A Dead Witness

by Gene Shelburne

Up on Arizona’s Mogollon Rim a summer or two ago legal history was made in a Gila County courtroom. Presiding Judge Michael Flournoy allowed a fellow who has been dead for over 400 years to testify.

Really. A friend sent me clippings from the July 19, 1995, Phoenix newspaper telling this weird tale. She included the paper’s editorial. The editors took a dim view of the proceedings. I do, too.

Two years before, according to the news story, a bunch of Tonto Villagers who call themselves The Church of the Immortal Conscious-ness (whatever that is) filed suit against a local couple for spreading rumors that this “church” worships Satan.

In order to settle the suit, Judge Flournoy allowed one of the church leaders, known as Rev. Trina Kamp, to “channel” a spirit into the courtroom to testify as a sworn witness.

Courtroom lights were turned off at Kamp’s request. With 21 members of the “church” wailing the Beatles’ song “In My Life,” Kamp appeared to go into some sort of trance with chin on chest and eyes closed. When she looked up, she said, “I am Dr. Duran,” referring to an undocumented 15th-century Englishman Dr. Pahlvon Duran, whose earlier communications had led to the formation of the group.

“Dr. Duran” was sworn in and testified for over 30 minutes, the newspaper reported, recommending that both sides in the trial drop the case.

Then to the strains of “I’ve Got a Home in Glory Land,” also intoned by the “church” members in the courtroom, Kamp emerged from her channeling mode and stepped down from the witness stand. Within moments the case was over, both sides strangely enough accepting the dead man’s instructions.

“Can you believe this happened in our country?” my Arizona friend scribbled on the news clipping. Indeed, I cannot. Not in a country with a legal system rooted in Judeo/Christian scripture.

Phoenix editors called the whole affair an “embarrassing mockery of civil court procedure.” They’re right. But it’s worse than that. It is stark evidence of how far we have drifted in America from our Christian roots.