Modern Spiritualism by Editor

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Nov 6, 1879

Modern Spiritualism.

By Editor

THEY OPPOSE MARRIAGE.

THERE is no one particular wherein Spiritualism is proving itself a curse to the age and to the race more than this. "Free Love" is a common phrase with a certain class of "reformers," who wish to abolish not only the Bible, but all its institutions. Some Spiritualists deny being Free Lovers; but this denial cannot screen the system from the charge of upholding the abomination; for 1. We have never known a Free Lover who was not a Spiritualist, and if Spiritualism and Free Lovism are not identical, they at least have a wonderful "affinity" for each other! 2. It is well known that a large proportion of Spiritualists are Free Lovers, both theoretically and practically; and they go, not only unrebuked, but indorsed as Spiritualist laborers, in lecturing and writing. It avails nothing for an individual to deny the charge as applying to himself, as long as he associates and fraternizes with, and upholds, those who are openly committed to it. He gives it all the aid of his influence and association, which is sometimes much stronger than that of practice.

Our main inquiry is, What are the practical tendencies of Spiritualism? We care nothing for individuals only as they represent the system. Let the reader consider the testimony of Randolph, Whitney, Hatch, Harris, and Potter, which we have given, and decide for himself. But we propose to give further evidence on this point, that all may be aware of the designs of this class of reformers, as well as of the general tendencies of their teachings.

Dr. Potter further says:— "So strong has been the Free-Love tendency, and so numerous and influential, media, speakers, and Spiritualists, of Free-Love proclivities and practice, that we do not know of a single Spiritualist paper that has paid expenses, that has not had their assistance and promulgated their doctrines."

"One of the oldest if not the most influential paper has several noted Free Lovers and libertines as special, honored correspondents."

"Parting husbands and wives is one of the notorious tendencies of Spiritualism. The oldest and most influential teacher of Spiritualism has had two wives, each of whom he encouraged to get divorced before he married them. When one of the most eloquent trance speakers left her husband, he came out and stated he knew sixty cases of media leaving companions. We heard one of the most popular impressional speakers say, to a large audience, that she was compelled by the spirits to secede from a husband with whom she was living very happily. We lately heard a very intellectual, eloquent, and popular normal speaker say, in an eloquent address to a large convention of Spiritualists, that 'he would to God that it had parted twenty where it had parted one.' In short, wherever we go, we find this tendency in Spiritualism."—Spiritualism as it Is, pages 10, 11.

"After years of careful investigation, we are compelled, much against our inclinations, to admit that more than one-half of our travelling media, speakers, and prominent Spiritualists, are guilty of immoral and licentious practices that have justly provoked the abhorrence of all right thinking people."—Id., page 20.

It would seem to be some relief to the dark outline if their teachings were better than their practices; but they are not. A Spiritualist paper published in Indiana, called the Kingdom of Heaven, June, 1865, in a platform of principles "adopted at Huntsville, Madison Co., Indiana," says:— "It is resolved that it is conceded by all good and wise mortals and angels, that all men and women are born free and equal, so far as natural rights are concerned; that these natural rights are unalienable in the broadest, and widest, and fullest acceptation of that term; that amongst these is the right to self, in any and every sense, under all circumstances, at all times and in all places; that as this right is unalienable it cannot be given up, nor justly restrained, with or without the consent of the individual; but that all men and women are endowed with the natural right (and hence unalienable) to pursue happiness in the way and manner they may choose, amenable and accountable to no power but the God who conferred it."

This, with more to the same intent, is sanctioned, according to that paper, by the following spirits; the accompanying note will show what respect they have for "the authority of the God who conferred it":— "Approving spirits or disembodied minds present: Jesus Christ, Emanuel Swedenborg, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Clay, and legions of others." "Note.—We would have our readers understand that we have no more reverence for Jesus Christ, George Washington, or Abraham Lincoln, than we have for Judas Iscariot, Benedict Arnold, or J. Wilkes Booth. We neither worship nor praise the former, nor condemn the latter. All were but instruments of Omnipotent power; neither of whom were any better than you or I."

If any are in doubt as to the intent of the above platform, the following remark by the editor of that paper will make it all clear:— "Yet we are neither a Shaker nor a Mormon; nor are we to be bound by the popular marriage laws and customs of society as now organized; but we would that man and woman should make love only by nature's law of attraction, with as little outward law and ceremony as do the little birds in the groves."

The editor of the World's Crisis, copying this, makes the following very truthful comment:— "Persons holding such principles, are the ones who claim that a religion based on the Bible is 'demoralizing.' This is very much like a drunkard and rum-seller who should speak of the demoralizing effects of temperance societies, because he had less company and patronage; or a seducer who should call virtue demoralizing because it deprived him of his victims."

At a Spiritualist Convention held in Ravenna, Ohio, July 4 and 5, 1858, a Mrs. Lewis said:— "To confine her to love one man was an abridgment of her rights. Although she had one husband in Cleveland, she considered herself married to the whole human race. All men were her husbands, and she had an undying love for them. What business is it to the world whether one man is the father of my children, or ten men are? I have a right to say who shall be the father of my offspring."

