Food Offerings to the Dead: What the Bible Says

Worship of the Dead and Ancestral Worship: A Biblical Warning About Honoring the Dead, Family Altars, and Spiritual Deception

Introduction

Ancestral worship is the belief that departed family members do not truly die, but continue living in an invisible realm, often described as a kingdom of the dead, spirit world, ancestral realm, or unseen family line. In this belief system, deceased ancestors are thought to influence the living by bringing blessing, protection, sickness, curses, guidance, prosperity, punishment, fertility, or family trouble.

Because of this belief, many families offer food, drink, incense, prayers, paper money, alcohol, flowers, candles, and rituals at family tombs, household altars, gravesites, or ancestral tablets. In some cultures, families may offer food, awamori, paper money such as uchikabi or kabijin, incense, and prayers to honor departed ancestors and seek their help or blessing.

From a biblical Christian perspective, honoring family history is not wrong. Remembering loved ones is not wrong. Respecting parents and grandparents is not wrong. But worshiping, praying to, feeding, appeasing, consulting, or making offerings to the dead is spiritually dangerous and forbidden by God.

The Bible does not teach us to seek help from the dead. The Bible teaches us to seek the living God.

What Is Ancestral Worship?

Ancestral worship is the religious or spiritual practice of honoring, serving, praying to, appeasing, or seeking help from deceased ancestors. It is often based on the belief that the dead remain spiritually active and can affect the lives of their living descendants.

People may believe ancestors can:

Protect the family
Bring good fortune
Bring sickness or misfortune if neglected
Guide family decisions
Bless marriages, children, finances, or businesses
Punish disrespectful descendants
Communicate through dreams, signs, mediums, or divination
Remove curses or create curses
Watch over the home
Receive food, drink, incense, or money offerings

In many cultures, ancestral worship is deeply tied to family loyalty, tradition, identity, fear, and obligation. People may feel guilty if they stop participating because they fear dishonoring their family or angering the ancestors.

But the Bible teaches that worship belongs to God alone.

Is Remembering Dead Loved Ones the Same as Ancestral Worship?

No. There is a difference between remembering a loved one and worshiping the dead.

It is not wrong to remember your parents, grandparents, family history, or loved ones who have passed away. It is not wrong to visit a grave, place flowers, grieve, tell family stories, or thank God for a person’s life.

The danger begins when a person:

Prays to the dead
Asks the dead for help
Makes offerings to the dead
Fears the dead
Seeks guidance from the dead
Invites the dead to communicate
Keeps an altar to the dead
Believes the dead can bless or curse them
Consults mediums to speak to the dead
Participates in rituals to feed or appease ancestors

That is no longer remembrance. That becomes spiritual interaction with the dead, and Scripture warns against it.

Why Is Ancestral Worship Against God’s Word?

Ancestral worship is against God’s Word because it gives honor, prayer, fear, offerings, and spiritual dependence to someone other than God. It can also open doors to familiar spirits, divination, necromancy, idolatry, and generational bondage.

Deuteronomy 18:10–12 warns God’s people not to practice divination, witchcraft, sorcery, mediumship, spiritism, or consulting the dead. God calls these practices an abomination.

Leviticus 19:31 says not to turn to mediums or familiar spirits.

Isaiah 8:19 says, “Should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?”

That question is powerful. Why should the living seek the dead when we have access to the living God?

Jesus Christ is our mediator, not our ancestors. First Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

What Does the Bible Say About the Dead?

The Bible teaches that after death, a person does not become a spirit guide, family guardian, or spiritual helper to the living. The dead are not to be consulted, worshiped, appeased, or prayed to.

Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

Luke 16:19–31 shows that the dead do not freely come back to guide the living. Jesus’ teaching about the rich man and Lazarus shows a separation after death and points people back to Scripture.

When King Saul sought the dead through the witch of Endor, it was an act of rebellion and disobedience. First Samuel 28 shows Saul consulting a medium because he was desperate, fearful, and no longer hearing from God. This was not faith. It was forbidden.

God does not want His people looking to the dead for direction. He wants His people looking to Him.

What Spirits Answer in Ancestral Worship?

Many people believe they are speaking to their deceased family members. But biblically, when someone tries to contact the dead, they may be opening themselves to familiar spirits. Familiar spirits can imitate voices, memories, personalities, dreams, emotions, and family information.

A familiar spirit is a demonic spirit that appears familiar. It may seem comforting, loving, ancestral, protective, or wise. But its purpose is deception and bondage.

This is why ancestral worship is so dangerous. A person may think, “I am honoring my grandmother,” or “I am asking my ancestors for protection,” when in reality they may be interacting with spirits that are not from God.

Second Corinthians 11:14 says Satan can transform himself into an angel of light. Not every spiritual experience that feels comforting is from God.

