19th century occultic Mormon phenomena: Paranormal intermingling, demonic possession [Vanity]

Colofornian | Oct. 31, 2013 | Colofornian

[Colofornian]

Latayne Colvett Scott wrote about her experiences in being "proxy baptized" on behalf of the dead when she was a Mormon teen. And even though the process is quite mechanical, activity at Mormon temples can range greatly from the mechanical to the mystical, where, Scott wrote:

"This sort of mechanical processing of proxies goes on daily in the...temples around the world. Literally millions of dead persons have had proxy baptisms done for them in this assembly-line fashion...the righteous dead can intermingle with and teach those who have not received the Gospel in mortal life." (Latayne Colvett Scott, The Mormon Mirage: A Former Mormon Tells Why She Left the Church, Zondervan, 1979, pp. 194-195)

Hence, the Mormon has encouraged spirit visitations and spirit manifestations from the dead -- being on record with over 50 years of encouraging such "communications" from 19th Lds "apostles" like Parley P. Pratt and Charles W. Penrose.

Indeed, the history of the Mormon church within the 19th century is replete with occultic darkness [Documentation is sourced in chart at end of this article]:

• Demonic manifestations and signs of demonic possessions, 1831-1837
• "The man of sin" revealed coincidentally as the very first time the Mormon priesthood is conferred (June 3, 1831)
• During -- and following -- the dedication of the very first Mormon temple at Kirtland, Ohio (March 27, 1836), Joseph Smith wrote about "many false spirits were introduced, many strange visions were seen, and wild, enthusiastic notions were entertained: men ran out of 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..." It was a temple the Mormons lost when they moved from the community.
• Joseph Smith chooses macabre settings -- funeral sermons -- to unveil two controversial NEW Mormon doctrine (one, 10+ years into their existence; the other 14 years). The first was Necro-baptism, when people are heightened emotionally in grieving their dead; and then the provocative teaching that men can become gods, and that the Mormon god was once a man who got the "god job"
• An Lds "apostle" (Boyd Packer) concedes in an 1980 book that over a 2.5 year point late in Joseph Smith's life, Smith became obsessed with the dead
• In April 1842, two years before Smith's dead in a shootout, Smith writes an editorial that mentions the "false spirits that so frequently are made manifest among the Latter-day Saints"
• The Mormon church concedes -- in an Oct. 30, 2011 article published by the Mormon church (the Lds church owns Deseret News) -- that Lds "apostle" Parley P. Pratt...ancestor to Mitt Romney..."had a substantial influence on early Mormon doctrine. In certain instances, Pratt may have taken doctrines taught by the Prophet and proceeded to teach or expand upon them. In other instances, Pratt may have shared his thoughts with Joseph, “who later embraced them and confirmed them.” One example relates to the doctrine of theosis that teaches men and women can become like God. Joseph taught this principle in his famous King Follett Sermon, and yet “you find that in Parley’s writings several years before you find it in Joseph’s writings.” The Deseret News says Pratt "enjoyed Smith’s intimate association at a number of periods in his life, including their initial confinement together in Missouri.” 5 questions answered about Parley P. Pratt
• Hence, Parley P. Pratt would be an excellent authority to comment upon Smith during the 23rd anniversary of the Mormon church and its temple, which he said was to be used "...AS A MEDIUM THROUGH WHICH THE LIVING CAN HEAR FROM THE DEAD. Shall we, then, deny the principle, the philosophy, the fact of communication between worlds? No! verily no! 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...simply because a medium of communication with the invisible world had been found, whereby the living could hear from the dead. ...an obscure boy and his few associates, in the western wilds of New York, commenced to hold CONVERSE WITH THE DEAD...ONE OF THE LEADING OR FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS OF "MORMON" PHILOSOPHY, viz. - "That the living may hear from the dead."... ...we...call attention to the means of discriminating or judging between the lawful and the unlawful mediums or channels of communication...the holy Prophet...remind us that a people should seek unto their God for the living to hear from the dead! ...the Lord...has committed to this Priesthood the keys of holy and divine revelation, and of CORRESPONDENCE, OR COMMUICATION BETWEEN angels, SPIRITS, AND MEN... ...all the most holy CONVERSATIONS AND CORRESPONDENCE WITH God, angels, and SPIRITS, shall be had only in the sanctuary of His holy Temple... Ye are assembled...and have laid these Corner Stones, for the express purpose that the living might hear from the dead, and that we may prepare a holy sanctuary, where "the people may seek unto their God, for the living to hear from the dead"...
• Smith's closest cohort in the initial jumpstarting of Mormonism was Sidney Rigdon, who left the Mormon church. Decades later, Rigdon was regularly channeling the dead!
• The Mormon "prophet" who helped the church do its u-turn on earthly polygamy claimed that in the last two weeks before he left the St. George, Utah Mormon temple, that the spirits of the signers of the Declaration of Independence -- with George Washington -- allegedly appeared to Woodruff. Were these indeed ghosts of the signers? Could they have been demons in disguise as ghosts?
• Ghostly newspaper delivery "boys" delivered a UK newspaper to a Mormon leader in 1884 before it could have possibly been even hand-delivered
• In 1887, Woodruff again was revisiting how "The dead will be after you, they will seek after you as they have after us in St. George. They called upon us..."
• An Lds "apostle" -- Charles Penrose -- writes in 1888: "Knowledge that is needful concerning the spiritual sphere will come through an appointed channel and in the appointed place. The temple where the ordinances can be administered for the dead, is the place to hear from the dead. The priesthood in the flesh, when it is necessary, will receive communications from the Priesthood behind the vail."
• During the opening of the Salt Lake City Mormon temple (Spring, 1893), An official Mormon church publication claims that when the LDS opened their temple in the Spring of 1893, an official Mormon church publication claims that "Some Latter-day Saints saw...past Presidents of the Church and other deceased Church leaders."
• A Mormon's journal entry for a particular day in April, 1893 claims to have been visited by his deceased brother.
• In 1895, a polygamous wife of both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young talked
• "the affinity between the dead and us."

