# The dead contacting the living **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 7, 2009, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274 "2009-07-07T23:50:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![silvermist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@silvermist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silvermist)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/1 "2009-07-07T23:50:46Z")
the Bible says that the dead cannot contact the living, so who is talking to people on Ouija boards or at seances? Demons impersonating lost loved ones maybe? ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/2 "2009-07-07T23:59:53Z")
Um, [no one.](http://www.skepdic.com/ideomotor.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/3 "2009-07-08T00:43:05Z")
> [@silvermist](#): > > the Bible says that the dead cannot contact the living Yet, the Bible describes at least one instance of it happening - in 1 Samuel 28: > [@](#): > > Then the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” > “Bring up Samuel,” he said. > > 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!” > > 13 The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?” > The woman said, “I see a spirit [a] coming up out of the ground.” > > 14 “What does he look like?” he asked. > “An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said. > Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. > > 15 Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” … > **[Bible Gateway passage: 1 Samuel 28 - New International Version](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2028&version=NIV)** > > In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.” David said, “Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do.”... ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/4 "2009-07-08T00:47:54Z")
The Perfect Master has a take on the on [Ouija board](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1798/how-does-a-ouija-board-work). ---
**Author:** ![Ruby\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/94ad74/32.png) [@Ruby\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby_G)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/5 "2009-07-08T00:48:53Z")
I think sometimes the Bible says things that aren’t true for our own good. Like, it may not be good to bring back the dead like in that story, like it might be dangerous or you might get an evil spirit that will trick you into thinking its someone you loved and make you do something stupid. SOmething like that happened to my aunt Diana. So the Bible says that you can’t do that so people wont try, but if it needs to be done it can be done. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/6 "2009-07-08T00:54:51Z")
> [@Ruby\_G](#): > > …an evil spirit that will trick you into thinking its someone you loved and make you do something stupid… Something stupid like giving money to a medium. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/7 "2009-07-08T01:31:08Z")
The bible says a lot of things, this is one of the very few it gets right. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/8 "2009-07-08T01:38:21Z")
Where to begin…? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/9 "2009-07-08T01:48:54Z")
The dead are dead. Not only can they not contact anyone, they also have a hard time making restaurant reservations. Seriously, when you die you become a bag of fertilizer: nothing more, nothing less. You’re a living animal, like a squirrel or toad. When you die, you die. End of story. Get over it. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/94ad74/32.png) [@Ruby\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby_G)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/10 "2009-07-08T02:02:48Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Something stupid like giving money to a medium. What happened was she went to a fortune teller and what she thought was her dead husbands spirit came back and told her to go have sex with a bunch of different guys until she got pregnant and then he would come back as the baby, but she never got pregnant but she did get AIDs. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/11 "2009-07-08T03:13:50Z")
> [@Ruby\_G](#): > > What happened was she went to a fortune teller and what she thought was her dead husbands spirit came back and told her to go have sex with a bunch of different guys until she got pregnant and then he would come back as the baby, but she never got pregnant but she did get AIDs. Was one of the guys the fortune teller? ---
**Author:** ![Ruby\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/94ad74/32.png) [@Ruby\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby_G)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/12 "2009-07-08T03:28:27Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Was one of the guys the fortune teller? The fortune teller was a woman. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/13 "2009-07-08T05:00:58Z")
I read the thread title as “The dead contracting the living” and was wondering what they’d hired them for. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/14 "2009-07-08T05:43:39Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > I read the thread title as “The dead contracting the living” and was wondering what they’d hired them for. Lawn maintenance, I’ll bet. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/15 "2009-07-08T07:46:48Z")
> [@silvermist](#): > > the Bible says that the dead cannot contact the living, so who is talking to people on Ouija boards or at seances? “I don’t get it. Why does the Ouija board keep saying 'Braiiiins” ? " ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/16 "2009-07-08T12:36:20Z")
> [@Ruby\_G](#): > > The fortune teller was a woman. That’s even sexier then. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/17 "2009-07-08T12:48:14Z")
> [@silvermist](#): > > the Bible says that the dead cannot contact the living, so who is talking to people on Ouija boards or at seances? Demons impersonating lost loved ones maybe? One of the only Scripture passages in the Bible that indicates the dead CAN’T contact the living is in Jesus’ parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. When the rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus’ spirit to Earth to warn his brothers to lead better lives, Abraham says there is an uncrossable chasm between the living and the dead, which means Lazarus can’t speak to the rich man’s brothers. Quite apart from the issue of whether the dead CAN communicate with the living, Mosaic law commanded the living not to try to communicate with the dead. Check out Deuteronomy 18:10-11: "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. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. " Mangetout’s passage shows what happened when someone disobeyed that rule. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/18 "2009-07-08T12:57:47Z")
> [@Ruby\_G](#): > > I think sometimes the Bible says things that aren’t true for our own good. You should have stopped at the word “true”. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/19 "2009-07-08T12:58:21Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > That’s even sexier then. Two girls, on Ouija board. I saw it on the intranets. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/20 "2009-07-08T14:51:54Z")
Wait, so Jesus couldn’t come back and talk to the apostles? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274.md?page=2)