{"collection":"Spiritualism & Psychical Research","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/archive_org_SpiritismTheModernSatanism/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/archive_org_SpiritismTheModernSatanism","id":"archive_org_SpiritismTheModernSatanism","license":"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/","rights_basis":"archive_org_open:open_license:http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/","source":"archive_org","source_url":"https://archive.org/details/SpiritismTheModernSatanism","summary":"","tags":["Bible and spiritualism","Catholic Church"],"text":"Google\" books \n\nhttp://books.google.com \n\n\n\n\nliilil \n\nLHN 1D7K \n\n\n\nSPIRITISM \n\nTHE MODERN \n\nSATANISM \n\n\n\nTHOMAS F- COAKLEY \n\n\n\nV ^Digitized by: CjOOQIc \n\n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nSPIRITISM \n\nTHE \n\nMODERN SATANISM \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nNihil Obstat \n\nP. L. BIERMANN, \n\nCensor Deputatus. \n\nImprimatur \n\nGEORGE WILLIAM MUNDELEIN, \nArchbishop of Chicago. \n\n\n\nCopyright 1920 \nEXTENSION PRESS \n\nAll Rights Reserved \n\nPrinted in U. S. A. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nSPIRITISM \n\nT HE \n\nMODERN SATANISM \n\n\n\nBy \n\nThomas F. Coakley \n\n\n\n\u201cWhose coming is according to the \nworking of Satan, in all power \nand signs and lying wonders \u201d \n\n\n\n\n\n\nEXTENSION PRESS \n\nLe Moyne Building Chicago \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n\n\n^ e 0 L L f e> * \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS \n\n\n\nCHAPTER \n\nIntroduction 7 \n\nI. Spiritism a Plot to Destroy \n\nChristianity 13 \n\nII. Christ Was Not a Medium 35 \n\nIII. Spiritism Attacks Christ 72 \n\nIV. Spiritism at the Bar of Reason \n\nand Revelation 112 \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION \n\nIt is evident from our current literature that \nthoughtful students of the Spiritistic movement \nare beginning to realize that, in the controversy \nto which it has given rise, problems of a very \ngrave character are involved and that these prob- \nlems cannot possibly be shelved or ignored. To \nthe ordinary reader of the popular works on \nSpiritism increasingly issuing from the press, the \nphenomena described and the spirit messages re- \nported constitute no doubt the most interesting \nand fascinating aspect of the subject. He ac- \ncepts the evidence presented at its surface value, \nand is quite willing to believe that the spirits of \nthe departed have found a means of communica- \ntion with the sense world, and that they are \nreally the individuals they claim to be. Devoid, \nin most instances, of any deep and clearly de- \nfined religious conviction or belief, he does not \nconcern himself with the moral aspect of the \nmatter: \u2014 the nature and aim of the messages \nconveyed, or the effect produced by spiritistic \npractices upon the experimenters and the sensi- \n\n7 \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n8 \n\n\n\nIntroduction \n\n\n\ntive. He has moreover a vague sort of sympathy \nwith the attractive description of the other world \nlife that these curious messages so often convey, \nand finds in them nothing contrary to the dic- \ntates of his reason and his common sense. To \nsuch persons the question of the identity of the \ncommunicating agents, the immense difficulties \nlying in the way of establishing that identity, and \nthe ultimate purpose underlying this deliberate \neffort to open up communication with the living \nis of no particular interest. It is sufficient for \nthem to know that there is another world and \nanother life, in which they may conceivably find \nsnore happiness than they have found in this one. \n\nBut to the serious student of the subject who \nholds a deep religious conviction, based upon \nwhat he believes to be incontrovertible historic \nfact, and who consequently scrutinizes the con- \ntents of these spirit messages and their manifest \naim and purpose, the matter assumes a very dif- \nferent aspect. He sees very clearly that prob- \nlems are here involved which touch the very \nfoundations of religious belief and that these \nproblems must be solved one way or the other. \n\nIt is quite true that spirit messages generally \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nIntroduction \n\n\n\n9 \n\n\n\nspeaking are very ambiguous and contradictory, \none spirit often emphatically asserting what an- \nother spirit equally emphatically denies. The \nmessages moreover are apt, in many instances, to \nreflect the mentality of the medium through \nwhom they come. It is all the more remarkable \nthat, with respect to the great subject of Re- \nvealed Religion, the spirits of the seance room \nare strangely unanimous in their assertions. They \nalways and everywhere declare that Christ was \nnot divine in the sense in which he declared \nhimself to be divine, and in which the historic \nChristian Church defines that doctrine. They \nassert that the Fall of Man, the Atonement on \nthe Cross, the permanent and irremediable con- \nsequences of unforgiven sin, are not matters con- \ntained in the original Christian teaching, but \nafter-developments and speculations of theolo- \ngians respecting which nothing is known in the \nworld beyond the grave, and which the spirits \nare now specially deputed to refute. \n\nThe historic Christian, therefore, who is ac- \nquainted with the true history of Christian \nthought and belief, and who knows that these \ndoctrines are not only contained in the clear and \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n10 \n\n\n\nIntroduction \n\n\n\nexplicit teaching of Our Lord himself, but that \nthey formed the belief of the earliest Christians \nwho forfeited their lives in millions because of \ntheir profession of this belief, is confronted by \na problem which he cannot possibly evade and \nof which he is bound to find the correct solution. \nHe must recognize that there cannot be any \nkind of intelligible compromise between the \nteachings of the Church and those of the spirits, \nand that if one is true, the other must necessarily \nbe false. Which is false and which is true? This \nis the question which thousands of perplexed \nminds, in many lands, are asking themselves at \nthis moment. \n\nAny serious attempt to answer this complex \nquestion, in an adequate and convincing manner, \ndemands not only intimate acquaintance with the \nintricacies of modern psychical research and \nwith the results of true scientific investigation, \nbut also that accurate historical and theological \nknowledge which only years of systematic \nthought and training can furnish. \n\nTo one therefore who, like myself, has chiefly \nconfined himself in his writings to the scientific \nand experimental aspect of the subject, but who \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nIntroduction \n\n\n\n11 \n\n\n\nhas always been conscious that he has thus not \ncovered the whole ground in this great contro- \nversy, the appearance of such a work as this is \na source of real gratification. I heartily wel- \ncome the learned author as a fellow worker in a \nfield which is in large measure virgin soil, and \nwhere trained thinkers, such as he, are sorely and \nurgently needed. In his treatment of the sub- \nject, especially in his second chapter, Doctor \nCoakley has shown the utter untenableness of the \nSpiritistic reasoning respecting the person of \nChrist, and it seems to me that his exposition can \nscarcely fail to bring conviction to minds that are \nnot wholly blinded by prejudice and misconcep- \ntion. I warmly commend the book therefore to \nthose serious searchers after truth, with many of \nwhom my own work is constantly bringing me in \ncontact, and who are sincerely anxious to find \ntheir way to the true solution of what is perhaps \nthe most serious of all the problems that have \never perplexed the human mind. \n\nJ. Godfrey Raupert. \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\nGoogle \n\n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\nSPIRITISM \n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\nCHAPTER I \n\nSPIRITISM A PLOT TO DESTROY CHRISTIANITY \n\n\u201cFor there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and \nshall show great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive if \npossible even the elect. Behold I have told it to you before- \nhand\u201d <i> \n\n\u201cTherefore hearken not to your prophets and diviners, and \ndreamers and soothsayers, and sorcerers.\u201d (2) \n\nThe most popular amusement this year is \nSpiritism. A vast proportion of the population \nis practicing it, consulting mediums, purchasing \nthe latest books, magazines and newspapers deal- \ning with it and attending lectures by the leaders \nof Spiritism and Psychic Research in such num- \nbers that no hall in America has been large \nenough to contain those clamoring for admit- \ntance. The Eighteenth Amendment to the \nAmerican Constitution enacting Prohibition has \nwell nigh abolished the cabaret of dances; but \n\n(1) Matt, xjciv, 24. \n\n(2) Jer. xxvii. 9. \n\n13 \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n14 Spiritism \n\nin its place we have a cabaret of ghosts, with con- \ntinuous performances, night and day. The \nspirits have invaded the literary field and vol- \numes are written and dictated by spirit controls, \nwho seem to favor literary folk above other an- \ncient and honorable professions; Detectives \nhave their favorite mediums for the purpose of \napprehending criminals, and brokers and their \nclients consult them frequently to learn the fate \nof their investments. Some business men keep \nseveral mediums on their payroll, consulting \nthem independently on questions of importance, \nand basing their action upon their agreement or \ndisagreement. School children are purchasing \nthe Ouija pointer at bargain sales in the base- \nments of large department stores; fashionable \nladies consult the planchette at afternoon teas, \nuntil the country at large seems to have been \nseized as in the grip of an epidemic of Spiritism. \n\nCrazes such as this sweep over the world from \ntime to time. They seem to have their cycles \njust as diseases come and go. The present mo- \nmentum obtained by Spiritism threatens to rock \nthe bases of civilization and of reason, unless we \nsoon revert to sanity and wholesomeness. In all \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism 15 \n\nthese mental crises, even the keenest minds are \nsometimes swept from their intellectual anchor- \nage , giving the weight and prestige of their once \ngreat sane and sober names to the propagation of \nerror. \n\nThe present craze for Spiritism is by no means \na novelty in the world\u2019s history. In substance it \nis as old as mankind. In ancient times the pagans \npracticed the evocation of spirits ; it was common \nin India, in Chaldea, and among the Egyptians, \nand it has existed in China from time immemo- \nrial. We find it in classic Greece, and stately \nRome. Socrates and Aristotle consulted the \nspirits, and the works of the most celebrated Ro- \nman authors contain many references to the \npractice. The Old Testament has many pas- \nsages containing severe prohibitions against its \nuse, although Christianity was the first real con- \nsistent enemy of necromancy, divination, magic, \nwitchcraft, communicating with the souls of the \ndead, and demonology. \n\nModern Spiritism began in 1848 with the ad- \nvent of the Fox sisters. So swift was its progress \nthat in 1851 there were at least one hundred \nmediums in New York alone. In a brief space \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n16 Spiritism \n\nit swept the entire country. By 1854 no l ess than \n1300 persons signed a petition to Congress re- \nquesting a national investigation of its claims. \nSome of the most prominent citizens of the \nUnited States gave it their support. Soon it in- \nvaded Europe causing immense interest and ex- \ncitement. So great was its popularity that in \n1887 there were about one hundred newspapers \ndealing with the philosophy and phenomena of \nSpiritism. Its adherents were numbered by mil- \nlions, lectures were given every day of the year, \nand spiritistic circles were held in nearly every \ncity, town and village throughout the length and \nbreadth of the country. Since the outbreak of \nthe Great War the movement has grown by leaps \nand bounds, and there is no telling the number \nof those affiliated with the latest fad. Spiritistic \ntemples are being erected in many parts of the \ncountry, and a veritable frenzy of spirit consul- \ntation has seized upon the whole population, \nstimulated by a flood of sensational articles in \nnewspapers and popular magazines, all of them \nchallenging the essential and fundamental doc- \ntrines of Christianity. \n\nThe one precise differentiation between the \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n17 \n\n\n\nmovement today, and all that have occurred in \nthe past, is that those who look upon themselves, \nand who are looked upon by others, as the leaders \nof the Spiritistic cult, are Scientists of greater \nor less reputation. Everything connected with \nPsychic Research today seems to be clothed in a \nscientific garb. Up to the present generation \nSpiritism had never laid any serious claim to a \nscientific foundation, when suddenly Scientists \nwith great names seize upon the movement, and \nendeavor to give it an academic standing among \nthe learned and serious of the world. It is pre- \ncisely this feature which entitles Spiritism to a \nclaim upon our attention. It means that the \nreality of Spiritistic Phenomena can no longer \nbe denied. Too many eminent personages of un- \nsullied reputation have given many anxious \nyears to its study to allow us to enter a sweeping \ndenial of the phenomena they report, or to waive \nthem aside on the plea of fraud or trickery. \nAnd the scientific background and support it is \nable to produce makes it a more than ordinary \nenemy of Christianity. That crowds flock to \nSpiritistic seances and purchase the literary pro- \nductions of Spiritistic authors, are only evi- \na \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n18 Spiritism \n\ndences of the shackles with which the human \nmind has been enslaved by so-called Science. \nWe have been worshiping science instead of \nGod these many years. We came to the conclu- \nsion long ago that everything uttered by scientists \nwas true, and multitudes today are willing to \ndeny Christ at the bidding of this or that scien- \ntist The world at large little reckons that these \nsame scientists, or their predecessors who led the \nscientific world in past generations, denied Christ \nupon purely materialistic grounds. To deny \nChrist seems to be the great thing, whether it be \non materialistic or spiritistic grounds. During the \npast two generations Scientists have been the \navowed enemies of everything that even re- \nmotely concerned the soul or the supernatural \nlife. Let any theologian, however meek and \nhumble of heart, even hint at the immortality of \nthe soul, and at once the scientific world would \nscoff and laugh, saying there is neither a soul nor \na future life, and that immortality is a figment of \nthe imagination. \n\nToday all this is changed, and the successors \nof those who formerly railed at God and the \nspiritual life, are now crying from the housetops \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n19 \n\n\n\nsome of the very truths which Christianity has \npreached for 1900 years. The pity is that the \npresent uproarious propaganda cannot be re- \nceived in its entirety, since it is mixed with so \nmuch error. Because Spiritists admit the im- \nmortality of the soul, which is a Christian \ndogma, is no reason why we should admit other \nstatements of Spirits which are contrary to Chris- \ntian doctrines. It needed no ghost or materi- \nalized spirit or discamate soul or hysterical \nmedium to tell us that the soul is immortal. We \nalways knew that. It has been a doctrine taught \nby God to humanity from the very foundation \nof the world. Even today scientists decline to \ninvestigate the Christian proofs for immortality, \npreferring to wander in a labyrinth of seance \ncommunications without proof of identity. The \nmodern Spiritistic craze proves just one thing: \nMaterialism is dead. How the great scientific \nleaders of the nineteenth century must turn in \ntheir unquiet graves at this complete revolution \nand repudiation of their once vaunted opin- \nions ! ! \n\nSpiritism has been acclaimed on two conti- \nnents as a new Religion, because, if we were to \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n20 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nbelieve Spiritists, Christianity has broken down, \nReligion is dead, historical Christianity has \nfailed. Remarks such as these fall limpidly \nfrom the lips of the great High Priests of the \nwidely heralded New Revelation. And yet on \nmere historic grounds we can easily demonstrate \nthat instead of being a New Revelation, Modern \nSpiritism is an ancient heresy. There is nothing \nsubstantially new in it; it is merely Anti-Christ \nmasquerading in modern clothes. The savages \nof antiquity were acquainted with nearly every \none of the phenomena of modern Spiritism. \nScientific men are just now becoming familiar \nwith these facts that are evident to any one famil- \niar with the history of black magic. There is \nscarcely a nation or a race or a period in the en- \ntire history of the world which does not reveal to \nus a well defined effort to hold communication \nwith the unseen world. Hence we must brand as \npresumptuous those who claim that Modern \nSpiritism is a New Revelation; it is in reality \nnothing but a new form of arrogance, for Spir- \nitists are by no means the pioneers or discoverers \nof any new or wondrous psychic laws. Histori- \ncal Christianity is not dead, nor is it likely to \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism 21 \n\ndie, whatever Spiritists and their advertisers say \nto the contrary. \n\nWas it not of his Church that Christ spoke to \nPeter on a memorable occasion those far famed \nwords \u201cThe gates of hell shall not prevail \nagainst it.\u201d ,3) If the Bible means what it says, \nif Christ was sincere in this statement, how can \nChristianity have failed, as those fond of \nPsychic Research allege? Is Christ in error, or \nis it the spirit rapping, table tilting mediums and \ntheir spirit controls? Did not our Saviour \npromise his Church \u201cI shall be with you all \ndays, even to the consummation of the world ?\u201d (4) \nHow then can Christ\u2019s Religion be dead? \nAnd what must we think of the Spiritists who \ngive utterance to such destructive doctrines? In \nspite of the age old declarations by Our Divine \nRedeemer guaranteeing perpetuity to his Re- \nligion, we are told by those who follow Psychic \nResearch that these texts are unmeaning. The \nlie is passed, and we are assured that historic \nChristianity has spent its force, and now another \nrevelation has succeeded it. They thrust upon a \ngrief-stricken world an entirely new Theology, \n\n(3) Matt, xvi, 18. \n\n(4) Matt, xxviii, 20. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n22 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nwhich they claim is the very essence of the Re- \nligion of Christ, long obscured and travestied by \nhis followers. \n\nVast numbers of its mediums and adherents \nlook upon Spiritism as their religion. They at- \ntend no other church than the Spiritistic. Let us \nnot forget that Spiritism is everywhere stressed \nas a new Religion. The great object of the new \ncreed is to inculcate the religious frame of mind. \nAll the seances are looked upon as religious in- \nstitutions. They are invariably opened and \nclosed by prayer. No levity is permitted. A \nhymn is sung occasionally during the course of \nthe seance. \n\nBut we must not suppose that Spiritists assume \ntheir new Religion to be a home-made, man- \nmade affair. They claim a divine origin for \ntheir new cult. In some halting way they see the \nabsurdity of having an effect greater than a \ncause, so they realize they must begin in the next \nworld, claiming a divine source. They style \ntheir present spiritistic activity as the greatest re- \nligious event since the death of Christ, because it \nhas resulted in what they say is a breaking down \nof the walls between two worlds. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n23 \n\n\n\nIt is the avowed purpose of Spiritism to com- \nmunicate with the souls of the dead, to catalog \nand classify the subtle and elusive utterances \nfrom beyond, and to construct from them an en- \ntirely new religious philosophy and theology. \nThey lay great stress upon the appeal to human \nreason in their new religion, to the exclusion of \nChristian faith. Just how much value we should \nattach to this spirit inspiration may be inferred \nfrom a well known remark of St. Paul. \u201cBut \nthough we or an angel from heaven preach a \ngospel to you besides that which we have \npreached to you, let him be anathema.\u201d' 5 \u2019 Fre- \nquently spirits claim they desire to bring about \na union between faith and reason. But this is a \nmere play upon words. Such a union as they \nproclaim would not be a union of two partners, \neach busily employed in his own sphere, in help- \ning the human soul onward and upward through \ndarkness to God. Rather it is to be a sort of un- \nrecognized union, a morganatic alliance, the one \nbond, the other free, with science in the saddle. \nIndeed Spiritists tell us plainly that the so-called \nreconciliation between Science and Religion is \n\n(5) Gal. i. 8. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n24 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\none involving the entire triumph of Science. So \ninstead of Science being the handmaid of Re- \nligion, as it should be in the ordered scale of \nknowledge, the tables are turned, and Religion is \nto be the slave of Science. \n\nSpiritists wish for certainty and the evidence \nof their senses instead of divine faith. In this \nmanner they are attempting to do away with \nChristian faith, which they continually scoff at, \nyet it is the one thing that Christ praised on \nmany occasions. So important is it that Holy \nScripture solemnly warns us \u201cwithout Faith it \nis impossible to please God.\u201d (8) In countless \nplaces in the New Testament, its necessity is in- \nsisted upon to such an extent that it is the very \nessence of a Christian that he believe and put into \npractice all the truths that God has believed/ 7 * \nHence the insistence by Spiritists upon sensi- \nble vision and scientific certainty to the exclusion \nof divine faith in God is a violent assault upon \nthe very foundations of Christianity. \n\nThe spirits are crafty and unreliable; hence \nwe must not be surprised when their earthly lit- \nerary representatives become apt pupils at dis- \n\n(6) Heb. xi, \u00ab. \n\n(7) Matt xxviii, 19. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n25 \n\n\n\nsembling. They deny every fundamental doc- \ntrine of Christianity, yet they still wish to be \nChristians. They affirm with vehemence that \nthey merely desire to modify Christianity and to \nmake it accord with the facts of Psychic Re- \nsearch. They want to \u201cserve two masters\u201d not- \nwithstanding a certain notable passage in the \n\u201cSermon on the Mount\u201d' 8 \u2019 to the contrary. \nHence the intellectual acrobatic feats performed \nin affirming and denying the same thing at one \nand the same time. In one place they tell us \nsolemnly that Spiritism is a New Revelation; \nthen we are told just as energetically this does \nnot mean that it will necessarily crystallize into \na new Religion. None the less they are all agreed \nthat Spiritism has come to add new lustre to \nChrist\u2019s teaching. We may remark in passing \nthat Spiritists are not at all modest. They see \nnothing incongruous in the finite giving lessons \nto the Infinite, the creature instructing the Cre- \nator, and human beings with all their limitations \ngiving splendor to the teachings of Christ! 1 The \nages of Faith have always looked upon Our \nSaviour as the Great Teacher; it remains for \n\n(8) Matt. vi. 24. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n26 Spiritism \n\nthose who make propaganda for Psychic Re- \nsearch to teach The Master!! \n\nIn spite of their dogmatic statements, the lit- \nerary exponents of the New Revelation are not \nquite sure whether their attitude toward Chris- \ntianity is constructive or destructive, even though \nSpiritists eventually reject every important doc- \ntrine of historic Christianity as revealed by \nChrist, and found imbedded in the pages of \nHoly Scripture. This contradictory quality is \none of the striking characteristics of Spiritism. \nThe very opposite is verified in Christianity. \n\u201cThe truth shall make you free\u201d from all doubt, \nanxiety, suspense, uncertainty and indecision; \nChristian faith is sure, certain, definite, precise, \nunambiguous, the undoubting adhesion of the \nmind to eternal truth, and Spiritism has none of \nthese qualities. \n\nPsychic Research seems to some of its dev- \notees to resemble a modern Associated Chari- \nties organization, a sort of connecting link, or \nclearing house, a great unifying force, the one \nprovable thing connected with every religion, \nChristian or non-Christian, forming the common \nsolid basis upon which each rests, in some ways \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n27 \n\n\n\nconfirming ancient systems of religion, and in \nsome ways entirely new. A glorious compre- \nhensiveness 1 1 A sort of omnium gatherum!! \nAnd this is to be one of the shining marks of the \nNew Revelation. You may believe in God, or \nnot; you may assert the Divinity of Christ, or \ndeny it; you may proclaim the divine authorship \nand inspiration of the Bible, or see in it merely \na defective human document; you may be a \nUniversalist or a Unitarian; you may worship \nChrist or worship science ; you may do any one \nof these and a hundred other mutually impossi- \nble things in the new Spiritistic Religion, and \nsee nothing incongruous in it! 1 O Science, what \nabsurdities are uttered in thy name!! \n\nSpiritists are not too fond of accuracy of \nstatement. Their leaders assure us that when \nholding communication with the spirit world \nthey have unhappily to deal with absolute cold \nblooded lying on the part of wicked or mis- \nchievous intelligences. This is a very fatal ad- \nmission on their part. To claim that their Re- \nligion is founded upon statements made by such \nlying agencies shows at once that Spiritism is a \nsubtle attack at the very heart of Christianity. