The room was initially very quiet. Then one guy asked for the idea to be repeated as it was surprising to him. What struck me was how quickly the group accepted the idea without discussion. It seemed beyond scrutiny simply because Brigham Young said it. Perhaps some questioned it silently, but no one spoke up. I thought the quote sounded strange, yet I stayed quiet too.
The instructor didn't quote the exact quote as it didn't seem to be part of his prepared materials. So I went and looked up the quote to see what he was talking about.
Here’s the quote:
That first sentence is quite a claim. It attributes about everything to evil spirits. The last part of the quote attributes evil sprits as even what's behind our eventual death. Such sweeping teachings seemed to merit some exploration.
Here’s the quote:
Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, pp. 129–134 (discourse 28), December 4, 1856, Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City:
“You never felt a pain and ache, or felt disagreeable, or uncomfortable in your bodies and minds, but what an evil spirit was present causing it. … Do you realize that the ague, the fever, the chills, the severe pain in the head, the pleurisy, or any pain in the system, from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet, is put there by the devil? You do not realize this, do you? … When you have the rheumatism, do you realize that the devil put that upon you? No, but you say, ‘I got wet, caught cold, and thereby got the rheumatism.’ The spirits that afflict us and plant disease in our bodies, pain in the system, and finally death, have control over us so far as the flesh is concerned.”
That first sentence is quite a claim. It attributes about everything to evil spirits. The last part of the quote attributes evil sprits as even what's behind our eventual death. Such sweeping teachings seemed to merit some exploration.
Brigham seemed to anticipate such responses as "I got cold" "I got wet" and that's why this or that consequence happened with my body. He predicts people will say such things and seem to refutes such thinking, saying those aren't the real cause.
If we broaden “evil spirit” to include any lapse in body mechanics, judgement, or vision, like stubbing your toe or stepping on a Lego at night, then maybe this could make sense. But that still doesn't really make sense. I stepped on a Lego recently. It hurt. It blended in with the carpet so I didn't see it. It was inevitable give the amount of Legos my kids have on the table in the living room at any given moment.
Should I conclude that a false spirit caused me not to notice the Lego? Where would that line of reasoning take the mind? Do evil spirits rally for flu season and take a break in summer? If we take these ideas to their conclusion where does that land us? This teaching seems to lead to a very strange place with evil pulling all the strings as it relates to the body.
What Do the Scriptures Say?
Brigham specifically mentioned fevers, so let’s check the Book of Mormon/Covenant of Christ:
Alma 15:3
“Now Zeezrom lay sick at Sidom with a burning fever caused by his great mental distress over his iniquity.”
Here, the fever was caused by the guys own mental distress, not an evil spirit.
Alma 46:40–41
“And there were some who died with fevers, which during some times of the year were very common in the land — but they could control the fevers because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots God provided to remove the cause of diseases which affected people due to the climate — still there were many who died of old age.”
These fevers were "very" common during parts of the year. The verse says they were due to the climate, not evil spirits. The solution was herbal, not spiritual. If evil spirits caused the fevers, why not just cast them out? The scripture instead taught about plants and herbs and their respective qualities. People still died, of old age. There's no suggestion in that passage that evil spirits were the cause of fevers or death. People got old and died. Same as everything else on earth. Which God himself ordained as part of this earth life. Gen 3:19: “By the sweat of your face You will eat bread Until you return to the ground, For from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”
Brigham specifically mentioned fevers, so let’s check the Book of Mormon/Covenant of Christ:
Alma 15:3
“Now Zeezrom lay sick at Sidom with a burning fever caused by his great mental distress over his iniquity.”
Here, the fever was caused by the guys own mental distress, not an evil spirit.
Alma 46:40–41
“And there were some who died with fevers, which during some times of the year were very common in the land — but they could control the fevers because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots God provided to remove the cause of diseases which affected people due to the climate — still there were many who died of old age.”
These fevers were "very" common during parts of the year. The verse says they were due to the climate, not evil spirits. The solution was herbal, not spiritual. If evil spirits caused the fevers, why not just cast them out? The scripture instead taught about plants and herbs and their respective qualities. People still died, of old age. There's no suggestion in that passage that evil spirits were the cause of fevers or death. People got old and died. Same as everything else on earth. Which God himself ordained as part of this earth life. Gen 3:19: “By the sweat of your face You will eat bread Until you return to the ground, For from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”
Mosiah 17:16, 19
Abinadi prophesied that diseases would afflict the people as a judgment from God, not from evil spirits.
John 9:1–3
When Jesus healed the man born blind, He was asked who sinned, the man or his parents. Hs reply was that the blindness was not caused by sin but so “the works of God should be made manifest.”
Jesus cast out evil and unclean spirits on plenty of occasions but it doesn't say that's what he did for the man born blind. These examples do not appear to be caused by evil spirits.
Contrasting examples:
There are examples in the new testament where someone did have some physical issues as a result of an evil spirit.
Mark 9:17–27
And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; and wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. … When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; and wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. … When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
Matthew 12:22
Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
There are clearly occasions where evil spirits are involved with the physical issues. Brigham’s teachings however overgeneralize and over simplify the issue in an odd way. Various scriptures seem to contradict much of his statement. The scriptures attribute some bodily issues to personal choices, some to climate, some to God's judgment, some to God’s purposes, and yes, some to evil spirits. But definitely not all. Brigham's teaching (at least that one, and a few others) frankly gives evil a pretty hefty dose of power.
If you get the cause of the pain wrong, then you are very likely to get the remedy wrong too. For example, suppose we look at diet and the bodily effects and diseases stemming from what we put into our bodies. The Word of Wisdom has instructions about keeping the body healthy. What if we mis attribute something to an evil spirit when in reality it was something we repeatedly consume? And that's to say nothing about the health effects of our beliefs, family patterns, and how we manage stress.
If you get the cause of the pain wrong, then you are very likely to get the remedy wrong too. For example, suppose we look at diet and the bodily effects and diseases stemming from what we put into our bodies. The Word of Wisdom has instructions about keeping the body healthy. What if we mis attribute something to an evil spirit when in reality it was something we repeatedly consume? And that's to say nothing about the health effects of our beliefs, family patterns, and how we manage stress.
Brigham's quote ends like this:
“The spirits that afflict us and plant disease in our bodies, pain in the system, and finally death, have control over us so far as the flesh is concerned.”
They have control over us as far as the flesh is concerned he says. They plant diseases, pain, and finally death. Well that sounds pretty terrible. So are we doomed to being controlled by these evil spirits as long as we have a body?
Contrast Brigham's statement with this from Joseph Smith:
“A man is saved no faster than he gains knowledge, for if he does not get knowledge, he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the other world, as evil spirits will have more knowledge, and consequently more power than many men who are on the earth.”
Perhaps Brigham’s statement illustrates Joseph’s warning. Lack of knowledge leads to captivity by some evil power. What's ironic here is we are encountering a teaching that every pain and disease is caused by evil spirits. If that's not correct doesn't it give them more power and lead you into captivity?
I'm not saying evil spirits don't also jump at the opportunity to afflict a person while they are down, sick, or dealing with some disease. Sounds reasonable that evil would afflict someone who's temporarily more vulnerable. In my experience that is common. But as for being the underlying cause, scriptures have enough examples to show that disease and illnesses can have many causes, physical, emotional, environmental, or divine, not just spiritual. And that in turn should inform how to go about addressing it.
We do need knowledge otherwise we are liable to be brought under the influence of some false idea, IE false spirit.
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