And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth. Exodus 23:13
The Cataphrygians brought in also several other superstitions: such as were the doctrine of Ghosts . . .
Isaac Newton, Observations, op cit. 1733 (Anodos Edition, p. 62)
Probably the reason why the Book of Enoch never found its way into the biblical canon was because the fathers feared a violation of the above commandment which banned the invocation of false gods.
Enoch is replete with references to these fallen deities (I.e. angels, Watchers, et al) by name and in fact gives us the names of twenty archangels among this fallen host. The fathers would in fact fear an unbecoming fascination for incantations which would seek to command these spirits. That is precisely what has occurred; there is such a thing as Enochian magic, after all.
Isaac Newton, in league with fellow Puritans of his time, would denounce these practices which were first identified with the demons of the pagans, then later in the substitute for demons in the Catholic and Orthodox invocations of “saints” and martyrs. His reference above to the Cataphrygian heresy was used as a universal label for the numerous early sects such as the Tatianites, Montanists, Encratites, Gnostics and others which indulged in spiritism of various stripes. In his mind, the true religion consisted in the pursuit of moral virtue informed by the teachings of Christ, not the rituals of prayers, fastings, and exorcisms.
He could have added today the emphasis in “charismatic” churches on simplistic prayer songs repeated endlessly to induce a “swooning” effect among congregants. He would have immediately condemned it as a betrayal of true spirituality which should be based upon scripturally informed thinking rather than the emotive chaos of demonic subliminal manipulation. We are taught that the authentic work of the Holy Spirit is to lead us into all truth (John 16:13). Truth is apprehended by thought.
There is currently a renewed controversy among the younger people over the existence of the spirit realm and how we are to interact with it:
Some continue to denounce religious practices which are unChristian or explicitly pagan:
https://share.google/CqMYC53CB83T7iutr
While others, in denouncing the entertainment of horror films has raised the ire of internet sleuths:
Candace Owens, while rightfully questioning the weird spiritism promoted by TPUSA in the wake of the murder of founder Charlie Kirk, nevertheless, because of her new found affection for the Roman Catholic institution, must embrace its doctrine of ghosts and exorcisms.
Even great legal minds, such as Jonathan Turley and frequent contributor to the New York Post, felt compelled (even if in metaphor of the “ghost” of Antifa) to cite a source relying upon C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, in which the devil boasts that “his greatest achievement is to convince the world that he doesn’t exist.”
Oddly enough, it is in the works of St. Ignatius of Antioch – the apostolic link to Jesus and His first disciples, yet a historical figure revered by such churches – that we find the Desposynic doctrine that the true “world of spirits” is the material world governed by the sanctified minds of Christ’s followers. There is no such thing as an “unseen realm” except in the imaginations of men’s hearts.
[N.B. Note the word “magic” in the word “imagination.”]
Whatever we might want to believe about fallen angels, demons, disembodied spirits, and other beings which frighten the minds of the superstitious, as this great man once said, it has all been undone:
From that time forward every sorcery and every spell was dissolved. . . [T]he ancient kingdom was pulled down, when God appeared in the likeness of man . . .
St. Ignatius to the Ephesians Ch. 19 (c. 107AD)
The Satanic kingdom has been dissolved and it is only revived when we release him from his prison. It is we who have the keys to the bottomless pit (Revelation 9:1; 20:1) and it is we who are endowed with the power to “bind to loose” (Matthew 16:19). We have loosed him from his prison to wreak havoc among us. Christ has already bound him, but in our disobedience, we have reanimated his kingdom – a sin which can only be remedied through repentance and restitution, not exorcism.
- JWS, 10/24/26
