List of Doctrines on "Sin: Sorcery"
785. Sorcery (including divination, enchantments, necromancy, witchcraft, wizardry, and the like) is an abomination to the Lord.
785. Sorcery (including divination, enchantments, necromancy, witchcraft, wizardry, and the like) is an abomination to the Lord.
Paul
Recorded in Deuteronomy
John
Michah
Mormon
President Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards
Recorded in 2 Chronicles
Paul
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21. Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Paul writes to the churches of Galatia in Asia Minor, about A.D. 55) Galatians 5:19-21
Recorded in Deuteronomy
When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
10. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
11. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
13. Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
14. For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do. (Commandments to Israel through Moses ) Deuteronomy 18:9-14
John
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (John sees the condition of mankind at judgment day) Revelation 21:8
Michah
And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: (Micah prophesies, about 740-700 B.C.) Micah 5:12
Mormon
And it came to pass that there were sorceries, and witchcrafts, and magics; and the power of the evil one was wrought upon all the face of the land, even unto the fulfilling of all the words of Abinadi, and also Samuel the Lamanite. (Mormon writes about the people of his day, A.D. 327-328) Mormon 1:19
Related Witnesses:
President Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards
(First Presidency)
[T]he increase of seers, and wizards, and diviners, and familiar spirits, and soothsayers, and astrologers, who are charming the nations with their magic arts, lulling the foolish to sleep with their magnetic influence, deceiving priests and people by their necromancy, calling rain, snow, and fire from heaven, and scattering abroad hoar frost like a winter's night . . . all these signs, and . . . many more like things [are the fulfillment of prophecies which] should come to pass in this generation, as signs of the second coming of the Son of Man, which is near at hand. . . . (Fifth General Epistle to the Saints, April 7, 1851) MOFP2:63-64
Recorded in 2 Chronicles
And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. (Manasseh reigns in wickedness and worships false gods; some acts of Manasseh recorded) 2 Chronicles 33:6
Author's Note: Following are dictionary definitions of some of the terms used in D-785: Sorcery: "Divination by the assistance or supposed assistance of evil spirits; magic; enchantment; witchcraft" (The New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language, p. 800). Divination: "The act of divining; a foretelling future events, or discovering things secret or obscure, by the aid of superior beings, or by certain rites, experiments, observations, etc." (The New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language p. 256). Enchantment: "The act of enchanting; the use of magic arts, spells, or charms; incantation" (The New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language, p. 286). Necromancy: "Divination by means of a pretended communication with the dead; the black art; the art of magic or sorcery" (The New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language, p. 561). Witchcraft: "The practices of witches; sorcery; power more than natural; enchantment; fascination" (The New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language, p. 962). Wizard: "[A]n adept in the black art; a sorcerer; an enchanter; a magician; a conjurer" (The New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language, p. 962).
I am including the following quotation from Joseph Smith on this subject of false spirits which is helpful in understanding why there is concern with the evil practices addressed in this doctrine:
It is evident from the Apostles' writings, that many false spirits existed in their day, and had "gone forth into the world," and that it needed intelligence which God alone could impart to detect false spirits, and to prove what spirits were of God. The world in general has been grossly ignorant in regard to this one thing, . . . "for no man knows the things of God, but by the Spirit of God."
The Egyptians were not able to discover the difference between the miracles of Moses and those of the magicians until they came to be tested together; and if Moses had not appeared in their midst, they would unquestionably have thought that the miracles of the magicians were performed through the mighty power of God, for they were great miracles that were performed by them—a supernatural agency was developed, and great power manifested.
The witch of Endor is a no less singular personage; clothed with a powerful agency she raised the Prophet Samuel from his grave, and he appeared before the astonished king, and revealed unto him his future destiny. Who is to tell whether this woman is of God, and a righteous woman—or whether the power she possessed was of the devil, and she a witch as represented by the Bible? It is easy for us to say now, but if we had lived in her day, which of us could have unravelled the mystery?
It would have been equally as difficult for us to tell by what spirit the Apostles prophesied, or by what power the Apostles spoke and worked miracles. Who could have told whether the power of Simon, the sorcerer, was of God or of the devil?
There always did, in every age, seem to be a lack of intelligence pertaining to this subject. Spirits of all kinds have been manifested, in every age, and almost amongst all people. If we go among the pagans, they have their spirits; the Mohammedans, the Jews, the Christians, the Indians—all have their spirits, all have a supernatural agency, and all contend that their spirits are of God. Who shall solve the mystery? "Try the spirits," says John, but who is to do it? The learned, the eloquent, the philosopher, the sage, the divine—all are ignorant. The heathens will boast of their gods, and of the great things that have been unfolded by their oracles. The Mussulman will boast of his Koran, and of the divine communications that his progenitors have received. The Jews have had numerous instances, both ancient and modern, among them of men who have professed to be inspired, and sent to bring about great events, and the Christian world has not been slow in making up the number.
"Try the spirits," but what by? Are we to try them by the creeds of men? What preposterous folly—what sheer ignorance—what madness Try the motions and actions of an eternal being (for I contend that all spirits are such) by a thing that was conceived in ignorance, and brought forth in folly—a cobweb of yesterday Angels would hide their faces, and devils would be ashamed and insulted, and would say, "Paul we know, and Jesus we know, but who are ye?" Let each man of society make a creed and try evil spirits by it, and the devil would shake his sides; it is all that he would ask—all that he would desire. Yet many of them do this, and hence "many spirits are abroad in the world."
One great evil is, that men are ignorant of the nature of spirits; their power, laws, government, intelligence, &c., and imagine that when there is anything like power, revelation, or vision manifested, that it must be of God. Hence the Methodists, Presbyterians, and others frequently possess a spirit that will cause them to lie down, and during its operation, animation is frequently entirely suspended; they consider it to be the power of God, and a glorious manifestation from God—a manifestation of what? Is there any intelligence communicated? Are the curtains of heaven withdrawn, or the purposes of God developed? Have they seen and conversed with an angel—or have the glories of futurity burst upon their view? No but their body has been inanimate, the operation of their spirit suspended, and all the intelligence that can be obtained from them when they arise, is a shout of "glory," or "hallelujah," or some incoherent expression; but they have had "the power."
The Shaker will whirl around on his heel, impelled by a supernatural agency or spirit, and think that he is governed by the Spirit of God; and the Jumper will jump and enter into all kinds of extravagances. A Primitive Methodist will shout under the influence of that spirit, until he will rend the heavens with his cries; while the Quakers (or Friends) moved as they think, by the Spirit of God, will sit still and say nothing. Is God the author of all this? If not of all of it, which does He recognize? Surely, such a heterogeneous mass of confusion never can enter into the kingdom of heaven. (HC4:571-72)
