Is burning sage compatible with the Christian faith or is it Witchcraft?

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Is burning sage compatible with the Christian faith or is it Witchcraft?

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Exploring whether burning sage is a cultural tradition or a spiritual compromise, this conversation invites you to share how you interpret its use through the lens of Scripture and Christian living.

#SpiritualDiscernment #ChristianFaith #BurningSage #BiblicalTruth #ChristianForums #CrosswalkForums #FaithCommunity #FaithForums

Photo Courtesy: © Getty Images/Volodymyr Zakharov

Burning sage—also known as smudging—has become a popular spiritual practice for those seeking peace, healing, or to “cleanse” negative energy from a space. But as more Christians encounter this trend, it raises some important questions: Does this practice align with biblical truth, or does it cross the line into spiritual deception?

Scripture warns us to be discerning when it comes to spiritual practices, especially those rooted in traditions outside of God’s Word. Yet some argue that burning sage is simply a cultural or symbolic gesture. So where should Christians draw the line between symbolism, superstition, and spiritual compromise?

What do you think? Have you seen or experienced this practice?

Read more here:

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How do you define witchcraft?

Exodus 30: 7-8 says
7 “Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. 8 He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come.

[Psalm 141:2
May my prayer be set before you like incense. may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice

[Revelation 8:3]
Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne

None of these scriptures indicate that God has a problem with the burning of incense.

The scriptures that do take issue imply that the incense was offered to another god, which has nothing to do with the incense itself but the treaspassing of the Commandment:

You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3

As opposed to the act of burning incense in and of itself. Unless it is dedicated to a specific god or purpose, then it just smells nice so… Whats the problem?

As for smudging (burning sage/herb/incense), if it is used to clear negativity or evil spirits or demons from a given space or to prepare that space for spiritual practice, I would say that, for a Christian, it only matters by what name you do these things. Or by which god.

1Corinthians 10:30
[New Living Translation]
If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it?

Or

[Majority Standard Bible]
If I partake in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

If this aegument can apply to food, back when some people considered some food to be sinful to eat, why wouldn’t the same logic apply for a spiritual practice you do in the name of Christ? By the Holy Spirit? When God created the sage to begin with?

Perhaps it is a matter of conscience as well. If you think of it as witchcraft and you feel guilty at the thought of doing it, then don’t do it. Or if you are fine with it but others wont be, don’t tell them and don’t do it with them.

Salt is commonly used in witchcraft too. Would you stop using salt all together because a group of people use salt to dip their crystals or magic wands to clear hostile energies?

A lemon is said to clear negativity from a space too. You slice it in half and leave it in a room. And it makes the room smell good.

There is a practice of putting a pinapple above a door frame in order to magically get wealth.

Some people even take a certain turkey bone and have a contest to see who breaks off the bigger piece- then make a wish. Others make a wish after blowing out the candles on their birthday cake…

Salt, lemons, and pinapples, turkey bones, and the birthday cakes of children… Does evil know no bounds?

I define the spirit of witchcraft as trying to bend the will of another to your own will. Manipulating, controlling, decieving. Anything done for selfish gain that disrespects the will, personal boundaries or well being of another person, a group, the well being of the world, and of course the Will of God. Any spiritual practice that corrupts a person, takes posession of them, treats them as an object to be used, sickens them into decline, or moves them to do what you want them to do despite what they themselves would want or choose to do for themselves.

So praying that someone would love you, against their will, could be considered witchcraft.

Praying that someone would stay home with you because you are lonely instead of going to work or visiting their family could be considred witchcraft.

Praying for God to destroy your enemies or to do harm to others could be considered witchcraft.

Unless you pray for their absolute good, well being, safe keeping, preservation, maturity, salvation, or that God would help them to know the truth or percieve clearly…etc

So that not only does it matter by what God you pray, but also your intention for saying the prayer Does it line up with the nature of the Holy Spirit? And if not, perhaps the prayer itself needs to be meditated on and prayed about.

At least that is my opinion. Take it with a grain of…salt.

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Hi,
The only time I burn sage is if the barbeque gets too hot.

Blessings

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Depends why they are burning it.
If it is for some ’ spiritual ’ reason and they are Christian, then it is superstitious superstitious and they should not be doing it.

However there is some evidence that sage smoke can remove airborne bacter and help alance negitive ions in the air.
That said the burning sage needs to be smouldering away in the room for at least an hour.

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From a theological perspective, the use of incense in Orthodox Christian practice is fundamentally distinct from the burning of sage in non-Christian or New Age contexts. Incense, such as frankincense or myrrh, is deeply rooted in biblical and liturgical tradition, functioning as a sacramental adjunct to prayer that symbolizes the ascent of the faithful’s petitions to God (cf. Psalm 141:2; Exodus 30:1–10). Its efficacy and significance derive entirely from its blessing and consecration within the Church, and its use is Christocentric in both intent and spiritual authority. In contrast, sage smudging originates in ritualistic practices external to the Christian faith, often invoking natural or spiritual powers independent of divine authority. The distinction, therefore, is not merely material or phenomenological—both practices produce aromatic smoke—but ontological and theological: incense participates in a divinely sanctioned ritual framework, whereas sage smudging engages spiritual mechanisms outside the canonical and Christ-centered locus, which from an Orthodox perspective may constitute occultic or superstitious activity.

I have seen it (burning sage) in many videos with haunted houses, its witchcraft

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No, burning sage for spiritual purposes is not biblical and is not something that a Christian should do. It is true that in the Old Testament, people burned incense, but this was not something invented by man, but a ritual that God Himself commanded specifically in the Law of Moses. In Exodus 30: 7–8 we see that the priest Aaron was to burn incense every morning and evening before the Lord. It was meant to symbolize the prayers of God’s people being offered before the Lord, “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” Psalm 141:2. It was holy because it was God-commanded and only to be done by the priests in the tabernacle or temple. God even warned that this was not to be replicated for private use, Exodus 30: 37, and when Nadab and Abihu offered incense in an unauthorized way, God struck them down for offering “strange fire” Leviticus 10:1–2.

The key difference is that burning sage today is not something God has commanded, and is instead used in pagan or occult rituals to “ward off spirits” or “cleanse spaces.” This is no different than divination or witchcraft, which God has called an abomination, Deuteronomy 18:10–12. In the New Testament, we are never instructed to burn incense, herbs, or anything else for spiritual protection. Instead, we are told to resist the devil by submitting to God, James 4:7, to put on the whole armor of God which includes prayer and the Word, Ephesians 6:17–18, and to trust that only the blood of Christ truly cleanses us from sin, 1 John 1:7. Revelation 5: 8 makes clear that the “incense” God now accepts is the prayers of His saints, not physical rituals.

So while incense in the Old Testament was a God-ordained and prescribed symbol of prayer, burning sage for spiritual purposes is man-made and falls into the category of witchcraft. The only true cleansing and protection for a Christian is in Christ, His Word, and prayer by the Holy Spirit.

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I agree with the other wise Christians that it is superstitious witchcraft. We trust in God to be our protection:

“But you, O LORD, are a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head” -Psalm 3:3

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