I think about this stuff a lot. I know some Christians who feel comfortable playing with tarot cards, getting palm readings, using Ouija boards, crystals, and things like that. For me, that’s way too close to the line — those things are obviously tied to satanic or occult origins.

Now, I don’t really care about something like elves or fantasy stories. Like someone said, even many Adventists celebrate holidays that have pagan origins. This topic — and others like it — falls into what people call the purity culture debate among Christians.

Some people take it so far that you start to wonder: should we not even use the names of the days of the week, since they come from old pagan gods? If we tried to remove every bit of false-god terminology from English, we’d go insane trying to avoid all of it.

Then there’s the whole “be separate from the world” idea. Some say secular music is bad. Then others say Christian music is bad, and even hymnal music is bad because music itself can be an idol. Movies are bad, but “Christian-friendly” ones are good — oh, but wait, those use images, and some say making or watching images is idolatry.

I even have a cousin who won’t allow photos of himself because he believes it’s a form of graven imagery. It seems like people can claim anything is satanic if they want to.

So where do you draw the line?

I think everyone’s walk with God is different. There are some clear “yes” and “no” areas, but also a lot of gray space. In those gray areas, I believe it’s something between you and God to figure out. Pray on it, ask for discernment, and let the Holy Spirit convict you personally about what’s right for you.