Dream Catchers are Demon Catchers?

Are dream catchers innocent decorative pieces that you hang in your car? Or are they drawing the attention of demons?

History of Dream Catchers

Dream catchers are considered a powerful symbol of the Native American culture. They’re believed to filter out bad dreams and allow only good dreams to pass through to the sleeper. They come in different shapes, sizes, and designs but on average they consist of a hoop made of willow wood, decorated with feathers, beads, and a woven web or net inside the hoop.

There are many legends used in the Native American culture that explain the intent of dream catchers. For instance, one legend goes on to say to there was a grandmother who watched a spider spin its web for days. One day, her grandson comes and tries to kill it, and the grandmother protects the spider and stops him. The spider then thanks her and promises to spin a web that hangs between the moon and her. That web was intended to snare the bad dreams and keep them from her (Vault).

The dream catcher is traditionally hung above the bed or sleeping area of the individual and is believed to catch bad dreams in its web or net while allowing good dreams to pass through the holes and down to the sleeper. The bad dreams are then trapped in the web, where they eventually evaporate in the morning light.

At first, dream catchers may seem innocent but when we look through a Christian lens, spiders and webs are not typically symbols or representations of a “good spirit,” nor is there a physical item that can entrap evil or keep evil spirits away. It’s only the name of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and the armor of God that can help us.

Many Native Americans have strong spiritual beliefs. For them, these were not just decor items, but pieces that held spiritual significance. They provide connection and protection to and from another realm.

My own experience

Years ago when I had just started the youth ministry, there was a particular girl who had recurring nightmares. Me and a friend went to her house and I noticed that over her bed there was a unique decor piece. When I asked her about it, innocently, she said it was a dream catcher. The name alone made me wonder if perhaps this was the reason behind the bad dreams. It was clearly doing a bad job. At the time I didn’t know much about deliverance but I asked her to throw it away.

To our surprise, the nightmares subsided shortly after.

Read: Reasons Why a Demon Won’t Leave

Our view As Believers

I want to encourage you as a fellow believer to not fellowship with the works of darkness. I understand that there are a group of believers that uphold the liberties stated in 1 Corinthians 8. For context, this is the chapter where Paul deals with the people who have a weak conscience. In Corinth, there were believers who didn’t eat meat offered to idols. Others would eat that meat because they didn’t believe that those idols had power.

Now there are still many believers, who in the same way, say that we should enjoy our liberties–an object only has power if you give power to it. And I would agree when it comes to gray area matters, but not dream catchers.

Even if you don’t use it for that, the intent of the design remains the same. Simply not believing in it, will not remove the effects from your life. Now, I don’t have a negative view towards art from other cultures, nor do I believe that every person who owns a dream catcher has a demon, but I do believe that negative consequences are possible (Deuteronomy 7:25-26).

In our day, Satan will use what he can to entice believers to accept things that have pagan and occult roots like yoga, crystals, witchcraft-filled children’s movies, etc. We must stand firm and not be naive and ignorant of his devices.

Sources:
NativeAmericanVault.com. (n.d.). Legend of the Dreamcatcher. NativeAmericanVault.com. https://www.nativeamericanvault.com/pages/legend-of-the-dreamcatcher