The idea that we can gain magical powers is interesting. There are people in this world who actually try to attain such power. Some magicians are merely entertainers who are able to fool the audience with elaborate tricks. Other magicians are actually trying to study the occult. Witches and sorcerers are real. The occult can be very scary since it calls upon the devil and his demons for these magical powers. Christians want to stay away from the occult because we know that Satan is going to do whatever he can to try to pull us down toward the fires of hell.

There is a lot of information about the occult. You can find books and TV programs talking about occult practices. You can find biographies about real life witches, warlocks, and sorcerers. There are many forms of entertainment that focus on fictional stories about this topic. Much of the Horror genre of entertainment has story elements about the occult. Other works of fiction are so heavily fictionalized that they bear no real connection to the occult. I would classify the Harry Potter books and movies in that category. To me, those stories seem to be simply entertainment.

The recent Doctor Strange movie gives another opportunity to look at this topic. Doctor Stephen Strange eventually attains magical powers. Dormammu, the main villain, seems to be demonic. He almost seems to be the devil. In the comics, Doctor Strange and other sorcerers call upon demons from other dimensions in order to cast their spells. There are even enchanted objects which can be conduits for the powers of these creatures. The idea of calling on demons for powers is more of a comic story element than it was in the film. The film presented the idea that magic is an advanced form of technology/science that is beyond our normal comprehension. The same idea was mentioned in the first Thor film.

Even though that advanced technology/science idea is mentioned, there is still the fact that Dormammu is able to give powers to people in this dimension. So a demonic figure is able to channel his power to his followers. Sounds like what the actual devil can do in this world. We know that the occult is real. We know that witchcraft really does exist. There are even demon possessions that can happen in our world. When it comes to supernatural powers, there are only two sources. Either it comes from God or it comes from the devil.

During Jesus ministry, his enemies accused him of getting his power from the devil. In John 8:48-49 it says, “The Jews answered him, ‘Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?’ ‘I am not possessed by a demon,’ said Jesus, ‘but I honor my Father and you dishonor me.’” Many of the Jews did not want to believe in Jesus. The evidence was there that he was the Son of God but they did not want to believe it. He had performed all kinds of miracles. These miracles could certainly be confused for magical powers. The Jews accused him of getting his power from the devil. That was the exact opposite of the truth. Jesus power came from God the Father. Jesus came to carry out the will of the Father in order to save us all.

Balance is achieved through rebalancing the subtle system as well cialis cipla 20mg as cleaning the centers. When a man is unable to experience erection hard enough for him to have viagra sale greyandgrey.com sex. But if cialis 25mg the boy becomes impotent, all the bondage and dream of the both breaks like a house of cards. buying cialis in australia Its key ingredients are Akarkara, Sarpgandha, Gold Patra, Kesar, Akarkra, Jaipatri, Khakhastil, Jaiphal and Samuder Shosh. When I look at a film or comic book like Doctor Strange, I don’t see a story that is leading people to seek out occult practices so that they can have magical powers. I see an entertaining story. Sure, there are elements that might bear some connections to real world truths about demons. However, I don’t see those story elements as a device by the writers to try to lead people toward the occult. I view Doctor Strange as entertainment just like I view Harry Potter as entertainment. And yet I will say this: if these forms of entertainment lead a person to consider pursuing the occult, then for that person, these forms of entertainment ought to be avoided.

So if I am not condemning Doctor Strange as a film that leads toward the occult, what do I think we can take away from this movie as Christians. I think the journey of Stephen Strange is an interesting one. At first he is a man who only wants to accept what he can understand with his rational scientific mind. It takes a while but he eventually realizes that there are supernatural powers in the universe that cannot be perfectly explained with our human way of thinking. To me, that is a truth that completely agrees with the Bible.

Many people today only want to believe what they can comprehend with their rational mind. They don’t want to believe in heaven or hell. They don’t want to believe in the resurrection from the dead. They don’t want to believe in the miracles of the Bible. They don’t want to believe these things because they don’t make sense to our reason. Faith in God goes beyond human reason. It is not rational to believe that true God from all eternity became a human being in the person of Jesus. It is not rational to believe that his death on the cross paid for the sins of the entire world. It is not rational to believe that his resurrection guarantees our resurrection.

That is what I like about this movie as a Christian. Just like Stephen Strange, I can’t explain everything in this universe with my rational mind. Only through faith can I trust in my Savior God. When I believe these supernatural events of the Bible, then I have the faith which leads to heaven.

Doctor Strange History

I have to admit that I am not as familiar with Doctor Strange as I am with other Superheroes. I have read a few of the comics and seen him in various animated forms. Doctor Strange began in Strange Tales issue 110 back in 1963. His origin is very similar to what was presented in the movie. He was an incredibly gifted surgeon who lost his surgical skills because of a car accident. He tried to repair his hands but never could. Eventually the Ancient One leads him to pursue magic and become the Sorcerer Supreme.  An animated film from 2007 has a very similar origin story when compared to the 2016 movie.