Why Are you (OBVES), Harold Camping & The Watchtower Bible And Tract
Society All False Prophets? Simple.
Deut 18:22
22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take
place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That
prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.
None of their teachings, prophecies, etc. should be heeded nor taken
seriously for they all speak presumptuously and falsely concerning
such things.
Your attempt to justify a form of divination such as numerology is
vain, wicked and futile for God is clearly against it.
Harold Camping is merely a false prophet who teaches quite falsely. If
you choose to follow his teachings and date-settings, then you have a
much larger problem you will have to deal with. He's already set dates
that did not come to pass and according to the Bible he therefore is a
false prophet. He also teaches an anti-church theology that is in
opposition to scripture. Furthermore, your use of occultic numerology
also gives evidence that you have embraced divinitation which is
something God abhors. I am quite familiar with your posts and as I
conclude, you are not one keeping to Christian essentials and have
decided somewhere along the way to embrace and teach unGodly things. I
cannot and will not accept such unGodly things and will voice my
opposition to such unGodly things. Your sup****t of the Watchtower
Bible And Tract Society, an unChristian cult, also shows that you have
abandoned Biblical teachings since they not only have prophesied
falsely but teach unBiblical things as well.
Camping's aberrant and extra-biblical teachings and behavior
(including his lack of accountability) place him outside the
boundaries of orthodox, evangelical Christianity. He had already
completely embarrassed himself and destroyed any credibility in the
early 1990s by predicting that Christ would return to earth on
September 6, 1994. After that prediction failed to materialize,
Camping continued to make false prophecies, culminating in his absurd
pronouncement that the Church age has come to an end and we are living
in the Tribulation. God is through with the church, Camping insists=97
and judgment has now begun. Camping tells his listeners they need to
leave their churches and look to Family Radio to be the main vehicle
through which the gospel is preached to the whole world. This behavior
shows quite clearly that Camping has placed himself above God's Word
and is teaching falsely. Camping has gone as far as to claim that,
since 1988, God has installed Satan as the leader of the Church, in an
effort to destroy it. He also claims that no one was "saved" between
the years 1988 and 1994, when he predicted the world would end.
I am truly saddened that you have been deceived by Harold Camping and
the Watchtower Bible And Tract Society. I pray that you will one day
abandon them and embrace solid, Biblical theology rather than the
false teachings of Camping & the WTBTS.
Jesus actually identifies false prophets like Camping and the WTBTS.
To be a true prophet of God, 100% of what that prophet predicts must
come to pass. Neither Camping's nor the WTBTS's prophecies have come
true ergo both are false prophets according to God. You have
identified erroneously and unBiblically. Your reliance of occultism in
the form of numerology shows that you have embraced a satanic system
of divination. In short, nothing you can claim on the matter of using
divination can be justified by God's Word especially when God
specifically prohibits His children from it.
Lev 19:26
Do not practice divination or sorcery.
Yet you practice numerology, a form of divination. Abandon it.
Lev 19:31
Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled
by them.
Yet you turned to Harold Camping, a person who uses occultic
numerology, a form of divination. Leave him.
Lev 20:6
I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and
spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him
off from his people.
Yet you turned to Harold Camping, a person who uses occultic
numerology, a form of divination. Reject his false teachings.
2 Thess 2:9-10
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of
Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and
wonders, 10 and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are
peri****ng. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so
be saved.
You follow both Harold Camping and the Watchtower Bible And Tract
Society whose counterfeit prophesies are indeed wicked and evil.
Abandon them.
Mic 3:7
7 The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced. They will all
cover their faces because there is no answer from God.
This is what God says will happen to those who use divination as
Harold Camping and you have been doing.
Gal 5:19-21
19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: ***ual immorality,
impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord,
jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and
envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before,
that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Forms of divination are a type of witchcraft which are acts of the
sinful nature. Pray for the Holy Spirit to release you from its wicked
bondage.
May God bless,
Carl
my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
---
Numerology-Part One
By Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon
Introduction
Numerology is another modern method of divination, one that attempts
to discern the occult significance of numbers. It too is a popular
form of entertainment. Like palmistry, numerology is thousands of
years old and strongly associated with the occult. The practice of
using tarot cards and the cabala are rooted in numerology, and
astrology also bears a relation****p. As with other forms of
divination, there are two principal aspects: 1) character *****sment
and 2) divining or predicting the future.
