“…it is better to remain sick than to fall into wickedness to free ourselves from illness. The demon, even if he heals, will do more harm than good.”
Saint Basil the Great
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“Do not marvel that sorcerers are everywhere cut off. For it is a diabolical art, and the invention of the devil, to draw men away from God. It is the art of the enemy of God, and it is forbidden by God Himself.”
Saint John Chrysostom
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“Let none of you be found to be a sorcerer, or magician, or one who consults evil spirits, for all these are the inventions of the devil and lead to destruction.”
Saint Gregory the Theologian
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“He who makes use of omens or auguries or any kind of magical arts, let him know that he is not a Christian, but a worshipper of the devil.”
Saint Cyprian of Carthage
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“The Sign of the Cross destroys magic and all the powers of darkness.”
Saint Athanasius the Great
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“O destroyer and deceiver of all, source of every impurity and defilement! Now I have discovered your infirmity. For if you fear even the shadow of the Cross and tremble at the Name of Christ, then what will you do when Christ Himself comes to you? If you cannot conquer those who sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross, then whom will you tear away from the hands of Christ? Now I have understood what a non-entity you are; you are not even able to take revenge! Listening to you, I, the wretched one, have been deceived, and I believed your tricks… Depart, depart from me, lawless one, enemy of Truth, adversary and hater of every good thing!”
Saint Cyprian the Hieromartyr
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“Do not be amazed if someone tells you about signs and wonders. These things are not proof of Holiness… The devil also performs signs, not to help but to deceive.”
Saint Anthony the Great
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“Sorcery and witchcraft mean invoking demonic powers to help man instead of calling upon God. The aim is to fulfill certain human desires (passions).”
Elder Cleopa of Romania
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“Do not begin anything without first signing yourselves with the Holy Cross! When you leave on a journey, when you begin school, when you are alone and when you are with other people, seal yourselves with the Holy Cross on your forehead, your body, your heart, your lips, your eyes, your ears, etc. Let your entire being be sealed with the Sign of the Victory of Christ over hell. Then you will not have to be afraid of any sorcerers or spells from those who practice such black crafts. They disintegrate before the power of the Cross, like wax near the fire and like dust in the wind.”
Elder Cleopa of Romania
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“Be assured that the devils have absolutely no power to heal someone, nor discover plots against someone. They can never perform true miracles, but they use their false illusions to deceive those who are outside the faith or who are weak in faith. Our Godly Father, John Chrysostom, shows us the truth of this saying, ‘Don’t you see how the devils could not heal the boils and sores of the sorcerers and witches that served them during the time of Moses in Egypt? How do you think they will heal you? If the demons have no mercy on your soul, why should they be sorry for the pains that afflict your body? If the demons strive to banish you from the Kingdom of God, then why should they deliver you from sickness? This is nothing but a joke and a fairy tale. Therefore, don’t be fooled, Christians, for the wolf never becomes a sheep, nor does the devil become a doctor. Fire will more readily freeze, and snow will become warm before the devil will truly heal you.'”
Elder Cleopa of Romania
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“Those who practice sorcery, as well as those who seek it, commit a great sin against the Holy Spirit, for they turn away from God and seek help from the devils. They abandon the servants of Christ, the priests, and they go to the servants of satan. In other words, they desert the living water of the priest and the grace of salvation of the Church, to follow their own passionate human interest and seek help from the enemies of Christ who are the sorcerers and demon worshippers. They turn from the truth and instead receive a lie since all words of sorcerers are lies and demonic deceptions.”
Elder Cleopa of Romania
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“Those who believe in and seek forms of sorcery have cast the Grace of God from their hearts and instead bring the spirit of the devil into their hearts and homes. Those who work sorcery and believe in such things have turned from Christ and united themselves with the devil. Unless they confess to the Priest and weep for this sin for the rest of their lives, they have no Salvation.”
Elder Cleopa of Romania
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“You say that the old woman is Christian, or that the man is a Christian fortune teller and reveals things through opening holy books; that they use no other name, either verbal or written, than the name of Christ, the Theotokos and the Saints, so what is wrong with that? I tell you that people like that are to be hated more than prostitutes and other sorcerers because they use the name of God dishonorably. They call themselves Christians, but do the work of pagans. The devils themselves can speak the name of God, but they are still devils. Some people will defend themselves, saying that the woman is Christian and foretold the future by invoking no other name than the name of God. Because of that very fact, I would hate such a one as that and turn from her, because she used the Name of God with evil intent. She may call herself a Christian, but she shows that she does the work of the pagans.”
Saint John Chrysostom
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“The evil eye is a zeal mixed with wickedness and envy. Our zeal must be good, and without wickedness. We can understand this when we see someone who we are jealous of, i.e., who we admire, and he or she suffers some evil. If we rejoice, then our zeal has wickedness”.
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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