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n28 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nThere is no need to be other than purely ob- \njective in the whole investigation of Spiritism. \nMen who are loudly championing its cause look \nupon themselves as scientists. Hence we have a \nright to ask that if a new force has been found \noperative in the phenomena of Spiritism, let us \nhave proof of its existence other than seventy \nyears of such mediumship as we know today. \nFor the truly critical student who weighs all the \npossibilities up to date we have not had a single \nconclusive proof of spirit identity from the other \nworld. Every serious investigation of psychic \nphenomena during the last few generations has \nhad but one result \u2014 absolute failure to demon- \nstrate the truth of the assertion made so emphat- \nically that spirits can be positively identified. \nRewards of large amounts of money have been \noffered for the production of a single attested \nproof of genuine spirit identity. These rewards \nhave never been claimed, and no attention seem- \ningly is paid to them by the leaders of the pres- \nent Spiritistic movement. Not a single spirit \nhas come to us with anything but empty hands. \nAfter a long life given to an examination of the \nphenomena, some very great authorities are \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n29 \n\n\n\nforced to say that the revelations from the other \nside by no means prove that they come from the \nsouls of the dead, or from discarnate spirits; \nrather some of them incline to the diabolic \ntheory. Yet despite this notorious lack of proof, \nSpiritists boldly assume that the whole question \nhas been proved, and they are amazed at our re- \nfusal to look upon this attitude as conforming \nto the scientific method. Science cannot be built \nupon doubt. Negation and contradiction and \nsuspicion are not the stuff out of which science \nis builded. Furthermore, the so-called revela- \ntions from beyond have usually been made not \nby the great and good of heart, but by the flotsam \nand jetsam of the spiritual world. If evil spirits \ncan come back, why not the good? \n\nSpiritism tells us nothing about God, his na- \nture, his attributes, his perfections, his opera- \ntions; it leaves us unenlightened as to how we \ncan know him, love him, or serve him ; it sets up \nno moral code, no system of Philosophy or The- \nology. It leaves us like the seance room, dark \nand doubting. It seems to acknowledge that we \ncan know nothing about God, yet the very \nessence of religion is to know God : \u2014 \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n30 Spiritism \n\n\u201cThis is Eternal life\u201d says Holy Scripture \n\u201cthat they may know Thee, the only true God, \nand Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. (9) \nHence if we cannot know God, Spiritism is vir- \ntually a Religion without a God. \n\nOver against this if we look for positive and \nconstructive results to balance the ledger, we \nwill search in vain. The cult has brought to \nmankind nothing of value; it has given us no \nheroic examples of self denial, nor a single dis- \nclosure worth mentioning; no secret of nature \nhas been brought to light; no invention that \nwould benefit the human race ; no discovery that \nwould make for the progress of civilization; \nnothing that adds to our happiness or that makes \nnobler or higher our mutual relations on earth; \nthere has been no impulse given to art, or music, \nor science, or literature, no new ideas have been \npromulgated, no new principles have been pro- \nclaimed, nor from all the past history of Psychic \nResearch have we any ground to hope that any \nsuch benefits will ever accrue from it. \n\nSpiritists forget easily. No sooner have they \ndone telling us that they have come to give a new \n\n(9) John xvii, 3. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Moderp Satanism 31 \n\npolish to the teachings of Christ, than we are \nbrusquely informed that their task is to be a very \nthorough housecleaning. The lustre they are to \ngive the Church founded by the Son of God is \nnot to be a thin veneer; the axe is to be laid to \nthe very roots, and historic Christianity must \nchange or perish. Psychic Research is a revolu- \ntion in religious thought, we are told, and his- \ntoric Christianity has received its death blow; it \nlacks foundation, but Spiritists are rushing to the \nrescue to give religion the firmest basis upon \nwhich it has ever stood. These are almost verba- \ntim expressions found in the very voluminous \nliterature of Spiritism today. This reminds us \nof a certain remark of Our Lord to St. Peter who \nthereupon became the enduring rock upon which \nChrist erected his never failing Church. \u201cThou \nart Peter and upon this rock I will build my \nchurch, and the gates of hell shall not prevail \nagainst it.\u201d (10) Up to the present time the only \nChurch that holds its ground is the one erected \non the rock of Peter, and it needs no reinforcing \nfrom modern Spiritism. All other churches es- \ntablished during the last 1900 years have had no \n\n(10) Matt, xvi, 18. \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n32 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nsuch firm foundation; the heretical creeds have \nall crumbled, and we smile at the assertion that \nModern Spiritists have come to strengthen that \nwhich Christ himself made impregnable. Yet \nit is insisted that an acceptance of the teachings \nof Spiritism brought to us from beyond would \ndeeply modify historical Christianity as taught \nby Christ. Why, may we ask, have 1900 long \nand anxious years passed while we have been \nallowed to remain in ignorance of this doctrine? \nWhy postpone the modification until the twenti- \neth century? Where have the spirits been all this \ntime; or did they lack efficient publicity agents \nsuch as their present leaders are proving to be? \n\nSpiritists tell us that it is certain the New Tes- \ntament records statements which have no mean- \ning at all unless they imply a knowledge of \nPsychic Phenomena. They inform us that \nChristianity has long been guilty of false witness, \nand they hope the Christian people may come \nback to the teachings of Christ whom they have \nso long misrepresented. After reading these dec- \nlarations culled from many Spiritistic sources \ncompetent to speak in its behalf, we turn to a \nwell known passage in the Gospel where Christ \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism 33 \n\nclothed his representatives with the most ample \nauthority. \u201cHe that heareth you, heareth me; \nand he that despiseth you, despiseth me.\u201d (u) \n\u201cWhatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it \nshall be bound also in heaven ; and whatsoever \nthou shalt loose on earth, it shalt be loosed also \nin heaven.\u201d' 12 \u2019 Confronted with these majestic \nlines, it is clear that modern Spiritists are the \nones who misrepresent. They remind us of In- \ngersoll; the only difference is that they are if \nanything more blasphemous. The heathen \nColonel was fond of libeling Moses; whereas \nthe Spiritists libel Christ. \n\nHence it is evident that Spiritism, or Spirit- \nualism, or Psychic Research, whatever its name, \nis a definitely planned effort to found a New Re- \nligion hostile to Christianity. It is a well de- \nsigned plot to destroy the Church of Christ. \nThis is rather a huge undertaking. Christ\u2019s \nChurch is not easily overthrown. It has been at- \ntempted frequently in the past, but always with \nthe same issue. We commend to Spiritists and \nall enemies of Christianity the history of the \nmany efforts of the human intellect to rise \n\n(11) Luke jc, 16. \n\n(12) Matt, xvi, 19. \n\n8 \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n34 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nagainst the yoke of Our Saviour. After each \nattack the Christian Church has emerged com- \npletely victorious. When we consider the tre- \nmendous blows which she has survived, we find \nit difficult to imagine what new assaults can \ncause her to perish. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II \nCHRIST WAS NOT A MEDIUM \n\n\u201cTake heed that no man seduce you: for many will come in \nmy name, saying I am Christ, and they will seduce many.\u201d (1) \n\n\u201cAnd every spirit that dissolveth Jesus is not of God; and that \nis Anti-Christ of whom you have heard that he cometh, and he \nis now already in the world.\u201d (2) \n\nWhether Spiritism is a New Revelation or a \nNew Religion, as is loudly claimed by its prop- \nagandists, whether it is to afford a firmer foun- \ndation for Christianity, whether it will modify \nor destroy the Church of Christ, may be appar- \nent from the teachings of its well known and \nrecognized leaders whose principal doctrines \nwill be examined in some detail. They stagger \nus at the very outset by declaring that Christ \nhimself was a Medium. His Divinity is brushed \naside by the assertion that he is not God, but \nonly a creature, a human being, one who is near \nto God. They call him the \u2018Christ Spirit\u2019 who \nrepresents God. In order to soften this cruel \nwound to the Christian conscience, we are told \n\n(1) Matt, xxiv, 4. \n\n(2) 1 John iv, 8. \n\n35 \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n36 Spiritism \n\nwith great condescension that Christ was the \ngreatest Medium of all time. His powers were \nmore highly developed than those of present day \nexponents of the mediumistic profession, but in \nall other respects he is like them. As a conse- \nquence his many stupendous miracles lose their \ndivine character because they were performed \nby employing the natural psychic forces which \nhe possessed. Hence all of the miracles of \nChrist recorded in the New Testament are mere \nspiritistic phenomena! Indeed they are quite \ncommon, we are informed, to those familiar with \nPsychic Research. Wonders of a similar na- \nture are reproduced so frequently by mediums \ntoday that great light is thereby shed upon the \nuse of Spiritism by Christ and his Apostles. We \nare told emphatically that the miracles of Our \nSaviour are nothing but the production of Spir- \nitistic phenomena which virile mediums today \ncan easily parallel; nay, more than that, that \nthey can actually transmit this power to others. \nTo style Christ\u2019s miracles the \u2018production of \nphenomena\u2019 is decidedly ingenious. Its lan- \nguage sounds strange to a Christian, since it does \nnot savor of due reverence for the Son of God \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n37 \n\n\n\nand his work. But with pious unction we are \nsummoned to believe in the credibility of the \nGospel accounts of the miracles of Christ pre- \ncisely because modem spiritistic mediums are \nalleged to perform similar wonders ! ! \n\nWe hope to show that none of the miracles of \nChrist have ever been reproduced by Spiritistic \nmeans, nor can Spiritists today ever point to a \nsingle case of a genuine miracle surpassing the \npowers of nature, performed by themselves. \nThe gratuitous assumption of the Spiritistic \nfraternity continues, step by step, until finally we \nare told that the result of the present renaissance \nof Spiritism will be a new school of Biblical in- \nterpretation. Spiritists see nothing incongruous \nin flaunting themselves in the face of all the \nChristian centuries. It is evident that humility \nis not one of their dominant virtues. They cry \naloud that the world has been entirely wrong for \n1900 years, and that Spiritism has come to set it \nright, leading us on gradually to a new school of \nexegesis, in which all the Gospel story is colored \nby Spiritistic explanations. Fools rush in where \nangels fear to tread. Without adequate equip- \nment of Theology, or its cognate sciences, Spirit- \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n38 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nists have the temerity to found nothing less than \na new system for interpreting and explaining the \nBible. The world is strewn with the wrecks of \nthose who attempted this task in former centuries. \nIt were safer to touch dynamite. The Bible be- \nlongs to the Church of Christ, and she alone is \ncompetent to interpret it; she is the only offi- \ncially appointed School of Biblical interpreta- \ntion. Did not Christ say: \u201cHe that heareth you \nheareth me\u201d? (3) \u201cIf they will not hear the \nChurch let them be as the heathen and the pub- \nlican\u201d ? (4) \n\nThose addicted to Psychic Research proclaim \nthat on no account is the heart-searching gaze of \nChrist and his clear vision into the innermost \nthoughts of men to be attributed to his Divine \nknowledge. Why, say they, call in the super- \nnatural when it is all so perfectly natural and ob- \nvious? Miracle working is quite an ordinary \nthing to Spiritists, and after all Christ was only \na Spirit, a Medium, even though he be the Chief \nMedium, or the Christ Spirit. In explaining \nSt. Mark\u2019s Gospel, for instance, \u201cWhen Jesus \npresently knowing in his spirit, that they so \n\n(3) Luke x, 16. \n\n(i) Matt, xviii, 17. