Note: This is written by a Mormon.
From this blog: “In Kirtland there were manifestations of evil spirits in high places, which might have been considered more dangerous than the manifestations in the early establishment of the Church...
This is also corroborated by Joseph Smith himself:
"Soon after the Gospel was established in Kirtland...many false spirits were introduced, many strange visions were seen, and wild, enthusiastic notions were entertained; men ran out doors under the influence of this spirit, and some of them got upon the stumps of trees and shouted, and all kinds of extravagances were entered into by them; one man pursued a ball that he said he saw flying in the air, until he came to a precipice, when he jumped into the top of a tree, which saved his life; and many ridiculous things were entered into... (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 213-214)
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This is part of a continuing series -- The OTHER World Series:
Earlier this week:
* Reviews [The OTHER World Series: 'The eyes of the dead are upon us' - ex-LDS 'prophet'] [Quote from the Journal of Mormon History]
* Teachings Concerning The Spirit World [Lds: 'unseen...visitors'...from 'world beyond' close] [Quotes about the Mormon "spirit world" compiled by a BYU-Idaho professor]
Previous postings related to these two:
* 15 occultic and controversial facts you may want to know about Lds temples [Vanity] [Original post date: March 14, 2013]
* Journal of Discourses/Vol 2/Spiritual Communication [The OTHER World Series: Lds discourse w/dead]
* The Facts on the Mormon Church (The OTHER World Series - Macabre Manifestations)
* The Facts on the Mormon Church By John Ankerberg, John Weldon, Dillon Burroughs, page 194, Harvest House, 1991
From the blog -- citing 2nd Lds "prophet" Brigham Young:
“Where is the spirit world? It is right here. Do the good and evil spirits go together? Yes they do…. Do they go beyond the boundaries of the organized earth? No, they do not…. Can you see it with your natural eyes? No. Can you see spirits in this room? No. Suppose the Lord should touch your eyes that you might see, could you then see the spirits? Yes, as plainly as you now see bodies.”* 4th "prophet" of the Mormon church, Wilford Woodruff: “If the veil could be taken from our eyes and we could see into the spirit world, we would see that Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and John Taylor had gathered together every spirit that every [sic] dwelt in the flesh in this Church since its organization . . . The eyes of the dead are upon us."
* Woodruff again: "The dead will be after you, they will seek after you as they have after us in St. George [temple]. They called upon us, knowing that we held the keys and power to redeem them. I will here say before closing, that two weeks before I left St. George, the spirits of the dead gathered around me, wanting to know why we did not redeem them." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 19, p. 229).
* 13th "prophet" of the Mormon church: "Visitors, seen and unseen, from the world beyond, are often close to us." (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.35)
From Lds.org [official Mormon church Website, citing 2nd "prophet" Brigham Young and Benson and then Parley P. Pratt, Lds "apostle"]:
"President Young confirmed that the spirit world 'Is on this earth.' (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 376.) In a recent general conference, President Ezra Taft Benson declared that 'the spirit world is not far away. Sometimes the veil between this life and the life beyond becomes very thin. Our loved ones who have passed on are not far from us.' (Ensign, June 1971, p. 33.) Apparently the spirit world is incorporated with the physical world. The earth has a spirit in it just as our physical bodies have spirits in them. Elder Parley P. Pratt wrote that the spirit world 'is here on the very planet where we were born; or in other words, the earth and other planets of like sphere, have their inward or spiritual spheres, as well as their outward, or temporal. The one is peopled by temporal tabernacles, and the other by spirits. A barrier is placed between the one sphere and the other, whereby all the objects in the spiritual sphere are rendered invisible to those in the temporal,'” (Key to Theology, 9th ed., Deseret Book, 1965, pp. 126–27.)
Source: The Spirit World, Our Next Home
[For previous FR discussions on this article, see: The Spirit World, Our Next Home and The Spirit World, Our Next Home(The OTHER World Series: Mormon beliefs beyond this world)]
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Now...what's a proper pro-Christian...in Christ critique of these Mormon occultic worldviews???
…the Mormon church erects a false division between ‘godly’ and ‘satanic’ spirit contact. They allege that all Mormon contact 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, “godly” mediumism, “godly” channeling, or “godly” spiritism – it is all classified as an abomination to God (Deuteronomy 18:9-13)…Nevertheless, there are a number of 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 details scores of stories of dead family members and other spirits instructing Mormon leaders, missionaries, and laymen…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 explains, The inhabitants of the spirit world have received special permission to visit their mortal descendants and assist them and impress upon their minds…
* See: The Facts on the Mormon Church By John Ankerberg, John Weldon, Dillon Burroughs, page 194, Harvest House, 1991
For a previous thread discussion on this, see: The Facts on the Mormon Church (The OTHER World Series - Macabre Manifestations)
According to Mormon authorities, why are Mormons taught secret grips and handshakes as part of their temple ceremonies?
Answer:
- So Mormons can discern the devil, angels and spirits of the dead
- In order for Mormons to be admitted into the Celestial Kingdom
According to Joseph Smith, "Angels know the secret handshake, real persons know it, and spirits don't know it but won't shake. The Devil feels transparent. By this everyone can be distinguished from one another – this is how you can tell for sure who someone is."
You don't need to worry too much if you are a Mormon and forget your grips when you approach the pearly gates seeking eternal glory because, according to Mormon teachings, "An angel will be at the gate to prompt you thru the handshaking ceremony. We know this is true, because the scripture tell us so."