Recently I had to go into one of our local ER’s for an injury I sustained while assisting in the building of a local church. Everything was moving along quite smoothly until the doctor poked her head in the door and said “Mr. Harkness you just tested positive for COVID!” Thankfully, after the shock of testing positive on what I have assumed would be a routine pre admittance the Covid test settled in and I had more time to pray and God’s beautiful peace settled in, confirming that I was in His hands. Further tests revealed that I also had developed cellulitis at the injury site. Although I did not have any severe Covid symptoms, between the two I landed in the hospital for several days. I don’t know about you but through some medically challenging times in my life, including some recent hospital stays, I do what all of us do to pass the time I watched the movie channels!
As I reflected on the content of the movies being offered for hospital viewing I was reminded that the days of having a hair-trigger response to right or wrong now seem to be something out of ancient history. At one time parents, pastors and schoolteachers were all united in teaching children the real clear difference between good and evil. However, there is a vast difference between being in elementary school in the 1960’s and today. The lines that separate good and evil have been successfully skewed. Moral black and white differences used to be easy to understand; now they have melted into indistinguishable shades of grey. The enemy of our souls has used indoctrination to successfully muddy the waters of moral absolutes and has even succeeded in subtly making muddy water OK.
Satan is a master indoctrinator. Indoctrination is the process of repeating an idea or belief to someone until they accept it without question. In the US this process of indoctrination, fueled by the enemy of our soul, has been going on for years. The most recent strategy, courtesy of Hollywood is to suggest that it is acceptable for darkness and light to team up together for the common good. The power of TV and movies has been recognized for decades. They are the perfect platform to influence the human brain through suggestive advertising. The effect on the movie watcher is to create an artificially induced desire to buy a particular product. For instance, several years ago Geico realized that they could increase revenue by creating really funny commercials paired with a catchy slogan. Other insurance companies are using the same strategy offering really funny storylines and only brief mentions of their price. Even in a recent “Match.com” commercial, Satan is pictured in a funny role as even humor can paint evil as good!
As I languished in my hospital bed, idly binging on movies, I was reminded that Satan has been trying to get the American people to accept witchcraft, using the movie industry to feed these lies into our nation’s spiritual void, which is causing people to search for spiritual power. What better plan could there be than the enemy’s campaign to feed that longing with the lies and false promises of witchcraft. Just to name one, a series that majors in this promotion is the Marvel Comic Avengers Series. Probably like me, the fast-paced action of sci-fi movies. However before we endorse a series like “The Avengers” just because it comes out of the world of Marvel Comics, or it is highly entertaining, let us realize that the minds of our young people are being affected by its’ subtle indoctrination.
In many places in those movies, I noticed a hint or a direct reference to the fact that seemingly “good” characters in those movies had to go into the realms of darkness to receive “power” to help them fight against whatever prevailing evil existed within the movie scenario. In the 2016 film “Doctor Strange” he consults help he turning toward an unknown eastern religion. A priestess in the movie known as “The Ancient One” is confronted about seeking the dark side for some of her power. She responds by saying “Sometimes in rare situations, it is necessary for good.” It may seem to us as Christians that such a concept is ridiculous, yet I have found it is just a very old but very effective lie, one which is found throughout all the Old Testament. Many times people consulted with false Gods while trying to serve the Living God at the same time.
The great danger of this thinking is that it molds together darkness and light and introduces the thought seeking to (indoctrinate) the mind that this is sometimes a necessary process to get help in rare situations. The big lie, however, is that while they think that they are getting help from both darkness and light they are really seeking help from an angel of darkness and an angel of light who is posing as an angel from God.
Thus it is that there are many movies being made today which insert this lying concept into their actors’ dialog in a subtle attempt to whitewash the wickedness of evil and somehow paint evil as sometimes being good. You see these movie plots truly do skew or make fuzzy the clear line between good and evil. This is a deadly doctrine that we must be careful not to allow to creep into our minds. I encourage pastors, youth pastors, and people within the Christian community to recognize this danger with me and address it head-on with Biblical truth from our pulpits. May God help us to realize just how deadly of a poison this is in the hearts and minds of the people of this world.
Let’s heed Paul’s warning. “And no wonder for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light!” 2nd Corinthians 11:14 (NKJV) Let us seek true light, the light of Jesus Christ Savior of the World.