"A Christian in looking at this doctrine that a person can accept Christ after death will want to know how Mormons explain the story of the rich man and Lazarus as found in Luke 16:19-26. The late President Joseph Fielding Smith, in his book, Way to Perfection, explained around the great truth of the Bible's teachings on repenting after death by saying that the 'great gulf' was only fixed before the death of Christ. After the Savior's resurrection, it no longer existed. Thus the righteous dead can intermingle with and teach those who have not received the Gospel in mortal life." (Source: Latayne Colvett Scott, The Mormon Mirage: A Former Mormon Tells Why She Left the Church, Zondervan, 1979, p. 195)

On the previous page, Scott wrote about her experiences in the Mormon temple as a Mormon teen:

"When my name was called, I went down into the water. The baptizing elder turned me around so that he could see a large screen, something like an electric football scoreboard, which he looked at over my shoulder. On top of the screen was my name, and below it a name I don't remember, but which I'll say was Elizabeth Anderson. 'Sister Celeste Latayne Colvett,' he said, looking at the screen, 'having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you, for and in behalf of Elizabeth Anderson, who is dead, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.' Then he quickly dropped his right arm from the square and lowered me beneath the water. As I was regaining my footing (you learn after the third or fourth time to put one foot slightly behind the other to help you get back out of the water) he had already begun the same prayer, inserting this time the name of another dead woman which had flashed onto the screen behind me. Fifteen consecutive baptisms were performed with me as proxy in a matter of about three minutes. As I left the font, another proxy was preparing to be baptized. Then I was led into a 'confirmation room' where a man sat on a high stool with a chair near his knees. I sat on the chair, my back to him, and he and several other elders placed heir hands heavily upon my head while he pronounced this prayer: 'Sister Celeste Latayne Colvett, in the name of Jesus Christ, we lay our hands upon your head for and in behalf of Elizabeth Anderson, who is dead, and confirm you a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints..." (The Mormon Mirage, p. 194)

What is of interest in the "confirmation room" process Scott wrote about is that many Mormons have said that this proxy Baptism process offers a "choice" in which spirits on the other can reject becoming Mormons. Yet, an "automatic" confirmation process has been part and parcel of the proxy baptisms--indeed Lds leaders "confirm" dead souls as "members of the church."

A blogger who ministers to Mormons, Sharon Lindbloom, has noted: "Unlike Christianity, which recognizes a biblical prohibition against contact with the dead (e.g., Deuteronomy 18:9-14), Mormonism embraces it." Mormonism and Visitations from the Dead

The Bible forbids such communication with the dead -- otherwise known as necromancy.

Do Mormon leaders still encourage occultic temple communications?