Common Practices in Ancestral Worship

Ancestral worship may vary by culture, but common practices include:

Family altars
Ancestor tablets
Graveside offerings
Food offerings
Alcohol offerings
Incense burning
Candles
Paper money offerings
Prayers to ancestors
Bowing before ancestral tablets
Inviting ancestors to ceremonies
Calling on ancestors for protection
Consulting mediums or spiritists
Dream communication with the dead
Household shrines
Ancestor festivals
Ritual meals for the dead
Keeping ashes or relics as sacred objects
Asking the dead for blessing, luck, or healing
Fear of ancestral anger or punishment

Some cultures may place food, awamori, incense, and paper money at tombs or family altars. The heart behind the practice may be family honor, fear, tradition, or love. But if the offering is made to the dead as spiritual beings who can influence the living, it becomes a forbidden spiritual practice.

Why Do People Get Involved in Ancestral Worship?

People may participate in ancestral worship for many reasons:

Family tradition
Cultural pressure
Fear of dishonoring ancestors
Fear of curses or punishment
Desire for protection
Need for guidance
Grief and longing
Respect for elders
Fear of being rejected by family
Desire for blessing or prosperity
Belief that ancestors control family destiny
Pressure during funerals or memorial ceremonies
Belief that the dead must be fed or cared for
Fear that stopping the rituals will bring sickness or trouble

Many people are not trying to rebel against God. They may simply be following what their family has done for generations. But sincerity does not make a forbidden spiritual practice safe.

How Does Ancestral Worship Hurt a Christian?

Ancestral worship can hurt a Christian by dividing spiritual loyalty. A believer cannot serve Jesus Christ and also seek power, blessing, protection, or guidance from the dead.

Possible spiritual consequences include:

Open doors to familiar spirits
Generational bondage
Fear of ancestors
Tormenting dreams
Confusion
Idolatry
Family curses
Difficulty praying freely
Spiritual heaviness
Double-mindedness
Guilt and fear when refusing rituals
Oppression connected to family altars
Bondage to tradition over obedience to Christ
Repeated family patterns of sickness, poverty, addiction, fear, or premature death
Resistance to deliverance
Spiritual agreements made through offerings, vows, rituals, and prayers

Ancestral worship can create spiritual agreements with the dead, family spirits, and generational spirits. These agreements must be renounced in the name of Jesus Christ.

What About Honoring Father and Mother?

Some people say, “The Bible says to honor father and mother, so ancestral worship is honoring them.”

But biblical honor is not worship. Honoring parents means respecting, caring for, valuing, and remembering them properly. It does not mean praying to them after death, offering food to them, asking them for protection, or fearing their spirits.

Exodus 20:12 says to honor your father and mother.

But Exodus 20:3 says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

We can honor family without worshiping family. We can remember loved ones without consulting the dead. We can thank God for our ancestors without making offerings to them.

Can a Christian Participate in Ancestral Rituals Just to Keep Peace?

This can be very difficult, especially in families where ancestral worship is expected. Some believers may face rejection, anger, shame, or pressure if they refuse to bow, burn incense, offer food, or pray to ancestors.

A Christian should walk in love and humility, but not compromise worship. You can attend a family gathering, show respect, care for relatives, and honor family history without participating in spiritual rituals that violate Scripture.

A believer may say:

“I love our family, and I honor our loved ones, but as a follower of Jesus Christ, I cannot pray to the dead or make offerings to ancestors. I will remember them with love, but I worship God alone.”

This must be done with wisdom, gentleness, and courage.

Is Ancestral Worship Connected to Necromancy?

Yes, ancestral worship can become connected to necromancy when a person seeks communication, guidance, or help from the dead.

Necromancy is the practice of trying to communicate with the dead. God forbids this. Deuteronomy 18 warns against consulting the dead. Mediumship, spirit communication, and ancestral divination are dangerous because they open doors to spirits that are not from God.

The Holy Spirit does not need help from dead relatives to guide God’s people. Romans 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

Is Ancestral Worship Idolatry?

Yes, when ancestors are given worship, prayer, offerings, fear, dependence, or spiritual authority, ancestral worship becomes idolatry.

Idolatry is not only bowing before a statue. Idolatry is giving to anyone or anything the honor, fear, trust, worship, or dependence that belongs to God alone.

Ancestral worship can become an idol when people fear ancestors more than God, obey family spirits more than Scripture, or trust ancestral rituals more than the blood of Jesus.

Common Open Doors Connected to Ancestral Worship

Family altars
Ancestor tablets
Grave offerings
Food offerings to the dead
Alcohol offerings to the dead
Burning paper money for ancestors
Incense offered to ancestors
Bowing to ancestral tablets
Prayers to the dead
Calling on ancestors for protection
Dream communication with dead relatives
Mediumship
Spirit guides called “ancestors”
Household shrines
Funeral rituals involving spirit communication
Ancestral curses
Fear of ancestral anger
Vows made to ancestors
Oaths at family altars
Generational covenants
Bloodline dedications
Objects taken from rituals
Photos or memorials used as spiritual contact points
Consulting shamans, mediums, priests, or spiritual workers to appease ancestors

Symptoms That Someone May Need Deliverance from Ancestral Worship

Not every problem is caused by ancestral worship, but these may be signs of spiritual bondage connected to the dead or family spirits:

