Untitled article by GIDEON G. DUNHAM

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · February 11, 1868

SPIRITUALISM.

By GIDEON G. DUNHAM

Of all the deceptions in the land, this seems to be the greatest. As an illustration of this fact I give the following: While visiting some friends to-day, a spiritualist lecturer called on them. After the common salutations of the day and a lively talk on the subject of Spiritualism with our friends, the lecturer inquired my residence. I gave him the desired information. Said he, Were you at the lecture at B. last week? I told him I was not, and did not believe the doctrine at all. He then inquired my objections to it. I told him I did not believe in the immortality of the soul. Said he, What then will you do with the Saviour's words to the thief on the cross? I gave him Bro. Canright's exposition of it. He seemed somewhat discomfited, but presently said, How about Moses and Elias? I gave him Bro. Smith's exposition. He made no comment. But said he, You surely believe the record of Samuel and Saul. I replied that I did, and should have given Bro. Andrews' view of that passage; but he seemed to anticipate that I was posted on that also, and said, What do you believe all this spirit manifestation is, then? I referred him to Rev. xvi, 14. He was greatly taken back, but, after a moment's reflection, said, The Devil and his imps! He then said the Bible was a collection of old mythological ideas gotten together by Constantine, and he would not believe it (as the truth of God) half as quick as he would an old almanac; for that gave a true chronology, and the Bible did not. Later in his conversation he said it was King James' Bible, gotten up by him and his bishops.

Now we can see clearly his aim. He would first have us believe that the Bible taught the immortality of the soul and nothing else. How consistent! But failing in this, he would sweep all by the board and have the Bible brought up in two different ways, and at last be King James' Bible, just to suit those times; hence the injunction to honor the king.

Does it seem possible that a person with a sane mind can be so deceived? and yet he claimed to be governed wholly by reason. But such is the power of the enemy when once we enter into his stronghold. We are led captive by him at his will. But again this man admitted that there was sin in the world, while many communications from the spirits say there is no such thing as sin. Query: How, then, do they know when they have a true communication? Now we would just compare their evidence and ours, and see who has the most reason for their belief. They believe communications from mediums, and those mediums often young, fifteen, eighteen, or twenty years of age, of very bad characters, of no respect or esteem, and their communications contradictory and unsatisfactory; and upon this heterogeneous mass of contradictory communications they rest their eternal destiny. Now we believe the word of holy men who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost; men who laid down their lives to attest to the truthfulness of their words; men who lived hundreds of years apart, yet all speak the truth in harmony; men who uttered prophecies hundreds of years in the past, which we now see fulfilling before our eyes; men whose writings describe countries, cities, seas, lakes and rivers, which living witnesses in our day have visited, and hence know that they gave a faithful description of them.

Now, dear brethren and sisters, let us hold fast the truth. For though we are told that we cannot possibly be lost, we do not want to run the risk of believing a doctrine that all evidence goes to show would be our eternal ruin. We are perfectly safe where we are, if such is the fact. GIDEON G. DUNHAM.