Judge for yourself:

DATE	Occultic Communication Encouraged	SOURCE
Open House start date April 3, 1993 San Diego, CA Temple	Visitations by the dead: Prior to the dedication of the San Diego temple, local Mormon families were given a packet entitled Family Temple Preparation Material. Included in this written material were about seven pages devoted to "true stories" of temple patrons who were visited by the dead	They See Dead People?
Aug. 12, 1949 -- republished by Mormon church in its Deseret Book Co. publishing, 1972	"I haven't actually seen any of them, but sometimes when I have finished an endowment or a sealing session in the Salt Lake Temple my bosom has burned, and I have known keep within me that those persons for whom I have officiated have accepted that work."	Bountiful Second Ward Chapel, "Disembodied Spirit Life" section of Life Eternal: A Series of Four Lectures Lynn A. McKinlay, Deseret Book Co. 1972, p. 206
1980	Lds "apostle" Boyd K. Packer: "On many occasions I have been present -- when sealings were to be performed, when temple ordinance work was being done, when funeral sermons were being preached --in circumstances when the veil was very thin. The gratitude of those who have gone beyond found its way through the misty barrier and was communicated as spiritual things are communicated."	The Holy Temple, Bookcraft, 1980, p. 267
2009	Even Mormon Sunday School material highlights spirit paranormal manifestations	Lds.org Sunday School Chapter Detail: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Gospel Doctrine Teacher's Manual: See p. 2
Fall 2006 (and assumed other years' courses as well)		Religious Education class at BYU -- C261: Intro to Lds Family History (Genealogy): See 'Manifestations of the Spirits' section, pp. 57-58
1996	An official Mormon church publication -- even placed wholly as a digital publication for years -- highlighted such occultic communication allegedly occurring in 1884 and 1893 ... see chart below	Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1996 pp. 99, 102
1983	An official Mormon church priesthood manual was encouraging such paranormal communication in citing an 1884 manifestation	Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin Joseph Ballard, Deseret Book Co. p. 249, as cited in Come Follow Me, Melchizedek Priesthood Personal Study Guide, p. 162, 1983

