What do mediums believe about god




















Not even the confession in by Maggie Fox, that she and her sister had faked it all along, did much to dampen its appeal. Today, Spiritualism is defined as a religious movement with rituals and beliefs practised by those who follow it. Its central belief is in life after death and the existence of a soul, which lives on long after our physical bodies die. That might not sound so different to more mainstream religions like Christianity, Judaism and Islam, but it diverts from them with the controversial claim that mediums can contact the dead.

Almost since its inception, people have publicly exposed the techniques used by mediums who claim to be passing on messages from the dead.

Although, I genuinely think they are sincere. Anyone who is interested can buy books and train themselves in it. I challenge Ashley on this. They then have the choice whether or not to believe the message he is delivering. Today, it seems Spiritualist practices are booming. Astrology app Co-Star has attracted more than a million users since it launched in In an age when we have easy access to more scientific information than ever before, why are we increasingly interested in practices that are unproven?

But why the increased interest from the younger generation in particular? Young people, especially in their twenties, are attending our workshops, daily demonstrations of clairvoyance, and our Sunday divine service where mediums communicate with the spirit world. This, Ashley says, rings true at the Wimbledon Church, too. A quick scroll through Instagram will reveal millions of posts on each subject.

Try crystalhealing and there are over two million posts about the various powers of different rocks. For spirituality there are nearly 8 million posts, showcasing all of the above with some yoga and meditation thrown in.

There are also hundreds of thousands of posts about seances. High street stores stock jewellery which claim to be linked to chakras like the one Charlie is wearing when we meet. While newspapers and magazines have, for years, published horoscopes and astrology content, their popularity and prominence has grown in recent years. Independent magazines, like Sabat which is devoted solely to witchcraft, have also sprung up. While spiritualism is a religious movement, witchcraft has historically been viewed as a more individualistic occult practice, and is used to try to bring about healing or gain understanding about our lives and the future.

Cult classic witchy TV shows such as Charmed and Sabrina have also been rebooted over the past year. Like many of their generation, they prefer a more pick and mix version of spirituality than aligning themselves with a particular religion. Ivymay agrees. Charlie, too, sees herself this way. Whether that's Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, yoga or [insert any religion] feels besides the point.

None of these young women have encountered any negative reactions. Quite the opposite, their friends are keen to get involved. My mission is to prove that heaven and our loved ones are alive.

When did you realize you wanted to use your gift to help others? That did not come until later in life. I repeated this to my client, and she became so overwhelmed with joy, she forgot about her facial. After that, the spiritual happenings started to happen more often. I began to receive calls about giving readings, and they became more important than my facials. Bonnie Page is a psychic medium and spiritual life coach.

She is offering Zoom, FaceTime and telephone readings. Call to book an appointment. To ask Bonnie a question for her column, visit bonniepagemedium. By Bonnie Page. This text is very clear about God's view on spiritism: "When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?

Gehman mentions that this text uses the word darash in two ways namely, an acceptable and an unacceptable way of asking God for guidance. At Mount Sinai they were formed into a nation with a special relationship with God, their Redeemer. Israel was chosen by the Lord, who said, " Any "seeking" or "enquiry" by Israel was to be directed to Him alone. This exclusive relationship between God and His people was for the glory of God and the good of Israel.

According to Watts the Scripture is translated as "Seek out the fathers". This is a clear reference to the practices of ancestor worship in which the living believe that the dead ancestors have a bearing on their current earthly existence. This is a clear condemnation of ancestor worship. The text explicitly refers to people who consult the dead and therefore to the belief that the dead have the ability to help the living.

This was necessary since the Ancient Near East including Israel was drawn to divination as much as any other group of nations in the history of mankind.

The context here suggests that Isaiah had to defend his prophetic calling and role against diviners and spiritualists. Gehman refers to Gesenius who defined a medium as someone with "a familiar spirit". The Hebrew word ob denotes in its simplest terms, "a leather bottle" which was typically used for water or wine.

It later also denoted a "necromancer, sorcerer, conjurer who professes to call up the dead by means of incantations [magic words] and magic formulas, in order that they may give response as to doubtful or future things. This clearly compares the medium to a leather bottle, filled with a spirit.

The Greek word "ventriloquist" was used by the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew term Lv ; 1 Sm However, among the Greeks it denoted someone who had a distinct involvement with spirits. Therefore, Langton argues that in the ancient world a ventriloquist implied a person who was virtually "pregnant" with a god or spirit. Deuteronomy provides extensive guidelines on God's view on practices associated with ancestor worship and divination NIV :.