Fear of dead relatives
Dreams of deceased family members calling you
Repeated dreams of graves, tombs, funerals, bones, or family altars
Feeling watched by dead relatives
Fear that ancestors will punish you
Torment after refusing family rituals
Pressure to return to ancestral practices
Spiritual heaviness around family altars or tombs
Hearing voices of deceased relatives
Seeing apparitions or shadows of relatives
Repeated family patterns of sickness, poverty, addiction, or premature death
Strong guilt when choosing Jesus over tradition
Feeling tied to family spirits
Difficulty renouncing ancestral rituals
Resistance to destroying ancestral objects
Confusion during prayer
Fear of dishonoring the family
Unusual oppression after funerals or ancestor ceremonies

If these are present, the person should seek the Lord, renounce the practices, close open doors, and receive prayer.

Biblical Scriptures Against Ancestral Worship and Consulting the Dead

Deuteronomy 18:10–12
God forbids divination, witchcraft, sorcery, mediumship, spiritism, and consulting the dead.

Leviticus 19:31
“Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them.”

Leviticus 20:6
God sets His face against those who turn after familiar spirits.

Isaiah 8:19
“Should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?”

Hebrews 9:27
“It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

Luke 16:19–31
Jesus teaches that the dead are not sent back to guide the living; people must listen to God’s Word.

1 Samuel 28
Saul sinned by seeking a medium instead of obeying God.

Exodus 20:3
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

Exodus 20:4–5
God forbids idolatry and bowing down to false objects of worship.

1 Timothy 2:5
There is one mediator between God and man: Jesus Christ.

John 14:6
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

Romans 8:14
Believers are to be led by the Spirit of God.

How to Break Free from Ancestral Worship

1. Repent for participating in ancestral worship, offerings, prayers, altars, and rituals.
2. Renounce all communication with the dead.
3. Renounce all fear of ancestors.
4. Renounce all family covenants, vows, oaths, dedications, and rituals made at altars or tombs.
5. Remove or destroy objects connected to ancestor worship, as the Holy Spirit leads.
6. Cancel every agreement made through food, alcohol, incense, paper money, candles, prayers, or offerings.
7. Break generational curses in the name of Jesus Christ.
8. Command familiar spirits and ancestral spirits to leave in Jesus’ name.
9. Declare that Jesus Christ alone is Lord over your family line.
10. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill every place that was cleansed.
11. Renew your mind with the Word of God.
12. Get deliverance if there is deep bondage, fear, dreams, torment, or generational occultism.

Deliverance Prayer to Renounce Ancestral Worship

Father God, I come to You in the name of Jesus Christ. I repent for every involvement in ancestral worship, worship of the dead, family altars, ancestor tablets, grave offerings, incense burning, food offerings, alcohol offerings, paper money offerings, prayers to the dead, and any ritual that gave honor, fear, worship, or spiritual authority to my ancestors instead of You.

I renounce all communication with the dead. I renounce all prayers to ancestors. I renounce all offerings made to ancestors. I renounce all fear of ancestral spirits. I renounce all belief that the dead can bless me, guide me, punish me, protect me, or control my destiny.

I break every covenant, vow, oath, dedication, ritual, agreement, and generational curse connected to ancestral worship. I cancel every agreement made through food, drink, incense, candles, paper money, tomb rituals, family altars, ancestral tablets, and ceremonies.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I command every familiar spirit, ancestral spirit, spirit of death, spirit of divination, spirit of idolatry, spirit of fear, and generational spirit connected to ancestor worship to leave me now.

I declare that Jesus Christ is my Lord. Jesus Christ is my mediator. Jesus Christ is my protector. Jesus Christ is my healer. Jesus Christ is my deliverer. I belong to Him alone.

Holy Spirit, cleanse me, fill me, and restore every part of my life and family line. I choose to worship the living God only. Amen.

Questions to Ask Yourself

1. Have I ever prayed to deceased family members?
2. Have I ever made offerings of food, drink, incense, candles, or money to the dead?
3. Have I ever bowed before an ancestral altar, tablet, shrine, or tomb as an act of worship?
4. Have I ever feared that my ancestors could punish me?
5. Have I ever asked ancestors for protection, blessing, healing, money, marriage, children, or guidance?
6. Have I ever participated in rituals to feed, appease, invite, or honor the dead spiritually?
7. Have I ever consulted a medium, spiritual worker, priest, shaman, or diviner to communicate with ancestors?
8. Have I ever had dreams of dead relatives calling me, feeding me, touching me, or telling me what to do?
9. Have I ever kept objects connected to ancestor worship in my home?
10. Have I ever felt guilty or afraid for refusing ancestral rituals?
11. Have I ever believed that family spirits had authority over my life?
12. Have I ever made vows, oaths, or dedications at a family altar or tomb?
13. Have I ever burned paper money, incense, or offerings for the dead?
14. Have I ever believed my ancestors were my spiritual protectors?
15. Do I need to renounce ancestral worship and receive deliverance prayer?

