Written by: Lucas Bueno
It was the night of the 31st. Not of October, but of March. On March 31, 1848, the Fox sisters once again heard the rappings in the walls of their house. The eerie noises had begun four years earlier, in 1844. The sisters had already witnessed other terrifying phenomena, including the movement of furniture, the ripping-off of bed coverings by the unseen and the presence of an unusual man lurking around the Fox family house. For the record, the house had already been considered haunted before the Fox family arrived.
Nevertheless, two of the sisters decided to communicate with the rapping noises. They succeeded. Joined by their mother and older sister, they formed a communication code with what they believed was a spirit. The spirit told the Fox sisters that a dead man had been buried beneath their house. They dug a hole and therefore verified the spirit’s claim. These events brought the Fox sisters to the public eye, and they became mediums.
In this very house, the modern-day movement of Spiritualism was conjured into existence, not far from the farmhouse of Hiram Edson, a Millerite Adventist, and not far from the vision locations of Mormonism’s founder, Joseph Smith. Though the Fox sisters were often accused of fraud, Ellen G. White affirmed the reality of the first rappings as the work of the Devil, the deceiving serpent of old.
From a wider historical perspective, however, the movement of Spiritualism had existed since mankind accepted the first lie of the serpent in the garden of Eden: “You will not surely die,” Genesis 3:4, ESV. Spiritualism has manifested in many forms throughout world history, maintaining the idea that people have immortal souls and that it is possible to communicate with those who have died. Since ancient times, some holidays have celebrated witchcraft and communication with spirits, resulting in our modern Halloween, a holiday glorifying the Devil.
Today, we find spiritualism everywhere around us. Almost every modern movie and TV has some form of spiritualism, with ghosts appearing or characters performing witchcraft or sorcery. The serpent has succeeded in making these practices normalized and even excused as mere fantasy, not reality.
What does the Word of God say concerning this lie of spiritualism? Isaiah 8:19-20 NIV says, “When someone tells 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? Consult God’s instruction.”
From this verse and many others, it is clear that God does not want His people to associate with spiritualism, witchcraft and the Devil and his fallen angels. Communicating with the dead is dangerous because the actual dead cannot communicate; thus, any communication that occurs is with demons.
Yet, so many Christians are okay with watching these things on their screens, reading them in books or celebrating Halloween. I don’t want to step on people’s toes, as I used to consume media that would involve some form of spiritualism. It can be easy to justify it as simply fantasy, sci-fi or some religious allegory. However, God forbids it in Scripture. We are also told in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy that spiritualism will increase in the last days and demons will appear as the dead to spread Satan’s lies.
Because God clearly condemns spiritualism, we need to ask ourselves if it is acceptable to celebrate holidays and consume media that reflect that belief.