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n39 \n\n\n\nthought within themselves saith to them: \u2018Why \nthink you these things in your hearts ?\u2019,\u201d t6) Spirit- \nists sweep the supernatural clean away, and they \nplace all the miracle working power of Christ \nupon a purely natural foundation, even though \nhe searches the secrets of the heart, lays bare the \nsinful lives of others, or hints at their hidden \nsins. Even Christ healing those who but touched \nthe hem of his garment is shorn of his divine \ncharacter, and relegated to the sphere occupied \nby a highly developed psychic medium ; and the \ncases of healing which Christ performed at a dis- \ntance by his Infinite Word are now assigned to \nthe low level of Spiritistic phenomena. Such \nfor instance as where Our Saviour drove the \ndevil out of the daughter of the Syro-Phoenician \nwoman, and where he healed the son of the cen- \nturion / 61 All of these miracles performed by \nChrist are repudiated by the founders of modern \nSpiritism. Even the eighteen cases of healing in \nSt. Matthew, the thirteen miracles of this class in \nSt. Mark, the twenty cures in St. Luke, the four \nin St. John\u2019s Gospel, as well as the two miracles \nof healing in the Acts of the Apostles,\u2014 all are \n\n(5) Mark ii, 8. \n\n(6) I*uke vii, 1. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n40 Spiritism \n\nrejected, and we are led to believe that every one \nof them was merely the \u2018production of Spiritistic \nphenomena.\u2019 They even explain away on this \nbasis the miracle of raising to life the daughter \nof Jairus, (7) alleging that the girl was not dead \nbut merely in a comatose condition, and that Our \nSaviour only awoke her from a trance by sugges- \ntion, after having formed a psychic circle com- \nposed of Peter, James and John, who, they tell \nus, were the most powerful mediums in the \nApostolic group. Christ\u2019s suggestion to the young \ngirl resulted in her immediate recovery of con- \nsciousness, just as mediums today suddenly awake \nfrom a trance. How easy this all seems 1! how \nnatural !1 Spiritistic writers pass over the quite \npositive declaration of Holy Writ that the girl \nwas actually dead. \n\nThe raising of Lazarus to life (8) is surrounded \nby a different set of circumstances, so another ex- \nplanation is furnished us. Anything but the \ntruth seems to satisfy a Spiritist, so they put \ntheir own interpretation upon this great miracle. \nIt is a fair specimen of the method adopted by \nmodern scientific minds to discredit the miracles \n\n(7) Mark v. 85. \n\nC8) John xi, 38 \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism 41 \n\nof Our Lord. Instead of the plain, unvarnished \nfacts, as they stand in the pages of the New Tes- \ntament, we are given a highly fantastic account \nThe groans of Christ on this occasion, we are \ntold, clearly indicate that he was a Medium. Do \nnot modem mediums groan during their seances? \nWhy then not explain the Resurrection of \nLazarus by Spiritism, since Christ is alleged to \nhave groaned audibly? \n\nWe have always been taught by scientists that \nthe modern scientific method was to prove your \nfacts, test your conclusions, and make good your \nground as you go; that nothing was worthy of \nthe name of science until it was supported by un- \nimpeachable evidence in its behalf, capable of \nstanding any test. Scientists and literary men \nwith more or less scientific training, are now as- \nsuming the fairly lucrative task of popularizing \nand advertising Spiritism, writing many books \nabout it, some of which rank with the six best \nsellers. But where in all this output is there a \nsingle scientific proof to corroborate this bold \nassertion that Christ was a Medium, and that his \nmiracles were but prototypes of present day \nspiritistic phenomena? Scarcely ever since the \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n42 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nPharisees of old accused Christ of performing \nmiracles by the aid of Beelzebub.' 8 * has such a \ncalumny against the person of Our Saviour been \nemployed. Outside of a superficial similarity in \na few incidental and accidental details, not at all \nconnected with the events themselves, and hav- \ning utterly no bearing upon them, there is not a \nshred of evidence of any kind anywhere adduced \nto substantiate the claim. On the contrary there \nare numerous places in the New Testament \ndirectly contradicting this unwarranted assump- \ntion, and showing not only its improbability, but \nits impossibility as well. \n\nIn all the versatile and multiform exhibitions \nof his Divine miracle-working power, Christ \nnever employed a dark room, nor even semi- \ndarkness. The vast majority of his miracles were \nperformed in the open air, in the crowded \nstreets, and along the highways pulsing with life. \nSpiritists themselves reluctantly admit that all \npsychical phenomena produced in the dark must \nnecessarily lose much of their value, and yet the \ndark is the favored spot for such production. It \nalmost seems as if the passage in Holy Scripture \n\n(9) Matt xii, 24. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism 43 \n\nwere again verified : \u201cthey have loved the dark- \nness rather than the light.\u201d (10) \n\nChrist never sat in a seance; he never pro- \nduced any spiritistic phenomena such as spirit \nrapping, levitation, apport, table tilting, the \nringing of bells, or causing trumpets or other \nmusical instruments to float about in the air. He \nnever distracted the attention of his audience by \nmusic or songs while he was performing his \nmiracles, although this practice is almost uni- \nversally used by mediums in the production of \ntheir psychic phenomena. Christ never went \ninto a trance, yet that is the usual prerequisite of \nmodern mediumship. He never imposed \npsychical conditions upon others, such as hold- \ning hands, or insisting that the sitters remain in \na certain place, yet such things are obligatory in \nthe modern seance. Never did Christ hesitate \nin the performance of his miracles; on the con- \ntrary most of them were instantaneous, unex- \npected, unhoped for interventions of his power. \nNever once did he suggest a postponement to a \nmore propitious time. He never reported the \nconditions as unfavorable or difficult, and never \n\n(10) John ui. 19. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n44 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nin all of his career did he, by the slightest hint, \nindicate that his power depended on the aid or \nsupport of those in whose behalf he exercised \nhis wondrous healing touch. \n\nMoreover Christ never gave exhibitions of \nclairvoyance or clairaudience to amuse the pop- \nulace; he never displayed his powers to satisfy \nthe curiosity of the multitude, nor even to grat- \nify the cupidity of a king. (U> He never made \nuse of his infinite powers for gain, or a fee, as do \nmodern mediums. Even prominent spiritists \ncharge an admission for the purpose of inform- \ning us concerning those who have passed beyond. \nChrist never hypnotized any one ; he never used \na Ouija board, or the Planchette, or any appa- \nratus corresponding to these instruments for \ncommunicating with the souls of the dead. He \nnever called forth his supernatural powers for \nlight or trivial reasons, and we never read of him \ngathering about him a circle for the purpose of \ngetting into touch with the unseen. Power or \nvirtue went out of him, but not with anything \nresembling a local motion or material transfer of \npower. Power did go out from Christ, but it \n\n(11) Luke xxiii, 8-9. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n45 \n\n\n\nleft him unchanged, and with his own divine \nenergy undiminished. A parallel of this may be \nfound in a teacher and a pupil. The former \ntransmits knowledge to the learner, without \nthereby lessening his own stock of knowledge. \nIn this particular miracle virtue went out from \nChrist only in so far as its effects may be said to \nhave been experienced by the woman who was \ncured by the healing power that Christ pos- \nsessed. But there is here, as in all other traves- \nties on the miracles of Christ put forward by \nSpiritists, not a particle of evidence of anything \neven remotely resembling a spiritistic seance. \n\nFurther than this, all the miracles he per- \nformed were no drain upon his physical \nstrength ; they were to him easy, without effort, \nwithout struggle; they caused no exhaustion in \nhim ; they did not leave him hysterical, or weary. \nYet all of these conditions and results are veri- \nfied in all modern mediums. Spiritistic medi- \nums for physical manifestations sit only once or \ntwice a week, and then for a limited time, ex- \ntending usually one or two hours. Whereas \nChrist was accustomed to go about doing good \nall day long, nay, even far into the night, and \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n46 Spiritism \n\nperforming his miracles continually, yet it did \nnot affect his bodily health. On the other hand, \neven Spiritists themselves complain of the tax \nupon their intellectual and bodily constitution \nby mediumistic practices. Spiritists claim that \nthe sitters at seances supply a great part of the \npsychic energy required for spirit manifestations, \nand this energy is alleged to be taken in some un- \nknown form from their bodies. Authentic pho- \ntographs and the evidence of loss of weight, \nshowing the psychic stuff in the process of flow- \ning from the bodies of the mediums seem to bear \nout this contention. As a consequence if a per- \nson is in poor health the drain on the vital energy \nmay be disastrous, and we are assured by compe- \ntent and reliable authorities that this vital or \nnervous energy thus extracted from the bodies of \nthe medium and the sitters requires a consider- \nable period for restoration. When experiments \nare being carried out, the mediums often lose \ntemporarily 30, 40 and 50 pounds in weight, yet \nwe never hear of Christ losing weight in this \nfashion owing to the performance of his \nmiracles. \n\nChrist never used automatic writing, despite \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n47 \n\n\n\nthe amazing statement of Spiritists who venture \nthe opinion that among the many forms of \nmediumship which he possessed in the highest \ndegree was the power of automatic writing. \nThey refer to the celebrated passage in St. John\u2019s \nGospel, the only instance in all of the New Tes- \ntament where Christ is reported to have written \nanything. (12) \n\nWhen we come to the Transfiguration of \nChrist, Spiritists tell us that this is only one of a \nlarge number of Spiritistic phenomena, easily \nduplicated today by any well developed medium. \nOne simply stands aghast at the heights of blas- \nphemy reached by the Spiritistic propagandists. \nThey inform us that they have been present at \nmiracles paralleling the Transfiguration of \nChrist performed by modern mediums! They \ntell us that at the miracle of the Transfiguration, \nChrist was in contact with the dead, and thus \ncommunicated with Moses and Elias after the \nmanner of a spiritistic seance, Moses and Elias \nbeing only materialized spirits, just as psychic \nphenomena are produced every day in spiritistic \ncircles. Yet in this case, as in all others adduced \n\n(12) John viii, 8. \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n48 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nby the new religious sect, there is not a single \nsolitary proof adduced to corroborate it, noth- \ning but the declarations, assumptions and theo- \nries of spiritists set down solemnly as attested \nfacts, without substantiation. At the Transfigu- \nration, not a single movement of any of those \nconcerned was in any way connected with what \nSpiritists tell us so emphatically is necessary for \nthe production of psychic phenomena. There is \nthe open air, the broad daylight, the mountain \ntop. There is no swoon, no seance, no cabinet, \nno preparation, no raps, no tables, \u2014 indeed, the \nwhole gospel narrative ' 131 is a simple, straight- \nforward account of a miracle that is separated \nby an abyss from anything that is even remotely \nassociated with psychic phenomena. \n\nChrist never used such childish twaddle as the \nenigmas and literary puzzles put forth as serious \nrevelations from the other world by modern me- \ndiums, who act as the mouthpieces of discarnate \nspirits. Christ\u2019s sermons, discourses and conver- \nsations, as preserved for us in Holy Scripture, \nare simple, direct, full of unction, lofty, noble, \nand dignified. They reveal his Infinite wisdom, \n\n(13) Matt, xvii, 1. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism 49 \n\nwhereas the messages purporting to be the reve- \nlations of modern spirits read like the effusions \nemanating from an insane asylum. \n\nChrist never became excited or eccentric, as \nare all, or nearly all mediums today, most of \nwhom are persons of little or no education. \nChrist never descended to exaggeration, a \nfeature that seems to characterize all modern \nmediums, male and female. Surely one must \nhave lost all reverence for Christ to class him \nwith such creatures! Never do we read of \nChrist losing consciousness, or lapsing into a \nswoon, or falling into the repulsive and morbid \nsymptoms usual in Spiritistic manifestations. \nThat such things are customary is not made too \npublic by the advertising agents of the modern \nSpiritistic renaissance. They conceal this very \ndark side to the picture. \n\nThey rarely refer to the repulsive shaking and \ntrembling of the medium as the vital energy is \nbeing withdrawn. The many photographs of \nmediums under control are sufficient to shock the \nChristian sense of propriety. Surely this is evi- \ndence that the whole process of Psychic Re- \nsearch is against nature, and is a violent removal \n\n4 \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n50 Spiritism \n\nof the barriers which nature has erected. Never \ndid any of the miracles performed by Christ \nhave an evil effect upon those in whose behalf \nhe worked, or upon the beholders; whereas there \nis a downward tendency in all those who cooper- \nate in the experiments of the seance room. \n\nNever do we read of the expenditure of weari- \nsome hours in the process of establishing condi- \ntions, or of the frivolous waste of precious time \nto the complete neglect of all true and whole- \nsome spiritual exercises on the part of those who \nwere in immediate contact with Christ Never \nin all of his public life did Christ indicate physi- \ncal collapse after performing a miracle. Yet \nthis is the ordinary effect today upon mediums \nwho regularly and frequently engage in seances. \nIt usually requires several days for a public me- \ndium to recover strength after the ordeal. Yet \nin spite of all this we are warned in trumpet \ntones that by such disastrous methods, perilous \nalike to the intellectual sanity and moral char- \nacter and physical constitution of all concerned, \nwe are being made the recipients of a new and \ntremendous revelation from all wise and mer- \nciful God!! \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n51 \n\n\n\nChrist never extracted psychic stuff from the \nbodies of so-called sitters for the purpose of per- \nforming his miracles. Never did he withdraw \nfrom his own sacred body any astral material for \nthis object, yet Spiritists tell us that the produc- \ntion of phenomena depends upon this operation, \nand innumerable photographs of the issuance of \nthis psychic stuff from the bodies of the mediums \namply prove their contention. The function of \nthe medium is to borrow from his body this \nethereal psychic stuff, and the function of the \nsitters is to supplement the psychic energy. All \nSpiritists agree in the existence in man of an \nastral substance of an unknown nature, some- \nwhere between matter and spirit, which, if de- \ntached from the material body, offers a means of \ncommunication with the unseen world and is the \nraw material out of which spirit manifestations \noccur. Mediumship, therefore, consists in the \nability of a person easily to detach from his body \nthis so-called teleplasm or astral substance while \nin a passive state. Spiritists claim that Christ \nwas a Medium, yet there is not an instance in his \nentire life where any psychic stuff issued from \nhim in the performance of his miracles or while \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\nGoogle \n\n\n\n\n52 Spiritism \n\nhe was in a passive state. Nowhere do we read \nof the emanation from the body of Christ of the \nso-called \u201codic effluvia\u201d which some writers on \nSpiritism say generally appears as a radiant \naura, and which at times transforms itself into a \nsort of limb, capable of exerting at great dis- \ntances forces that are both dextrous and power- \nful. \n\nChrist is eternal truth, whereas mediums and \nthe spirits who control them often deceive, they \nlie, they misrepresent, they cheat, they contradict \neach other, they give false names, and they give \naddresses that are unverifiable. Many of them \nhave been sooner or later caught in trickery and \nfraud. The miracles of Christ were never pro- \nduced amid the noise, confusion and disturbance \nthat frequently characterize the seance room. \nChrist never took part in a gathering whose sole \nresult was throwing about the furniture, pro- \nducing spirit lights, pulling the hair of the at- \ntendants, playing tricks on them, stroking their \nheads, kissing them, or similar actions. The \nmere thought of such things shocks the reverent \nChristian mind. Yet all such things are the \nusual phenomena attending the exercise of me- \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n53 \n\n\n\ndiumship, and in spite of it all we are told that \nChrist was a Medium, yea, the greatest Medium \nof all time 11 \n\nIs there a single recorded public utterance or \nprivate statement of Christ that is occupied with \nthe mere trivialities of life, or the insipid memo- \nries of the dull and vapid existence of some dis- \ncarnate spirit? On the contrary, Christ\u2019s mira- \ncles were performed alone and unaided, by his \nown inherent divine power, without any inter- \nmediary. They all took place in the full light \nof day. Never did he descend to tricks. He \nnever went into convulsions; he needed no elab- \norate preparation; he scored no failures. The \nresults were always certain and decisive, and no \ncry of fraud or trickery was ever raised regard- \ning him, even by his avowed enemies. In a word \nat every turn we behold in Christ the very an- \ntithesis of all those circumstances and surround- \nings and environment that are so peculiarly in \nevidence in modern mediums. Hence to allege \nthat Christ was a medium is at once to place him \non a level with the unwholesome practices in- \ndulged in by all modern spiritistic mediums. \n\nOn many occasions the evil spirits rec- \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n54 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nognized Christ (14) and acknowledged his divinity, \nyet he never permitted any conversation with \nthem ; he never sought to obtain occult informa- \ntion from these diabolic agents; he never en- \ncouraged others to invoke them, but imme- \ndiately detecting them, banished them, con- \ndemned them, drove them out from the unfor- \ntunates whom they had obsessed, and by his \nwhole attitude manifested his desire that the \nhuman race have nothing to do with them, dem- \nonstrating thereby that he knew them to be \ndemons, and not the souls of the dead. Never \ndid Christ refer to these spirits as other than \nevil, and intelligences to be entirely shunned; \nnever once did he refer to the persons obsessed \nby these evil spirits as other than their unfortu- \nnate victims. So that at no single point in his \ncareer is there a parallel between the practices of \nmodern Spiritism and the methods employed by \nChrist. \n\nNever once did Christ, the supposed greatest \nmedium that ever lived on earth, intimate that \nwe should seek knowledge from the dead, or \nfrom discarnate spirits; nor did he ever indicate \n\n(14) Luke iv, 41. \n\n(16) Mark i, 34. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n55 \n\n\n\nthe manner in which such communications could \nbe achieved; neither did he in any single in- \nstance intimate how such information, even if \nlegitimate, could be identified and guaranteed \nfrom error; nor did he ever formulate laws or \nprinciples, or set up a standard and a system for \nregulating such information, or propose rules to \nguide us in separating what was true from what \nwas false in all such communications. More \nthan all this, all such communications were \nstrictly forbidden in the Old Testament, and un- \nder the severest penalties:\u2014 \n\n\u201cGo not aside after wizards, neither ask any- \nthing of soothsayers to be defiled by them.\u201d (1#) \n\n\u201cThe soul that shall go aside after magicians \nand soothsayers, .... I shall set my face \nagainst that soul, and destroy it out of the midst \nof its people.\u201d' 171 \n\n\u201cNeither let there be found among you any \none that shall expiate his son or daughter, mak- \ning them to pass through fire, or that consulteth \nsoothsayers, or observeth dreams and omens, \nneither let there be any wizard, nor charmer, nor \nany one that consulteth python spirits, or fortune \n\n(16) Lev. xix. *1. \n\n\u2022 (17) Lev. xx. 6. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n56 Spiritism \n\ntellers or that seeketh the truth from the dead. \nFor the Lord abhorreth all these things, and for \nthese abominations he will destroy them at thy \ncoming.\u201d (18) \n\nChrist formally and explicitly approved this \nOld Testament legislation, and by his solemn \nutterance \u201cDo not think I am come to destroy the \nlaw or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, \nbut to fulfill, \u201d (1#) he forbade any attempts on \nthe part of his followers to engage in Spiritistic \npractices. \n\nThe only existing history of the life of Christ \nis the New Testament. Hence the miracles of \nOur Lord recorded there are in league with his- \ntory, and they who accept them are on plain, \nhigh, safe ground. Those who deny them, or \nallege them to be the mere production of spirit- \nistic phenomena cannot possibly be at home in \nthe pages of the Evangelists. To deny Christ\u2019s \nmiracles or to interpret them in any psychic fash- \nion is to mutilate and enfeeble the whole of the \nGospel narrative. All of the four Gospels con- \ncur in representing to us Christ encased in a set- \nting of miracles. The mere enumeration of them \n\n(18) Deut. xviii, 10. \n\n(19) Matt, v, 17. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjO( e \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n57 \n\n\n\nwould make a very large total, and Spiritism has \nnothing to show that can compare in the slightest \nwith any of the recorded miracles of Christ dur- \ning the three crowded years of his public life. \nThe mere list of the passages describing them, \ntheir great diversity, and the peculiar circum- \nstances surrounding them, make an impressive \nrecital. \n\nIn all the miracles of Christ, he invariably dis- \ntinguishes cases of obsession from other cures, \nand the Evangelists are at some pains to mark \nthis distinction, specifically calling attention to \nthe proper diagnosis made by Christ, never con- \nfusing cases of obsession with ordinary symp- \ntoms of disease. \n\n\u201cAnd he healed many that were troubled with \ndivers diseases ; and he cast out many devils.\u201d (20> \n\n\u201cAnd Jesus went about all Galilee, healing all \nmanner of sickness and every infirmity among \nthe people, and they presented to him all sick \npeople that were taken with divers diseases and \ntorments, and such as were possessed by devils \nand lunatics, and those that had the palsy, and \nhe cured them.\u201d lsl) \n\n\n\n(20) Mark i, 84. \n\n(21) Matt. It, 28. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n58 Spiritism \n\n\u201cAnd running through the whole country, \nthey began to carry about in beds those that were \nsick, where they heard he was. And whitherso- \never he entered, into towns, or into villages or \ncities, they laid the sick in the streets, and be- \nsought him that they might touch but the hem of \nhis garment; and as many as touched him were \nmade whole .