Documentation of Occultic Mormon 19th-Century History

YEAR	JOSEPH SMITH or LDS Leader 'Revelation' or Mingling with the Dead Episode	SOURCE
1830s
1831	”The records of early Mormonism are replete with accounts of activity from the spirit world. According to John Whitmer, who was the official Church Historian in Joseph Smith's time, some converts to the new religion would 'act like an Indian in the act of scalping,' or would 'slide or scoot on the floor with the rapidity of a serpent....' During the ordination ceremony of Harvey Whitlock as a high priest in 1831, he was seen to have 'turned as black as Lyman was white,' his fingers 'were set like claws,' and, unable to speak, he went about the room with eyes 'as the shape of oval Os....' On another occasion, one man, who weighed over 200 pounds, was thrown through the air by an unseen force, and another 'began screaming like a panther....'	46. John Whitmer, John Whitmer's History (Salt Lake City, Utah: Modern Microfilm Company, n.d.), Chapter Six and 47. Max H. Parkin, Conflict at Kirtland: A Study of the Nature and Causes of External and Internal Conflict of the Mormons in Ohio Between 1830 and 1838 (Salt Lake City: Max Parkin, 1966), pages 79-80 – both as cited in GOD-MEN AND SPIRITUAL VEGETABLES:The Occult Worldview of Mormonism
1831 [Source is much later from Whitmer is describing 1831 manifestations]	”John Whitmer wrote: 'Some had visions and could not tell what they saw, some would fancy to themselves that they had the sword of Laban, and would wield it as expert as a light dragoon; some would act like an Indian in the act of scalping; some would slide or scoot on the floor with the rapidity of a serpent, which they termed sailing in the boat to the Lamanites, preaching the gospel. And many other vain and foolish maneuvers that are unseeming and unprofitable to mention. Thus the devil blinded the eyes of some good and honest disciples. I write these things to show how ignorant and undiscerning children are, and how easy mankind is led astray, notwithstanding the things of God that are written concerning his kingdom.'	“Church History,” Journal of History, Jan. 1908, p. 55 – as quoted by a href=”http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3085089/posts”>D&C Student Manual
June 3, 1831	The Mormon priesthood being conferred corresponds EXACTLY with the manifest revelation of “the man of sin”: “...the Elders from the various parts of the country where they were laboring, came in; and the conference before appointed, convened in Kirtland; the Lord displayed His power to the most perfect satisfaction of the Saints. The man of sin was revealed, and the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood was manifested and conferred for the first time upon several of the elders.”	History of the Church, vol. 1, p. 175-176
Aug. 12, 1831	Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, on the bank of the Missouri River, McIlwaine’s Bend, August 12, 1831. On their return trip to Kirtland, the Prophet and ten elders had traveled down the Missouri River in canoes. On the third day of the journey, many dangers were experienced. Elder William W. Phelps, in a daylight vision, saw the destroyer riding in power upon the face of the waters.	Lead-in intro to Lds 'scripture' D&C 61
March 27, 1836 and continuing into next year	Joseph Smith observed: “Soon after the Gospel was established in Kirtland, and during the absence of the authorities of the Church, many false spirits were introduced, many strange visions were seen, and wild, enthusiastic notions were entertained: men ran out of 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, calculated to bring disgrace upon the Church of God..."	Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons 1 April 1842, p. 747, cited at D&C Student Manual
July 30, 1837	Eventual first president Heber C. Kimball, who would become second counselor to Brigham Young, demon possessed and other Lds missionaries attacked by demons in Preston, UK	Discovering LDS Preston – Satanic attack
1840s
Aug. 10, 1840	Joseph Smith uses macabre setting – a funeral sermon – to first introduce the doctrine of necro-baptism	”I first mentioned the doctrine in public when preaching the funeral sermon of Brother Seymour...”	BYU Family History Lab
January 1841-->Summer 1843	Joseph Smith becomes obsessed with the dead: "The Prophet Joseph Smith...had received the revelations (sections 124, 127, 128, and 132) which pertain directly to this work.” [Re: the dead] “And during the last part of his life he said, 'This subject was upon my mind more than any other.'"	Lds “apostle” Boyd K. Packer, The Holy Temple, p. 191 1980 Bookcraft
April 1842	”...who can drag into daylight and develop the hidden mysteries of the false spirits that so frequently are made manifest among the Latter-day Saints?”	Joseph Smith, The Prophet's Editorial in the Times and Seaons, as found in History of the Church, Vol. 4, p. 573
April 7, 1844	It's less than three months before Joseph Smith's death. And, like he did with a Baptism of the Dead doctrinal unveiling, Smith chooses yet another funeral sermon to unveil one of the most controversial Mormon doctrines: That men can become gods (and that God was once a man).	The King Follett [funeral] sermon
1850s
April 6, 1853	”How do the Saints expect the necessary information by which to complete the ministrations for the salvation and exaltation of their friends who have died? By one holding the keys of the oracles of God, AS A MEDIUM THROUGH WHICH THE LIVING CAN HEAR FROM THE DEAD. Shall we, then, deny the principle, the philosophy, the fact of communication between worlds? No! verily no! 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...simply because a medium of communication with the invisible world had been found, whereby the living could hear from the dead. ...an obscure boy and his few associates, in the western wilds of New York, commenced to hold CONVERSE WITH THE DEAD...ONE OF THE LEADING OR FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS OF "MORMON" PHILOSOPHY, viz. - "That the living may hear from the dead."... ...we...call attention to the means of discriminating or judging between the lawful and the unlawful mediums or channels of communication...the holy Prophet...remind us that a people should seek unto their God for the living to hear from the dead! ...the Lord...has committed to this Priesthood the keys of holy and divine revelation, and of CORRESPONDENCE, OR COMMUICATION BETWEEN angels, SPIRITS, AND MEN... ...all the most holy CONVERSATIONS AND CORRESPONDENCE WITH God, angels, and SPIRITS, shall be had only in the sanctuary of His holy Temple... Ye are assembled...and have laid these Corner Stones, for the express purpose that the living might hear from the dead, and that we may prepare a holy sanctuary, where "the people may seek unto their God, for the living to hear from the dead"...	Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, pp. 44-46
1860s
