One of my most popular posts is “Excommunicated for Priestcraft” in which I interviewed and related a small part of Mel Fish’s story and the way he was treated poorly toward the end of his life by the leadership of the church he loved. After the story was posted, he and I communicated regularly for several years before his death.
He made sure I received copies of all his books, even though I had already bought many of them. He also gave me written permission in an email to quote from them in support of my efforts to make more people aware of the beauty of a major aspect of the gospel of Jesus Christ: that we can we healed from the influence of evil spirits.
It seems the LDS Church has almost discounted entirely the concept that evil spirits are real, that they can and do influence us and that we have power over them through faith in Jesus Christ to send them to the light. The rest of this post is a direct quote from Mel’s autobiography, “The Search for Light and Truth,” published in 2010.
I had one profound experience that totally changed the way I deal with evil spirits. I had been raised to believe that the followers of Satan, those spirits that we refer to as devils, would eventually be cast out into outer darkness and that there was no hope for them. I believed this because of a scripture that says that the spirits that followed Satan were cast to Earth without a body where they suffer endless damnation.
One day a woman whom I will call Martha (not her real name) came to me. Martha had been attacked by a legion of devils. She was in intense pain and paralyzed on one side of her body. As I worked with her, I had several men with me helping me. I sought help because there were so many of those spirits present. We needed all the power and faith that we as a group could exert.
As we worked with these spirits, using our priesthood we commanded them to leave, they left one or two at a time. After about two or three hours there were only two spirits left.
At that time these spirits had complete control of Martha and began speaking to us through her voice.
Evil Spirits Can Speak Through a Mortal
“Go away and leave us alone,” they said. “We are far too powerful for you to control. You could never send us away.”
“What makes you think you are so powerful?” I asked.
“In Satan’s kingdom there are many levels of authority and power. The two of us stand next to him in authority, and therefore there is no one more powerful than we are, except for Satan himself.”
At this point I said a silent prayer asking the Lord what I should do. The answer came into my mind very clearly. “Send them to the Light. I still love them.” This answer was so clear that I thought it was an audible voice, but no one else heard it.
I argued with the Lord saying, “I can’t send them to the Light. They are the followers of Satan who are to be cast out into outer darkness at the time of the final judgment.”
I learned not to argue with the Lord. The voice came again, only in a sterner manner. “No, I said send them to the Light. I still love them.”
I spent the next hour trying to teach these two spirits and convince them that it was possible for them to go to the light. They argued and insisted that they were too wicked and evil, and that there was no way that the Lord would accept them.
Finally, I asked, “How long have you been fighting against Christ?”
“For millions of years.”
“What has been your goal in all of that struggle?”
“We lead people away from Christ and into the fold of Satan, and we are good at it.”
“Yes,” I said. “You really are good at it. You have even led away some who have had such a perfect testimony of Christ that they became Sons of Perdition. You know that there is opposition in all things. The opposite of a Son of Perdition would be for someone like you, who is a devout follower of Satan, to leave Satan and follow Christ.
If one can leave Christ and embrace Satan, you can leave Satan and embrace Christ. Just look up. He is there with outstretched arms waiting for you.”
Evil Spirits Sent to the Light
Suddenly Martha fell to the floor and contorted in a way that I have never before witnessed. The expression on her face and her body language communicated the greatest degree of sadness I have ever witnessed. At this point the spirits began to weep saying, “He lied. He lied. He lied.
He told us that if we would follow him, he would force us to be perfect, and we would automatically go to the highest heaven. All he has done is force us to do evil and we hate it. He has us trapped. We have to do everything he says, or he will punish us.”
I responded with, “Your day of deliverance has come. Turn to Christ. Give your burdens to him. He will forgive you. He will take all your darkness and replace it with light. He will then take you into a world of light where you can finish the healing process and resume your eternal progression.”
“If we did that, we would lose our great power.”
“What you perceive to be great power is only the power to destroy. Anyone can destroy. Real power is the power to create. Your only hope of getting that real power is to embrace the light, accept the healing that comes from Christ, and allow him to take you to that realm of light.”
At this point, suddenly this woman relaxed. A calm came through her body and throughout the entire room.
They were gone. This wonderful woman soon completely recovered from her paralysis.
Martha has the gift of being able to see spirits. She indicated that she saw two dark male spirits pop out of her chest and fall to their knees in the middle of the floor. She then saw Jesus Christ come through a blank wall and reach down and embrace them. As He did the darkness was gone and they were suddenly surrounded in beautiful light.
Christ, along with the two spirits, then ascended up through the ceiling and disappeared.
