445. What does God prohibit by his command, “You shall not have other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2)? (part 3 continuation)
(Comp 445 repetition) This commandment
forbids: * Polytheism and idolatry, which divinizes creatures, power, money, or
even demons. * Superstition which is a departure from the worship due to the
true God and which also expresses itself in various forms of divination, magic,
sorcery and spiritism. * Irreligion which is evidenced: in tempting God by word
or deed; in sacrilege, which profanes sacred persons or sacred things, above
all the Eucharist; and in simony, which involves the buying or selling of
spiritual things. * Atheism which rejects the existence of God, founded often
on a false conception of human autonomy. * Agnosticism which affirms that
nothing can be known about God, and involves indifferentism and practical
atheism.
“In brief”
(CCC 2138) Superstition is a
departure from the worship that we give to the true God. It is manifested in
idolatry, as well as in various forms of divination and magic.
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 2115) God can reveal the future to his prophets or to
other saints. Still, a sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself
confidently into the hands of Providence for whatever concerns the future, and
giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it. Improvidence, however, can
constitute a lack of responsibility.
(CCC 2116) All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse
to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed
to "unveil" the future (Cf. Deut 18:10; Jer 29:8). Consulting
horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the
phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for
power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as
well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect,
and loving fear that we owe to God alone.
Reflection
(CCC 2117) All practices of magic or sorcery, by
which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service
and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of
restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These
practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of
harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons.
Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism
often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns
the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not
justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's
credulity. [IT CONTINUES]
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