p. 4 | Fallacious Reasoning

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Sep 12, 1911

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 38, No. 36.

Fallacious Reasoning

But this is by no means all. There is another process of reasoning by which Mr. Stead, equally with other Spiritualists, proves to his satisfaction the return of the dead. Expressed in a syllogism the proof is reached thus:

Major premise: Communications from the other world can come only from departed human beings.

Minor premise: We receive messages from the other world.

Conclusion: Hence the dead return to communicate.

In the major premise, Mr. Stead, along with all other Spiritualists, assumes as proved the very thing that most needs proof, and is the most important point in the whole controversy. Spiritualism as a system of the return of the dead breaks down by its own weight of absurdity, and is proved as not only dangerous but positively deceitful and malicious by its own advocates. It is convicted out of its own mouth. For as long as Spiritualists admit that deception is possible—and they admit it on every hand—there is absolutely no security from being led into the grossest error and the most absurd if not harmful practises. Hence even if it were proved that communications from the other world come only from departed human beings, Spiritualism can furnish no credentials to credence.