Numerologists claim they cannot only help people to understand
themselves better, but that they must also help them to make im****tant
decisions in all areas of life. Numerologists claim to offer the
following information or advice: choosing the correct marriage
partner, vocation, city, or house in which to live; individual
"compatibility" with the products one uses; understanding one's mate
and friends better; when to buy property or invest in a business; the
best days to take a trip, apply for a new job, start a new venture,
have surgery, and so on.1 Practitioners also allege that numerology
can advise clients about what to do or not to do in any given year. It
even claims to be able to evaluate the condition of future nations by
their birth dates, as well as many other things. "Numerology is
applicable to the most minute personal problems of human life or to
gigantic moves in the theatre of international politics."2 For
example:
"The day you were born certain powers were bestowed upon you that will
be with you your whole life long, since this date is unalterable, its
personal vibrations shape every event or incident in your life
span.... From the first day of your life to your last, you are
governed by the destiny bestowed upon you according to the date of
your birth. The numerological value of this birthdate will reveal to
you the path of your destiny and suggest the line of personal
development to help you attain all you wish from life."3
False Claims
Like practitioners in other divinatory fields, numerologists may claim
that their profession does not involve the occult. Main advocates
insist that numerology is merely "a science of the numbers of life.''
One leading practitioner states, "Numerology is not fortune-telling,
it is instead, a way to understanding through knowledge of numbers."4
Another encourages readers "not [to] fall into the trap of looking at
Numerology as a fortune-telling device. It is not."5 And, "This is not
a matter of fortune-telling, it's plain mathematics revealed in the
correlation of human factors to their cosmic pulse-beat as pictured in
numbers."6
Despite such claims, most numerologists will admit, when pressed, they
are engaging in fortune-telling and divination. A fortune-teller is
defined in the Oxford American Dictionary as "a person who claims to
foretell future events in people's lives." Thus, as one practitioner
writes, "My system of foretelling the future is based on the esoteric
meaning behind numbers, and not on speculation. There is no element of
good or bad luck involved, for my calculations are derived from your
entire birthpath which, like nature, is immutable and unchangeable.
The key to these predictions is found in the ancient Tarot pack of
cards."7
Another advocate states that numerology can bring clients "fame and
fortune,"8 and that numerology in general routinely attempts to
determine "the path each year will take."9 And if numerology isn't
fortune-telling and divination, why do numerologists boast about their
record of accurate predictions? "I can honestly state that an
overwhelming percentage of forecasts I've made have come true. That
applies not only to cases in which I have analyzed the numberscopes of
individuals but also to predictions on current events which have found
their way into print."10 Or consider the following statement by a
professional numerologist who is also a member of several occult
societies and has written newspaper columns on numerology:
"I have dedicated my life via numerology to discovering the destiny of
man. There is no great secret to this destiny. It is revealed in
Astrology, Numerology, the Palm of the Hand, the Tarot Deck.... Over
the years I personally have worked on over 10,000 charts of living
people. ... In all cases the lives of the individuals whose charts I
worked on went exactly as plotted by the numbers."11
In essence, numerologists realize they are engaging in fortune-telling
and divination, but often they don't admit it because of the bad
reputation of such practices.
However, numerology, like other forms of divination, sometimes
provides accurate predictions, but such success does not arise from
numerology itself but from spiritistic influences.12 Despite claims to
the contrary, no practitioner has ever demonstrated 100 percent
accuracy. To be generous, like diviners in general, numerologists
usually fall into the lower quadrant of successes.
Nature
How does numerology claim to work? Theories differ considerably, but
in one form or another, it claims that our nature and future can be
symbolically "reduced" to numbers, and that a proper interpretation of
those numbers will reveal almost anything that needs to be known. Two
basic principles include the idea that numbers are clues to the
underlying structure and nature of the universe and that the name of a
thing contains the essence of its being, so that once a person's name
is reduced to its number, the truth about that person can supposedly
be revealed:
"At its popular level numerology is an entertaining and comparatively
simple method of analysing character and predicting the future, in
broad and vague terms at least. At a deeper level it is claimed to be
one of the major keys to an understanding of the true nature of the
universe and it plays an im****tant part in magic and occultism. Like
other systems of divination, it finds order and regularity behind the
bewildering multiplicity of phenomena and the confusing muddle of
events and influences that confront us in the world outside us and in
ourselves."13
There are two basic systems for reducing a person's name to numbers,
so that character and destiny can be "read" and foretold. One system
is where the numbers from 1 to 9 are written down with the letters of
the alphabet written underneath in their normal order: A is 1, B is 2,
C is 5, and so on through I is 9, and then J becomes 1, K becomes 2, L
becomes 3, etc. A different system uses only the numbers from 1 to 8
but does not list the letters in their usual order because it uses the
Hebrew alphabet. This often gives a different letter-number
equivalent. Thus H is 5, I is 1, F is 8. There are also lesser systems
that differ from these two primary systems. And in any system, the
zero is always discarded.
