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.