We know that the spirits that are responsible for the phenomena of modern Spiritualism are evil spirits that deny the Bible, and not the beings that appeared to the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles of old. This is their great work. N. F. Ravlin was for many years a Baptist minister, but is now an ardent Spiritualist lecturer. In the Golden Gate of December 18, 1886, he gave an account of how and why he became a Spiritualist, and also some of his experience since becoming one. Among other things, he said, concerning a message purporting to have come from his father: —
“The message of my father contained an epitome of my history for the last thirty years, and closed by a most emphatic endorsement of my recent preaching according to the spiritual interpretation of the Scriptures. He commended my published discourses, which the Baptist denomination have repudiated as heresy.”
Farther on in the article he said: —
“Nearly half a score of old Baptist preachers, with whom I have been associated in the past, have already come to our home, and explained wherein their former preaching was erroneous. The whole system of biblical interpretation is far away from the truth, as everyone will find when they enter the spiritual world.”
The spirits deny God. The following we clipped from an article in the New Thought of January 1, 1886: —
“I was told, not long since by a God-worshiping Spiritualist, that they believed that ‘deep down in my heart, I believe in a God.’ I have not only been told that once, but many times; I consider it an insult, both to my intelligence and my honesty. But perhaps they only judge by themselves, and may be, in part, excusable. They may have one belief deep down in their hearts for Sundays, and another nearer the surface for weekday use.
“As for me, I have lived without hanging on to a God for a good many years and do not see but that I am as well off as before; though from early training, I was obliged to let go, inch by inch. How can we progress when tied fast to a God idea? To me it looks like tying a calf to a stake; he goes the length of his rope then goes around in a circle, and still thinks he is making progress.”
The above seems the more horrible because a woman wrote it. We do not wish to multiply testimony on any point, but we could give many more equally blasphemous extracts from Spiritualist writings. There are some Spiritualist papers that do not contain such bold statements as the above, but there is not one that does not deny God as revealed in the Bible.
Light in the Word, a Spiritualist paper published in St. Louis, Mo., contained the following question addressed to a spirit, and the answer of that spirit, in its issue of July 14, 1886: —
“‘We are taught that God made man after his own image; consequently, when we think of God we are apt to imagine him a being shaped like ourselves. How is this understood over on your side—are we correct?’
“The answer came quickly—
“‘It is not correct; it is an error. What you call God is the great creating spirit of the universe. Man is a part of God, —a spark thrown off from the Great Spirit. Imagine, if you please, a great circle. Man is placed upon it an infant, and commences his long journey around it. His first great change is what you call death; from thence he progresses, onward and onward, from sphere to sphere, until he reaches the place of beginning, when he again becomes a part of the Great Spirit, but retains his individuality.’”
They deny Christ and the atonement. The editor of New Thought in his issue of September 11, 1886, when writing of Andrew Jackson Davis, a noted Spiritualist, said: —
“Jesus was no more of an instrument in the hands of the superior powers than is Mr. Davis.”
And in the same paper of June 14, 1887, I find the following, which is a part of an interview between a man and his wife, who was on her deathbed: —
“‘It is very true, Maggie, I have done wrong, as we all have; but “the blood of Christ cleanseth from all unrighteousness.” If I have repented and been forgiven for Christ’s sake, you ought to forgive me.’
“‘O James,’ said his wife, ‘lean no longer upon this treacherous fallacy. So far as my forgiveness is concerned, you might have it a thousand times. But no forgiveness can change your crimes into virtue; no blood can wash out the guilty deeds deeply graven on your soul. You must atone for your own sins, and work out your own salvation. There is no alternative.’”
In the same paper, October 22, 1887, we find the following under the heading, “Our Creed”: —
“We believe that God does not pardon sin, as is represented in the Scriptures; and we also believe that sin is as much of a necessity as righteousness, so-termed; that sin in the evolution of Nature’s (God’s) laws is converted into righteousness, and vice versus.”
This is straight Spiritualist teaching. There is not a Spiritualist in the world who holds any different view of the atonement.