1868	Re: former early cohort of Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon (who left Smith's group): ”Sidney Rigdon was Prophet, Seer and Revelator for a small group of Mormons in New York. In his capacity as prophet, Rigdon regularly received revelations, often directed at specific followers. His revelations include channeling of the dead. He recorded these revelations and sent them to his follower Stephen Post. The resulting compilation of revelations (in Rigdon’s handwriting) are available today in the Stephen Post Collection at the University of Utah, where they are stored as Copying Book A & Book of the Revelations of Jesus Christ to the Children of Zion Through Sidney Rigdon Prophet & Seer & Revelator. Essentially this scripture can be viewed as The Doctrine and Covenants Part II.”	Sidney Rigdon: Channeling The Dead
1870s
Early 1877	In the last two weeks before he left the St. George, Utah temple, we have at least four accounts that claim that the spirits of the signers of the Declaration of Independence -- with George Washington -- having appeared to Woodruff. Is the temple haunted? Were these indeed ghosts of the signers? Could they have been demons in disguise as ghosts?	Lds Temple Haunted? Did Declaration of Independence signers appear as ghosts to leader? [Vanity]
1880s
Oct. 10, 1880	Fourth Lds "prophet" Wilford Woodruff reveals that during the late 1840s or sometime during the 1850s he: "I have had many interviews with Brother Joseph until the last 15 or 20 years of my life; I have not seen him for that length of time." One of the top three-ranked Mormon leaders, Lds "apostle"/First President Heber C. Kimball also claimed: "Joseph Smith continued visiting myself and others up to a certain time, and then it stopped."	Journal of Discourses 21, pp. 317-318; source for Kimball's quote: Deseret Weekly News, 53:112, Temples of the Most High, 1896, p. 345
May, 1884	The Haunting of Bishop Ballard's Neighborhood by Elderly Newspaper Delivery Boys Ghostly newspaper delivery "boys": "In May 1884, Bishop Henry Ballard of the Logan Second Ward was signing temple recommends at his home. Henry's nine-year-old daughter, who was talking with friends on the sidewalk near her home, saw two elderly men approaching. They called to her, handed her a newspaper, and told her to take it to her father. The girl did as she was asked. Bishop Ballard saw that the paper, the Newbury Weekly News, published in England, contained the names of more than 60 of his and his father's acquaintances, along with genealogical information. This newspaper, dated 15 May 1884, had been given to him only three days after it was printed. In a time long before air transportation, when mail took several weeks to get from England to western America, this was a miracle. The next day, Bishop Ballard took the newspaper to the temple and told the story of its arrival to Marriner W. Merrill, the temple president. President Merrill declared, 'Brother Ballard, someone on the other side is anxious for their work to be done and they knew that you would do it if this paper got into your hands.'" (Our Heritage: A Brief History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1996, p. 99) Ballard was then quoted by Bryant S. Hinckley in Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin Joseph Ballard, Deseret Book Co, p. 249, as saying: "Elder Melvin J. Ballard testified that 'the spirit and influence of your dead will guide those who are interested in finding those records." (As cited in Come Follow Me, Melchizedek Priesthood Personal study guide, 1983)	Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1996 p. 99; Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin Joseph Ballard, Deseret Book Co. p. 249, as cited in Come Follow Me, Melchizedek Priesthood Personal Study Guide, p. 162, 1983
Sept. 16, 1887	Fourth Mormon Prophet Wilford Woodruff tells followers, ”I feel to say little else to the Latter-day Saints wherever and whenever I have the opportunity of speaking to them, than to call upon them to build these Temples now under way, to hurry them up to completion. The dead will be after you, they will seek after you as they have after us in St. George. 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 19:229
1888	Lds “apostle” Charles W. Penrose: "Knowledge that is needful concerning the spiritual sphere will come through an appointed channel and in the appointed place. The temple where the ordinances can be administered for the dead, is the place to hear from the dead. The priesthood in the flesh, when it is necessary, will receive communications from the Priesthood behind the vail." Later (1906) quote from Penrose: "...the Priesthood behind the veil will reveal to the Priesthood in the flesh in the holy Temples of God where these conversations will take place...work...not only going on here in the flesh, but it is going on in the world behind the veil among the spirits that have departed."	Quote 1: Lds "apostle" Charles W. Penrose, Mormon Doctrine, 1888, published through the Juvenile Instructor's office, SLC, pp. 40-41; Quote 2: Conference Reports, April 1906, pp. 86-87 See: We Believe: Doctrines and Principles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Rulon T. Burton p D-129: 'Work for the Dead'; cf. The Facts on the Mormon Church by John Ankerberg, John Weldon, & Dillon Burroughs 1991/2009 Harvest House Publishers, p. 70
1890s
April 1, 1893	From a Mormon church LDS Sunday School Lesson: Suggestions for Lesson Development Attention Activity: As appropriate, share the following story or use an activity of your own to begin the lesson. Frederick William Hurst was working as a gold miner in Australia when he first heard Latter-day Saint missionaries preach the restored gospel. He and his brother Charles were baptized in January 1854. He LDS.org - Sunday School Chapter Detail - “The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn to Thei... Page 1 of 6 http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=ce109207f7c2011... 12/4/2009 tried to help his other family members become converted, but they rejected him and the truths he taught. Fred settled in Salt Lake City four years after joining the Church, and he served faithfully as a missionary in several different countries. He also worked as a painter in the Salt Lake Temple. In one of his final journal entries, he wrote: “Along about the 1st of March, 1893, I found myself alone in the dining room, all had gone to bed. I was sitting at the table when to my great surprize my elder brother Alfred walked in and sat down opposite me at the table and smiled. I said to him (he looked so natural): ‘When did you arrive in Utah?’ “He said: ‘I have just come from the Spirit World, this is not my body that you see, it is lying in the tomb… I look to you to do the work for me in the temple. … You are watched closely.”	Diary of Frederick William Hurst, comp. Samuel H. and Ida Hurst [1961], 204 as part of.Lds Sunday School lesson from "Doctrine and Covenants and Church History," "The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn to Their Fathers," pp. 1-2
April-->May, 1893	The Haunting of the Salt Lake City Temple opening: An official Mormon church publication claims that when the LDS opened their temple in the Spring of 1893, "Some Latter-day Saints saw...past Presidents of the Church and other deceased Church leaders."	Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1996 p. 102, referencing Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, Every Stone a Sermon, 1992, pp. 71, 75, 80.
Jan. 1, 15, 1895	”Think of the affinity between the dead and us. They are looking to us for deliverance. Shall we not help them?”	Zina D.H. Young, Woman's Exponent, Jan 1, 15, 1895, p. 226 Note: Young was a polygamous wife of BOTH Joseph Smith & by

