Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “Dealing With False Science,
Cults, Isms, and Secret Societies,” pp. 602–609, in Evangelism; and
“Spiritism,” pp. 86–93, in Confrontation.
There exists a foundation which claims that it is creating technology
that will allow us to contact the deceased “via texts, phone calls, and
video-conferencing.” Calling the dead PMPs (postmaterial persons), its
website claims that when humans die they simply pass on “into another
phase of forever” but “retain their consciousness, identity, and core
aspects of their previous physical form.” But, most important, the folks
at the foundation claim to be developing, in three phases, technology that
will allow communication between material and postmaterial persons.
The first phase will “allow texting and typing with postmaterial
family, friends, and experts in every field of expertise.” Phase two
is supposed to “enable talking with your dear ones who are living in
another part of forever.” And the third phase, it says, will open the way
to “hearing and seeing those who are experiencing the field of all pos-
sibilities from a different observation point.”
Especially scary is how they test if the communicating dead are
really who they claim to be. “For example,” the site says, “a bereaved
parent might ask the following question of a son or a daughter who has
changed worlds: ‘Did you have a dog named Snoopy when you were a
child? Did we give you a pocketknife for your tenth birthday?’ ” How
interesting in light of this warning: “Spiritual beings sometimes appear
to persons in the form of their deceased friends, and relate incidents
connected with their lives and perform acts which they performed
while living.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 684.
Discussion Questions:
Ê Using the excuse of being culturally acceptable, many
Christians consume whatever the media promotes. Which biblical
principles should guide our relationship with the media, especially
when it openly promotes views that we know are wrong and decep-
tive (see Ps. 101:1–8, Prov. 4:23, Phil. 4:8)?
Ë How can we help others to overcome Satan’s end-time decep-
tions without being exposed to the deceiving influence of those
very same deceptions ourselves?
Ì Many Christians have seen the story of having “Samuel” sum-
moned from the grave as biblical proof that the dead live on. What
does this account teach us about why we cannot rely only on a
single text or story to build a doctrine, but, instead, we must look
at all that the Bible says about a topic?
