The amulet (Latin: amuletum = power giver) is an object to which magical powers are attributed to bring good luck or protect against harm. Amulets are worn on the body or in clothing. Wearing amulets is a custom that is thousands of years old and widespread across all countries and is known in all religions. In prehistoric times, people hung animal teeth or claws of their hunted prey on their bodies to possess the power of the animal. The scarab was considered an amulet by the Egyptians, a punched coin and magic formulas in cipher by the Chinese. For the ancient Greeks it was the Golden Fleece, for the Indians of North America the medicine pouch. In Europe, the Christian Church early turned against superstition, which included amulets. However, this did not prevent the people from holding on to amulets with a Christian reference, for example, a cross as a symbol. Nowadays, many people wear an amulet around their neck. Some people nail a horseshoe across the doorstep to ward off bad luck. Others have a lucky sign on their keychain. Drivers hang a mascot as a talisman (Arabic: tilsam = magic image) in their vehicle. Pilots and captains have an on-board animal, sports teams have a stuffed animal as a mascot.
Harmless amulets, mascots or talismans do not exist.
When someone believes in their effect, he makes himself dependent on these dead things and thus falls into Satan’s clutches. The superstitious custom of wearing amulets is about the question in whom one puts one’s trust: in the living, omnipotent God or in a dead object.
Examples from the book “Occult ABC”, Dr. Kurt Koch
B 41 A young man was discussed against polio. The discussant gave him an amulet around his neck and advised him to put a pair of scissors and a Bible under his pillow. At the same time, the discussant wrote down a saying for him and instructed him to put this saying in the Bible. The polio was cured, but the boy hanged himself after a few years.
B 165 Four times I stayed on the island of Sicily and heard about priests doing black and white magic. I experienced the same thing in Switzerland. A woman had received an amulet from a Capuchin. In pastoral care, she opened it. Inside was a note with the prescription of her soul to the devil. I also heard similar things from monks in the canton of Solothurn.
B 448 An epileptic girl faithfully went to the Christian youth circle. Then the mother, out of ignorance, let her daughter discuss. The epilepsy disappeared. Since the meeting, the girl did not come under the word of God. The priest noticed this, of course. He visited the family in question and asked the reason for the absence. The matter came to light. After enlightenment, the cured girl gave out an amulet, which, to his horror, contained a devil’s prescription. Both the mother and daughter repented of this. Both came back under the Word of God. They could read the Bible and pray again. However, the epilepsy reappeared.
B 452 During a lecture tour in Argentina, I was accompanied by Rev. Albert Renschler, who took me to various Protestant congregations. Very informative was our tour through Entre Ríos. A pastor in this area reported after a lecture that he was healed by a discussant. At the same time, he has received an amulet from the reviewer. We asked him to open the amulet after all. He did and was scared to death when he saw that inside the amulet was a piece of paper with a devil’s prescription. He burned and destroyed the paper and amulet and renounced the devil in the name of Jesus. Then, however, his illness reappeared.
It was a good sign that the illnesses came back when the spell was broken. It meant that the girl had been completely released. However, this example also shows that even pastors in ignorance have such things done to them.