Final Warning and Hope

Ancestral worship may appear loving, respectful, cultural, or family-centered, but the Bible warns us not to seek the dead. We are called to worship the living God, not departed relatives. We are called to be led by the Holy Spirit, not familiar spirits. We are called to honor family without making family an idol.

Jesus Christ is greater than every family spirit, ancestral curse, generational altar, tomb ritual, and familiar spirit. You do not have to fear the dead. You do not have to serve ancestral spirits. You do not have to continue family rituals that violate Scripture.

Jesus Christ came to set the captives free.

If you have been involved in ancestral worship, repent, renounce it, close the doors, and receive deliverance. Worship belongs to God alone.

Need one-on-one deliverance?
https://www.touchofgod.org/ministry-programs/deliverance-ministry

Visit the Occult Checklist:
https://www.touchofgod.org/post/occult-checklist

Read about the Seven Biblical Curses Listed in the Bible:
https://www.touchofgod.org/post/the-seven-biblical-curses-listed-in-the-bible

Teresa Morin
President and Founder
Touch of God Int’l Ministries of Healing and Deliverance
Ordained Minister | Public Speaker
https://www.touchofgod.org

The Spiritual Danger of Voodoo, Rootwork, Charms, Dolls, and Curses

What Is Voodoo?

Voodoo, also spelled Vodou, Vodun, Vodoun, Vodu, or Vaudou, refers to a group of African and African-diasporic religious systems that involve spirits, ancestors, rituals, offerings, possession, divination, charms, altars, ceremonies, and spiritual power.

Voodoo is not just “Hollywood magic.” It is a real spiritual system with deep historical roots in West Africa and the African diaspora. It has different forms depending on the region, culture, and religious mixture.

Some forms are presented as religion, culture, ancestry, healing, protection, justice, or spiritual heritage. However, from a biblical perspective, the concern is that Voodoo involves contact with spirits, offerings to spirits, possession, divination, ritual power, curses, and spiritual agreements outside the authority of Jesus Christ.

God’s Word warns against divination, witchcraft, sorcery, familiar spirits, necromancy, and consulting spirits.

What Are the Main Types of Voodoo?

There are several major forms and related traditions.

1. West African Vodun

West African Vodun is especially associated with Benin, Togo, Ghana, and parts of Nigeria. It is connected to traditional African religious systems involving spirits, deities, ancestors, sacred objects, priests, ceremonies, divination, offerings, and spirit possession.

Benin is often described as one of the birthplaces or central locations of Vodun, especially the city of Ouidah. Vodun remains culturally and religiously significant in Benin, where it is publicly celebrated and recognized as part of national heritage.

2. Haitian Vodou

Haitian Vodou developed in Haiti through the blending of West and Central African religions with Roman Catholic elements during the period of slavery in colonial Saint-Domingue. It includes belief in Bondye, the spirits called lwa or loa, ancestor practices, ceremonies, drumming, dancing, offerings, possession, veves, altars, and ritual service to spirits.

Many Haitians have historically practiced Vodou alongside Catholicism, but spiritual mixture does not make a practice biblical.

3. Louisiana / New Orleans Voodoo

Louisiana Voodoo, often associated with New Orleans, developed through African, Haitian, Catholic, Native American, French, Spanish, and Creole influences. It historically involved spirits, rituals, charms, rootwork, healing, protection, curses, and spiritual practices.

New Orleans Voodoo is often mixed in the public mind with tourism, folk magic, Hoodoo, and occult shops, but Christians must still discern the spiritual roots and practices.

4. Dominican Vudú

Dominican Vudú is practiced in the Dominican Republic and has connections to Haitian Vodou, African religious systems, Catholic symbols, spirits, altars, ceremonies, and ancestral practices.

5. Cuban and Brazilian Related Traditions

While not always called Voodoo, related African-diasporic religions such as Santería, Palo, Candomblé, Umbanda, and Quimbanda share certain similarities: spirit work, deities, offerings, altars, possession, divination, and syncretism with Catholic saints or symbols.

6. Hoodoo / Rootwork / Conjure

Hoodoo is not the same as Vodou, but it is often confused with Voodoo. Hoodoo is a system of folk magic, rootwork, conjure, herbs, charms, spells, powders, candles, jars, and spiritual work that developed among enslaved African Americans in the southern United States.

From a biblical standpoint, Hoodoo is also spiritually dangerous because it often involves spells, charms, curses, divination, and manipulation through spiritual power.

Where Is Voodoo Popular or Practiced?

Voodoo and related traditions are found in many places around the world, especially where West African and African-diasporic spiritual systems spread through slavery, migration, and cultural preservation.

Major areas include:

• Benin
• Togo
• Ghana
• Nigeria
• Haiti
• Dominican Republic
• Louisiana, especially New Orleans
• Other parts of the southern United States
• Cuba
• Brazil
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Jamaica
• Puerto Rico
• French Caribbean regions
• African diaspora communities in North America and Europe

The exact name and form may vary by country. Some places use the word Vodun, some Vodou, some Voodoo, and others practice related traditions under different names.

Where Did Voodoo Come From?