Four key numbers used by numerologists are termed "heart,"
"personality," "birth," and "personal year." The "heart" number
supposedly reveals the inner self or "heart," the person as she really
is. The "personality" number reveals a person's outer self, the self
she projects. The "birth" number supposedly indicates destiny, and the
"personal year" number tells what a specific year will be like.
In all of this, practitioners claim that numerology can be 100 percent
accurate, and that there is nothing "false or misleading" about the
practice.14 Numerology, however, is extremely complex, and since
differing systems give differing results, the problems of subjectivism
found in all forms of divination are applicable to numerology as well.
In Part 2 we will present a critique of numerology.
Notes:
1 Helyn Hitchcock, Helping Yourself with Numerology (West Nyack, NY:
Parker, 1978), pp. 183-90.
2 Vincent Lopez, Numerology (New York: Signet, 1969), p. 20.
3 Geri Tully, The Secret Powers of Numerology (New York: Pocket Books,
1977), pp. 24-25.
4 Kevin Quinn Avery, The Numbers of Life: The Hidden Power of
Numerology (Garden City, NJ: Doubleday, 1974 rev.), p. 201.
5 Roberta Lee, "Numerology: A Roadmap to Life-Part 3," Psychic
Dimensions, February 1979, p. 46.
6 Lopez, p. 21.
7 Hitchcock, p. 162.
8 Tully, p. 14.
9 Ibid., p. 52.
10 Lopez, p. 10.
11 Avery, p. 287.
12 We do***ented how this may occur in our book Astrology: Do the
Heavens Rule Our Destiny? (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers,
1989), pp. 201-55.
13 Richard Cavendish, ed., Encyclopedia of the Unexplained: Magic,
Occultism and Parapsychology (New York: McGraw Hill, 1976), p. 158.
14 Avery, p. XII; Tully, p. 192.
----
Numerology-Part Two
by Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon
Critique
In the material that follows, we will cite seven reasons why we think
numerology is a waste of time. First, each of the basic numbers, 1-9,
has been assigned a list of key personality characteristics, much like
the astrological houses. But do such lists, as supplied in different
numerological texts, always agree? No, they don't agree.1 This means,
for example, that the number 2 may be given different characteristics
in different texts. Thus, since the "meaning" of the numbers is not
uniform, the client may receive conflicting readings from different
numerologists.
Second, critical tests of numerology have failed to confirm its
predictive ability. For example, in numerology the name a person is
given at birth and the name by which a person may now be known, or
prefers to be called, may have different meanings. The "birth name" in
numerology supposedly describes one's destiny, and the name one
chooses to use expresses current personality characteristics. But one
study of preferred names indicated that the numerological description
given was not equivalent to individual's personal self*****sment:
"Overall, the results do not leave one with the impression that
numerological descriptions for preferred names compare well with the
self-perceptions we hold for our personalities."2
Third, there are a host of different interpretations and approaches,
revealing that numerology is ruled by subjectivism. As in astrology,
ancient, medieval, and modern numerology promoters do not have
consistent systems, nor do they interpret every indicator in the same
manner.3 We have already seen that different numbers may be used for
different letters, and this gives different results. Thus the key
number for a given name may be either 1 or 4, with each carrying
vastly different interpretations. People with the number 1 are said to
be powerful individuals having dominating personalities leading to
success, while people with the number of 4 are likely to encounter
"failure, poverty and general gloom"4:
One of the problems about analysing yourself numerologically is the
fact that your name and birthdate may yield so many different numbers.
It is difficult to know how to weigh and combine the varying results
and how to exclude the elements of wishful thinking or, with
historical figures, of hindsight. And the language of numerologists,
like that of astrologers...is generally vague and woolly, so that with
ingenuity almost anyone's character can be fitted into any given
number.5
In addition, some numerologists use "master numbers" that go beyond 9,
such as 11, 22, and 33 rather than the common practice of reducing
them to their single digits of 2 (1+1), 4 (2+2), and 6 (3+3).6 Others
reject this approach. Because of the complexity, frank practitioners
will confess the confusion, although the particular method they choose
always seems to be claimed as the best or most accurate. Not
surprisingly, matters deteriorate rapidly when one incor****ates
additional systems of divination into numerology practice, such as
cabalism or astrology. One numerologist refers to:
"... the blatant discrepancies that are constantly cropping up in
astro-numerology when assigning number influences to planetary rays
and vice versa. Disconcerting contradictions appear in textbooks which
necessarily lead the sincere student along the path of confusion....