[Colofornian]

Latayne Colvett Scott wrote about her experiences in being "proxy baptized" on behalf of the dead when she was a Mormon teen. And even though the process is quite mechanical, activity at Mormon temples can range greatly from the mechanical to the mystical, where, Scott wrote:

"This sort of mechanical processing of proxies goes on daily in the...temples around the world. Literally millions of dead persons have had proxy baptisms done for them in this assembly-line fashion...the righteous dead can intermingle with and teach those who have not received the Gospel in mortal life."

[Colofornian]

Also just posted today: Mormonism and Visitations from the Dead [The OTHER World Series: Paranormal encouraged by church]

[svcw]

Well, given what mormonism is, this does not surprise me.

[WilliamRobert]

ANOTHER 15 MINUTES OF HATE FILLED RANTS BY A CRAZY NUT WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THIS TOPIC. WHY ARE YOU SO EVIL?

[WilliamRobert]

ANOTHER 15 MINUTES OF HATE FILLED RANTS BY A CRAZY NUT WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THIS TOPIC. WHY ARE YOU SO EVIL?

[Bodleian_Girl]

Great post Colofornian!

[Colofornian]

Btw...All this occultic stuff didn't "Die off" with the 19th century... Examples:

October, 1918: The Haunting of Lds 'prophet' Joseph F. Smith

Joseph Smith has dozens of accounts of the dead appearing to him. The Lds church thought so much of this that they put most of them in a 2007 book on the series of Lds "Presidents" ("Prophets").

A follow-up Lds "prophet" -- Joseph F. Smith -- claimed 91 years ago this month to see the hosts of the dead, both small and great...an innumerable company of the spirits of the just (D&C 138:11-12) -- and these spirits were just waiting for Mormon missionaries to come their way to be redeemed -- as JF Smith said that the Mormon jesus had prepared "the faithful spirits of the prophets who had testified of him in the flesh; That they might carry the message of redemption unto all the dead, unto whom he could not go personally, because of their rebellion and transgression, that they through the ministration of his servants might also hear his words. (D&C 138:37-38) Lds thought so much of more dead appearing to their "prophet" in 1918 that they added it to their "Scriptures"...(I think the occult world likes October for some reason)

Late 1970s or 1980-1981: The Evil Spirit Haunting of the Lds Brazilian Mission

"A few years ago while touring the missions of South America, I heard President William Grant Gangerter of the Brazilian Mission make some interesting comments. He reported that there had been a wave of incidents in which evil spirits were afflicting the missionaries and the Saints. At every conference the missionaries were relating experiences they were having with evil spirits. The intensity of their influence was frightening."
Come Unto Christ, Melchizedek Priesthood Personal Study Guide, for 1984, 1988 published 1983, 1986 p. 109

And, just posted this thread: The Haunting of a Mormon Missionary in Ecuador [The OTHER World Series]

[Godzilla]

ANOTHER 15 MINUTES OF HATE FILLED RANTS BY A CRAZY NUT WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THIS TOPIC. WHY ARE YOU SO EVIL?

