What religious leaders say about black magic

What religious leaders say about black magic

By Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): Religions recognize good and evil things, the visible and the invisible world. The Jakarta Post interviewed a number of religious leaders for their comments on black magic and how to avoid it. Here are some excerpts from the interviews.

Sumargono, chairman of the Jakarta Corps of Mubaligh (Moslem Propagators), said that Islam teaches its followers to believe in the world of ghaib, things that are invisible. There are both good and bad things in this invisible world.

"We cannot eliminate evil forces but we can avoid them," he says.

He believes that black magic exists because, in the past, people who refused to follow the teachings of Islamic often cast black magic on Prophet Muhammad, God's Messenger. But, with the help of God, the Prophet escaped from any satanic power practiced on him.

The concept of Islam towards black magic is clear, Sumargono adds. Islam teaches people to disseminate goodness, welfare and to create peace in the world, while the practice of black magic is mainly intended to harm people and to destroy them.

"Black magic is contrary to Islamic precepts," Sumargono says. God, he says, asks His followers to just rely on Him and to seek only his Protection from those who are jealous of them and who want to harm them. God promises to guard His faithful followers against wicked evil.

Sumargono says people are obliged to learn as much as possible to enrich their lives. But, a Moslem must consider first the benefits and disadvantages of something before deciding to learn about it or practice it. If it benefits himself and many people, he should welcome it. But if the knowledge is used to hurt people, it should be avoided.

Many people who have learned occultism tend to be arrogant, he points out. They feel that they know everything and they practice their knowledge to harm other people.

"People can not prove the truth of occultism," Sumargono adds.

The most important thing in fighting occultism is our faith to God, he stresses.

"If we are close to God, we will be protected from bad influences," Sumargono explains.

In order to be close to Him, Moslem people should first carry out the basic religious obligations such as praying five times a day, fasting, donating parts of their incomes, etc. The daily prayers contains Koranic verses that enable worshipers to ask for protection and forgiveness from God, explains Sumargono, who is also an economist.

A large number of Koranic verses such the Al Alaq and An Nas letters clearly mention verses that allow Moslem people to seek God's protection against evil spirits, either from the visible and invisible world.

"If we strongly believe in God's power, we will live peacefully and safely. We are not afraid of anything in the hands of God," he maintains.

People who lack faith and self-confidence may be easily controlled by harmful influences, he warns.

Father Sindhunata, a noted Catholic Priest in Yogyakarta says black magic is a social phenomenon in this country. It's up to people to believe in it or not, he points out.

In Catholicism, the Father says, black magic is considered as "the power of darkness," the power that forces people to do dreadful things.

"People should actually not be afraid of any kinds of black magic powers," Father Sindhu stresses.

People are often haunted by their own imagination, their own fears that their lives are affected by evil power.

"They occupy their minds with this irrational way of thinking in such a way that they cannot get rid of it," he notes.

These people are vulnerable to various bad magical powers, he warns.

"I consider this way of thinking primitive. When people try to eliminate their primitivism, they can start accepting rational things," according to the Father.

Father Sindhu claimed that religions serve to make people think rationally.

"As human beings, we are asked to believe God as our Creator and as the main source of power. If we have a strong faith in God's power, why should we risk our lives with other powers?" the Father argues.

A female priest from the Agape Protestant Church in East Jakarta says Christianity teaches its followers to believe only in one God.

"Those who are already in the hands of Jesus Christ are new people who have already left their previous belief," the priest says.

However, she admits that there are still many Christian congregations, particularly those living in remote areas, who keep their belief in powers other than God's.

They are Christian and faithful churchgoers, but they still strongly hold to their primitive traditions such as keeping magical charms to protect themselves, the priest points out. They also seek shamans and leaders of the "black world" for solutions to their problems, she adds.

"It is a very hard for us to convince them that we should only find help from God," the priest says.

She adds that she did not believe in the existence of black magic powers until after she saw it herself.

"I happened to have a parishioner who pursued various black magic practices but she reached a point where she could not eliminate the devilish power in her mind and body," the priest recalls.

She says that in order to free the parishioner from the evil spirits, a number of priests set up a special team to perform various religious activities such as praying and fasting.

"When we prayed for her, she got into a trance and screamed and uttered different voices belonging to an old man, women, children and even the voices of crying babies," she explains.

The priest says satanic power ruled the woman's life. Even her possessions, her clothes, shoes and interior decorations were possessed by a wicked power.

"When we burned one of her dresses, she cried hysterically. It took quite a long time to cure her, but with the help of God, we finally managed to remove all the evil things from her body and soul," the priest says.

The priest said that as a Christian, one should arm himself with God's Power in order to fight against any wicked influence.

I Wayan Suarjaya, secretary of the Directorate General of Hindu and Buddhist Affairs at the Ministry of Religious Affairs says that according to Hinduism, white and black magic powers represent good and bad which originate from a single source of teachings.

Hindu's holy book Wedha reveals the Dasa Bayu teachings which are aimed at developing one's inner potency. A man has five elements in his body, namely apah (liquid), teja (light), bayu (power, wind), akasa (air), and pertiwi (solid component).

People may learn the Dasa Bayu to boost these five elements in their bodies. But, sometimes people just learn parts of the teachings in order to strengthen one of these five elements. Impartial knowledge of the Dasa Bayu has often resulted in disharmony. They later misuse their knowledge to injure other people.

When a man exploits only his teja, he can become a leyak, a bad spirit that haunts his targeted enemies. The knowledge of Dasa Bayu is transformed to a practice of black magic, he says.

"It really depends on the purpose of each individual who practices it," Suarjaya adds.

He likens black magic to a knife, nuclear power and narcotics. A knife, he points out, can be helpful if used properly. But, a knife is dangerous when people use it to cut someone else's throat. Similarly, nuclear power may benefit a lot of people when used for generating electricity, but it can destroy the whole world as well, he says.

At present, Hindu religious leaders are actively calling on black magic practitioners to use their supernatural knowledge for good purposes, he reveals.

He also warns Hindu devotees to remain calm when faced with evil forces. Hinduism teaches its devotees the Rikaya Parisuda, three important guides to lead a good life.

"We should think in a positive way, speak and act accordingly. Don't hurt anybody. It is a Dharma life. If people have already implemented these guidelines, no evil force can ever penetrate their lives," Suarjaya maintains.