The Real COJCOLDS

Types of Spirits

Last week I was on the news feed and I saw a comment on the Spirituality Newsletter post. The person said that Christianity turns other religions' gods into demons. Historically, for some denominations of Protestant and Catholics, this is the case. I'm not sure how it got this way but I was raised differently.

Yes, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints worship Jesus and Heavenly Father. Yet my parents never told me that Krishna, Budha or any other deity was the devil in disguise. In fact my parents encouraged me to be curious about other cultures and religions. We even observed Chanukah, Yom Kippur and the Solstice in private.

Our church leaders have never condemned any religion in their public statements nor in any meeting. In fact, within the last decade, they have declared that every religion around the world has a bit of the truth in them.

It probably doesn't make sense to outsiders to see us constantly proselyting yet to have this point of view. However, this is what I was taught as a member of my faith.

Now that I have clarified that, I would like to talk about my church's beliefs on different types of spiritual beings.

As mentioned in a previous entry, our spirits all lived with Heavenly Father in the begining. (All of us, regardless of our ethnicity or gender.) Our bodies and the planet we live on had not been created. All there was were spirits.

Eventually, there was a grand council held with all of Heavenly Father's children assembled. He presented us with a plan to create a place where we could be tested and prove we could be worthy to live with our Heavenly Parents again.

We were about to take a vote when the Son of the Morning, Lucifer, got up and offered a counter plan. He wanted to force us to be good and nobody would loose and everybody would come back. Oh and Lucifer wanted all the credit for saving the Family.

Shortly after this stealing of the spotlight. Jehovah—the name of Christ before he came to earth—got up and told Heavenly Father. I will go, atone for their sins, so that those who repent can return.

Of course, none of the spirits could agree which plan to follow. There was a war among them. In the end, two thirds of the spirits agreed to follow Heavenly Father's plan, the other third followed Lucifer.

Lucifer and his followers were banished from Heavenly Father's presence. They would never have bodies of their own. These spirits became Satan and his followers.

Of course Satan is a sore loser. To this day he and those spirits roam the earth and try to make humans miserable. They do this by tempting us, creating fear and doubt.

These spirits are still in the likeness of Heavenly Father. Since he is human in form, they are shaped like him. Satan and his followers in their true form don't have cloven hooves, pitchforks or tails. They look exactly like us.

Aside from trying to corrupt human behavior, they seek to make others miserable. Sometimes going as far as trying to controll people and animal's bodies.

While we don't have exorcisms or smudging rituals. We do believe that with the proper rituals and authority, evil spirits can be cast out.

This process involves the laying on of hands in some cases. In others the person raises their arm to the square and say specific words.

When a person is possessed (for lack of a better word) a priesthood holder lays their hands on top of the afflicted individual's head and, using the the power of Jesus Christ, command the spirit to leave.

Unlike with traditional exorcisms, there is no torture or holy water involved. Only the hands on top of the head and the power of Christ.

Only a priesthood holder can perform this casting out of an evil spirit from a person.

If a building or place becomes infested with evil spirits, anyone who has access to the authority of Jesus Christ can cast out evil spirits.

The individual asking the spirits to leave says a prayer first to get the guidance of The Holy Ghost. Then they raise their arm to the square and say "By the power and authority of Jesus Christ, I command you to depart..." there are other words said at this point depending on the specific situation and the guidance of the Holy Ghost.

There are two specific things that the person casting out evil spirits must always bear in mind. They must be specific and they cannot be afraid or in awe of the spirit they are casting out. There are consequences if either thing is ignored. The spirit could posses the person casting them out or the spirit could come back to the area if either of these things is neglected.

That said, not all spirits are evil. Every living thing—including the planet—has a spirit. The Holy Ghost is a spirit specially assigned to be a positive influence and guide to humanity.

The spirits of those who pass away still exist after we die physically. Sometimes the people we were close to in this life, our parents, family and others can and do watch us from the other side of an invisible barrier called the veil. Sometimes they may attempt to communicate.(We don't always hear or see them, but they're there.)

Since evil spirits and good spirits exist everywhere and are trying to influence us on a daily basis, it can get confusing. Both types of spirits have the same form so they can seem the same. To help us, we can obtain the gift of Discernment from the Holy Ghost. It is the only way to differentiate between good and bad spirits.

Anyways there's a final thing I'd like to talk about angel. Believe it or not, we have a belief in them as well. They are specific messengers from our Heavenly Father.

In our religion, it's a little different than a traditional angel. They don't come with wings a halo or harp. They are clothed in pure white and come surrounded by Celestial light. Angels are sent for important purposes. Such as announcing the birth of our Savior. As a warning to flee or stop being wicked. They are tasked with the really important things Heavenly Father needs done. These aren't the same as other spirits. They have been resurrected but perfected yet it is their mission to serve the Father. They work only on the planet where they lived their mortal life.

So I think this about sums up my beliefs on the spirit world. This is probably more confusing than calculus. I apologize for that and I hope you'll read the next entry.