Hmmmmm, citing lds sources, lds journals, etc. Are you denying the content of those lds sources? If there is evil, then those sources contain that evil. You bleat would be more valid if you can provide documentation that those many, many sources are not correct rather than stomping your foot and yelling.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Did it really take you 15 minutes to read that short article?

Please provide any proof that Colofornian “ knows nothing about this topic”.

What do you know that he does not??

[TexasRepublic]

Capitalized rants, insults and name calling don’t make a convincing argument, do they? That is the only recourse for people without facts to make their case. Democrats use the same technique for the same reasons.

[Zakeet]

ANOTHER 15 MINUTES OF HATE FILLED RANTS BY A CRAZY NUT WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THIS TOPIC. WHY ARE YOU SO EVIL?

Yeah Colofornian ... how evil, insane and hateful you are to suggest there is any connection between Mormonism and the occult! It is obvious that you know nothing about the topic.

P.S. Please ignore the above picture of a whatcha-ma-call-it. It is an innocent and ancient symbol of Christianity that probably has nothing whatsoever to do with Mormonism

[Elsie]

WHY ARE YOU SO EVIL?

Bill; why are YOU yelling?

[Elsie]

ANOTHER 15 MINUTES OF HATE FILLED RANTS BY A CRAZY NUT WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THIS TOPIC.

It's usually 3 minutes; but today (Halloween) you get more for your money...

[Elsie]

ANOTHER 15 MINUTES OF HATE FILLED RANTS BY A CRAZY NUT WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THIS TOPIC.

It's then up to YOU to educate the folks who are reading this thread.

[Elsie]

... I believe in freedom and Freepers.

I'll bet you 'believe' quite strongly that MORMONism is true.

[Elsie]

at LEAST it’s not an inverted star!

[Zakeet]

at LEAST it’s not an inverted star!

You're right ... there's none of them baphomets and pentagrams to be found anywhere near a sacred Mormon temple ... no siree!

[StormPrepper]

Typical anti-Mormon tactic, when you lack substance; lie.

Everyone has their free agency, you can lie and choose evil and you can can fight against God all you want. You can try to deceive people all you want too.

God allows that...for now.

Let's start at the top. The use of hyperbolic terms and guilt by association tactics to try to discredit the subject of your essay is unsophisticated and low. Walter Martin, John Smith, Fawn Brodie, et all would be proud.

Trying to drum up visions of Hollywood horror movies by stringing together words like "occultic", "Mormon phenomena", "Paranormal intermingling" (been watching the sci-fi channel I'm guessing), and "demonic possession"

This is exactly the tactic the democrats use on conservatives all the time.

"Hate the poor", "Homophobic hate mongers", "domestic terrorist", "War on Women", etc... we're all familiar with this kind of nonsense.

Half-truths, out of context quotes and outright lies. Congrats Colofornian, you've out done yourself.

I won't go through your entire post... I don't need to. Here's an example of a lie that the reader can easily.

Joseph Smith uses macabre setting – a funeral sermon – to first introduce the doctrine of necro-baptism

"macabre setting", really? Necro-baptism? No where in the LDS scripture does the word "necro" appear anywhere. Mythical "Necromancers" handle dead bodies. "Necro-baptism" refers to actually baptizing an actual corpse. We do not baptize corpses, this is a lie.

”...who can drag into daylight and develop the hidden mysteries of the false spirits that so frequently are made manifest among the Latter-day Saints?”

You just loooove snipping little phrases that add to your over all nasty and unkind theme.

You've cheated your reader from seeing some of the wisest instruction ever given to man.

Here's an excerpt. You can find the whole thing here Under the heading: A Mason's Estimate of Nauvoo and the Prophet—Organization of the Female Relief Society—"Try the Spirits"—The Prophet's Editorial.

A man must have the discerning of spirits before he can drag into daylight this hellish influence and unfold it unto the world in all its soul-destroying, diabolical, and horrid colors; for nothing is a greater injury to the children of men than to be under the influence of a false spirit when they think they have the Spirit of God. -Joseph Smith, 1842

Joseph Smith becomes obsessed with the dead:

Joseph pondering on dead, in your words makes him "obsessed with the dead".