Voodoo has roots in West African traditional religions, especially among groups such as the Fon, Ewe, Aja, Yoruba, and related peoples. Through the transatlantic slave trade, enslaved Africans carried their spiritual systems into the Caribbean and the Americas.

In Haiti, African spiritual systems mixed with Roman Catholic symbols and saints under colonial conditions. Enslaved people often preserved African religious practices while outwardly using Catholic imagery. This created syncretic systems where spirits were associated with saints and Catholic prayers were blended with spirit rituals.

From a historical view, Voodoo was connected to survival, identity, resistance, and community for many enslaved people. From a biblical view, however, spiritual oppression and suffering do not make spirit worship, possession, divination, or ritual offerings acceptable before God.

Pain does not make occult practice holy.

Who Is the Founder of Voodoo?

There is no single founder of Voodoo.

Voodoo developed over centuries through West African traditional religions and later diaspora communities in Haiti, Louisiana, and other regions.

Some historic figures are associated with particular forms, such as New Orleans Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau, but she did not found all Voodoo. Haitian Vodou and West African Vodun existed before her.

What Does Voodoo Teach?

Different forms of Voodoo vary, but common teachings or practices may include:

• belief in a supreme creator
• service to spirits
• lwa or loa spirits
• ancestors
• altars
• offerings
• sacrifices
• spirit possession
• drumming and dancing
• veves or ritual symbols
• charms
• amulets
• talismans
• candles
• ritual baths
• spiritual protection
• curses and counter-curses
• healing rituals
• divination
• spirit communication
• priests and priestesses
• initiation
• spirit marriages
• ritual obligations
• sacred objects

A person may be told they are honoring ancestors, seeking protection, healing sickness, removing curses, or serving spirits who help them. But the Bible does not allow God’s people to serve spirits.

What Are Lwa or Loa?

In Haitian Vodou, lwa or loa are spirits that practitioners serve, invoke, feed, petition, and sometimes become possessed by during ceremonies. The lwa are often treated as intermediaries between humans and the supreme creator.

From a Christian perspective, these spirits are not the Holy Spirit. They are not angels sent by God for believers to worship, feed, invoke, or serve. They are spirits receiving honor, offerings, and obedience.

The Bible warns that sacrifices to idols are connected to demons.

What Is Spirit Possession in Voodoo?

Spirit possession is a central practice in many Vodou ceremonies. Practitioners may say a spirit “mounts” or “rides” a person, meaning the spirit takes over the person’s body, speech, movement, or behavior.

From a biblical deliverance perspective, allowing a spirit to enter, control, or speak through a person is extremely dangerous. Christians are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, not possessed or mounted by spirits.

God’s Spirit does not need to seize control of a person like a demon.

What Are Voodoo Dolls?

Voodoo dolls are often exaggerated in Hollywood, but dolls, effigies, poppets, or symbolic objects may be used in folk magic, sympathetic magic, curses, healing rituals, or representation of a person.

The spiritual issue is not the doll itself, but using an object to spiritually affect, bind, curse, heal, control, or manipulate a person. That is witchcraft.

Broadly speaking, in Haitian Vodou, practitioners are usually trying to call, serve, or invite the presence of the lwa (also spelled loa) and sometimes the spirits of the dead. Ceremonies are often meant to ask for help, protection, healing, guidance, justice, or power. Offerings can include fruit, liquor, and sacrificed animals, and communication with the lwa is commonly sought through drumming, singing, and dancing that encourage spirit possession【turn458358view0†L157-L159】. From a Christian/deliverance perspective, this would be viewed as opening the door to unclean spirits, even though practitioners themselves would describe it differently.

Here’s a simple breakdown you can use:

What are they trying to conjure up?

In Vodou ceremonies, they are usually trying to invoke specific spirits rather than just “general power.” In Haitian Vodou, these spirits are called lwa. Different spirits are approached for different purposes—such as protection, love, healing, money, vengeance, crossroads/openings, death matters, or ancestral concerns【turn458358view0†L157-L159】.

What do they use in ceremonies?

Practices vary by country, temple, and tradition, but common ritual elements may include:

• Food offerings
• Liquor or rum
• Fruit
• Candles
• Drumming, singing, and dancing
• Altars and ritual symbols
• Herbs or baths
• Animal sacrifice / blood sacrifice in some ceremonies【turn458358view0†L158-L159】

Animal sacrifice is not used in every ceremony, but it is a known practice in some Vodou contexts as an offering to spirits【turn458358view0†L158-L159】.

Who is chosen to be the “medium”?

Usually the ceremony is led by a priest or priestess. In Haitian Vodou, the leaders are commonly called:

• Oungan / Houngan = male priest
• Manbo / Mambo = female priestess

However, the actual person who becomes the “medium” during a ceremony is often the person whom the spirit is believed to possess or “mount.” That is not always only the priest or priestess. A participant or dancer may be the one the spirit comes upon during the ritual.