A Spiritualist paper, in reporting this, very modestly said they did not think public conventions the proper places to introduce such subjects! but did not offer a word of condemnation of the sentiment.

At a convention held in Rutland, Vt., in June, 1858, the following resolution was presented and defended:— "Resolved, That the only true and natural marriage is an exclusive conjugal love between one man and one woman; and the only true home is the isolated home based on this love."

People have formerly thought that love led to marriage, but according to the above, love is marriage; so whenever they love, they are married—naturally married! and of course when they cease to love, this relation ceases; they are no longer married—naturally divorced. And of course this may be repeated as often as love finds a new "attraction." Mrs. Julia Branch, of New York, as reported in the Banner of Light, in defending the above resolution used the following words:— "I am aware that I have chosen almost a forbidden subject; forbidden from the fact that any one who can or dare look the marriage question in the face, candidly and openly denouncing the institution as the sole cause of woman's degradation and misery, are objects of suspicion, of scorn, and opprobrious epithets." "The slavery and degradation of woman proceeds from the institution of marriage; by the marriage contract, she loses the control of her name, her person, her property, her labor, her affection, her children, her freedom. Mrs. Gage, Mrs. Rose, and others go back to the mother's influence. I go back further and say that it is the marriage institution that is at fault; which is the binding ceremony which keeps woman degraded in mental freedom; she must demand her right to receive the equal wages of man in payment for her labor; her right to have children when she will and by whom."

Similar to the above resolution is the following from the Pilgrimage of Thomas Paine, page 15:— "I had mourned her death as the severest of all possible calamities. We were united. Nothing but the form of marriage was wanting to make one in the sight of the world. We were married. I loved her as I never loved another."

At a Spiritualist Convention in Kiantone Valley, Chautauqua Co., New York, Sept., 1858, Mr. Codding was reported to have spoken as follows under spirit influence:— "Marriage is slavery, and should be abolished. Those groaning beneath the galling fetters of matrimony should be freed at once, and left to bestow their affections when and where they please."

It is worth observing how complacently Spiritualist conventions sit and listen to such vile expressions. No one feels aggrieved—no one demurs. They are taken rather as a matter of course, which all Spiritualists seem to well understand. Could such sentiments find acceptance in any other meetings than those of Spiritualists? Never. This sign is unmistakable.

We have quoted several authorities showing that Spiritualism has separated husbands and wives, and mediums are generally regardless of obligation in this respect. As a sequel to Dr. Hatch's evidence on this point, we here notice the report of a meeting in Clinton Hall, New York, where Cora Scott (the late Mrs. Hatch) lectured, as usual, under the spirit influence. At the close of her lecture a discussion arose, and while an elderly man was speaking, a young man interrupted him. The latter part of the scene we give as found in a Boston paper. The young man said:— "I have come here to shame that old man. He is my father. He left his wife and children, and is now living with Cora Hatch, in East Broadway." "A voice.—Well, go home, and do not come here to settle your private troubles." "Young man.—You may think I am doing wrong; but if you knew all the facts of the case you would think I am doing right." "Several voices.—Go on. Let us hear the story. Take the stand,' etc. "Young man.—I have done everything to get that man to do right by his family, but I have not been able to do so. I am his son, and am here to shame him in public. His name is William McKinley, and he keeps a store at the corner of Chatham and Pearl streets. He has beaten my mother and treated her most shamefully, and he has abandoned her to live with Cora Hatch."

But such facts as these do not interfere with her "angelic ministrations," as Warren Chase calls them, nor detract one whit from her popularity as a trance-speaker among Spiritualists. And why should they? have they not declared in their National Convention that immorality is no bar to fellowship?

Dr. Gridley was instructed that there are six circles or degrees in which both men and spirits dwell; in the first are savages, barbarians, and the very refuse of civilized society; in the second, the lowest class of civilized society, including the ordinary church members, exhorters, etc.; in third are the best and true-hearted in the churches, and no person can belong to any higher degree than this; the fourth degree is called the day of Judgment or resurrection, and most of the reformers are in this degree—some have passed through it to the fifth—and it usually takes about eleven years to pass through it. By this synopsis of their teachings the reader will be able to understand the references in the following extract from remarks on "Celestial Marriage," by spirits professing to be in the fifth degree:— "They affirm that any positive spirit has free access to any negative spirit where there is affinity—that though the male may have a female companion who is constitutionally adapted to be him a better help-meet on the whole than any other, and so generally accompanies him, yet the latter has no jealousy and knows no exclusiveness, that she is glad to have the life of God increased in any way, and anywhere—that the same liberty will ere long be given to men on earth, 'who are found worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead,' done without putting off the body."—Astounding Facts from the Spirit World, page 172.

Evil-minded spirits in all the degrees are represented as given to licentiousness.

But the point to which we call especial attention is the license for promiscuous intercourse which is soon to be given to men on earth. Note that the license will extend to all above the fourth degree—that the true reformers are all in that degree, except a few who have passed through it—and that it usually takes about eleven years to pass through what a flood of iniquity these demons intend soon to pour upon the world!