p. 1 | Spiritualism

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 20, 1866

Spiritualism.

THE DOCTRINES OF SPIRITUALISM.

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." 1 Tim. iv, 1.

As the Scriptures cannot be broken (John x, 35), the foregoing must be fulfilled "in the latter times," where it is believed we are now living. It is a well-known fact, that large numbers of the most noted Spiritualists have once been professors of religion, and members of churches. Many of their lecturers have been preachers of the gospel. Thus it is shown that the Scripture, just quoted, is not broken. If we did not see what we do, then it might be said, the Scripture has failed.

If, as we have endeavored to show, Spiritualism is but another name for Demonism, then the doctrines taught by the spirits and their followers, should be opposed to the Bible, in order to correspond with the rest of their teachings. We will now let the spirits and the Spiritualists tell their own story in their own language. Most of the evidence will be that which has been published in the Banner of Light, in Boston, which has been the leading Spiritualist paper for many years. Other Spiritualist papers and books publish the same. We will arrange their doctrines in the following twelve articles of faith, which we will call

THE SPIRITS' CREED.

1. The Bible is not a reliable book.

In the testimony of a spirit given in the Banner of Light, Nov. 23, 1861, it is said:

"Many times before have we said that we cannot place implicit confidence in that which we find between the lids of the Bible."

A spirit, claiming to be Rev. John Moore, says: "My friend asks, 'Do you believe the Bible?' I answer, No, I do not. I cannot believe one word of it as the word of God."

Another, when speaking of the Bible, says: "You may not place any confidence in that book. . . . I can assure my friend that God had no more to do with writing that book than he had; . . . and do not expect to create any light in the mental world, if you cling to your Bible."

A spirit, who claims to be Timothy M. Baker, says: "I've got folks in Montpelier, and . . . I want them to get my sister where I can talk to her straight as I do to you, and I'll knock her God and Bible all to nothing."

2. There is no sin.

These spirits say:—"We say, as we have said a thousand times before, there is no such thing as sin; no such thing as evil. . . . Now, then, if there is sin anywhere, God made that sin—he is the author of it." "The foundation of your religion is fast fading away. Soon we shall find you shaking hands with these new things. This must be so. . . . Jesus of Nazareth, if he were here to-day, would tell you as we tell you."

Another spirit, when speaking of sin, says: "Spiritually and divinely considered, there is no sin. Full well we know the book you call the Bible teaches of sin. Full well we know the whole Christian world recognizes such a condition; but, to us, there is no sin."

Another says:—"All men and women are equally righteous, because all are good. No matter where we find them, or under whatever condition they exist, they are good."

Says another:—"Every thought, word, and deed, is of God, and therefore modern Spiritualism is of divine origin. . . . The religion of the heathen is no less divine than is yours. God approved of it as well as yours."

Another spirit says:—"Everything that ever has been or ever will be, is an immutable decree of God. . . . There is not an atom in the universe but will at some time become an immortal spirit. . . . It is vain for man to talk about disobeying the law of God; he can at no time disobey it. . . . Every grain of sand you tread upon to-day, shall in time become an immortal soul, endowed with wisdom. . . . You may curse the Author of your being. Do you sin? No; you are but casting off the gross in your nature—obeying your God. . . . The highest archangel was once the lowest spirit on earth."

Says another spirit:—"'What!' says the self-righteous man, 'is God controlling the murderer when he lifts his hand against his brother?' Yes, we answer, he is, and every atom in nature proves us true."

Another says:—"We believe our God to be the author of sin, as of good. If we give him his due, we give him this."

3. There is no Devil.

The demons appear to be very anxious to have us believe that no such beings exist. This is just as we should expect. A thief would be glad to convince all his neighbors that there were no thieves, so that they would not lock their doors and safes, and then he could have free access to them. So, if the demons can convince us that there are no such beings, we shall not be on the watch for their snares. The following is their teaching on this point:

"There is no Devil either. . . . Seems to me man must be devoid of good sense to believe anything of the kind."

4. Christ is not raised.

A spirit says:—"But the question arises, What became of the body of Jesus? We answer, the friends of Jesus stole away the body. . . . So then, we will say the natural body of Jesus Christ was never re-animated after the crucifixion. All nature, our God, tells us

so."

How different the foregoing reads from the Bible on this subject. Says the apostle Paul, "If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. . . . But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept." 1 Cor. xv, 17, 18, 20. Luke says, "Jesus showed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs." Acts i, 3. Peter said to the Jews, "Ye . . . killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses." Acts iii, 15.

5. Man is his own judge.

"Within the bosom of every man and woman, there is a judgment-seat, a throne of God; and before that, and that alone, should men bow down and worship. By that alone they are to be guided. He is to be judged by himself as a spirit; he is to come before no other tribunal. If by the law of self he is condemned, he must suffer according to the condemnation; if acquitted by self, he is indeed acquitted."

We need not stop to say that this is utterly opposed to the teaching of the Bible. According to this standard, if a man gets mad at his neighbor and kills him, no one must condemn him. Or if the seducer leads hundreds from the path of virtue, to gratify his beastly passions, which have completely seared his conscience about such things, "he is to come before no other tribunal" but "himself;" and his decision is, to seduce the next fair one he can find. This is but one item in the "new religion" of Spiritualism, which, it is said, will "exert a moral and reformatory power among the nations, and inaugurate the millennial era."

6. There is no resurrection of the dead.

A spirit says:—"We presume our good brother will ask if Jesus did not raise the dead? He never did, and never could." Another says:—"The grave is the resting place of the form we no more require." All the spirits and their followers, so far as we know, deny the resurrection of the dead, which is a cardinal doctrine of the Bible. Says the apostle Paul, "If the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised." Again he says, "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?" But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen." 1 Cor. xv, 12, 13, 16. It will be seen that the apostle was free to admit that Christianity was a failure, if the dead rise not. He says, "If after the manner of men I have fought with the beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." 1 Cor. xv, 32. Again we read, "The Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first." 1 Thess. iv, 16. Says the Saviour, "Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John v, 28, 29. No doctrine is more plainly taught in the Bible, than the resurrection of the dead. This the spirits deny.

7. Man is his own Saviour.

"The only true religion, is a natural religion. . . . You are your own Saviours."

In answer to the question, "Did not Christ die, that through his death we might inherit eternal life?" a spirit answers, "No! Christ did not die, that through his death we might live. . . . His death has no more to do with the remission of your sins than the death of any of your martyrs."

Says a spirit: "No man should rely upon any Saviour outside of himself. . . . Each and every one is a Saviour, as he is a judge, a God."

The teaching of the spirits on this point is directly the opposite of that in the Bible. When speaking of Jesus, Peter says, "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." Acts iv, 12.

8. Christ will not come personally.

Said Leo Miller in a discourse at the Melodeon in Boston, June 2, 1860, "We behold in the advent of Spiritualism the second coming of the Spirit of Jesus of Nazareth."

So far as we can learn, all the spirits deny the personal coming of Christ. According to the teaching of the apostle John, this denial is one of the special marks of antichrist. When Jesus ascended, it was said to his disciples, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into Heaven? this SAME Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven." Acts i, 11. No language could more plainly express the personal coming of Christ. Says the apostle, "The Lord HIMSELF shall descend from Heaven." 1 Thess. iv, 16. Christ came personally the first time, as such he taught in Jerusalem and elsewhere, was crucified, dead and buried, and "rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." 1 Cor. xv, 4. "This same Jesus" is the one who is to come again to raise the dead, and set up his kingdom. But all the spirits deny it. Which shall we believe? the Bible, or the spirits?—World's Crisis.