In plain words

So, in short:

• They are trying to call spirits
• They may use offerings, food, liquor, songs, dancing, symbols, and sometimes blood sacrifice
• The ritual is usually overseen by a priest or priestess
• The “medium” is the person who becomes possessed or mounted by the spirit

From a biblical perspective

From a Christian deliverance perspective, this is extremely serious because it involves:

• spirit invocation
• offerings to spirits
• spirit possession
• divination and occult ritual

That is why it would be considered a form of witchcraft / spirit worship, not harmless culture or symbolism.

What Are Voodoo Curses?

Voodoo curses may involve rituals, spoken words, offerings, powders, objects, candles, spirits, dolls, graveyard dirt, personal items, animal sacrifice, or spiritual assignments against a person.

A Christian should not fear curses more than Christ. Jesus Christ has authority over every curse and every demon. However, if a person has open doors through sin, occult involvement, fear, unforgiveness, or generational agreements, deliverance may be needed.

Why Is Voodoo Against God’s Word?

Voodoo is against God’s Word because it involves practices Scripture forbids.

1. Voodoo Invokes Spirits

God’s people are not to consult familiar spirits or seek spirit communication.

2. Voodoo Uses Divination

Divination is forbidden in Scripture.

3. Voodoo Uses Offerings to Spirits

The Bible warns that sacrifices to idols are connected to demons.

4. Voodoo Can Involve Possession

Christians are called to be filled with the Holy Spirit, not controlled by spirits.

5. Voodoo Can Involve Curses and Witchcraft

Cursing, spells, charms, and occult manipulation are forbidden.

6. Voodoo Can Involve Ancestor Spirits

Honoring family is different from calling on or serving the dead.

7. Voodoo Mixes Religions

Mixing Catholic saints, Christian prayers, spirits, and African deities does not make the practice biblical.

What Does the Bible Say?

Deuteronomy 18:10–12

“There shall not be found among you any one that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD.”

Leviticus 19:31

“Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them…”

1 Corinthians 10:20–21

Paul warns that sacrifices offered to idols are offered to demons and that believers cannot partake of the Lord’s table and the table of demons.

Isaiah 8:19

“Should not a people seek unto their God?”

Acts 19:18–20

Those who practiced occult arts confessed their deeds and destroyed their occult materials after coming to Christ.

James 4:7

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Luke 10:19

Jesus gave authority over the power of the enemy.

Why Would Someone Get Involved in Voodoo?

People may become involved in Voodoo for many reasons.

1. Family Tradition

Some are born into families or cultures where Vodou or Vodun is practiced.

2. Fear of Spirits

Some participate because they fear curses, ancestors, spirits, or retaliation.

3. Desire for Protection

People may seek charms, rituals, or spirits for protection from enemies.

4. Desire for Healing

Voodoo may be used to seek healing from sickness, trauma, infertility, or mental torment.

5. Revenge or Justice

Some use curses, powders, dolls, or rituals to get revenge.

6. Love or Relationship Control

Love spells, binding rituals, and domination work may be used to control another person.

7. Financial Gain

People may seek rituals for money, luck, business success, or favor.

8. Cultural Identity

Some embrace Voodoo as cultural heritage.

9. Curiosity

Movies, social media, tourism, and occult shops can make Voodoo seem mysterious or exciting.

10. Desperation

When people are desperate, they may seek help from any spiritual source.

How Can Voodoo Hurt a Christian?

Voodoo can spiritually harm a Christian by opening doors to:

• familiar spirits
• witchcraft
• divination
• curses
• fear
• torment
• nightmares
• spirit possession
• spirit spouse
• ancestral spirits
• false religion
• occult bondage
• spiritual heaviness
• sickness
• confusion
• loss of peace
• demonic oppression
• sexual bondage
• relationship chaos
• financial oppression
• generational curses
• fear of retaliation

A Christian cannot mix Jesus with Voodoo.

Jesus Christ is enough.

Can Voodoo Curses Affect Christians?

A Christian who belongs to Jesus Christ does not need to fear Voodoo. Jesus has all authority.

However, Christians can still give the enemy legal rights through sin, fear, occult involvement, unforgiveness, idolatry, sexual sin, generational agreements, cursed objects, or participation in rituals.

If someone has been involved in Voodoo or believes they are under a curse, the right response is not fear. The right response is repentance, renunciation, forgiveness, breaking agreements, removing occult objects, and commanding every spirit to leave in the name of Jesus Christ.

Christian not walking in obedience or non-Christian effects of Voodoo Curses

What Are Some Manifestations of Voodoo Curses?

From a biblical deliverance perspective, Voodoo curses may manifest in different ways when a person has been targeted through witchcraft, spirit rituals, charms, powders, dolls, offerings, blood sacrifice, or demonic assignments. Not every problem is caused by Voodoo, and people should not live in fear, but if symptoms began after occult involvement, a curse, a ritual, a cursed object, or contact with a practitioner, the door should be addressed through repentance, renunciation, and deliverance in Jesus Christ.

Possible manifestations may include:

1. Spiritual Oppression

A person may feel a heavy darkness, fear, dread, torment, or an evil presence around them. They may feel watched, followed, or spiritually attacked.

2. Nightmares and Demonic Dreams

Dreams may include snakes, spiders, graveyards, dead relatives, altars, candles, dolls, blood, water, rituals, shadow figures, sexual spirits, or being chased.

