Nuggets from Occult Invasion—Contact with the Dead—Or with Demons?

Fordham University theologian John Heaney summarizes in his book a number of convincing cases involving alleged communication from the dead through famous mediums. The cases that cannot be explained away after lengthy scientific investigation are accounted for by something called “Super-ESP.” That amazing talent would supposedly enable one to pick up any information from anywhere and anyone at any time.

As a Catholic, Heaney of course believes in communication through prayer with the “saints” and that the “saints” (no one is made a “saint” by the Roman Catholic Church until long after death) sometimes appear on earth to assist the living. Heaney does his best to find an ordinary explanation but cannot rule out the involvement of spirit beings. He concludes that “apart from genuine contact with the dead, there is no other rival theory [than “Super-ESP”] to explain the data.”

In fact, contact with the dead would hardly explain anything—certainly not the cases (and there are many) where accurate information is given by the alleged discarnate which was beyond that person’s intellectual capacity to comprehend before his or her death. Yet such seeming omniscience is manifested in some cases. For the alleged spirit of Aunt Jane, who had been a simple soul, to speak intelligently of quantum mechanics, for example, would hardly prove that it was Aunt Jane speaking from beyond the grave, but rather that it was not! Nor is it reasonable that the spirits of the dead should have unlimited knowledge after death.

The apparent communication from an alleged discarnate is taken as evidence to support the serpent’s lie that death is nothing to fear. Having “proved” its identity, the alleged discarnate invariable proceeds to present persuasively the rest of the lies the serpent told Eve in the Garden.

Once Bishop Pike was convinced he was indeed speaking with the spirit of his dead son Jim, that entity proceeded to debunk Christianity. The spirit proceeded to say, “Don’t you ever believe that God can be personalized…he is the central Force.” It went on to explain that Jesus was not the Savior, but only one of many enlightened beings existing on a higher plane. Likewise, the entity that dictated A Course in Miracles through Helen Schucman said: “The name of Jesus Christ as such is but a symbol…[of] love that is not of this world…a symbol that is safely used as a replacement for the many names of all the gods to which you pray…. This course has come from him.”