Journal of Discourses 2:44; “The spiritual philosophy of the present age was introduced to the modern world by Joseph Smith. The people of the United States abandoned him to martyrdom, and his followers to fire, and sword, and plunder, and imprisonment, and final banishment to these far-off mountains and deserts, simply because a medium of communication with the invisible world had been found, whereby the living could hear from the dead.” – Parley Parker Pratt, Salt Lake City, April 6, 1853

Isaiah 8:19-20; “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? 20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

There are a couple of things to take note of in Mr. Pratt’s sermon above. The first thing we should look at is what God has to say about mankind talking to dead people.

In Isaiah’s day it was all the rage to visit fortune tellers. They’d fill wineskins with a bit of water or other fluid, and gently shake the skin while holding it out of view.

A sound emanating from the partially filled bag would sound much like a faint echoing ghostly voice, and the fortuneteller would then tell their customer what they wanted to hear. A deceased member of their family had spoken to them.

The necromantic scenario played itself out numerous times throughout Ancient Israel, and is what got them into a boatload of trouble with the Lord.

Now with our history lesson behind us, let’s take a quick look at Mr. Pratt’s ungodly wisdom…

1.Joe Smith was NOT the one who introduced their modern world to the spiritual pastimes of the day. See our article on Smith’s arrest record from 1820-1827 describing how the country was awash in American Folk Religion which included talking to the dead, not believing the Bible, practicing witchcraft, etc.

2.Smith wasn’t killed because he practiced witchcraft, and early Mormons weren’t run out of town because of it either. Smith and his followers found themselves in continuous trouble because they chose to keep breaking the law.

3.Mr. Pratt’s sermon made it sound like there was nothing wrong with talking to the dead. Nothing my friend, could be further from the truth! God strictly forbade this activity in early Israel, and He said nothing to indicate He’s changed His mind!

If you’re LDS, do you believe it’s okay to conjure up dead spirits to talk to them? Please know we’re praying for you to know the truth and hope you’ll examine these things with what our sweet Lord has to say!

With Love in Christ;

Michelle

1 Cor 1:18