\u201d' 221 \n\n\u201cAnd there came to him great multitudes, \nhaving with them the dumb, the lame, the \nmaimed, and many others; and they cast them \ndown at his feet and he healed them ; so that the \nmultitudes marvelled seeing the dumb speak, the \nlame walk, the blind see, and they glorified the \nGod of Israel .\u201d' 231 \n\n\u201cAnd in that same hour, he cured many of \ntheir diseases, and hurts, and evil spirits ; and to \nmany that were blind he gave sight .\u201d' 241 \n\nThe supernatural prophecies and predictions \nof Christ are real miracles, which have nothing \nin common with Spiritism. In all of these far- \nseeing glances into the future., Christ is not pas- \nsive, as are the sensitives in a seance ; he is wide \nawake, alert, active, and in full possession of all \n\n(22) Mark vi, 55. (22) Matt xv, 80. (24) Luke vii, 21. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modem Satanism \n\n\n\n59 \n\n\n\nhis faculties. There is about him no swoon, no \ntrance, no dreamy state, no cataleptic condition, \nno hypnosis. Christ manifests a perfect knowl- \nedge of the secrets of the heart; he has an inti- \nmate knowledge of Simon, for instance, whose \nname he changes to Peter.' 1251 He is familiar with \nthe innermost secrets of the heart of Na- \nthanael/ 20 \u2019 He is perfectly aware of the sad con- \ndition of the Samaritan woman/ 27 \u2019 The treason of \nJudas <28) is not hidden from his heart-searching \ngaze, and he reiterates his betrayal by this un- \nworthy and money loving follower a few hours \nin advance of his base act/ 29 \u2019 He predicts with \nfulness and detail the triple denial of Peter/ 30 \u2019 \nIn general terms he deliberately and calmly pre- \npares his disciples for his coming passion, suf- \nferings, and death/ 31 \u2019 With a precision and a \nclarity that are remarkable he gives the most \nminute details, as if the whole tragic event were \nspread before him as in a map/ 32 \u2019 \n\nHe foretells the ruin of Jerusalem* 33 ' even to \nits minor features: He predicts the fate of St. \nPeter,* 34 \u2019 His chosen Rock; the long delayed \n\n\n\n(25 \n\n(26 \n\n(27. \n\n(28) \n\n\n\nft \n\n\n\nohn 1, 42. \nohn i, 47. \nohn iv, 16. \nohn vi, 71. \n\n\n\n(29) Matt xxvl. 21. \n\n(30) Matt xxv\u00a3 81. \n(81) John xiv, 29. \n\n\n\n\nMatt xvl, 21. \nMatt xxiv. 25. \nJohn xxi, 18. \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n60 Spiritism \n\ndeath of St. John is revealed to the beloved dis- \nciple; and the persecutions to which the Apos- \ntles (85) are to be subjected are foretold to them in \nadvance, as well as the proximate descent of the \nHoly Ghost. (36) All of the miracles of Christ \ntook place in the presence of a great number of \nwitnesses, a large proportion of whom were not \nhis friends. This circumstance is not verified \nin spiritistic circles where mediums repeatedly \nrefuse to continue the seance or produce any \nphenomena unless the sitters are sympathetic. \nThe supernatural works produced by Christ did \nnot take place in a corner, a circumstance to \nwhich Holy Scripture feels it necessary to call \nattention . 1371 These stupendous marvels were \nverified, not only by his selected friends, but also \nby his bitter and implacable foes. Witnesses \nnumbering hundreds were either indifferent or \nhostile, both to Christ and his miracles, yet on no \nsingle occasion did they cry fraud, allege trick- \nery, or complain of deception. Their objections \nto his miracles were not made because they de- \nnied the fact that a miracle had been performed, \nbut for reasons flowing from the admitted facts, \n\n(35) Matt x. 17. (36) John xiv, 16. (37) Acta xxvi, 26. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n61 \n\n\n\nfor instance, because they were performed on the \nsabbath day. (38) Miracles such as those of the \nparalytic ' 591 curing the man born blind / 401 restor- \ning the withered hand, (41, relieving the woman \npossessed by an evil spirit / 421 or healing the drop- \nsical man <48) who had lingered for many years, \nall were objected to on the ground of a violation \nof the commandment to rest on the Lord\u2019s day \u2014 \nyet we hear no repudiation of the fact of the \nmiracle itself. His enemies would not have al- \nlowed to pass an opportunity to cry fraud, if any \nsuch existed, hence their silence is an eloquent \nargument for the truth of the event \nThe mere touch of his hand is omnipotent and \nsuffices for the working of a miracle, as in the \ncase of Peter\u2019s mother-in-law. He cures the sick, \nraises the dead and drives out demons without \nany elaborate apparatus, preparation or warn- \ning, employing but a single word, such as \u201cGo \nout of the man.\u201d <44) \u201cI will, be thou cured.\u201d (4B) \n\u201cArise, take thy bed .\u201d' 401 Peace, be still.\u201d (47) \n\u201cYoung man, I say to thee, arise .\u201d' 481 \u201cLazarus, \ncome forth .\u201d' 4 \u00ae 1 \u201cHe touched her hand and the \n\n\n\n(38) John T, 17. \n\n(39) John v, 1-16. \n\n(40) John ix. 1-38. \n\n(41) Matt, xii, 9. \n\n\n\n(42) Luke xiii, 10. \n(48) Luke xiv. 1. \n\n(44) Mark i. 25. \n\n(45) Matt, viii, 32 \n\n\n\n(46) John v, 8. \n\n(47) Mark iv, 39. \n\n(48) Luke vii, 14. \n\n(49) John xi, 43. \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n62 Spiritism \n\nfever left her.\u201d' 50 \u2019 \u201cAnd the sick that he cured \nby the laying on of his hands.\u201d' 51 \u2019 \n\nFrequently miracles took place without any \nexternal indication on the part of Christ that \nthey were to occur, there being no outward man- \nifestation of his will, for instance, his walking on \nthe water / 521 The \u201cMiraculous fishing, \u201d <53) \n\u201cHealing at a distance, \u201d lB4) \u201cThe cure of the ser- \nvant of the centurion, \u201d (B5) \u201cThe healing daughter \nof the Chanaanite woman.\u201d' 56 \u2019 Once only did he \nput clay on the eyes of a blind man/ 57 \u2019 al- \nthough ordinarily the result was instantaneously \nproduced, without any intermediary. Even \nHerod admits the fact of Christ\u2019s miracles.' 58 \u2019 \nThe doctors of the law, the last persons in the \nworld to lose an opportunity to deny the mira- \ncles, none the less admit them, even though irri- \ntated at the fact. The high priests in spite of \ntheir enmity are forced to admit it again and \nagain by crying out \u201cHe saved others; let him \nsave himself,\u201d' 59 \u2019 yet they are all the while plot- \nting his death. They could not deny the reality \nof the miracles because the whole countryside \n\n(50) Matt. viii. 15. (54) John iv. 46. (57) John ix. 6. \n\n(51) Mark vi, 5. (55) Matt, viii, 7. (58) Matt, xiv, 2. \n\n(52) Matt, xiv, 25. (56) Matt, xv, 28. (59) Matt, xxvii, 42. \n\n(53) John xxi, 6. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n63 \n\n\n\nwas filled with those who had been cured by \nChrist. On one occasion an official inquest was \ndeliberately organized to test the fact/ 60 \u2019 the case \nbeing the cure of the man born blind. This is \none of the most dramatic passages in the New \nTestament, and like the denial of St. Thomas it \nserves to throw into high relief the solid founda- \ntion of reality upon which rest all the miracles \nof Christ. \n\nThe noble serenity and perfect simplicity with \nwhich Christ performed them are in striking \ncontrast with the labors and futile efforts of \nSpiritists. His groans at Lazarus\u2019 grave were \nentirely independent of the miracle. 161 \u2019 In no \nsense was it an indication of a medium passing \nunder control, but merely an expression of his \ndeep and abiding sorrow for the grief stricken \nfamily, a touching incident of the wondrously \ndelicate and finely attuned human nature of \nChrist. He performed his miracles as easily as \nwe do ordinary actions. For him to raise the \ndead to life was the same as to wake them from a \ntranquil sleep/ 62 \u2019 Hence from beginning to end \nof his miracles, stretching through the years of \n\n(60) John ix. 1. (61) John xi, .88. (68) John xi. 12. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n64 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nhis public life, there is no effort, no hesitation, \nno uncertainty. His language always is modest \nand reserved, a word, a gesture, and the deed is \ndone. All of his prodigies were performed with \na superhuman poise and dignity, and assurance \nof the possession of inherent divine power as \nhis personal prerogative, and with a high and \nlofty purpose in view\u2014 the manifestation of eter- \nnal truth. Between the exalted message of \nChrist to fallen humanity which he came to heal, \nsave and restore, and the message of modem \nSpiritists there is an abyss that is impassable. The \nchieftains of the spiritistic forces now admit that \nSpiritualism has forfeited considerable because \nit has not organized its position into a moral, \nethical, intellectual or spiritual force for the re- \ndemption of individual and social life. It has no \nsupreme and consoling message for humanity. \nIt has concentrated interest almost exclusively on \ncommunication with the dead and the survival \nafter death. We search in vain through the \nvague and indefinite records of Spiritistic \nseances for any tangible religious or moral doc- \ntrine. There is none to be found that we did not \nknow ages ago, and this reveals its utter weak- \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n65 \n\n\n\nness to establish itself as a practical every day \nworking basis for a new religion. All the mir- \nacles of Christ were performed quietly, unos- \ntentatiously, no matter what the nature of the \nmiracle he performed, whether it was cleansing \nthe leper, searching the hidden thoughts of the \nheart, restoring sight to the blind, walking the \nwaves, calming the tempest, driving out the \ndemons, feeding of the multitude, restoring a \nwithered hand, or raising the dead to life. \n\nHe performed many miracles but not, how- \never, in a prodigal manner. He always worked \nwithin reason with superb calm and supreme \nself restraint and for an object of a high moral \ncharacter, as well as a supreme necessity in the \nphysical order. For instance, he multiplied the \nloaves, but ordered the fragments to be gathered \nlest anything go to waste. He performed no \nmiracles during the first thirty years of his life, \nand this wondrous self restraint is in itself a \nmiracle of self-abasement when we compare the \ncharacter of the miracles of Christ with Spirit- \nistic phenomena. The latter are produced with- \nout aim, without object, without reason, without \npurpose, in a reckless, haphazard fashion. Nor \n\n5 \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n66 Spiritism \n\ncan it be urged against Christ\u2019s miracles that \nthey were performed in the presence of an igno- \nrant multitude and that no commission of \nlearned men, university professors or scientists \nstood by to investigate them. \n\nIt is not necessary to have a commission of \nscientists to pass upon the plain, obvious, evident, \nhistorical fact of a miracle. Facts are verified, \nnot by the learned exclusively, but by the testi- \nmony of reliable witnesses. Miracles belong to \nthe moral order, and we cannot apply to the \nmoral order the forms, rules, methods and pro- \ncedure applying to another and entirely different \norder. Miracles are historical facts, and it is \nnecessary to treat them as such. Historical facts \ncannot be subjected to an experimental verifica- \ntion such as we employ in physics or chemistry, \nfor this would be equivalent to changing history \ninto a natural science ; it would be tantamount to \na complete revolution of its character and re- \nverse all the rules of historical criticism. The \nordinary plain people endowed with integrity \nand common sense have eyes to see and ears to \nhear, and that equipment is sufficient for them to \nverify an historical fact. To subject historical \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n67 \n\n\n\nfacts to a commission of learned men is on a par \nwith awaiting the decision of a commission of \nprofessors before deciding that Germany was \ndefeated along the Marne. The American \narmies composed of ordinary young American \nsoldiers who pushed back the German legions in \nthe Argonne needed no scientific commission to \ntell them that they won the war. \n\nToo much attention should not be paid to the \nopinion of Physical Scientists who are now de- \nvoting considerable attention to Spiritism. \nPhysical Scientists have no business with the \nspiritual world at all : they have no instruments \ntz solve the problems of the next life. Science \nis of the earth, earthy, and it must confine itself \nto its proper sphere. It is the business of the \nTheologian to