‘DO NOT BRING THEM INTO YOUR HOUSE’

There are numerous experiences like this on record. They emphasize the seriousness of God’s command to Israel concerning the things belonging to the Canaanites. They were not to keep their images of worship, nor were they to take for themselves even the gold and silver from them merely because of their material value. God said: “You must not bring a detestable thing into your house and actually become a thing devoted to destruction like it. You should thoroughly loathe it and absolutely detest it, because it is something devoted to destruction.”​—Deut. 7:25, 26.

Now, it is common knowledge that in some parts of the world there are medicinemen and juju priests who have, by spells and fetishes, caused death or calamity to people there. These practitioners have often tried their spells against those from among these people who have become Jehovah’s witnesses, even planting fetishes on their premises. But they have been completely unsuccessful in causing any effect on the Witnesses. Of course, the Witnesses had absolutely rejected any association with these magic-practicing priests and had not accepted any gifts from them. They generally did not know that the fetishes had been planted on their property. And they were not harmed, much to the dismay of the practitioners.

You can see from this that you need not live in fear of the demons. You should not be terrified at astrological horoscopes or other predictions, nor of spells of practitioners of spiritism. But you are safe only if you utterly reject any connection with such persons, and absolutely abhor and reject any gifts they may offer. You need to avoid knowingly allowing such detestable things into your house.