Spiritual warfare
From RationalWiki
This topic may or may not be bullshit, and is either nonsensical or idiotic.
May damage the mind and lead to drinking of the Kool-Aid.
Spiritual warfare is a currently popular concept within large parts of evangelical Christianity. It is especially associated with Pentecostal, Domionionist, name it and claim it, and certain fundamentalist groups, and with many megachurches and televangelists. Even less nutty Christians acknowledge that spiritual warfare is sometimes based on anecdotal and unscientific material. [1]
The concept is a muddled one as its practitioners use a lot of language taken from the Bible out of its original context and redefined to fit a spiritual warfare frame of reference. For example, "stand in the gap" from Ezekiel 22:30 ("I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none") has been redefined to mean engaging in spiritual warfare. "Stand in the gap" has been especially popularized by Promise Keepers, who have used it as the name of their gatherings.
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[edit] Definition
Generally, spiritual warfare is supposed to mean using prayer and other religious activity to oppose Satan and his legions of demons who are purportedly active on earth. Ephesians 6:12 is often cited: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places are understood to be demonic spiritual forces or beings. Using prayer to oppose them, or using other tactics such as anointing with oil (for "protection" against Satan), fasting, and mouthing the right words in the right order (such as Pat Robertson's practice of saying "Satan, in the name of Jesus I take authority over you and bind you"), is commonly done.
[edit] Possession
Also common is widespread belief in demonic possession. Depending on their theology, some teach that newly converted Christians can remain possessed by demons because of past sins, and need exorcisms. Some churches for example teach that homosexuality is caused by, or leads to, demonic possession, and casting out those evil spirits through prayer and fasting is a necessary part of reparative therapy. Likewise, past involvement in the New Age, the occult, Wicca or other non-Christian religions supposedly opens one up to demonic possession. Bob Larson notoriously popularized the practice of performing long distance exorcisms on new Christians over the telephone on his radio show, perhaps unknowingly following in the steps of numerous New Age practitioners who claim to be able to heal devotees over the phone. This is not universal and other churches teach that Christians cannot be demon possessed, as either a conversion to Christianity or baptism automagically cast out any demons.
[edit] Politics
However, there is also a classic bait and switch tactic at work here. To the Religious Right, "principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places" can simultaneously mean both evil spiritual forces, and political liberalism and secular humanism. Hence, spiritual warfare takes on a dual meaning and the religious activity such as prayer to oppose Satan is interwoven with secular political activity in support of the Republican Party or conservative activist groups, and in some cases a conspiratorial worldview in which evil spiritual forces are believed to be in control of world politics, as in the New World Order or in a Satanic control of worldly governments. While this would seem to be in contradiction to the words of Jesus, "My kingdom is not of this world", this is conveniently ignored.
Spiritual warfare gatherings such as Promise Keepers use a lot of "stand in the gap for our nation" or "stand in the gap for godly government" rhetoric, which deliberately muddles the distinction between spiritual demonic forces and secular politics. Dominionist publishers like WallBuilders (whose name is also taken from the same Ezekiel 22:30) frame their own (in this case, almost entirely secular) political views in terms of spiritual warfare. Another example is the "Presidential Prayer Team", which signs people up on their website to engage in spiritual warfare through prayer in support of President George W. Bush and his foreign policy. (Bush’s foreign policy is such a mess perhaps they feel driven to prayer.) This use of spiritual warfare framing is especially rife within the pro-life movement ("pro-life" for fetuses only and not necessarily anyone else), for whom ending abortion is often seen as one and the same as spiritually opposing Satan and his demonic forces.
[edit] Marketing
The concept of spiritual warfare is also a slick marketing gimmick for megachurches. Instead of the boring old church services, converts can now achieve self-actualisation by becoming mighty "prayer warriors" engaged in victorious battle against "the enemy", "having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness" (Ephesians 6:14). One such Las Vegas church advertised that they would turn you into a "New Millennial Warrior".
[edit] In fiction
The past few decades has seen an emergence of spiritual warfare in popular film and literature, particularly in the horror genre. Movies such as The Exorcist, The Omen, and (marginally) The Birds rely on the pre-established "rules" of spiritual warfare to set up conflicts and plot points. In addition to secular media, Christian fiction, including C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters and Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness, has touched upon themes of spiritual warfare with the intention of edifying believers.