[N]umerology experts know their numbers but are either completely
ignorant of astrological fundamentals or know little about them....
Then, too, numbers have many meanings. Take their symbolical
interpretation when evaluating human character and human destiny. This
differs from their religious significance or their ritualistic one as
in the light of Cabalistic teachings and the hermetic schools of
transcendental magic. One cannot expect these versions to agree with
the numerical influences as expounded in this volume.... In order to
bring system into this confused state of learning, we have exchanged
our findings with top professional astrologers, and have succeeded in
coming up with a theory we feel is both logical and practical."7
In other words, after agreeing that "astro-numerology" is a mess, the
author merely adds one more contradictory system to the picture: his
own personal invention. Thus, this same author assigns the following
"planets" the following numbers:
Sun =3D 1 Moon =3D 2 Mercury =3D 3 Earth =3D 4 Mars =3D 5 Venus =3D 6
Saturn=
=3D 7
Jupiter =3D 8 Vulcan =3D 9 Uranus =3D 11 Neptune =3D 22 Pluto =3D13
It does seem to bother him that no planet "Vulcan" exists. He explains
that no one can see Vulcan because "it is invisible even through a
telescope, even when it p***** over the disk of the sun. But humans
can nevertheless feel its influence, for it races around the sun in
about 6 weeks. Therefore if you feel out of sorts one Blue Monday, and
you don't know what accounts for it, blame it all on Vulcan."8
Another noted numerologist contradicts the preceding by giving the
following contrary correspondences between planets and numbers:
Sun=3D 1 Moon =3D 2 Jupiter =3D 3 Earth =3D 4 Mercury =3D 5 Venus =3D 6
Nept=
une =3D
7 Saturn =3D 8 Mars =3D 9 Pluto =3D 11 Uranus =3D 22
In this second list, no less than seven of the planets have completely
different numbers assigned to them when compared to the previous list.
The author of this list confesses, "There are some professionals who
will take exception to a few of the above planetary assignments, but
that is neither here nor there. In the last several books I have read,
no two have agreed. It is my considered opinion that the above is the
most correct interpretation possible."9 Again, the individual
numerologist only assumes his particular system is the best. Like
divination in general, numerology is filled with arbitrariness and
subjectivism.10
The subjective aspects inherent in interpreting numerological charts
are little different from those found in the astrological charts that
we detailed in Astrology: Do the Heavens Rule Our Destiny? 11 In one
instance, exhaustive instructions are given for gaining a "complete
interpretation on any individual chart," and these details take up an
entire chapter of instructions. For example, "In the short range
forecast, the letters pertaining that period from the excursion should
be used. The Personal Year, Universal Year, Year Pinnacles, Year
Challenge, Periodicity, Monthly Cycles, Personal Month, Universal
Month, Month Pinnacles, Month Challenges, must all be considered. If
the forecast is to be tightened up even further, the day vibrations
must be studied."12
Leaving aside the delicate issue of studying and interpreting the "day
vibrations," would numerologists in general agree with the above
citation, let alone all the detailed instructions in the entire
chapter? Not at all. Although this author refers to taking the reader
"deep into the exact science of numerology," he also confesses that
"many of these interpretations are the author's own, developed through
much hard work and long periods of studying many charts. A few of the
charts employed in this book concerning forecasting are the author's
creation."13
This numerologist of more than 25 years also confesses, "Volumes
concerning numbers are usually full of misinformation, the majority
basing their study upon superstition," and the "science of numerology
must now be freed from the chicanery that has surrounded it for
centuries."14 Yet this same writer claims that without the unique
knowledge he supplies in his book, "the understanding of numerology is
incomplete." Of course, with such knowledge a person "will have at
their disposal the knowledge of all life, past, present and future.
The knowledge of the destinies of empires, cor****ations,
individuals."15 Another numerologist says, "To my knowledge, no one
has ever presented this scientific system of predictions to the
public. It represents over 25 years of experience and hard work on my
part, gained through observation, trial and error, and research."16
But her "scientific system of predictions" not only fails, it is also
contrary to other systems.
(to be continued)
Notes:
1 Richard Cavendish, ed., Encyclopedia of the Unexplained: Magic,
Occultism and Parapsychology (New York: McGraw Hill, 1976), pp.
