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Dear
Gramps: |
Dear
Paul,
The
world is full of charlatans who feed on the gullibility of the innocent. There
is no doubt that many who profess to communicate with the spirit world fall into
this category. As you may know, Houdini spent much of his life exposing such
frauds. He even made a pact that if it were possible he would communicate with
certain persons from the spirit world after his death. There was not a séance
that he attended that he was not able to discover the deception that was being
perpetrated. In addition, those who waited for his communication from across the
grave never reported any evidence of any post mortal word from Houdini.
Although
there are many who falsify this communication there is also no doubt that
certain individuals do communicate with departed spirits. Perhaps the prime
example is found in 1 Samuel 28. Saul had banished all witches from the land,
and the prophet, Samuel, had died. When the Philistines invaded his land he
asked the Lord what he should do, but the heavens were silent. So Saul sought
out the witch of Endor, and disguising himself, asked her to conjure up Samuel
the prophet. Samuel appeared and Saul inquired what he should do. Samuel
responded, “Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed
from thee, and is become thine enemy?” Samuel then informed him that because
of his wickedness the lives of both himself and his sons would be taken on the
next day.
What
you say is true, that the Lord does not work in this way. Communication with the
spirit world is not at the demand of mortals, but rather according to the will
of God. Such unauthorized communications have always been denounced by the Lord
and by his servants. Perhaps the earliest injunction against such practices is
found in Deuteronomy 18:10--
There
shall not be found among you [any one] that maketh his son or his daughter to
pass through the fire, [or] that useth divination, [or] an observer of times, or
an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or
a wizard, or a necromancer.
(Necromancy
is defined as the conjuration of the spirits of the dead for purposes of
magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events.)
Gramps