discuss problems concerning the \nSoul and the future life. Physical science is con- \ncerned with the sensible world, with the \nphenomena which we see, hear and handle, \ntouch, or weigh, in short, with the phenomena \nwhich meet the senses. It is occupied exclu- \nsively with matter and it can never invade the \ndomain of mind. It is quite evident, therefore, \nthat Theology is just what Science is not. The- \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n68 Spiritism \n\nology is occupied, not with the finite, but with \nthe Infinite, not with the creature, but with the \nCreator. Theological Science and Physical \nScience are contrary the one to the other; each \nof them has a method of its own. \n\nWhat is known in Christianity is just that \nwhich is revealed, and nothing more; certain \ntruths communicated directly from above are \ncommitted to the keeping of the Church and to \nthe very last nothing can really be added to those \ntruths. From the time of the Apostles to the end \nof the world no strictly new truth can be added \nto the theological information which the Apos- \ntles were charged to preach to all nations by \nOur Saviour. It is possible, of course, to make \nnumberless deductions from the original doc- \ntrines, but as the conclusion is ever in the prem- \nises, such deductions are not strictly speaking an \naddition. Physical Science proceeds along the \npath of experiment and induction; Theology is \ntraditional and no laboratory work is required \u2014 \nwe know now all that God has revealed. Physics \nis progressive and always reaching out for new \nfields; Theology in comparison is fixed, station- \nary, anchored. Content with developing its re- \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n69 \n\n\n\nvealed riches, Theology is ever looking to the \npast; Physical Science has visions of the future. \nTherefore the widely heralded opinions of \nPhysical Scientists are not entitled to any great \nrespect when they touch upon the domain of \nTheology. \n\nThe rise and spread of the craze for Spiritistic \ncommunication is but another evidence of the \nvacillation of the human mind, once it cuts loose \nfrom its anchorage to eternal truth. Truth is \never one and the same; whereas error is varied \nand multiform. It is always the same truth that \nmust be opposed to error, but it is never the \nsame error to which we must oppose truth; \nhence age old truths must be constantly restated \nin fresh terms to repulse the ever changing \nkaleidoscopic forms of error. Moreover, error \nis always rushing from one extreme to the other, \nand within the memory of living men we have a \nseries of examples to corroborate the oscillation \nto which the human mind is subject once it lets \nslip its hold on divine and Christian faith. For \ninstance: A few generations ago, the whole of \nthe so-called scientific world was worshipping at \nthe shrine of Materialism. Scientists, intoxicated \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\nGoogle \n\n\n\n\n70 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nwith the splendid discoveries in the realms of \nphysical science, were tempted to push their con- \nclusions to the extreme of saying that there is \nnothing spiritual at all in man or in the universe; \nthey denied not only the existence of the human \nsoul, but its immortality as well, and they scoffed \nat any future life at all. \n\nOf course, a recoil was to be expected from \nthis extreme view; it was false, and the reaction \nwas bound to come. It came sooner than was ex- \npected, and took the shape of still another ex- \ntreme view. The pendulum of error speedily \nswung to the opposite pole. Christian Science \nrose upon the horizon. It denied the existence \nof matter and repudiated everything for which \nMaterialistic Philosophy had stood during the \nprevious generation. Now a third oscillation is \nbeing observed throughout the world. A reac- \ntion has taken place against the extreme phi- \nlosophy of Christian Science, which denies the \nmaterial world entirely, and we have a new \nheresy, Spiritism, which utterly repudiating \nMaterialism, and crying from the housetops the \niniquity of any one who denies the soul, none the \nless admits the body, but claims the soul lives on \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism 71 \n\nafter death, even to the extent that we are able to \ncommunicate almost at will with discarnate \nspirits. \n\nOne can only reflect upon the next phase \nof error which is to seize the human mind when \nthe inevitable reaction against the craze of \nSpiritism takes place. In the midst of all this \nebb and flow of human thought concerning man \nand his destiny, stands the Church of Christ, ever \none and the same, teaching today the self-same \ndoctrines as she ever taught, unchanging and un- \nchangeable, amid the ruins and wrecks of the \nfalse theologies and philosophies that have risen, \nflourished and fallen during close upon twenty \ncenturies. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III \n\nSPIRITISM ATTACKS CHRIST \n\n\u201cDearly beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits if \nthey be of God: because many false prophets are gone out into \nthe world. By this is the spirit of God known. Every spirit \nwhich confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of \nGod.\u201d \n\n\u201cNeither let there be found among you any one that seeketh \nthe truth from the dead.\u201d (2) \n\nAccording to Spiritists, Christ is not God; he \nis only one closer to God than the rest of us mor- \ntals. He is the Christ Spirit, merely one of \nlegions of similar spirits. Spiritists think they \nhave shown quite enough reverence and homage \nto the Son of God when they reluctantly admit \nhe is a perfect man. None the less he is only a \nman, shorn of all Divine character and power, a \nmere creature, like the balance of mankind, and \nnot the great Infinite Eternal Divine Creator, as \nScripture and history alike reveal him to us. \n\nIt is an interesting study to follow the working \nout and development of a false idea in Theology. \nA few hours devoted to an inquiry into the rise, \n\n(1; I John iv, 1. \n\n(2) Deut.xviii, 10. \n\n72 \n\n\n\nDigitized by CjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n73 \n\n\n\ngrowth, dissolution and decay of all the heresies \nagainst Christianity during the last nineteen \ncenturies, would save the leaders and followers \nof Spiritism from many perils. All the truths of \nChristianity are so intimately bound together \nthat they form one perfect whole. None of them \ncan be denied without shaking the entire struc- \nture ; none can be removed, or passed over with- \nout destroying the integrity and essence of the \nReligion of Christ. Hence a repudiation even \nof one single truth in Christian teaching speedily \npaves the way for more denials and for the re- \njection of still other truths, until finally the \nwhole edifice crumbles. This is the phenomenon \nwe are observing in the attempt to develop \nSpiritistic doctrines into a religious system. \nOnce the Divinity of Christ is denied, a whole \ntrain of fearful consequences is the immediate \nresult, consequences which were never dreamed \nof by those who attempted to erect a religious \nedifice on so slender a foundation. What a \nstrange set of beings these Spiritists are! They \ntell us they have come to give a firmer basis to \nhistoric Christianity, and in the same breath \nthey deny the Divinity of Christ. Historic \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\nGoogle \n\n\n\n\n74 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nChristianity without the Divine Christ is a sort \nof Christianity with which history has not up to \nthis time been familiar. It is a sort of Chris- \ntianity that Christ would not approve. \u201cHe \nthat is not with me, is against me,\u201d he says. (S) \nSpiritists are against the Divine Christ, there- \nfore they are in every truth the \u201cAnti Christ\u201d \nof whom the sacred writer speaks in such terms \nof solemn warning. \n\nIt is not necessary at this late date to write a \ntreatise on the various proofs to substantiate the \nDivinity of Christ. The elementary text books \non Christianity are filled with such arguments. \nIn them any seeker after truth will find devel- \noped in full detail the many cogent reasons \ncompelling the human mind to assent to the \ngreat truth which is the very heart and soul of \nthe Christian Religion. Christ amply proved \nhis Divinity by being the perfect fulfillment of \nall the ancient prophecies written concerning \nhim; predictions written more than a long \nthousand years in advance of his birth ; prophetic \nutterances that give with the most minute detail \nthe intimate circumstances of his life, passion, \n\n(3) Matt. xii. 80. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n75 \n\n\n\nsufferings, death, resurrection, the founding of \nhis Church, and the miracles he worked while \non earth. And all this occurred a thousand years \nand more before his appearance on earth, mak- \ning Christ the one solitary and unique instance \nin history of a person whose biography was writ- \nten ages before he was born. This is why Christ \nrefers the doubting Jews to the Scriptures, sug- \ngesting that they search their own sacred rec- \nords / 41 for they already gave eloquent testimony \nto his Divinity. This is why St. Matthew uses \nthat celebrated and oft repeated Scriptural \nformula. \u201cNow all this was done that it might \nbe fulfilled that which the Lord spoke by the \nprophet, saying.\u201d' 5 \u2019 When Christ performed a \nmiracle, or preached a sermon, or held a conver- \nsation or engaged in any other great act, St. \nMatthew usually calls attention to the fact that \nthe very instance he is recording was foretold \ncenturies before by the prophets of the Old Law. \nHence the fulfillment of all those old predic- \ntions is not only one of the evidences of Christ \nbeing God, but it is evidence for the divine \norigin of the Bible, for none but God can foretell \n\n(4) John vii, 52. \n\n(5) Matt, i, 22. \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n76 Spiritism \n\nthe future / 81 arid none but a divine book could \nrecord it in advance \u2014 yet Spiritists repudiate \nboth of these fundamental Christian doctrines. \n\nChrist performed all manner of miracles and \nhe appealed to these miracles as a proof of his \ndivinity. (7) The preceding chapter gives in de- \ntail some of the many instances where Christ \nmanifested his power over the chained and \notherwise unalterable laws of nature, proving \nthem to be plastic in his hands, as he was the \nauthor of nature, to whom all things were easy. \nChrist made many predictions, not merely about \nothers, but also concerning himself and the \nChurch which he founded. He foretells events \nof the most personal nature, all of which were \naccurately verified in those who were immedi- \nately associated with them. He speaks in ad- \nvance of the various tragic incidents connected \nwith his passion, death, burial, and the progress \nof his Church. Not only this, but in the greatest \nof all his surpassing miracles, his Resurrection, \nhe displays the full extent of his power as God. \nThis it is that makes St. Paul cry out: \u201cIf Christ \nbe not risen again, your faith is vain.\u201d (8) Thus, \n\n(6) Matt, xxiv, 36. (7) Matt, xi, 6. (8) I Cor. xv, 14. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n77 \n\n\n\nthe Resurrection is the very kernel of Chris- \ntianity; without it our faith is meaningless; with \nit, all is coherent. \n\nChrist worked miracles to prove his Divinity, \nbut there is a special characteristic about his \nmiracles that makes his Divinity shine out re- \nsplendently. It is the manner in which he per- \nformed them. He wielded infinite power, and \nhe held it in leash. He could have annihilated \nhis enemies yet he refrained. Possessed of infin- \nite power, Christ might well have terrified those \nwith whom he came in contact, yet he never in- \nvoked his infinite strength in his own behalf. \nHe was utterly unselfish in its use. To hold \nnature\u2019s laws in his hand and to wield them at \npleasure would have a tendency to repel, rather \nthan attract, others. Men always fear the pos- \nsession of unlimited power because it may be \nexercised against them instead of being em- \nployed to their advantage. Hence the marvel- \nous self restraint of Christ\u2019s power is Divine. \nEven his enemies acknowledged that the posses- \nsion of such power made it possible to work in- \ncalculable harm, yet they recognized this self \nrestraint so much that they even provoked him \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n78 Spiritism \n\nto exercise it in his own behalf and he declined. \n\nChrist proclaimed in a hundred ways that he \nwas God. We must not forget that all past his- \ntory is unanimous in admitting that Christ was \nperfect. Spiritists themselves preach this. In \nhim was found no flaw; his honesty, his sincerity, \nhis goodness, his virtue, are admitted even by the \nmost inveterate foes of Christianity, and his hu- \nmility stands out triumphant as one of the crown- \ning virtues of his life. But, let it be asked, was \nChrist possessed of any of these virtues if he be \nnot God? Could any one possessed of any virtue \nat all claim he was God unless he was actually \nso? Could you, dear reader, pronounce yourself \nto be God, and claim to be humble? \n\nChrist always proposed the highest standard \nof morality. Never is there in him a confession \nof any unworthiness. He claims to be God. He \nchallenges his audience to accuse him of sin. <9> \nAnd in striking contrast with this is the humble \nconfession of weakness and sin on the part of \nevery other great teacher in the world. No mat- \nter how exalted or virtuous human beings have \nbeen in all the vanished ages, whether Pagan, \n\n(9) John viii, 46. