What Does the Bible Say About Witchcraft and the Occult?

The Bible treats witchcraft, sorcery, divination and consulting the dead as real spiritual practices — and it forbids all of them. The clearest summary is in Deuteronomy, where God tells Israel that these things are detestable and are among the reasons the nations were driven out of the land (Deuteronomy 18:9-12). The law of Moses put a sorceress to death (Exodus 22:18) and warned that anyone who turned to mediums or spiritists would be cut off from the people (Leviticus 20:6).

That is the short answer. But the reader usually wants more: Are these practices actually powerful, or just empty superstition? What about astrology, ghosts, and horoscopes? And what should a Christian do if they have already been involved? The rest of this article works through those questions from Scripture.

What exactly does the Bible forbid?

Scripture uses several overlapping words. Sorcery is the attempt to gain knowledge or power through evil spirits. Divination is the attempt to discover hidden things — the future, a lost object, another person’s secret — by omens, arrows, images, or the entrails of animals (Ezekiel 21:21). Necromancy is seeking to speak with the dead. Mediums and spiritists claim contact with the dead (Leviticus 19:31). Astrology reads the stars for guidance. Enchantment uses muttered spells or charms.

All of it falls under the same condemnation. The law lists them together:

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery, casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD. — Deuteronomy 18:9-12 (BSB)

Notice the reason given. It is not that these practices fail to work. It is that they are an alliance with powers that are not God. The issue is loyalty.

Are these practices real, or just tricks?

The Bible presents both. Some practitioners were frauds. The Egyptian magicians imitated Moses’ signs up to a point and then failed (Exodus 7:11, 22; 8:18). Simon the sorcerer in Samaria amazed the crowds with magic until Philip preached Christ (Acts 8:9-11). The slave girl at Philippi had a spirit of divination and earned her owners a great deal of money until Paul cast the spirit out (Acts 16:16-18).

But Scripture never treats the occult as harmless make-believe. The girl’s power was a real spirit. Saul died in part because he consulted a medium instead of seeking the LORD (1 Chronicles 10:13). The New Testament lists sorcery among the works of the flesh, alongside sexual immorality and idolatry:

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. — Galatians 5:19-21 (BSB)

So the Bible’s warning is not that this is silly. It is that this is dangerous, and it is not yours.

What about astrology, horoscopes, and ghosts?

Astrology is a form of divination, and the prophets denounce it. Isaiah rebukes those who consult mediums and spiritists rather than their God (Isaiah 8:19). Jeremiah tells Israel not to learn the way of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky (Jeremiah 10:2). Micah lists sorceries and fortune-tellers among the things God will cut off (Micah 5:12).

Ghosts are a different question. The Bible does not teach that the dead wander the earth or that the living can summon them. When Saul asked the medium of Endor to bring up Samuel, the text describes something extraordinary and unsettling (1 Samuel 28:7-25). Whatever happened there, the law had already forbidden the attempt. Jesus’ own account of the rich man and Lazarus shows a fixed separation between the dead and the living, with no traffic between them (Luke 16:26).

Many strange experiences have natural explanations — grief, imagination, coincidence, or deception. Some may be demonic. In either case, the biblical response is the same: do not seek them out.

Why is this a spiritual issue and not just a moral one?

Because behind the practices is a rival claim on your trust. When a person consults a medium, a horoscope, or a spell, they are looking for guidance, protection, or power from a source other than God. That is the heart of idolatry.

Paul is plain about the real conflict:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. — Ephesians 6:12 (BSB)

Samuel told Saul that rebellion is like the sin of divination (1 Samuel 15:23). The point is not that divination is worse than other sins, but that it is a form of saying to God, I will get what I need somewhere else.

What should a Christian do about past involvement?

The New Testament gives a clear pattern. When the Ephesians believed, many who had practiced magic brought their scrolls and burned them publicly (Acts 19:18-19). They did not keep them as souvenirs or sell them. They got rid of them.

If you have been involved in the occult — even lightly, even as a teenager, even just for fun — the biblical response is confession and turning away. That is not a dramatic ritual. It is honest prayer: telling God what you did, asking forgiveness on the basis of Christ’s death for you, and choosing not to go back. If you have objects connected with the practice, remove them. If you are part of a church, tell a mature believer or pastor who can pray with you and help you walk forward.

There is no need to live in fear. John writes:

You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. — 1 John 4:4 (BSB)

And James gives the practical instruction:

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. — James 4:7 (BSB)

Resistance begins with submission. The Christian does not fight the occult by becoming an expert in it, but by belonging more fully to Christ.

Does this mean every story of the supernatural is demonic?

No. The Bible itself is full of the supernatural: angels, dreams, prophecy, and above all the resurrection of Jesus. God is not against the supernatural; He is against rival spiritual allegiances. The Holy Spirit gives real gifts to His church (1 Corinthians 12), and the Bible commands us to test every spirit rather than assume (1 John 4:1).

Christians have differed over how some of those gifts operate today. Some hold that the miraculous gifts ceased with the apostles; others hold that they continue. This site follows the historic Protestant reading that Scripture is the final authority for faith and practice, and that any claimed spiritual experience must be tested by it.

What is not disputed across Christian traditions is this: divination, sorcery, mediums, and astrology are forbidden, and Christ is sufficient. The Psalms, the Gospels, and the letters of Paul all direct the believer to God for guidance, protection, and peace — not to the stars, the dead, or a spell.

If this subject has stirred up fear or memories you would rather not carry alone, please speak with a pastor or trusted believer in person. And if you are in crisis, reach out for help right away: in the United States and Canada call or text 988; in the United Kingdom and Ireland call Samaritans on 116 123; in Australia call Lifeline on 13 11 14; anywhere else visit findahelpline.com or call your local emergency number.

Read Deuteronomy 18 and Acts 19 for yourself. Pray honestly about anything in your past. And stay close to a local church where Scripture is taught and Christ is trusted.

Common questions

Does the Bible say witchcraft is real?

Yes. Scripture treats sorcery, divination, and mediums as real spiritual practices that God forbids (Deuteronomy 18:9-12; Acts 16:16-18). It also shows that some practitioners were frauds, but it never treats the occult as harmless.

Is astrology a sin according to the Bible?

Astrology falls under divination, which Scripture condemns (Isaiah 8:19; Jeremiah 10:2; Micah 5:12). The issue is seeking guidance from a source other than God.

Can a Christian be involved in the occult and still be saved?

The Bible does not tell us to judge another person’s salvation. It does call sorcery a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) and shows believers in Ephesus renouncing magic when they believed (Acts 19:18-19). The right response is confession, turning away, and trusting Christ.

What should I do if I have used tarot cards or a Ouija board?

Confess it to God, ask His forgiveness through Christ, and get rid of the objects, as the Ephesians burned their scrolls (Acts 19:19). Then speak with a pastor or mature believer who can pray with you and help you move forward.