Innuendo and false dilemma are forms of lying.

Is the temple haunted? Were these indeed ghosts of the signers? Could they have been demons in disguise as ghosts?

Hollywood again "haunted", "demons", and "ghosts". It would be comical if it weren't so insulting to my intelligence. Take your pick in this false dilemma, it has to be evil, noooo other explaination exists, noooo siree. Key the creepy music "OOOOooOOO".

Maybe the God of Heaven, Isaac and Jacob, who is the Father of all, both the living and the dead, sends any messenger He wants depending upon His need.

1. Was Siani haunted with ghosts and demons when Moses talked with the burning bush?

2. Was Job communing with ghosts and demons when he heard the voice from on High?

3. Was it really God who told Abraham to go kill his first born son? Is that really what God would want him to do? Or using Colofornian's words, was Abraham a necromancer and talking with evil spirits?

4. When Eldad and Medad (Numbers 11)had a spirit rest on them and they prophesied.. we're they in a haunted place filled with ghosts and demons? Was it a demon that landed on them???

5. When David said God spoke to Him, how do we know it wasn't ghosts?

6. Jesus Himself met evil spirits face to face many times and so did the original Apostles. Were they necromancers and occultists too?

The OP is Colofornian's own work and it shows. It's filled with half truths, logical fallacies, insults, lies, and low brow scare tactics all to ensnare the reader.

What's worse it's an insult to the evangelical community as a whole.

[Colofornian]

Me: Joseph Smith uses macabre setting – a funeral sermon – to first introduce the doctrine of necro-baptism

You:
"macabre setting", really? Necro-baptism? No where in the LDS scripture does the word "necro" appear anywhere.

So you're suddenly hypersensitive about a word that just means "the dead?" What? Lds never use the word, "dead?"

But, hey, thanks for reminding me that I actually did a "break-out" broader on this subject two years ago: Smith used Lds funerals to introduce necro-baptism, 'becoming gods' [The OTHER World Series: Vanity]

Me:: Joseph Smith becomes obsessed with the dead:

Your response: Joseph pondering on dead, in your words makes him "obsessed with the dead".

Well, it helps if you don't wrest my commentary away from the content: Lds "apostle" Boyd Packer, 1980 book, The Holy Temple:
"The Prophet Joseph Smith...had received the revelations (sections 124, 127, 128, and 132) which pertain directly to this work.” [Re: the dead] “And during the last part of his life he said, 'This subject was upon my mind more than any other.'"

So the supreme attention-getter of ANY subject of Joseph's last 2 or 3 years becomes in your mind mere "ponderin'"...

And so the fact that he was more fixated upon the dead (ya know, those 'necro-ized' ones) than ANYBODY alive makes it sound like the image of Joseph you would like to portray...
...was simply a flesh-and-blood Auguste Rodin statue version (we've seen "The Thinker" statue...hand on chin)...
...philosophically ponderin' away...
...not realizing that what he was overly fascinated with happened to be more "stiff" than the marble Rodin's statue was made out of!

[Colofornian]

1. Was Siani haunted with ghosts and demons when Moses talked with the burning bush? 2. Was Job communing with ghosts and demons when he heard the voice from on High?

All: To understand the backdrop of Storm's comments here, ya need to understand one simple distinctive about Mormon doctrine: Their teaching that their heavenly father is but a "resurrected man."

I have in my hands a book written by a Mormon General Authority -- Milton R. Hunter -- published 1951/1972 under the title: Pearl of Great Price Commentary. The first words right out of Hunter's preface is the sanctioning for such a book by the Lds Church hierarchy: "For many years the General Authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and probably the majority of its members, have felt a definite need for a Pearl of Great Price commentary." (p. v)

On page 54 of Hunter's book, he describes the Mormon "Godhead" as follows: "...the Godhead is componed of three separate and distinct persons, TWO of which have passed through mortality and are now RESURRECTED..."

So, per the Mormon god-view, since Heavenly Father is a resurrected man, should he appear to anybody on earth, why he's just a "ghost" or "spirit" appearing...or, somebody (like me, says SP) could make it out to be that way.

But sorry, SP. Heavenly Father was NEVER a man. He never sinned. And therefore, He didn't have to die. And, no, unlike His Son, He wasn't resurrected. Therefore, your reference here to Job, etc. is quite spurious.