I recently received an inquiry about my new book, The Rise of the Occult. The comment was:

I am trying to comprehend your 2nd book title and summary. Isn’t it better to strive for perfection and excellence instead of learning about the dark and shadows of this world(occult, evil one, minions, etc.)?

After I crafted my reply, I thought it was appropriate to post here, since others may have a similar question:

Thank you for your message. While striving for perfection comes first always, it is also always important to "know your enemy." The Church needs to recognize that there is a new and threatening religion present in the cultures of the world which needs to be pointed out and resisted.

To do this, we need to know the basic teachings of this new false religion, where it has spread, how it is spreading, who it is easily recruiting, what happens once people enter that religion, and how to get people out once they have entered it. Imagine the spread of Islam in the history of Christendom. It had to be recognized and opposed. As with all popular heretical movements, the faithful had to be educated on the errors and the dangers and told how to recognize and avoid the evil of its philosophies.

The occult today is such an enemy. Further, it spreads surreptitiously and is thus not "on the radar" of much of the hierarchy or the laity. Further, many in the hierarchy and the laity have embraced the philosophies of the occult without realizing it and without admitting to the heresy/apostasy this represents nor the dangers to which they have exposed themselves.

So, the aim of the book is to help provide for what is lacking regarding awareness about the occult and help people understand all of these things so they can avoid them and get back to the main purpose of the Christian life: the pursuit of Truth and holiness.

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