring peace of mind regarding a loved one or to find a direction for the future. This is not just harmless superstition. It is demon-driven and directly warned about in this chapter for that reason.

To conclude, many "Christians" argue from a historical-cultural viewpoint of what God is referring to in the past to try and justify homosexuality using this strategy (ex: slave/master sexual abuse). However, if you want to use this strategy to come to the conclusion that the term for homosexuality used in this same book of the Bible is only referring to "exploitative relationships practiced by the pagan countries surrounding historical Israel", then you must also judge these death penalty-worth abominations described by God in this chapter on those same merits. This would condemn all of the new-age spirituality occultist behavior of the modern day as it is often contacting the same exact pagan gods that were present in the surrounding cultures back then by name. However, I don't think the people who grasp for straws to justify homosexuality in the Bible hold a high enough view of scripture in the first place to be intellectually consistent with their interpretations to begin with. Which is precisely why they will justify both homosexual practices by a cultural context argument and then use a completely different standard to justify occultist practices and psychedelics in the modern day. I pray that people who are lost in this inconsistent view of scripture are brought back to the consistent view God gave us and are able to repent. I am not innocent of this practice either. I fell into this view in my earlier twenties and was thankfully convicted through the Holy Spirit after reading the scripture from an open and intentional perspective. Without God's direction, I would be no different in my views which is why I approach this topic with humility and love, not wanting others to fall into the same trap.