Evil Spirits can Repent and Turn to Christ
About four years later Martha came to me. She said, “I’ve got to tell you what happened last week.” She then told us about the birth of her new grandson.
Her daughter delivered a baby under the care of a midwife. Martha was present and helped with the home delivery. Because Martha has the gift to see spirits, she opened her spiritual eyes so that she could see if there was a farewell party going on. She saw a great many spirits of light in the room rejoicing.
There was one spirit among them that was much brighter than the others. This one, knowing that Martha could see him, stepped forward and asked, “Do you remember me?”
“No,” she said. “Who are you?”
“Do you remember two spirits that claimed to be next to Satan in power and authority whom you taught and released to the light?
“Yes, I remember that very well.”
“I am one of those two. My healing is complete, and the Lord has given me permission to thank you one more time.” This spirit then looked at the labor that had progressed to the point that one could see the crown of the head in the birth canal. He then said, “I see that it is now time for me to reenter this little baby and become your new grandson.” This spirit then entered in through the crown of the head and disappeared.
At first my experience with Martha greatly troubled me. I had always believed that the spirits that followed Satan would eventually be cast out into outer darkness where they would be subjected to endless torment.
I turned to the Lord in prayer saying, “Lord, I do not doubt what you have taught me, but because of my previous beliefs, I need help. Is there any scripture that teaches what you have just taught me through my experience with Martha?”
I received a very clear answer. Clearly into my mind came these words, “Doctrine and Covenants section 19”. There the Lord explains that endless is one of God’s names.
Scriptural Support for This Controversial Doctrine
Therefore, to say “endless torment” is the same as saying God’s torment and endless punishment is God’s punishment. In verse 6 the Lord says, “Nevertheless, it is not written that there shall be no end to this torment, but it is written endless torment.”
Years later I became aware of two psychiatrists who have learned how to detect the presence of the followers of Satan. Both of them send those spirits to the light. You can read about their techniques in their books: “Remarkable Healings” by Shakuntala Modi, M.D. and “Spirit Releasement Therapy” by William J. Baldwin, D.D.S., Ph. D.
About a month after the initial experience with Martha and these two spirits, I was working with another woman who had a very dark spirit with her who refused to believe he could go to the light. I told him about these other two spirits thinking that perhaps that account would convince him that he too could go to the light.
He, like the previous two, was speaking through the voice of this woman, carrying on a conversation with me.
When I told him about these two spirits he responded very forcefully. “He lied again!! He told us that these two had been called on a top-secret mission and would not be back for a long time. No wonder he tells us to avoid you. He is losing his army. Thank you very much. I am out of here.”
Immediately he was gone.
The Practice Really Is Quite Simple
One day a woman came to me for therapy. As we sat down in my office, before I had a chance to say anything, two spirits that were with this woman took control of her and began to speak to me through her voice.
“Before you do anything,” they said, “let us tell you our position.”
I responded with, “I would be glad to hear your position.”
They immediately responded with, “There are two of us here. Satan asked for two volunteers to come with this woman to keep her from healing. We volunteered, not because we wanted to please Satan, but because we knew that the spirits that come into your home are taught how to go to the light.
We came with her so that we could get into your home and be taught by you. Furthermore, there are about two million disgruntled followers of Satan congregated outside your home. They are watching. As you teach us you will also be teaching them, and we will all go together.”
I then said, “All you need to do is turn to God and say, ‘I was deceived. Please forgive me. I want to come back.’ When you do that, you will have your light, your glory and your agency restored, and you will be taken to a place where Satan will have no power over you.”
“Is that all there is to it?”
“Yes,” I said, “That is all there is to it.”
Immediately they thanked me, and they left. The woman to whom they had been attached said that the Lord gave her the power to see what was going on within the realm of spirit. To her it seemed as if the walls of my house disappeared, and she was looking out into a huge open field with about two million very dark entities congregated there.
When I said, “All you need to do is turn to God and say, ‘I was deceived. Please forgive me. I want to come back.”’ They all raised their arms toward heaven. The darkness that surrounded them suddenly disappeared and was replaced with beautiful light. They then floated up until they disappeared.
Source: Melvin C. Fish Ph.D., The Search for Light and Truth, pp. 205-211
You can still purchase Mel’s books at https://drmfish.com/
A delightful video put together by Mel’s family and shared at his funeral: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9_OEWv8b8I
Thank you Tim for bringing back good memories of Mel and Gwen. I have been in their home and have been taught much through Mel’s books and classes. They were godly people and at times treated unjustly for their work. I love and miss them.