p. 21 | Spiritualism

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 15, 1875

Spiritualism.

[PERHAPS no one knows more of spiritualism than “Brick Pomeroy,” For him it wrecked a pleasant home, and drove from his door one of the lovliest of women, and a charming daughter. It hurled him from a high position, and robbed him of his wealth. His experience is similar to that of hundreds of others, and the following is his present opinion, which more than one aching heart will fully indorse.]

“We have studied the phenomena of spiritualism for years. Have given it much of time, and weeks of thought. Have mixed with mediums, sat in circles, listened to wonderful things, seen strange sights and startling experiences, but do not know that we are one whit better, braver, and more honest, than before entering upon the investigation.

“The lessons learned in the lap of the good woman who taught us of the Bible, have stood us better in all the battles of life, and conflict with corruption, than has all the knowledge yet obtained through spiritualism. The Bible tells us to be pure, upright, virtuous, and united in faith with those who are workers for immortality, and upright walkers on the road of life. Spiritualism leads to free love, adultery, and infidelity. It is in and of itself a puzzle—an enigma—a mass of disintegrated rubbish—very much of the order of nightmare, as eliminated by those of its mountebanks who stand at the head of the spiritualistic society of the United States. The truth and beauty there is in it is so wrapped up in free love, free lust, froth, and nastiness, that he who believes that cleanliness is next to godliness cannot touch the unclean thing and be in communion with its chief officers.”

“Spiritualism claims several millions of followers in this country, and yet is not strong enough to elect a virtuous or responsible person at the head of its organization. It has no churches, no colleges other than houses of prostitution, where its Halls and Woodhulls can study for its ministry. It has no direct line of policy, but is broken, twisted, fragmentary, and at war against itself in all its teachings. It is a junkshop instead of a temple. Its high priestess is a female, who is mother, mistress, and maw-worm combined; who opposes marriage and is an adulteress.

One of its recognized captains is Moses Hull, who left a decent family after he became a spiritualist, to practice and to preach adultery as a religion. Another of its leaders, and the brightest of its stink-wicks, is a woman, who lived in a quiet home in a pleasant village of Bradford Co., Pa., as the happy wife of a promising lawyer, till she became a spiritualist, drove her husband to suicide in a city of Northern Mich., and then became a spiritual lamp-carrier, under the name of Laura Cuppy Smith.

“We could fill an entire page of this paper, fine type, with names of nasty men and women who have gone through the door of spiritualism into the filth of free love and loaferishness; who are open and avowed adulterers, boasting their lives as in accordance with the tenets of spiritualism.”

“That person, who follows the direction of spirits speaking through mediums, will be fooled four times out of five. Spiritualism is not truthful, therefore it is not the thing for us to follow, though others may do as they please. Spiritualism is a loafer. Science is a gentleman. Religion is the child of God, teaching purity. Let us judge spiritualism by the ‘flowers’ its vine has brought forth—by its free love advocates and lusty orators—and see where it belongs.”