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NASB | Romans 6:16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 6:16 Do you not know that when you continually offer yourselves to someone to do his will, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey, either [slaves] of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness (right standing with God)? |
Bible Question:
Can a Christian be hypnotized? Is there any scripture reference about hypnotism? God Bless |
Bible Answer: "Is Hypnosis OK or a Problem?" 'Right after I uploaded this article, I discovered a chapter on hypnosis in André Kole and Jerry MacGregor's book Mind Games: Exposing Today's Psychics, Frauds, and False Spiritual Phenomena (ACW Press, 2002). 'Some insights from their book: '"The simplest way to understand hypnosis is to regard it as a state of mind characterized by increased suggestibility--the acceptance of an idea without being critical of it. It is a method for bypassing the conscious mind. Whatever is presented to the subconscious mind, under certain conditions, may be automatically accepted and acted upon. This does not mean the person under hypnosis is in a "trance" however, since there is no widely accepted definition of trance, and no way to test for that state. In the words of one researcher, 'It appears more likely that hypnotism is a mutual agreement of the operator and the subject that the subject will cooperate in following suggestions and in acting out various suggested scenarios.' [James Randi, An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural (St. Martin's Press, 1995), p. 126] '"You cannot be hynotized against your will. To be hypnotized, the patient must want to be hypnotized, and must trust the hypnotist. '"Hypnotism cannot force you to do something you don't want to do. '"In one sense, when you submit to hypnosis, you actually give control of yourself and your mind to another individual. '"To be effective, hypnosis requires faith. If a person wants to lose weight or stop smoking, he or she can often get similar effects through vitamins, a good doctor, and exercise. Hypnotism is not some magic forumla: its effectiveness depends on the patient's faith. 'Recent research has shown that weight loss and cessation of smoking, both popularly advertised as curable by hypnotism, cannot be accomplished without the earnest desire of the sufferer to achieve the desired results. This leads to the question of whether or not the results might be as easily attained by some other form of approach, such as religious inspiration, the caring of a familiy member, or the intervention of another mystic-sounding but ineffective therapy. This is an idea that professional hypnotists do not care to hear.' [Randi, ibid.] '"Christians are not to be taken in by this sort of spurious activity. In the first place, we are to know God, so that the truth resides within us. ...A second thing to keep in mind is that we are not to be controlled by anything except the Holy Spirit. Paul's advice to 'not get drunk on wine--instead, be filled with the Spirit,' is not simply a command against drinking. It is a command against anything else controlling us. . . . Finally, Christians should remember that we belong to God. The devil has power to try to deceive us, but he cannot control us--unless we choose to surrender control of our lives to him. . . . [W]e do not think that a believer can be filled with demons through hypnotism, as some recent writers have suggested. But we do believe that the enemy will try to confuse us, and he will use every method he can to try to ruin our faith. The best thing that we can do is remain close to the Lord, having faith that He will keep us in His hand until the day of His coming." 'Here is a helpful Web site from a former hypnotist: (www.dangers-of-hypnosis.co.uk)' ____________________ To read more go to: (http://www.probe.org/docs/e-hypnosis.html) |