When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving to you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no-one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practises divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft or casts spells, or who is a medium of spiritist who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.

You must be blameless before the Lord your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practise sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. The Hebrew word for wizard or spiritist used in this passage, denotes a wise and knowing person who is supposedly familiar with the secrets and mysteries of the unseen world.

The King James Version translates this term as "the knowing one. The female counterpart of the wizard is the witch. Both practise divination by the same means. Gehman points out that the Hebrew word actually denotes a "familiar spirit. This points to the connection the wizard or spiritist had with the spirit realm cf Lv 1; 1 Sm , 9; Is This is not different from the role the shaman plays in primal religions and the role of the priest in ancestor rituals in Japan and Korea.

From the exegetical analysis of these Ss criptures it is evident that a variety of terms have been used to denote anyone who has any contact with spirits. Christensen provides a fairly exhaustive analysis of the scope of the practices associated with necromancy to which the prohibition applies. Notably, he mentions that "one who practises divination" would further include practices such as hepatoscopy the "art" of reading the liver from a sacrificial animal , belomancy use of arrows from a quiver , necromancy consulting spirits of the dead , and also false prophecy Ezk 29; Jr Christensen further points out that the meaning of the term "soothsayer".

To support this statement, Christensen refers to Ibn Ezra who derived the term from 'anan , "cloud", and asserted that it should be understood to denote "those who draw omens from the appearance and movements of clouds" Tigay Furthermore, the term "omen reader" appears to refer to oleomancy which is essentially divination based on mixing liquids, such as oil and water.

This could refer to the manner in which Joseph's silver goblet was used in matters of divination Gn On the other hand, Christensen mentions that a "sorcerer" could denote a practitioner of black magic as it is used in Exodus , where it is described as a capital offence. Christensen further mentions the phrase a "caster of magic spells" v 11 as it is used in Psalm In this Ss cripture it is understood to refer to magic of some sort used against venomous snakes. However, Finkelstein suggests the meaning "muttering" a spell and compares it to Akkadian habaru "be noisy".

He also refers to "one who asks of a ghost" as a reference to the practice of necromancy v Christensen describes the common interpretation of the term as that of a hole in the ground where offerings and requests for information were made to the dead.

He mentions that "medium" may be translated as a "familiar spirit". He points out that it always appears with the term and therefore may simply have an adjectival function to the term to describe a spirit or ghost functioning as a medium.

This appears to be congruent with the account of King Saul and the "Witch of Endor" in which the ghost of the dead Samuel ascended from the depths of the earth and is seen by the medium. Consequently, Christensen argues that the phrase "one who inquires from the dead" more than likely means one who performs necromancy by any other means than the two previous terms mentioned Tigay As Wright states, every possible term available is used to ensure that the prohibition extended to all practices, customs and persons who had any affiliation with the spirit realm.

This ensures that the prohibition is fairly exhaustive. Jesus' account of the rich man and Lazarus, recorded in Luke 16, provides further insight into the condition of the dead and what happens after death.

O'Donovan points out that this passage clearly indicates that it is impossible for the living to communicate with the dead. Luke clearly shows that the rich man wanted Lazarus to warn his brothers against making the same mistakes he had made. Nolland indicates that the usage of which translates as "besides all this" in this verse appears to be consistent with Lukan usage.

It further confirms the fixed determination of the will of God and the topology of Hades which objectifies the will and purpose of God. It is also emphatic that no momentary surge of sympathy can change this will and purpose of God.

Nolland further mentions that only in verse 26 appears to be Lukan diction. This is translated as "I ask As Nolland points out, the plea for a personal warning indicates that the rich man is aware of his moral accountability for his own actions and that he realises too late that he could have acted differently.

However, as verses 19 to shows, this request was not granted. From this account it is evident that there is a clear divide between the righteous and the unrighteous dead and that the dead do not have freedom of movement as suggested by the underlying beliefs of ancestor worship. Clearly then, the dead are not able to exert an influence on the lives of the living. From this passage it is clear that the dead cannot communicate with the living on any matter. The response to the rich man's request was that his brothers needed to believe what God had said to save themselves from torment.

Yamaguchi argues that the belief that the ancestors are able to communicate with the living members of the family is meaningless. Therefore, the Bible does not encourage or support a relationship between the living and the dead. Furthermore, these Ss criptures indicate that the fear of the ancestors is unfounded. The Biblical perspective on witchcraft is clear and unambiguous. Gehman points out that the Scriptures clearly indicate that any form of witchcraft is strongly condemned by God.

