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#23 The Facts On The Mormon Church
23. How frequently do spiritistic
revelations occur within Mormonism? How often are the dead contacted?
Given its theology, Mormon interest in seeking the spirits
revelations and contacts occur somewhat frequently within Mormonism. One major
Church teaching is that the spirits of the dead can be assisted and even saved
in the next life by work done on their behalf under the auspice of the Mormon
Church. How did the Mormon Church adopt such beliefs? From the spirits
themselves.
1) From its inception Mormonism accepted
spiritistic revelation from the dead and other spirits.
2) Part of these revelations from the spirits concerned the importance of
contacting the dead in order to assist them spiritually.
3) As a result, contacting the dead became a theological necessity within the
Mormon Church.
However, in Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (NIV), God
commands His people to avoid all forms of contact with the dead: "Let no one be
found among you...who practices divination or sorcery...engages in witchcraft,
or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord..."
In spite of this warning, the dead have always played a major role in the
practice of Mormonism. Both Smith and many subsequent leaders in the Mormon
Church were in regular contact with the spirit world. When dead family members
or biblical personalities appeared to Joseph Smith, he welcomed them. A sermon
delivered by Mormon Elder Parley Pratt in 1853 (five years after the celebrated
spiritist movement began in America) indicates early Mormon acceptance of Joseph
Smith as a "divine" medium. Jesus Christ was given the role of spiritistic
mediator, and spirits was to be practiced in the Mormon temple. Pratt glorified
in Joseph Smith's role as a spirit medium:
Who communicated with our great modern Prophet,
and revealed through him as a medium, the ancient history of a hemisphere, and
the records of the ancient dead? {i.e., who revealed the Book of Mormon? The
spirit} Moroni, who had lived on the earth 1400 years before...
Who ordained our first founders to the Apostleship, to hold the keys of the
Kingdom of God, and these the times of restoration? Peter, James, and John
from the eternal {spirit} world. Who instructed him in the mysteries of the
kingdom?...Angels and spirits from the eternal worlds. The Lord has ordained
that...conversations and correspondence with God, angels, and spirits, shall
be had only in the sanctuary of His holy temple on the earth...One of the
leading or fundamental truths of Mormon philosophy {is} that the living may
hear from the dead.
Temple spiritism is also noted by Walter
Martin, who cited Mormon theologian Charles Penrose in Mormon Doctrine:
"The temple where the ordinances can be administered for the dead, is a place to
hear from the dead. The Priesthood in the flesh, when it is necessary, will
receive communications from the priesthood behind the veil {the dead}."
The sixth president of the Church, Joseph F. Smith, continued to support
spiritistic/mediumistic contacts within the Church:
Our father and mothers, brothers, sisters and
friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful...may have
a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth
again, bringing from the divine presence messages of love, of warning, or of
reproof and instruction....
In harmony with the tradition of occultism in
general, many Mormon leaders have claimed they have received spiritistic
contracts from the dead "spiritual authorities"-Joseph Smith, Brigham Young,
other Church presidents, etc.
But if Mormon visitations from the spirit world bring unbiblical teachings
(as we have documented), how are they different from any other spiritistic
circles that claim visitation by the dead, such as Sun Myung Moon's Unification
Church or various "Christian" spiritualist churches? These also bring unbiblical
revelations that expose them as demonic deceptions (1 Timothy 4:1), as many
former mediums have openly confessed.
How does Mormonism justify its practice of contacting the dead? In harmony
with much "Christian" parapsychology and religious spiritualism, the Mormon
Church erects a false division between "godly" and "satanic" spirit contact.
Allegedly, all Mormon contract with the dead is "godly" practice.
But biblically there is no such division nor can Mormonism justify one. There
is no biblically endorsed practice involving "godly" contact with the dead, or
"ungodly" mediumism, "godly" channeling or spiritism; it is all
classified as an abomination to God (Deuteronomy 18:9-13). The Mormon practice
of contacting the dead is little different-in nature or consequence-than similar
practices found in the world of the occult. Nor is there any doubt that the
spirits who claim to be the dead are really lying spirits the Bible identifies
as demons.
Nevertheless, there are many books by Mormons that recount temple
manifestations of dead family members as truly "faith-promoting" experiences.
Joseph Heinerman's books Spirit World Manifestations, Eternal Testimonies,
and Temple Manifestations detail scores of stories of dead family
relatives and other spirits instructing Mormon leaders, missionaries, and laymen
in genealogical and other Mormon work. In fact, these and other books reveal
that for many Mormons, "true" religion involves not only ministering to the
spirits of the dead by proxy baptism, but also receiving guidance and
instruction from spirits of the dead for spiritual growth. Heinerman states:
The inhabitants of the spirit world have
received special permission to visit their mortal descendants and assist them
and impress upon their minds the primary importance of assimilating
genealogical information and performing vicarious ordinance work in the
temples.
Spirit world manifestations and angelic appearances have played and continue
to play a major role in the upbuilding of God's Kingdom {i.e., Mormonism} in
these latter days...
It should be gratifying to Latter-day Saints that those in the spirit world
have expressed an intense interest and are increasingly concerned with the
activities of God's people upon the earth.
Mormon theologian Duane S. Crowther teaches standard Mormon belief when he
says that "good" sprits return to the earth and converse with Mormons to:
* give counsel
* give comfort
* obtain or give information
* serve as guardian angels
* prepare others for death
* summon mortals into the spirit world
* escort the dying through the veil of death
Such teaching is in complete harmony with the
teachings of mediums and spiritists everywhere. In deed, at this point it is
impossible to distinguish Mormon practice from general spiritism.
In conclusion, there is no doubt that Mormonism is a spiritistic, occult
religion. It has an occult origin, promotes occult theology and philosophy, and
continues to promote occult practices such as contact with the dead.
Taken from The Facts On The Mormon Church, by
John Ankerberg and John Weldon, published by Harvest House Publishers.
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