Man-Eating Vegetarians

I already wrote a piece about yoga. Hopefully I’ll publish it before I post this so no one is confused, but I’m going to write this bit anyway.

I found a photo of a clipping from a book today that said, “Beloved, do not take part in any of these components of Satan’s Spiritual Structure! They are doorways to demonic possession.” What followed was a list of classic satanic activities such as Astrology, Wicca, Necromancy, and Marijuana, as well as a few items that might not normally be on such a list. These included cyberpunk culture, vegetarianism, heavy metal, Lord of the Rings, and Twilight films.

Let me start by saying I’m not surprised that these items made it onto the list. If nothing else, I’m surprised Star Wars isn’t on the list as well. There is so much in this world that we have reason to be afraid of. Let’s face it, enough heavy metal can kill a person. Take lead or mercury for example.

Oh, Christians. How is it that the same group of people can contain some of the most caring, grounded, sensible people in the world as well as some of the rudest, most superstitious nuts in modern times? I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure that I’m not going to go to face eternal condemnation for failing to share that “like if you love Jesus, ignore for hell” post.

Well, I don’t think you really worry about going to hell for not sharing a facebook post either. Not when you think about it. All those good luck charms? You might have them hanging around just in case, but you know they don’t actually mean much. When you hit the cold floor, all the luck in the world deserts you and means nothing. Then where can you turn? Suddenly the religion you held to for comfort seems less feasible than anything else. Suddenly it doesn’t matter if you follow tribalism, Catholicism, Pastafarianism, Rastafarianism, Judaism, or vegetarianism.

Here we are at the end of all things (gratuitous LOTR quote). Where can we turn? There is evil in this world. There are things that will attack us and steal our hope. What can we hold onto? There is despair and brokenness and evil. But there’s also good, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.

See, I’m less afraid of bad luck, demons, or unknown things than I am of what I know exists: depression, illness, heartbreak, loneliness, failure, or poverty. What’s the point of fearing the unknown? There’s enough within the known to be afraid of (according to that one fellow who vanished into the crowd in Beyond the Deepwoods).

As Mme Ba indicates, why should we strive for the impossible; to achieve the possible is already a victory. This isn’t to say there isn’t anything beyond what we can physically see and feel. This isn’t to say we mustn’t have dreams. This isn’t to say we can’t seek comfort when we can’t understand what’s going on. It is to say, though, that we can find hope in the fact that there is One who is greater than demonic possession. Avoiding Yoga and punk culture can never guarantee that we’ll be safe. Why are we so afraid?