Talismans, Amulets and God
There is another craze very much in vogue these days, still borrowed from ancient times: the belief in amulets and talismans. First of all, there is a difference between amulets and talismans. Thus, amulets are used for protection and preventing diseases or other dangers, or any other kind of harm. Talismans are used to attract certain qualities or good things: fertility, fortune, luck, power, success, etc. Such objects were made by ancient Egyptians from crystals like for instance the carnelian, also known as "the blood of Isis". This stone was believed to offer great protection against witchcraft.
This theme of protective talismans is often encountered in myths. Prometheus had a sapphire ring when he stole the fire from heavens, and Orpheus had a talisman made of agate when he descended into the World of Shadows.
Talismans were considered to be necessary in case someone met spirits from the other world. There is a Greek manuscript speaking about a heart-shaped magnetite amulet which had the image of the Heccate goddess on it. They say this amulet had a pleasant smell, which suggests the fact that aromatic oils were used in order to increase the power of the talisman. Egyptians amulets usually represented figures of deities or body parts such as a hand, a leg, an eye, engraved on crystals. This principle of magic can also be noticed in early Europe, ever since Celtic times until quite recently. There were objects on which people had engraved different body parts which were affected by diseases, and which were thrown into rivers, lakes, fountains or springs.
The use of amulets and talismans can be noticed to appear at other cultures which were contemporary with ancient Egyptians, such as the Sumerians, the ancient Chinese, and so on. This habit was later on borrowed by the Greeks and the Romans. Amulets were often worn by people who used to sail a lot, as a means of protection against the rage of the sea. A document from the 3rd-4th centuries BC spoke about seven amulets for different types of protection. But, all these amulets and talismans are certainly contrary to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures.
It is clearly written in Deuteronomy 18:9-14: "When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you."
Also, in 2 Kings 23:5 it says: "The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests next in rank and the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of the LORD all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley and took the ashes to Bethel."
We will never live a trouble-free life, as long as we are on this planet, but we must not feel discouraged and we must not give up. God knows all our troubles and pains, but He does cleanse us through them, like gold is purified through fire. God has offered us salvation through His Son's sacrifice at the Cross, not through false miracles, amulets or talismans. Thus, Christ won and Satan lost. So, every Christian must carry his cross, because it is a gift of God for our own salvation. Suffering is not necessarily a form of punishment from God. Or even if it were, it would be similar to a penitence that would help us return to the good side. No need for talismans, amulets, protective objects, just good old-fashioned faith and God's salvation in all situations here on the earth, as well as a victorious eternal live with Christ our Lord.
