Are sorcerers scary to the Orthodox? What about linings? How can the Church help?translated

Reader question:

Hello. The Russian Orthodox Church does not approve of stories about sorcerers, claiming that they are not scary for the Orthodox. I agree in part: it all depends on how rooted a person is in faith, what his sinfulness is, and also on his gender. Although the Russian Orthodox Church believes that everyone is responsible for their own sins, don’t the sins of their ancestors (occultism, abortion, murder, suicide) cast a shadow on the family? Where will they go if they are not confessed? I do not believe that baptism automatically removes all generational sins. What about linings? On one Orthodox channel, priest Gennady Zaridze said that prayers alone cannot help here. How can the Church help those who find themselves at the center of witchcraft?

Anna

Priest's answer:

Priest Alexander ERMOLIN

Hello Anna!

Amazingly, you yourself answered all the questions you asked. At the same time, you yourself correctly conveyed the Orthodox understanding of many of the issues you asked about. But let's try to understand them again.

The influence of sorcerers is not scary for an Orthodox person. These are the words of the Savior Himself: “Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19). More…