3. Sudden Fear and Anxiety

A Voodoo curse may manifest as sudden panic, irrational fear, fear of death, fear of sleeping, fear of darkness, or fear that something evil is near.

4. Unexplained Sickness or Pain

Some people may experience strange physical symptoms, moving pains, unexplained weakness, headaches, stomach issues, chest pressure, fatigue, or symptoms doctors cannot easily explain. Medical care should not be ignored, but spiritual doors may also need to be closed.

5. Financial Blockages

Witchcraft assignments may target money, work, business, favor, promotions, contracts, or stability. A person may experience repeated setbacks, sudden losses, closed doors, or unusual financial pressure.

6. Relationship Chaos

Voodoo curses may manifest through sudden division, strife, confusion, betrayal, divorce pressure, broken communication, jealousy, suspicion, or unexplained conflict in marriage, family, or friendships.

7. Sexual Dreams or Spirit Spouse Activity

Some people experience sexual dreams, spirit spouse activity, seducing spirits, lust, perversion, or torment connected to spiritual covenants, rituals, or spirit marriages.

8. Confusion and Mental Torment

A person may experience racing thoughts, intrusive thoughts, mental fog, double-mindedness, obsessive fear, suicidal thoughts, or thoughts that feel foreign. If someone is in danger of self-harm, they should seek immediate emergency help while also pursuing prayer and deliverance.

9. Strange Activity in the Home

Manifestations may include objects moving, knocking sounds, shadows, lights flickering, foul smells, cold spots, sleep paralysis, or a sense of evil in certain rooms, especially where occult objects are present.

10. Repeated Miscarriage or Barrenness Attacks

Some witchcraft assignments may target fertility, marriage, pregnancy, or family lines. This should be handled with both medical wisdom and spiritual discernment.

11. Addiction and Compulsion

Curses may manifest through sudden bondage to alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling, rage, self-destruction, or compulsive behaviors.

12. Isolation and Rejection

The person may feel cut off, rejected, hated, abandoned, or unable to connect with others. A curse may try to separate the person from godly relationships and support.

13. Repeated Accidents or Destruction

Some people report repeated car accidents, injuries, broken items, house problems, sudden disasters, or patterns of destruction.

14. Pull Toward Occult Practices

A person may suddenly feel drawn to spells, candles, charms, psychics, Voodoo workers, graveyard rituals, revenge rituals, or occult protection.

15. Generational Patterns

If Voodoo, Vodou, Hoodoo, rootwork, witchcraft, spirit worship, or ancestor rituals are in the family line, manifestations may show up as repeating patterns of fear, sickness, poverty, divorce, addiction, early death, mental torment, or spiritual bondage.

Can Objects From Voodoo Be Dangerous?

Yes. Objects dedicated to spirits or used in rituals can be spiritually dangerous.

These may include:

• dolls
• charms
• amulets
• gris-gris bags
• powders
• oils
• candles
• ritual jewelry
• altars
• veves
• spirit bottles
• bones
• graveyard dirt
• shells
• ritual clothing
• drums used in ceremonies
• statues
• saint images used for spirits
• offerings
• talismans
• occult books
• spell papers

A Christian should not keep items dedicated to spirits, curses, or rituals.

What Spirits Can Be Connected to Voodoo?

From a deliverance perspective, Voodoo may open doors to:

• familiar spirits
• witchcraft spirits
• divination spirits
• Python
• ancestral spirits
• spirit guides
• death spirits
• torment spirits
• fear spirits
• marine spirits
• serpent spirits
• spirit spouse
• Jezebel
• lust
• control
• manipulation
• revenge
• murder
• false religion
• idolatry
• occult bondage
• infirmity
• confusion
• poverty spirits
• addiction
• possession spirits

What Curses or Bondages Can Come Through Voodoo?

1. Curse of Witchcraft

Voodoo rituals, spells, charms, and curses can open witchcraft doors.

2. Curse of Divination

Seeking guidance through spirits or ritual systems opens divination doors.

3. Curse of Familiar Spirits

Serving lwa, loa, ancestors, or spirit guides can invite familiar spirits.

4. Curse of Fear

Fear of curses, death, spirits, ancestors, or retaliation can create bondage.

5. Curse of Spirit Possession

Allowing spirits to mount, ride, or control a person is dangerous.

6. Curse of False Religion

Voodoo binds people to a spiritual system outside Jesus Christ.

7. Curse of Spirit Spouse

Some spirit systems can open doors to sexual dreams, spirit marriage, and demonic covenants.

8. Curse of Infirmity

Some people experience sickness, pain, or torment after rituals or curses.

9. Curse of Poverty and Blockage

Some witchcraft assignments target finances, work, favor, and advancement.

10. Generational Curse

Voodoo in the family line can create generational agreements until they are renounced through Jesus Christ.

