An exorcist is warning the public that regardless of why they may choose to do so, attending black masses, such as the one that is being planned at the Oklahoma City Civic Center in September, opens them to the power of the demonic.

Aleteia.org is reporting that the exorcist, who cannot be named due to the nature of his work, said that even attending a black mass out of curiosity is dangerous.

“You cannot attend such an event—even if one does so merely out of curiosity, and not with any firm desire to worship Satan—without being adversely affected,” the exorcist said. “The mere fact that this black mass in Oklahoma City will be public lends it a certain legitimacy, and I suspect that some people will go simply to be entertained. What they may not realize immediately is that simply by going, they will open themselves to the power of the demonic.”

He is referring to the black mass scheduled for September 21 at the Civic Center for which tickets went on sale last week. The Center reports that about 10 tickets have been sold thus far.

The black mass is a mockery of the Mass complete with upside-down crucifixes, the invocation of the name of Satan and other demons, and the desecration of a consecrated host. It is usually officiated by a celebrant, deacon or subdeacon on an altar that is the often the body of nude woman.

Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley has already condemned the planned Mass and questioned whether this kind of blatant attack on religion is an appropriate use of public space.

“For more than 1 billion Catholics worldwide and more than 200,000 Catholics in Oklahoma, the Mass is the most sacred of religious rituals,” the archbishop said in a statement. “It is the center of Catholic worship and celebrates Jesus Christ’s redemption of the world by his death and resurrection. In particular, the Eucharist—which we believe to be the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ – is the source and summit of our faith.

“That’s why we’re astonished and grieved that the Civic Center would promote as entertainment and sell tickets for an event that is very transparently a blasphemous mockery of the Mass,” he continued. “The ‘Black Mass’ that is scheduled for the Civic Center in September is a satanic inversion and distortion of the most sacred beliefs not only of Catholics, but of all Christians."

Organizers of the event, a local satanic church named Dakhma of Angra Mainyu, claim they are staging the mass in order to enlighten and educate the public.  Adam Daniels, who heads the church, described the mass as “a defiant act to show the Catholics that Satanism will stand up and fight for our religious rights.”  He also told Aleteia that his group practices "religious satanism" rather than the "atheistic satanism" of the New York based Satanic Temple which tried to stage a black mass at Harvard this past spring. His group has even performed satanic marriages, complete with marriage licenses.

Theistic Satanism is practiced by people who actually worship the devil, such as members of the Temple of Set.

Religious Satanism, on the other hand,  is comprised of people who accept Satan as a pre-Christian life-principal who is worth emulating.

The public staging of black masses could be the start of a new strategy by the satanists, the exocist told Aleteia, adding that there are plenty of black masses going on behind closed doors all the time.

"The enemy never sleeps, and while I do not know if the number of those who openly identify themselves as satanists is growing, certainly the numbers of those who self-identify as agnostic, atheistic, or not associated with any religious group is growing.  In other words, we have a growing class of people in the U.S. who do not profess any type of religious belief, which leaves them free to believe what they will and define morality for themselves. In my experience as a priest, it also leaves them more susceptible to the power of evil.”

As alarming as this might sound, the broader picture is even more troubling, he said.

“My fear is that, as our country as a whole drifts further and further away from authentic Christian values, we are going to see more and more things like this in the future,” he continued. “What most people don't fully realize is that there is truly a spiritual battle going on for the soul of our country. By legalizing and embracing things like abortion, euthanasia, and gay ‘marriage’ that are so antithetical to authentic Gospel values, we are unleashing the power of evil into our society.  Confusion about moral issues is being introduced into the minds and hearts of many. There very literally will be hell to pay for many."

He suggested that the faithful fight back just as they did at Harvard in Boston when they staged massive Eucharistic processions and holy hours to counter the event as well as fasted and prayed to have the black mass cancelled. Although they succeeded in having it removed from the campus of Harvard, it took place at a nearby restaurant.

“We must petition our Lord, His Mother, and all the angels and saints in this fierce battle against the powers of hell.  To fail to fight this evil is to abandon souls to hell.”

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