In the Old Testament, Deuteronomy is clear in its admonition to guard against witchcraft and encompasses all known forms of occultist practices with which the Israelites were familiar at the time. The admonition to abstain from all practices related to witchcraft, magic and sorcery is related to the context of God giving Israel the land of Canaan on the condition that Israel would remain unblemished and untainted by false religion and remain loyal to God.

The New Testament continues the condemnation of magic practices as manifestations of rebellion against God and is clear in its rejection of such practices as found in Galatians ; Acts ; Revelation ; ; Acts Very little reference is made in the Bible to ancestral spirits or ancestor worship, although indirect inferences or suggestions could be teased from the etymology of words, as above, or perhaps from behind or between the lines.

Gehman points out that the righteous dead cannot return and communicate with the living as 2 Samuel and Job clearly state that when a person dies the relationship between the living and the dead is irrevocably severed. The righteous dead are in the presence of God and therefore cannot be called back to earth. The only Ss cripture which could possibly suggest that it would be possible for a person to return to communicate with the living is the passage at 1 Samuel He also argues that Mosaic Law equated communication with the dead with a form of idolatry, which is in essence a sin of spiritual prostitution However, the mere fact that a prohibition on necromancy or communicating with the dead was considered necessary suggests that the phenomenon could be more of a problem and more widespread than described in the Scriptures.

The encounter between King Saul and the Witch of Endor is often understood to indicate that the living can communicate with the dead. From the foregoing Ss criptures it is evident that God condemns any attempt to contact the dead.

However, 1 Samuel appears to suggest that it is possible for the living to contact the dead. This passage is open to numerous interpretations but does not prove conclusively that the dead are able to communicate with the living.

Even if Samuel were able to speak with Saul, this was an unusual instance of the special power of God and needs to be examined closely. The incident with King Saul at Endor needs to be understood in the historical context in which it occurred. Fischer points out that before the imminent battle against the Philistines, Saul's loneliness and desperation is evident as recorded in 1 Samuel and Saul's sense of alienation is reinforced by the recollection of Samuel's death at 1 Samuel After Samuel's death, Saul no longer had the advantage of Samuel's prophetic revelations to guide him.

As a result, Saul prayed to God but God did not speak to him in the conventional ways - that is in his dreams, Urim or prophets.

Instead, Saul's questions were met with silence. In desperation, Saul turned to the woman at Endor. Previously, Saul had acted morally by expelling mediums and wizards from the land, but ironically at this point he regresses and seeks a medium's counsel. The scriptures Scriptures describe Samuel coming out of the ground and speaking with Saul, The late Samuel tells Saul that the next day his sons will be "with" him.

When one considers an exegetical analysis of the account it is significant that the Ss criptures' description that Samuel appeared to rise from the ground is supported by the Hebrew term for medium which Hoffner relates to the Akkadian "pit" ab which denotes the ritual hole in the ground where souls of the dead were believed to reside and exit from when they were invoked.

However, Lust argues that is often used in the plural which etymologically connects the spirits of the deceased ancestors or the instruments of the ancestral ghosts which are used to represent them. Kim b concurs and argues that Lust's proposal appears to be convincing because in some passages these two terms are closely related to the necromancer and souls of the dead cf Dt ; Is ; This will be explored in more detail in the next section.

Arnold argues that the use of the word is often linked with the term used to denote "spiritists" which suggests the necromantic practices involved in communicating with the dead and by implication the phenomena associated with the ancestor cult in general cf Milgrom ; Albright Horsnell further mentions that Saul's explicit instruction to the woman to "consult a spirit for me" is essentially a terminus technicus for divination. Furthermore, the necromantic ritual concerned here is also indicated by the recurring use of words which means to "bring up" a spirit.

Therefore, the terminology is not peculiar to necromancy alone but extends to all forms of divination. This account of Saul's visit to the woman at Endor sparked controversy among scholars for centuries. Some questions have still not been answered satisfactorily and scholars have not reached consensus on the interpretation of this passage.

Did anything or anyone actually appear to Saul? What is the appropriate interpretation of this incident? There are three different interpretations of this scriptural account. Figart proposes a psychological interpretation and uses ecstasy as the means of producing the illusion of Samuel cf.

Fokkelman ; Figart ; Erdmann Therefore, according to this interpretation, the medium would have allowed herself to become emotionally involved and psychologically identified with Samuel that the vision was produced. Narcotics may not necessarily have been used here. This is not an uncommon experience of modern day mediums who claim to have had visions of people. Fokkelman on the other hand approaches the text from an ontological perspective and denies the existence of a spiritual world and assumes that Saul saw nothing.

