The Demonic in our Every Day Language

In our day and age, the demons and Satan truly reign. They have spread their poison so effectively and their antics and subversive ideas and agendas have become so embedded within our culture, that even devout Christians are fooled and led astray. One of these tactics is the use of terminology and phrases deeply rooted in occult practice, ideas and celebrations. We use these terms in our every day conversations. There are even movies and restaurants honoring these false gods and false practices. We should be aware, and avoid them at all cost. They provide a slippery slope into a realm where souls become perilously at risk, I have outlined a few of these phrases below, and there will be more to come in future pieces.

Raising Cain - Yep, I know. This is a popular fast food restaurant in my part of the country and people often use the term referencing those who are rowdy, loud and perhaps engaged in bad behavior. The term is quite fitting actually, because this type of evil behavior is at the root of the one being invoked in this term. We should all know who Cain is, right? Well many of us probably don't. Cain is the first murderer in human history. The word to "raise" means to conjure up" or "to cause a spirit to rise up by means of incantation."
So, the term "raising Cain" literally means to raise up the evil spirit of the first murderer in Scripture. I don't know, this doesn't seem like such a good idea to me. Since conjuring up any kind of spirit it strictly forbidden in Scripture and for us as Catholics, much less evil ones, it seems using this kind phrase isn't the most prudent action and should be avoided at all costs. We don't know if Cain is in Hell, or Heaven, but we do know that he is associated with evil, and so the terminology does reflect this. This is an American phrase, used since the late 19th century.

Hocus Pocus - This one is really despicable. The fact that it is the title of a popular cultish movie, with sequels, and faithful Christians seem to love it is disappointing. During the 1600's this term was commonly used by magicians. The truly horrific aspect of the phrase is that it is believed to actually be a perversion of the Latin Blessing in the Catholic Mass - Hoc est Corpus - This is My Body. This is a horrendous attack on our Lord and the most precious gift he offers us, the Eucharist. It's deplorable. Another blasphemous phrase to shun - and movie to avoid!

Mother Nature - This is another very subversive and horrible term. The character of the term is rooted in Greek Mythology. In Greek Mythology the goddess Gaia "gives birth" to all of nature. She creates everything that exists. She even gives birth to her husband - Uranus - god of the sky. This blasphemous and profoundly undermining effort of satan has been so masterfully played. I love gardening and watch many gardening themed videos, I hear this term used several times weekly. Not only does the use of this term verbally and out loud, give praise and credit to a false god for creation, but it nullifies and demeans men and masculinity and fatherhood. Nobody can claim this isn't demonic. The brilliance is that it seems so innocuous and innocent, but it is anything but. These are small seeds being planted on our human hearts. They are being planted to divide us from the true Creator and Father. It seems to be working - just look at our culture and society.

Scripture and current exorcists promote the teaching that all gods of the pagans or demons. We summon this evil every day in our normal conversations and living. These phrases are slowly eroding our Faith, dedication, reverence and relationship with The Almighty. I know it probably doesn't seem like a big deal to many, but it is! Verbally attacking and degrading the Holy Eucharist should make us all heart sick, all these acts aimed at attacking and subverting God, should make us uncomfortable, and should rally us to defend Him. Again, the fact that so many Christians use these terms and our ignorant about the demonic origins is problematic. We need to be on guard, we need to know, and we must defend our Faith. Our salvation and the salvation of others truly depend on it.

Please, stop using these terms, now!