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Spiritualism—No. 1

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 15, 1873

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 42, No. 5.

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Spiritualism.—No. 1.

By M. E. Cornell

SINCE coming to California, it has been my lot to hear several spiritualist lectures, and for the sake of the people, to expose their fallacies, I give a few items to show the progress of Satan's emissaries on the Pacific coast. Dr. Morril came to Bloomfield, where I had been giving lectures, and spoke under the influence of spirits. I took notes, and announced a reply. The interest was intense, and a large audience came to hear the other side. Seeing the doctor present, I read my notes, and called on him to correct them if not right. But he admitted that they were correct. Thus the way was fully prepared to give a pointed expose of the horrible sentiments he had expressed. What he had uttered under spirit influence was just what he could freely indorse in his normal state. We will now give some of his positions with a brief of our replies.
Dr. Morril. The man who worships Jesus is as much an idolater as the Chinese or the Sea Islander.
Reply. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, all the host of heavenly angels worshiped him. For the scripture had said, “When he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.” Here was a most lovely being, worthy even of the adoration of the angels of bright glory, and surely he was a very proper object of worship for mankind. Man is a worshipful being, and it is his very nature to seek out an object of worship. But if spiritualists reject Christ, whom will they worship? Who is their god? The answer is found in the Banner of Light, Nov. 4, 1865. It was by the “controlling spirit,” through Mrs. Conant, the medium.
“Question. Do you know of any such spirit as a person we call the devil?
“Answer. We certainly do. And yet THIS SAME DEVIL IS OUR GOD, OUR FATHER.”
The devil, then, is the god and father of spiritualists, by their own admission. How appropriate the prayer offered by Miss Lizzie Doten, a celebrated trance speaker, in Boston, a few years since! It was a regular prayer to the devil, from which we extract as follows:—
“O Lucifer, thou son of the morning, who fell from thy high estate, and whom mortals are prone to call the embodiment of evil, we lift up our voices to thee. From the depths of thine infamy stream forth divine truths.”
We can now well understand why, in all the speeches and writings of spiritualists, we never meet with one word against the devil, but, on the contrary, a continual stream against God and Christ, and what they have revealed. We prove that their god is the devil, and they admit it. What need of further witness? The question is settled!
Dr. Morril. God is incarnate in every man. He speaks through a greater than Jesus here to-night! God is personified in each of us!
Reply. This being the real doctrine of spiritualism, we are not at a loss to know who is its author. It is only a reiteration of that statement made to Eve by the father of lies: “Ye shall be as gods.” They doubtless go on the principle that “a lie well stuck to, is as good as the truth.” But here again we widely differ.
Dr. Morril. The reason why men are now becoming so dishonest is because of their ideas of a personal God, &c.
Reply. Here the doctor is wrong again, for the ideas of a personal God referred to, are of long standing. Nay, but this change for the worse is rather owing to the spiritualistic ideas which have spread so fast the last few years, such as, “Whatever is, is right,” and, “The divine use of the ten commandments is in their violation.” See Dr. Child's Better Views, p. 28.
If spiritualistic ideas are being so generally received as they claim, it is no wonder men are growing worse, for what better fruit can be expected from such a tree as the above sentiments represent! Behold! the beam is in thine own eye.
Dr. Morril. While at Lone Mountain Cemetery, I saw a horrible sight, at which I was greatly distressed. The Chinamen were in the act of worshiping the spirits of their dead, when a Christian—a Bible believer, came along, and kicked over their wax candles they were burning over the dead.
Reply. Though we would not justify the act of the professed Bible man, yet we are led to wonder why the doctor should be so sensitive over this act when he can apologize for all kinds of indignities and blasphemies against the God of the Bible. See Jamieson's talk published in a spiritualist paper, about “The great overgrown boss of the universe,” “an unmitigated tyrant, a despicable murderer, worse and meaner than a common cut-throat. If a Yankee should have the ill luck to get into his kingdom he would kick his alabaster throne to pieces!!” &c. A spiritualist could enjoy kicking the throne of God to pieces, but is horrified at seeing even the wax taper of a pagan idolater kicked over! Why is this? Ah! I have it now. These were his brethren. They were worshiping the spirits of the dead. They have followed it for hundreds of years in China. They are the older and more experienced brethren of modern spiritualists.
Dr. Morril. A change of religion is absolutely necessary. If we do not have it, our government will go down.
Reply. Our government was founded by those who believed the Bible, and in the God of the Bible, and we know that its superiority over all other governments has been owing to the fact that its subjects have come nearer to the point of taking the Bible as their guide. “The Bible and the Bible alone,” as the standard of faith, has ever been the boast of the religious element in this government. But of late it is being shaken, according to the doctor. But why? Is it not because the faith of the masses is being shaken in the Bible? Do not spiritualists everywhere claim that the majority, even of the churches, are at heart spiritualists? Do they not claim that they already have above 14,000,000 of open and avowed spiritualists in this country? No wonder, then, that the government is being shaken. “Down with the Bible,” is their watchword. It was the same with the French infidels when they set out to reform the government by putting away faith in God and his revealed will to man. And the result there was such a state of anarchy and corruption that neither life, property, nor chastity, was secure, and finally, even the leaders of the movement prayed for the restoration of the Bible! We advise all to beware of spiritualism, and every other ism that ignores the Bible as authority in the question of right and wrong.
Dr. Morril. The only devil is your own ignorance. When you make bad plans and fail in your calculations, this is your devil. &c.
Reply. The Lord Jesus Christ was more fiercely set upon by the devil than any man living, hence, according to spiritualism, he must have been the most ignorant of all. How rarely are the legs of the lame ever found to be equal!
Dr. Morril. Goodness and charity come not in the keeping of the ten commandments, but in their violation. By transgression, we develop our higher nature!
Reply. This caps the climax and crowns the cap. So, then, according to spiritualism, the best way is to be the worst; for if a man is guilty of killing, stealing, or adultery, he can plead that he means no harm, he is only developing his higher nature. In killing his neighbor and stealing his purse, he is only cultivating “goodness and charity!”
M. E. CORNELL.