This points to the possibility that the medium was just particularly adept at guessing and used her general knowledge and psychological insights to convey Samuel's message. Gehman points out that the medium herself appeared to be frightened of what she saw 1 Sm At the outset, the meeting with Saul appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary and she asked Saul the same questions she would have asked any other person who sought her services.

She asked Saul: "Whom shall I bring up for you? This implies that she believed to have power over the dead Gehman Figart further argues that this is contrary to the plain statement of the text, which when read without presuppositions of a narcotic trance on the part of the woman, resembles a normal conversation between Saul and Samuel.

Some scholars Buswell ; Davies argue that the work of the medium was a case of "a mere deception". Their argument is based on the fact that the medium of Endor was in fact a law breaker and adept at deception.

Since mediums were expelled from the land, she would have had no alternative but to practise deception. Therefore, she was the only one who saw the vision of "Samuel" and Saul saw nothing. To indicate that it was definitely Samuel because it was an old man in a robe could refer to any elderly male. However, Saul immediately decided that this was Samuel. The words of Samuel to Saul may be interpreted as generic statements an experienced fortune-teller could use to deceive many people.

She may also have used ventriloquism to project her voice to resemble the voice of Samuel. Although the prediction proved to be true this may be ascribed to Saul's emotionally depressed state and because of his emotional state the prophecy's fulfilment was unavoidable Gehman Figart points out that the scriptures Scriptures do not indicate that the woman reported Samuel's words but that Samuel and Saul communicated without an interloper.

Furthermore Figart argues that it would have been difficult to guess the outcome of the battle and the penultimate fate of Saul and his sons. Most of the early church fathers believed that this was another manifestation of the battle against demonic powers and that the apparition of Samuel was none other than demonic trickery.

Fischer points out that according to Augustine the apparition of Samuel was formed by some phantom or mock apparition from the Devil Ad Simplic. Summa Theologica , vol 3. This notion was historically taught during the 16 th and 17 th centuries by the church fathers who believed that by divine ordering Saul saw under the form of Samuel a ghost, an illusion produced by demonic devilish powers" Erdmann Thus, Luther referred to the appearance of Samuel as "a devil's ghost, ", and Calvin said it was not the real Samuel but a spectre awesome looking ghost cf Gehman The Bible indicates that demons do have the ability to assume any form and be visible to people 2 Cor ; Rv They therefore also have the ability to assume the form of someone who has died and would therefore be recognisable to the person to whom they are appearing.

Although this interpretation of Saul's encounter with the woman of Endor has been endorsed by many scholars there are some illogicalities. Moreover, Eaton and Klein contended that the spirit of Samuel was clearly not familiar to the woman because she cried out with a loud voice as soon as she recognised the deceased Samuel. In other words, she was afraid of an apparition which she had not anticipated Keil Pigott argues that the situation was not in her control. Whether or not the woman recognised Saul after the appearance of Samuel is not clear.

Fischer and Fokkelman argue that the reason why the woman was afraid is not so much because of the appearance of the spirit of Samuel but because she recognised Saul as the king who prosecuted mediums. She had not expected him or recognised him and was afraid that he would expel or kill her Brueggemann It may be that she made the mental connection after she saw Samuel's apparition and then only recognised her visitor as Saul.

Keil and Delitzsch argue that the fact that the medium used the term to describe Samuel: "I see a divine being coming up out of the ground" is significant. The term can be translated as a "divine being" or simply a "godlike being". More pertinently, in respect of ancestor worship, the dead are sometimes referred to as "god" in an attempt to denote a form of transcendental character which exists beyond the here and now Lewis ; Johnston Arnold points out that may also denote the sense of "ancestral" preternatural being, rather than simply the "shades of the dead".

This is even more evident if one relates the Hebrew term for "medium" etymologically to , "father, ancestor" as Lust proposes. The parallel use in Isaiah 8 appears to confirm that the use of in such contexts can be understood to denote the ancestral dead, and not simply ghosts or the souls of the dead. Therefore, it stands to reason that it is plausible that it was Samuel and not Satan who appeared.

This can be construed to be as a result of God who allowed a special working of His power similar to the fates of Enoch and Elijah who never actually died. The more contemporary interpretation is that it was in fact the spirit of Samuel who appeared to Saul. Scriptures clearly state that Samuel appeared to Saul and does not indicate anything to the contrary. Therefore, Fischer concludes that Samuel appeared as an ancestor and therefore follows a literal interpretation of the text.

Gehman states that most Biblical scholars since the 18th Century have supported the belief that it was Samuel himself who appeared to Saul. However, there are some scholars who believe that this can occur at any time under normal circumstances and those who are of the opinion that this is only possible by a special working of the power of God. Some scholars Anold ; Fischer ; Manyeli ; Robinson a; Setiloane believe that necromancy is prevalent today and that some mediums do have the ability to communicate with the dead on behalf of the living.

