The report of a Spiritualist Convention held in Rockford, Ill., contains the following:—
Resolved, That Spiritualism, according to the modern acceptation of that term, embraces all those who believe in the immortality of the soul.
Yes, the doctrine of the immortality of the soul is the only foundation of Spiritualism. Those who believe that doctrine do really believe the fundamental principles of Spiritualism, and why should not Spiritualism embrace all who believe it? The rest of the theory of Spiritualism is only the logical result of this. For if the soul is immortal, and if people, when they are dead, are alive and know all about the living, why should they not "communicate"? If these are angels, why cannot they speak with men? for we know that angels have often communicated with men. If their power of thought and of their whole spiritual being is increased by death , why can they not communicate that thought to men? The alarming progress that Spiritualism is making is altogether because of the almost universal belief in the doctrine of the immortality of the soul; and only those who believe the word of God, that "the dead know not anything" (Eccl. 9:5), will be able to resist this delusion. For Satan is yet to work "with all power and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thess. 2:9), and Spiritualism, resting on the immortality of the soul, is one of the great channels through which he will do it.