159-60; Geri Tully, The Secret Powers of Numerology (New York: Pocket
Books, 1977), pp. 18-23; Helyn Hitchcock, Helping Yourself with
Numerology (West Nyack, NY: Parker, 1978), pp. 27-35.
2 Joseph G. Dikopolsky, "A Test of Numerology," The Skeptical
Inquirer, Spring 1983, p. 56.
3 Richard Cavendish, ed., Man, Myth and Magic: An Illustrated
Encyclopedia of the Supernatural (New York: Marshall Cavendish
Cor****ation, 1970), p. 2026.
4 Cavendish, Encyclopedia of the Unexplained, p. 159.
5 Cavendish, Man, Myth and Magic, p. 2023.
6 Tully, p. 17.
7 Vincent Lopez, Numerology (New York: Signet, 1969), pp. 131-32.
8 Ibid., p. 139, emphasis added.
9 Kevin Quinn Avery, The Numbers of Life: The Hidden Power of
Numerology (Garden City, NJ: Doubleday, 1974 rev), p. 100.
10 Hitchcock, pp. 149,163; Harry F. Darling, Essentials of Medical
Astrology (Tempe, AZ: American Federation of Astrologers, 1981), p.
2026; W. Wynn Westcott, Numbers: Their Occult Power and Mystic Virtues
(London: Theosophical Publi****ng House, 1974, rpt of 1890 ed), pp.
33-36.
11 John Ankerberg, John Weldon, Astrology: Do the Heavens Rule Our
Destiny? (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1989).
12 Avery, p. 283.
13 Ibid., p. XVII.
14 Ibid., pp. X, XVI, emphasis added.
15 Ibid., p. 246.
16 Hitchcock, p. 162.
----
Numerology-Part Three
by Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon
Critique (continued)
The fourth reason we think numerology is a waste of time is because
numerologists make the astoni****ng claim that one can actually change
one's destiny merely by changing one's name! By doing this the person
can allegedly find a happy marriage, economic security, vocational
success, and so on.1 But if this were true, then everyone in the world
should be able to easily mold their destiny into the most fulfilling
and positive future imaginable.
Since all numerologists who know this secret have presumably already
done this, one need only study the lives of numerologists to see
whether this claim is true. Numerologists everywhere should live lives
far different from the majority of the human race. But obviously there
is no evidence at all for such a conclusion.
Indeed, if numerologists can't even get their own numbers aligned or
their predictions right, how do we have any assurance they can help us
get our lives right? To illustrate only one example of a false
prediction, Vincent Lopez, the author of a 1961 text reprinted in
1969, stated, "Regarding [the 1968] Russian aggression: Russia will
not stop with the Czechoslovak situation. Her next move will be into
West Germany."2
Fifth, numerologists also have serious philosophical problems. They
claim that one's destiny is determined by numbers, but also that one's
destiny can be altered. And numerology, like other forms of
divination, does not finally believe in chance. Again, if it did, it
could not logically claim to predict the future with great accuracy.
Upon what basis is one's name likely to be a reliable index to one's
character or future if it was acquired entirely by chance?
Numerologists cite various reasons alleging why one's name is not a
"chance" event (determined solely by one's parents), but such
arguments are not convincing. To claim the universe is intelligent and
ordains one's name in harmony with the "cosmic plan" says nothing,
since numerologists have never told us what the cosmic plan is.
In addition, who decided that such and such a number means this or
that? Why is the number 4 unlucky and "earthly"? What does it mean to
be "earthly"? Who assigned this meaning or the range of its
implications? Why does number 7 refer to withdrawal from the world, or
why should it be considered particularly powerful in magical practice?
On what logical basis should anyone accept the number interpretations?
Also, what does one do with the differences in one's own name? For
example, the number of the name William F. Meredith is 3, but the
number of William Francis Meredith is 9, and the number of Bill
Meredith is 4; yet all these names refer to the same person.3 So is
his name number 3, 4, or 9? Why should it be one number rather than
another when their meaning is the same? What about nicknames? Who
infallibly determined their significance?
What about a woman's maiden name? If her maiden name shows her
character before she is married, and if her married name reveals how
her marriage has affected her and changed her character and destiny
after she is married, what happens at divorce and how do we know? And
what happened to the cosmic plan that infallibly assigned her birth
name as a reliable interpreter? How does it take into account divorce
or a voluntary change of name? Does a divorce and returning to one's
maiden name cause one to revert to previous personality and destiny?