This is clearly the view held by people in Africa and elsewhere. Oleka and Gehman believe that they can appear to the living in dreams and vision or via mediums. On the other hand, some evangelicals Pigott ; Eaton ; Klein ; Beuken find this difficult to believe because they state that it is not plausible to believe that any medium has the ability to command a righteous spirit to leave their rest and appear before the unrighteous. They contend that mediums who are not complying with God's prohibition on necromancy do not have sovereign power over the lives of the saints.

Therefore, Klein suggests that Samuel himself did appear but through the special working of God's power. There are numerous instances in the Bible which indicates that it is impossible for the dead to communicate with the living. The incident with Saul and the woman of Endor is an exception and the ultimate interpretation must be logical and aligned with the Ss criptures as a whole. The fact that Samuel appeared to Saul should be seen as an exceptional manifestation of God's power in which God chose to rouse Samuel for His divine purpose.

Nevertheless, it is important to note that this text has been used to substantiate African exegesis. Thus, some scholars consider the deceased Samuel as an ancestor in this text Arnold ; Fischer ; Lust The pertinent question which needs to be answered now, is what happens to those who die?

What implications does death have for non-Christians and Christians? It is important to bear in mind that Saul never actually saw Samuel himself but experienced him as it were through the woman's eyes. Pigott rightly points out that the situation was not in medium's control.

From Saul's perspective and that of his commanders it may have appeared to be Samuel's message of what the future held for Saul but in reality it was God's judgement.

Consequently, one must bear in mind that the woman was used as a vehicle for God's expression as evident from the following points. Firstly, the medium was the only one who saw Samuel. The fact that she was alarmed when she saw the apparition indicates that she realised that she was not in control and may have recognised "Samuel" as God's messenger. Secondly, she did not anticipate what would happen next. She was chastened and realised that it was much larger and far outside the normal scope of her experiences.

One of the most significant differences between the Christian view and that of ancestor worship relates directly to the different views on death and afterlife. The traditional African view is that death constitutes a transition which is followed by a mode of existence which differs only marginally from one's earthly existence cf Bae The Christian perspective of death is very different from this. In the Biblical context, death marks a complete break with earthly existence.

Schwarz argues that the new form of existence is a radical departure from the tempero-spatial realities of natural existence and facilitates a closer union with God. Therefore, although both Christian and African traditional religions acknowledge the existence of life after death, it is imperative to take a closer look at what the Scriptures say about death and life after death.

Human beings are a synthesis of body and spirit. It is suggested in the Scriptures that when the body decomposes after death the spiritual element survives e. Ps ; 15; Heb Death appears to be inevitable when one considers the way in which the human body has been created. Physical demise and ultimate dissolution are an inescapable part of God's punishment of human sin. A common understanding of death in the Bible is that is signifies a separation from God. The unbeliever unbeliever, who dies, is eternally separated from God, i.

Gulley points out that the Old Testament connects death to sin Ps where God said to Adam, "on the day that you eat of it you will die" Gn The New Testament develops this connection between death and sin and Paul clearly states that "sin came into the world through one man and death through sin" Rm , and that "the wages of sin is death" Rm , and again that "Death came through a man" 1 Cor John speaks of that "Death is linked with God's judgment" Rv ; ; However, the Bible teaches that physical death is not the fait accompli of God's punishment.

When one examines the matter closely it is clear that Adam did not die immediately on the day that he committed sin. Similarly, in Romans 5 and 6 Paul contrasts death as a result of Adam's sin and the life that Christ brings to mankind.

Morris argues that the possession of eternal life does not nullify physical death. It is opposed to a spiritual state rather than a physical event. Therefore, death which is a result of sin extends beyond a physical death of the body.

Gehman argues that physical death is a result of spiritual death and is the separation of the body from the spirit. Spiritual death on the other hand is as a result of the separation of man's soul from God. This relationship was severed when Adam and Eve chose to sin. Therefore, death involves more than the dissolution of the physical body. Man dies as a spiritual and physical being. The New Testament underscores the serious consequences and repercussions of sin when it refers to the second death Jude 12; Rv , etc.

The second death signifies eternal damnation and perdition. These references must be understood together with passages in which God speaks of "eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels", into which the wicked will be cast Mt , "eternal punishment" set in contrast to "eternal life", Mt , and such. Jesus repeatedly warned the people to take care to avoid being cast "into hell, where the fire never goes out" Mk



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