Signs You May Need Deliverance From Voodoo

You may need deliverance if you experience:

• fear of Voodoo curses
• nightmares
• dreams of spirits, snakes, water, dead relatives, altars, or rituals
• hearing voices
• feeling watched
• oppression after visiting occult places
• strange sickness
• sudden relationship chaos
• sexual dreams or spirit spouse activity
• objects moving or disturbances in the home
• fear of death
• spiritual heaviness
• repeated setbacks
• compulsive anger or lust
• attraction to spells or rituals
• torment after receiving charms or objects
• feeling controlled by ancestors or spirits
• family history of Voodoo, Vodun, witchcraft, or spirit worship

What Should a Christian Do If They Practiced Voodoo?

1. Repent

Confess involvement in Voodoo, Vodou, Vodun, Hoodoo, rootwork, spirit worship, curses, charms, and rituals.

2. Renounce the Spirits

Renounce every lwa, loa, ancestor spirit, familiar spirit, deity, demon, and spirit guide.

3. Break Agreements

Break every covenant, initiation, vow, ritual, offering, sacrifice, dedication, and oath.

4. Destroy Occult Objects

Remove and destroy charms, dolls, powders, oils, candles, altars, saint images used for spirits, veves, spirit bottles, books, and ritual items.

5. Forgive and Renounce Revenge

If revenge or bitterness opened the door, forgive and release the person to God.

6. Break Soul Ties

Break ties formed through rituals, sex, spirit spouses, priests, priestesses, and occult groups.

7. Cancel Curses

Cancel every spell, curse, hex, vex, ritual, assignment, and sacrifice.

8. Seek Deliverance

If torment, manifestations, dreams, sickness, or fear continues, seek biblical deliverance.

Deliverance Prayer for Renouncing Voodoo

Father God, in the name of Jesus Christ, I come before You in repentance.

I confess and repent for any involvement in Voodoo, Vodou, Vodun, Hoodoo, rootwork, conjure, spirit worship, ancestor worship, lwa or loa service, charms, amulets, dolls, powders, oils, candles, veves, altars, offerings, sacrifices, spells, curses, divination, witchcraft, sorcery, and every occult practice connected to Voodoo.

I repent for seeking protection, healing, revenge, love, money, power, guidance, or answers from spirits instead of You.

I renounce Voodoo and every spirit behind it.

I renounce every lwa, loa, ancestor spirit, familiar spirit, spirit guide, false god, deity, demon, and spiritual power connected to Voodoo.

I renounce every initiation, vow, oath, covenant, dedication, offering, sacrifice, ritual, charm, curse, spell, altar, and bloodline agreement connected to Voodoo.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I break every agreement I made knowingly or unknowingly with Voodoo, Vodou, Vodun, Hoodoo, rootwork, conjure, witchcraft, divination, and familiar spirits.

I cancel every curse, hex, vex, spell, ritual, sacrifice, assignment, dedication, spirit marriage, soul tie, and legal right connected to Voodoo.

I command every demon that entered through Voodoo, Vodou, Vodun, Hoodoo, rootwork, conjure, spirit worship, ancestor worship, charms, rituals, or curses to leave me now in the name of Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus, wash my mind, body, soul, spirit, bloodline, home, dreams, emotions, relationships, finances, and calling in Your blood.

Fill me with the Holy Spirit. Restore my peace, discernment, authority, purity, and identity in Christ.

I declare that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I reject every false spirit. I reject every curse. I reject every occult covenant. I choose Jesus Christ alone.

In Jesus Christ’s name, amen.

Scriptures to Study

• Deuteronomy 18:10–12
• Leviticus 19:31
• Isaiah 8:19
• 1 Corinthians 10:20–21
• Mark 5:1–13
• Luke 10:19
• James 4:7
• 1 John 4:1
• 1 John 4:4
• Acts 19:18–20
• Galatians 5:19–21
• Ephesians 5:11
• Ephesians 6:10–18
• Colossians 2:14–15
• 2 Timothy 1:7

Final Warning

Voodoo may be presented as culture, ancestry, healing, protection, or spiritual tradition, but Christians must test every spirit by the Word of God.

God’s people are not called to serve spirits.

God’s people are not called to make offerings to spirits.

God’s people are not called to practice divination, curses, charms, possession, or spirit rituals.

Jesus Christ alone is Lord.

If you have been involved in Voodoo, Vodou, Vodun, Hoodoo, rootwork, conjure, spirit worship, ancestor practices, charms, rituals, curses, or offerings to spirits, repent and renounce it.

You may need deliverance to close every open door and break the legal rights of the enemy.

Visit the comprehensive Occult Checklist:
https://www.touchofgod.org/post/occult-checklist

Read more about the Seven Biblical Curses Listed in the Bible:
https://www.touchofgod.org/post/the-seven-biblical-curses-listed-in-the-bible

Schedule a one-on-one deliverance session:
https://www.touchofgod.org/ministry-programs/deliverance-ministry

See all programs, free ebooks, and scheduling links:
https://linktr.ee/teresamorin

Teresa Morin
President and Founder of Touch of God Int’l Ministries of Healing and Deliverance
https://www.touchofgod.org
Ordained Minister, Public Speaker
Featured in Who’s Who of America