The answers numerologists give to such queries are not convincing.
Sixth, numerological literature is replete with inaccuracies and
absurdities. For example, "Jesus Christ utilized numerology in his
teachings, even changing the original names of his disciples to match
the numerical vibrations of the mission he wished them to undertake."4
Even the numbers of cities and one's address may affect destiny:
"Cities and states have their own desires or demands.... Does the city
or locality to which I am moving have any of my numbers-destiny,
birthpath, soul's urge, or power number? It will be much easier to
make a change if you understand it's [the city's] desires and
needs.... New York [city] wants inspirational people [the number 11]
with ideas [11], who can face the public or limelight and be
superior."5
Even one's home address is said to be im****tant, its numerical
significance dictating the "kind" of home it will be.
The Occult and Other Hazards
A last objection to numerology is its strong association to other
occult practices. Indeed, most forms of divination are cross-
pollinated by other forms. In numerology we especially find astrology,
the cabala, and the tarot to be influential. In almost every book on
numerology we read, astrology, cabalism, and the tarot were included
as im****tant elements.6
The more involved one becomes in the world of the occult, the greater
the risk to one's overall health.7 Like all forms of occult
divination, numerology leads to bondage to present cir***stances and a
fear of the future. Numerologists are known to "hurl dire judgment at
the 4-afflicted person by proclaiming want, failure, death in a poor
house, or a sanitarium for him."8 Whereas, "if your number is 6, you
should try to deal with im****tant matters or decisions only on days
which add to 6. You should also live in a house whose number is 6 and
a street whose name adds to 6."9
Here, of course, we may encounter self-fulfilling prophecies,
something found in occult divination in general. In one example,
"Every single element on this chart called for finish, destruction,
ruin."10 What then is the hapless individual who trusts in the cosmic
power and wisdom of numbers to do? And what about the predictions of
death? In numerology, "Death can be picked out of the [cabalistic]
triangles and lines. This does not [necessarily] mean the death of the
person involved but could be the death of a person close to the
subject.... There is no major occurrence that will happen in any life
that is not shown on a Kabala."11
In fact, whether numerologists seek to reveal only the good indicators
in a chart or to supply both good and bad indicators, practitioners
fail them regardless. Since all forms of divination, by definition,
must predict both the good and the bad, numerologists who fail to read
the negative elements of a chart and only read the positive elements
are not being true to numerology as a whole. After all, the numbers
are supposed to reveal the clients' whole future, so he may employ all
available knowledge to his advantage. On the other hand, those who do
read the negative elements in their client's lives produce a variety
of problems. These include fear and bondage to various predictions and
fate, self-fulfilling prophecies, and unwise decisions based solely on
information "forecast" by the numbers.12 In conclusion, numerologists
may claim that "all of life is controlled by numbers,"13 but no
numerologist can deny that numbers extracted from one's name (or other
sources) can produce great confusion or contradiction. Even in the
best scenario, this leaves the practitioner at the mercy of
subjectivism; in the worst scenario, at the mercy of demonic powers.
Notes:
1 Vincent Lopez, Numerology (New York: Signet, 1969), p. 114.
2 Ibid., pp. 12-13.
3 Richard Cavendish, ed., Encyclopedia of the Unexplained: Magic,
Occultism and Parapsychology (New York: McGraw Hill, 1976), p. 159.
4 Gerie Tully, The Secret Powers of Numerology (New York: Pocket
Books, 1977), p. 12.
5 Helyn Hitchcock, Helping Yourself with Numerology (West Nyack, NY:
Parker, 1978), p. 187.
6 E.g., Kevin Quinn Avery, The Numbers of Life: The Hidden Power of
Numerology (Garden City, NJ: Doubleday, 1974, rev.), pp. ix, 287;
Helyn Hitchcock, Helping Yourself, pp. 6, 153, 204; Gerie Tully,
Secret Powers, pp. 12-13, 24-25.
7 John Ankerberg, John Weldon, The Coming Darkness: Confronting Occult
Deception (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1993).
8 Lopez, Numerology, p. 118.
9 Richard Cavendish, Man, Myth and Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia
of the Supernatural (New York: Marshall Cavendish Cor****ation, 1970),
p. 2023.
10 Avery, Numbers of Life, p. 285; cf. pp. xvii, 201-204.
11 Ibid., p. 254.
12 John Ankerberg, John Weldon, Astrology: Do the Heavens Rule Our
Destiny? (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1989).
13 Gerie Tully, Secret Powers, p. 12.
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