Can & Should Christians Engage With Stories Containing Pagan Mythologies?

Some people think that a self-professed Christian shouldn't expose himself or herself to stories containing pagan mythologies. And when I say "some people," I mean some Christians. According to these Christians, such stories are produced by people who are proponents of the occult and assert that these peoples' Luciferian affiliations are lying all over the place for anyone who wants to notice. 

To me, it's not about wanting to notice or not wanting to notice. It's about avoiding sins of the tongue. I don't want to speak badly of someone else or make a statement about someone that turns out to be untrue.  

I'm not going to assume that author Rick Riordan is a proponent of the occult because he has written several book series based on pagan mythologies. Just because someone produces a story containing pagan mythology does not necessarily mean they support the occult or the New Age Movement. In fact, the only relevant information available to the public about Mr. Riordan's personal view on spirituality and religion is that he's an Atheist. 

Richard Wagner wrote three operas containing Norse deities. But his final opera, Parsifal, is a Christian work. Though the theology in it is erroneous, it was Christian enough for Fredrich Nietzsche to condemn it and end his decades-long friendship with Wagner. Wagner was raised Christian and was Atheist for much of his adult life until he reverted to Christianity towards the end of his life. So if a Christian tries to make you feel bad for going to see Siegfried, The Valkyrie, or The Rheingold on the ground that they think you shouldn't be polluting yourself with works containing pagan mythology for entertainment and that God disapproves, they are completely out of line.

They're even more out of line when they accuse the people who produce works of art containing polytheistic mythologies of having Luciferian affiliations without evidence, saying that the proof of their Luciferian affiliations is lying all over the place. Wagner is proof of that.

The late Father Owen Lee was a music and classic literature scholar. He was also a major Wagner enthusiast. And Christians who argue that a professing Christian shouldn't engage with works of art containing pagan mythologies for pleasure would do well to remember Our Lord's words: "Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile." (Mark 7:14-23)

One summer, I read The Odyssey and The Iliad for pleasure. My mom recommended them to me, but I still chose to read them. 

Also, statements like "(Insert name of pagan deity) is a demon who manifests in exorcisms at times" are the kind of statements I will ignore. Here's why: Catholic exorcisms have certain rules surrounding them.  The particulars of what happens during Catholic exorcisms are not supposed to be share with the public. The exorcists usually don't share anything like what the demon's name was, what the demon said, etc. And neither do members of the deliverance team.

They do this for two reasons:

1) Demons are liars. The word of a demon cannot be trusted. 

2) Disclosing the name of the demon and what the demon said and did only gives the demon attention, which is what it wants.

And if your source for a specific pagan deity manifesting as a demon during an exorcism is Pastor Bob Larson, then, I'm sorry, but he rips people off.   I don't care how quickly he exorcises a demon from a person compared to a Catholic exorcist. Anyone who has been called to serve God as a priest, bishop, deacon, cardinal pope, patriarch, minister, preacher, or pastor should not be using their ministry to rip God's people off. That's religious abuse. The fact that Mr. Larson rips off the very people he performs exorcisms on should be a sign to people that he's lost credibility. 

 I will be skeptical about stories that are along the lines of, "Oh, I was playing with an Ouija board and a demon showed up and identified themselves as (insert name of pagan deity),"  "I went to a séance last night and the person holding the séance summoned a demon. The demon identified themself as (insert name of pagan deity)," or "I was using an Ouija board and a demon showed up and identified itself as a demon." 

 
Here's why.

1) A demon will never willingly disclose their name. That gives the person power over the demon. 

2) Not a single word a demon says can be trusted. 

3) A demon will never willingly identify itself as a demon.

 And don't worry, if you have played with an Ouija board or gone to a séance, I'm not going to cluck at you.

 May I suggest a harmless dexterity board game instead of playing with an Ouija board? 

Try Ice Cool or Slide Quest. You may find flicking weighted penguins across a multi-roomed board or using levers to move game pieces across the board more fun than playing with an Ouija board. 

Or instead of attending a séance or using an Ouija board, may I suggest lighting a candle in memory of a departed loved one and visiting their grave? Or just speaking to your memory of them? And no, you're not crazy if you talk to your memory of a departed loved one. Psychology says it's actually beneficial. 

I've seen Disney's Hercules.  I've read the first Percy Jackson book. I've seen both Percy Jackson movies. I've seen every Thor movie from Marvel Studios and the "Loki" TV show. I've seen the first act of Siegfried, which features Odin. And I have not dabbled in the occult or become a polytheist as a result of doing so. 

 So my answer: If you are a professing Christian and you want to read, The Odyssey and The Iliad, knock yourselves out. If you want to read Percy Jackson and/or Magnus Chase, go for it. If you enjoy the Hades and Persephone myth, don't judge yourself. I enjoy it, too. With faithful Catholic parents who went to a devout and orthodox Catholic university, I'm not one of those Christians who thinks professing Christians shouldn't "pollute themselves" with movies, TV, and literature that contain pagan mythologies and that God doesn't approve. 

Often, we think the threat comes from the culture around us. And sometimes, it does.  But the danger also comes from within us. Our Lord made that perfectly clear. I doubt my parents would have read The Odyssey and The Iliad in college, much less recommended them to me for pleasure reading if He didn't approve of His children exposing themselves to pop culture containing pagan mythologies. Just do some discernment first and get a spiritual director if you can. A spiritual director can help you figure out whether or not engaging with stories containing pagan mythologies is prudent for you personally.