As interest in the paranormal persists, Nesu Kwaramba show Christian parents how to empower kids to spot the difference between holy and harmful spirituality—and nurture a faith that’s genuinely supernatural
Warning: This article contains reference to the occult and suicide.
One afternoon, I found myself in the throes of a conversation that had me feeling like I was in the eye of a storm. I was chatting to some teenage girls at our youth group and asked them what they’d done over the school holidays. One of the girls shared that she was fascinated with the paranormal at which point another joined in saying that a friend of hers had talked to her about playing the (dangerous) paranormal game Red Yellow, Yellow Door at a sleepover.
In Red Door, Yellow Door one person is the guide and the other is the subject. In a room where they cannot be disturbed, the subject lies on the guide’s lap who begins to chant “red door, yellow door” until the subject falls into a trance.
Now hypnotised, the subject is expected to find themselves in a house with different coloured doors and they are encouraged to enter doors they feel comfortable with but avoid those with strange figures, clocks and ones they feel uncomfortable with.
I can only assume that this is just one example of how innocent curiosity can go wrong
The idea is that the game should end when the subject sees the ‘man in black’. Whilst dubbed a game, it certainly seems less so when one considers the physical injuries, hyperventilation, and intimate experiences – like being kissed by entities – that subjects have reported after the trance.
It turned out that one of them had engaged with the Estes Method – a paranormal activity designed to facilitate communication with spirits. Here, the participant is required to wear isolating headphones that are connected to a ‘spirit box’ that relays messages that are believed to be from spirits - during this process the participant is blindfolded.
I further went on to discover during the conversation that one of the girls had been engaging with Tarot Cards (cards used for fortune telling or divination) for a while – having had them passed down to her by a family member.
Damaged by dabbling
When I asked the girls what their experience of the Estes Method was, I was shocked by how readily they shared the damaging realities of their encounter. One of the girls told me plainly that they had all been injured, and one of them left bleeding because of these spiritual encounters. They recounted how the spirits they encountered communicated messages of death and destruction to them, and how they found themselves at the scene of a suicide.
the Bible indicates that there is healthy spirituality and harmful spirituality
Now, these girls are the nicest and most amiable teenagers at our youth group, and it’s always such a pleasure to engage with them - so, I can only assume that this is just one example of how innocent curiosity can go wrong. In fact, when I asked them what had inspired this curiosity, they mentioned Gen Z Youtubers, Sam Goldbach and Colby Brock, a YouTube duo whose channel (15.6 million subscribers) is dedicated to investigating the paranormal.
Searching for the supernatural
It has been fascinating to witness the development of the entertainment industry over recent years, even as access to screens has increased markedly. More recently, we have seen stories predicated on the unseen realm garner almost unrivalled interest among young people.
In the second half of last year, the most watched movie on Netflix was KPop Demon Hunters, and the most watched series was Stranger Things - both have the unseen realm at the core of their narrative.
These shows, in tandem with the paranormal pastimes of some young people nowadays is indicative of an appetite for the supernatural
Furthermore, the year was crowned off by the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash which was released a few days before Christmas – a film whose plot is full of references to supposedly benevolent spiritual help that aids the protagonists; whilst the antagonists appear to be engaged in practices that appear occultic.
These shows, in tandem with the paranormal pastimes of some young people nowadays is indicative of an appetite for the supernatural. Yet, should this be surprising? After all the Bible tells us that God has ‘planted eternity in the human heart’ (Ecclesiastes 3:11); to wonder about the afterlife and the unseen realm appears to be programmed into us. Yet the Bible indicates that there is healthy spirituality and harmful spirituality.
Harmful vs healthy spirituality
It can be tempting to adopt a ‘danger, danger’ approach when navigating the ‘paranormal’ with young people. Yet, as I told the young girl who was interested in the paranormal, ‘para’ just means ‘outside’ – and normal is self-explanatory. I shared that another way of saying outside normal is ‘supernatural’ – and the Christian faith is very much concerned with this.
parents should encourage their children to embrace God’s paranormal
Yes, the Bible does clearly warn against – and prohibits – harmful spirituality, like fortune-telling, witchcraft, consulting mediums and spirits of the dead – as well as sorcery (Leviticus 19:26; Isaiah 8:19; Galatians 5:20; Acts 16:16-18; Acts 19:18-19). However, the Bible is also awash with examples of God’s supernatural activity by way of miracles, signs and wonders (Exodus 14:19-22; Deuteronomy 34:11-12; Joshua 10:12-14; Acts 2:43; Acts 5:12-16).
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It’s not that God is against communication with supernatural beings, but rather that such communication ought to be with those on God’s side. In this respect, not only does the Bible tell of the many encounters humans have had with holy angels - sent to help believers (Hebrews 1:14), but as Christians we are inhabited by the Holy Spirit, and are encouraged to have intimacy with Him and to be empowered by Him, as well as through His gifts (Acts 19:2,6; Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 14:1; 2 Corinthians 13:14). So, in the Kingdom of God, the para-normal, is very much normal! Therefore, parents should encourage their children to embrace God’s paranormal.
Making the paranormal normal
To ensure children develop a healthy and holy appreciation for the paranormal, parents can do the following:
1. Constantly share stories of God’s supernatural activity in their past and present and encourage children to do the same (Joshua 4:21-23; Psalm 145:4-7).
2. Help their children to develop spiritual sensitivity so that their children can discern between good and bad spirituality (John 10:4-5; Hebrews 5:14) – like paying attention to inner discomfort when interacting with certain activities and games (1 Samuel 24:5; Acts 16:6-7).
3. Encourage their children to get to know the Person of the Holy Spirit intimately (1 Kings 2:2; John 14:26; 2 Corinthians 13:14), as well as encouraging the desire and discovery of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7; 1 Corinthians 14:1).
