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Interesting Similarities between Mormonism and Spirit Release Therapy [The OTHER World Series...]
BookofMormonNotes ^ | Nov. 28, 2008 | Grego

Posted on 10/24/2013 9:17:01 AM PDT by Colofornian

“Spirit Release Therapy” is...a type of therapy where people are “cleaned” or “depossessed” of outside/foreign “energies”, spirits...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints/Mormon Church believes in many things that “add up” or “fit in” with Spirit Release Therapy (though others don’t). While LDS may scoff at the idea, especially since Spirit Release Therapy is often thought of as a “New Age” thing, the following might be noted.

SNIP

Are there spirits right here? Are they just in heaven and hell? Brigham Young taught that the Spirit World was taught to be right here, on this earth, and similar in many ways to this life:

“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.”

“When you are in the spirit world, everything there will appear as natural as things now do. Spirits will be familiar with spirits in the spirit world—will converse, behold, and exercise every variety of communication with one another as familiarly and naturally as while here in tabernacles...You will there see that those spirits we are speaking of are active; they sleep not.”

SNIP

Church history (old and new) and personal experiences contain accounts of spirit influence, spirit trouble, and spirit possession.

-=-=-=

“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...

http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/Ohio-JD.html

(Excerpt) Read more at bookofmormonnotes.wordpress.com ...


TOPICS: History; Other non-Christian; Religion & Culture; Theology
KEYWORDS: bosomburningdemon; evilspirits; inman; lds; mormonism; spiritworld
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)

*****

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

1 posted on 10/24/2013 9:17:01 AM PDT by Colofornian
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To: All
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)]

******************************

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)

2 posted on 10/24/2013 9:21:14 AM PDT by Colofornian
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To: Colofornian

placemarker Before you are called a hater...


3 posted on 10/24/2013 9:27:16 AM PDT by svcw (Not 'hope and change' but 'dopes in chains' obama's America)
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To: svcw

ibhs


4 posted on 10/24/2013 9:28:27 AM PDT by Godzilla (3/7/77)
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To: Colofornian

According to Mormon authorities, why are Mormons taught secret grips and handshakes as part of their temple ceremonies?

Answer:

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."

5 posted on 10/24/2013 9:44:00 AM PDT by Zakeet (Democrats haven't destroyed your freedoms ... you can still visit them at the Smithsonian)
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To: All
Also just posted: Do Mormons Believe in Ghosts? [The OTHER World Series: 'spirits...not far from us']
6 posted on 10/24/2013 9:48:35 AM PDT by Colofornian
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To: Zakeet; All
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."

Yes...as part of this The OTHER World Series, hope to focus this weekend's postings on these closely related subject matters:
* Discernment of spirits per Mormonism
* Mormon commentary on "familiar spirits" (see book of Isaiah)
* And "revelation" & Mormonism's origin

ALL: For a previous discussion on what Zakeet has brought up, see also:
Mormon Doctrine on Shaking Hands With Spirits [The Other World Series]

7 posted on 10/24/2013 9:53:41 AM PDT by Colofornian
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To: Colofornian

Besides deriding Mormons, have you ever brought anything to the FreeRepublic table?


8 posted on 10/24/2013 9:55:42 AM PDT by laotzu
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To: laotzu

Besides attempting to denounce me, tell us, what have you brought to the FR religious table?


9 posted on 10/24/2013 10:11:35 AM PDT by Colofornian
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To: laotzu

deriding mormons or exposing mormonISM


10 posted on 10/24/2013 11:10:54 AM PDT by svcw (Not 'hope and change' but 'dopes in chains' obama's America)
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To: svcw

Both


11 posted on 10/24/2013 11:24:13 AM PDT by laotzu
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To: laotzu

Where is this happening - deriding mormons


12 posted on 10/24/2013 11:42:02 AM PDT by svcw (Not 'hope and change' but 'dopes in chains' obama's America)
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To: svcw

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3081799/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3082461/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3082463/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3082613/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3077123/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3076772/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3076234/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3074254/posts


13 posted on 10/24/2013 11:57:31 AM PDT by laotzu
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To: laotzu

You will have to be more specific, those links are either from major news sources or lds publications or former mormons talking about their experiences.


14 posted on 10/24/2013 12:01:33 PM PDT by svcw (Not 'hope and change' but 'dopes in chains' obama's America)
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To: svcw
You will have to be more specific..

No I won't. You asked, and I provided 8 examples

I notice you were on several of those threads. Are you from a major news source or lds publication?

I do not mind being of help, but will not do homework assignments at your bidding.

15 posted on 10/24/2013 12:17:01 PM PDT by laotzu
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To: laotzu

You are talking about replies - got it.
I have never been anti-mormon, I have on many occasions exposed mormonism.
Just trying to figure out what you mean by deriding mormons, are you equating the exposure of mormonism to being anti-mormon?


16 posted on 10/24/2013 12:53:31 PM PDT by svcw (Not 'hope and change' but 'dopes in chains' obama's America)
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To: svcw

no


17 posted on 10/25/2013 6:43:04 AM PDT by laotzu
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To: laotzu
"Besides deriding exposing Mormons[ism], have you ever brought anything to the FreeRepublic table?"

THAT would be enough.

18 posted on 10/25/2013 1:11:37 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion (I grew up in America. I now live in the United States..)
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