The Bible gives the devil the following character: “He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). Of course all his angels have the same character. Now that Spiritualism emanates from that source is virtually acknowledged by a Spiritualist of many years’ standing. In the Golden Gate of August 7, 1886, the following appeared as part of an editorial entitled “Misleading Spirits:”—
“Whoever surrenders his individual judgment and gives his trust implicitly upon the communications of spirits, as given through promiscuous mediumship, is almost certain to be deceived. It matters not how confident his trust or implicit his faith, nor how sincere or honest he may be in his intentions, he will find the . . . spiritual message a veritable broken reed, if he attempts to lean upon it to the exclusion of the staff of his own reason.”
Now with the evidence already produced, showing that Spiritualism is of the devil, and with the above admission that the spirits are not to be trusted, - in other words, that they are lying spirits, - read the following from E. A. Brackett’s “Materialized Apparitions”: —
“When I had finished my investigations on this point, I found that I stood on the shore of a boundless sea of speculation and uncertainty. I could not help asking myself the question, ‘What are these forms that, for a few moments only, clothe themselves in objective reality, bearing the semblance of my friends, blended with the likeness of the medium? Are these my father, my mother, my wife, my brother?’ . . .
“In the midst of this perplexity, this whirl of unanswered questions, the voice of my old friend came to me: ‘Don’t stare these sensitive beings out of your countenance, but give them all that you can of your better nature, and you shall have your reward. If there is a possibility of mistake as to identity, if you are in any way deceived, the responsibility is theirs not yours. In all true séances, if the forms are not what they are supposed to be, they are at least beings from another life, seeking strength and comfort from association with you, else they would not come. Let not a shadow of doubt or distrust bar their approach. Have no awe, no reserve, no fear as to what they are, and they will blend into your soul, and become a part of your life.’ . . .
“I decided to follow the course which had been suggested to me. I would lay aside all reserve, and greet these forms as dear departed friends who had come from afar, and had struggled hard to reach me.
“From that moment the forms, which had seemed to lack vitality, became animated with marvelous strength. They sprang forward to greet me; tender arms were clasped around me; forms that had been almost dumb during my investigations now talked freely; faces that had worn more the character of a mask than of real life, now glowed with beauty. What claimed to be my niece, ever present and earnest in aiding me to obtain the knowledge I was seeking, overwhelmed me with demonstrations of regard. Throwing her arms around me, and laying her head upon my shoulder, she looked up and said, ‘Now we can all come so near you.’”
All Spiritualist writers give advice to the same effect, that the investigator should yield himself to the influence of the forms that come professing to be his dead friends. What a terrible thought that men would voluntarily put themselves into the hands of the devil, allowing him to obtain complete control of them. If the majority of the people on earth should thus submit themselves to his influence, who can imagine the evil that would follow? The only way in which a person can get any just conception of what would follow, is by reading 2 Tim. 3:1-7.
“But,” says one, “when we see the forms of our departed loved ones, and hear their voices, and they recall memories of the past, how can we be deceived? Can we not trust the evidence of our senses?” We reply, No; in this matter the senses are not a safe guide. Our only sure guide is the word of God, which declares that “the dead know not anything,” that their thoughts are perished, and that their dearest relatives may come to honor or be ruined, and they will not be affected by it in the least, because they cannot know anything of it. As further evidence that the senses cannot be trusted to determine whether a spirit is the one whom he professes to be, or not, we quote the following. It is from the New Thought of July 16, 1887, in a description of a Spiritualist séance: —
“Among other new demonstrations of spirit power was the transfiguration of Maud. Sitting right in her chair in the full gaslight, she assumed several transformations, which were marvelous. At one time she assumed almost the exact image of Mrs. Woodard, then in an instant she represented old Mrs. Graves, then her light brown hair and blue eyes and petite form was changed into a stout, full-chested lady with very dark eyes, and almost black hair, unknown to the circle. Then, again, she appeared a young man whom Calvin recognized as a college classmate. All this time she was semi-conscious.”
The apostle Paul says: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Cor. 11:13-15). In view of the testimony both of the Bible, and of Spiritualists themselves, none need be in doubt as to the source of Spiritualistic manifestations, or as to the identity of materialized forms. “They are the spirits of devils working miracles” (Rev. 16:14).