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n79 \n\n\n\nJewish or Christian, they always shrank from \nany claim to perfection. The holiest souls are \nthe ones most alive to the consciousness of their \nown personal sins. Yet this is precisely what \nChrist never manifests ; he claims to be a model \nfor all mankind. Therefore, he must be God, \nfor none other but God would have dared to do \nthis. The men in Christendom most conspicu- \nous for the sanctity of their lives are precisely the \nones who have been noted for their self accusa- \ntion ; yet Christ never once in all his career con- \nfesses the need of pardon; never does he \nacknowledge the slightest blemish. In the case \nof a human being this would be the most con- \nsummate pride; in Christ, however, in whom \nhumility was raised to an infinite degree, his as- \nsertion of his Divinity must be taken as true. \n\nChrist is God by reason of the manner in \nwhich he taught during his public life. He \ncondemns in the severest terms the doctrines pro- \npounded by the most influential leaders among \nthe Jews. He assumes a higher position than \nany one ever took among the chosen people, \ndivinely sent though they were. He does more \nthan this, and it is the most daring thing in all \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n80 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nthe world\u2019s history. He passes in review the \nacts and decrees of the Old Law, changes them, \nalters them at his pleasure or approves theml \nThink of it! ! His constant formula was \u201cIt was \nsaid to them of old \u2014 but I say unto you.\u201d (10) \nCould any but God have done this? How dif- \nferent is the language of the prophets? They \nhave a mission direct from God, and they con- \nstantly acknowledge the author of their mission. \nThey speak nothing of themselves. Their \nformula was \u201cThus saith the Lord,\u201d whereas, \nChrist constantly speaks in his own name, with \nan imperious command and with an authority \nvested in his own Divine personality. \n\nChrist preaches himself. He does not look \nto one higher than himself as the author of his \nmessage; he is no mere instrument or mouth- \npiece of a superior. He calls himself the light of \nthe darkened world .' 111 He says clearly that he \nis the only way by which men may reach \nheaven.' 12 \u2019 He solemnly declares that he alone \nis the truth that can satisfy the cravings of the \nhuman soul. <13> He cries out in tones still ring- \ning down the ages that all who would have life, \n\n(10) Matt. V. 27-28. (12) John xiv. 5. \n\n(11) John vui, 12. (13) John xiv, 6. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism 81 \n\nand who would really live forever, must have \nthat life imparted by himself. 114 \u2019 He is the very \nBread of Life, without which there is no liv- \ning. (16) He is the Good Shepherd/ 16 \u2019 nay, the very \ndoor of the sheepfold. 117 \u2019 He is the true vine, the \nlife tree of regenerate humanity/ 18 \u2019 and he claims \nto be the awful judge of the entire human race. \nIn other words, \u201che will proceed to return at the \nend of the world to discharge an office involving \nsuch discernment of the thoughts and intents of \nthe heart of each one of the millions at his feet, \nthat the imagination recoils in sheer agony from \nthe task of seriously contemplating the assump- \ntion of these duties by any created intelligence.\u201d \nOnly God can judge humanity, and Christ\u2019s dec- \nlaration of judicial authority over all the world \nis evidence of his Divinity. Christ sets up an \nimperious claim to rule the entire soul of man. \nHe commands, not merely invites, discipleship. \nHe wants not merely man\u2019s energies, his time, \nhis money, his ability, some portion of his af- \nfections, he wants the whole heart and soul. He \nwants all of man. His cry is \u201cFollow me.\u201d His \nmessage is to be received wholly and unre- \n\n(14) John xiv, 6. (16) John x, 11. (18) John xv. 1. \n\n(16) John vi. 86. (17) John x. 9. \n\n6 \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n82 Spiritism \n\nservedly under the pain of eternal loss. Noth- \ning can intervene between him. He will allow \nno rival claim. \u201cHe that loveth father or \nmother more than me is not worthy of me.\u201d (19) \nCould any but God have set up this claim over \nthe human heart? \n\nIn addition to all this, Christ places himself \non a par with God by claiming a power equal to \nGod and by demanding for himself the homage \nand worship of mankind, due to God alone. He \nclaims a right to break the God-given Sabbath, \nplacing himself on a level with God the Father, \nand the miracle he performs on the Sabbath day \nhe does distinctly as his own work, by his own \nauthority and in his own name. He is no mere \ndelegate, acting for another. He claims that \nwhatever the Father does, he also does. <20) \u201cI \nand the Father are one.\u201d <21 \u2019 He is conscious of \nan eternal pre-existence, antedating his human \nlife on earth. His knowledge extends backwards \nthroughout a boundless eternity/ 22 * He con- \nstantly speaks as One on whom time has no effect. \nThe Sanhedrin accused him of making himself \nthe Son of God (23) and yet before them he did not \n\n(19) Matt x, 37. (21) John x, 30. (28) John xix, 7. \n\n(20) John v. 19. (22) John viii. 52. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n83 \n\n\n\ndeny it, nor explain his language in any other \nthan its most obvious meaning, admitting in the \nmost positive, formal and explicit manner that \nhe was in very truth the Son of God, and did \nnot repudiate this plain construction put upon \nhis words both by his friends and foes. \u2022 \n\nIf Christ be not God, is he really humble and \nsincere after all the manifold evidences of self- \nassertion on his part? Christ wants us to love \nhim, obey him, live for him, die for him, reject \nall else but him; he claims to be the universal \nteacher and saviour of men. Is he humble if \nhe demands all this? Hence, none but God \ncould do so. Say Christ is God, and all is intel- \nligible; if he is not God, then all of the Bible is \na mockery and a defense in its behalf an hypoc- \nrisy, and Christ is (sit venia verbo) the worst \ncharlatan and greatest fraud, cheat and impostor \nof all history. There is therefore no middle \nground \u2014 either Christ is God or he was a \nrogue or he was insane, which is obviously out \nof keeping with his well balanced thoughts, \nwords and actions. \n\nIn substantiation of the fact that a repudiation \nof one of the truths of Christianity speedily re- \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\nGoogle \n\n\n\n\n84 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nsuits in a denial of all, we have as a consequence \nof the rejection of the Divinity of Christ a num- \nber of conclusions that to the Christian mind are \nstartling. They deny the fact of original sin; \nthey ridicule the idea that man fell from grace; \nthey spurn the Scriptural account of the sin of \nAdam and Eve by calling it a baseless figment of \nthe imagination ; they repudiate the lapse of our \ngrand first parents from a state of primal inno- \ncence. Once started on a path of negation such \nas this, we may be prepared for the most surpris- \ning conclusions leading to still further denials. \nThe results of this initial error in Theology are \nso tremendous and so far reaching that if there \nwere no fall, what becomes of the Atonement, of \nthe Redemption? What is left of a large part, \nif not the whole of historic Christian Theology? \nTo hack away at the keystone of the arch of \nChristianity in this fashion is to cause the whole \nedifice to totter. Christianity must be taken in \nits entirety or not at all. We cannot pursue an \nelective course in Religion. Christ ordered us \nin tones indicative of stern command to \u201cobserve \nall things whatsoever, \u201d <24> he had taught us, not \n\n(24) Matt, xxviii, 19. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n85 \n\n\n\none or two or a few. It is all or none. The \nSpiritists are fond of quoting in St. Paul to sup- \nport their strange doctrines. They will not ob- \nject, therefore, when we also quote their favorite \nauthor to disprove their statements. \u201cIn Adam \nall die\u201d <28) he cries out, \u201cwherefore, as by one \nman, sin entered into this world, and by sin \ndeath, and so death passed upon all men, in \nwhom all have sinned.\u201d* 28 \u2019 If man never sinned \naccording to the Spiritists, what need was there \nfor Christ to suffer and die? Hence we quickly \nfind them telling us that Christ did not come \nupon earth to take away the sins of the world in \nspite of our Saviour\u2019s explicit statement to the \ncontrary. \u201cI came not to call the just but sin- \nners.\u201d (27) They further inform us that the In- \ncarnation and Sufferings and Death of Jesus \nChrist were in no sense an atonement for the sins \nof man.\u201d In short, that so far as Redemption is \nconcerned Christ might just as well have not \ncome upon earth. To which St. Paul enters this \ndenial ; \u201cWe were reconciled to God by the death \nof his Son.\u201d* 28 \u2019 St. Paul of all authorities is the \none to whom Spiritists should not appeal. \n\n(25) I Cor. XT. 22. (27) Matt ix, 13. \n\n(26) Rom. v, 19. (28) Rom. v t 10. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n86 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nSt. John tells us that God loved us so much, \nthat he sent his only begotten Son as a holo- \ncaust for us; <28) yet Spiritists can see no justice in \na vicarious sacrifice nor in the God who could be \nplacated by such means. Calvary and its awful \nSacrifice that has formed the very center of the \naffections and worship of the most of Christen- \ndom for 1900 years is insulted, rejected, and cast \naside in the new Spiritistic Revelation, \u2014 for \nthey tell us frankly that the Crucifixion of Christ \nwas not of great importance; indeed too much is \nmade of Christ\u2019s death. In other words, Holy \nThursday, Good Friday, The Way of the Cross, \nthe awful days of the Passion and the tragedy of \nGolgotha mean nothing to Spiritists, and it is by \ndoctrines so shocking to the Christian conscience \nthat Spiritists are to give a firmer basis to his- \ntoric Christianity and to add new lustre to \nChrist\u2019s teachings!! \n\nSince Christ\u2019s death is of no importance to \nSpiritists, we can be prepared for their no less \nastounding opinion concerning his Resurrection \nfrom the dead and his many appearances thereaf- \nter. This stupendous miracle is swiftly reduced \n\n(29) John IS, 16. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n87 \n\n\n\nto the level of mere natural phenomena, one of \nthe numerous sensory automatisms so familiar to \nthose accustomed to seances, and the many ap- \npearances recorded after the Resurrection are to \nbe attributed to Spiritistic activity since appari- \ntions are customary in the production of psychic \nphenomena. St. Paul devotes an entire chapter \nin his first Epistle to the Corinthians to extolling \nthe benefits accruing to mankind because of \nChrist\u2019s having risen from the dead, and pictur- \ning for us the woes that would have befallen us \nhad he not done so. \u201cAnd if Christ be not risen \nagain,\u201d he says, \u201cthen is our preaching vain, and \nyour faith is also vain.\u201d 130 \u2019 \u201cGod hath raised up \nChrist.\u201d' 31 \u2019 In spite of this, Spiritists attack this \ngreat truth by saying that the placing of em- \nphasis upon the Resurrection of Christ was the \ngreat mistake of Christianity.\u201d \n\nIt is too late in the centuries to accuse Chris- \ntianity of making a mistake. Spiritists call into \nquestion the fact of the Resurrection. Yet for \n1900 years the Resurrection has been one of the \n\u201cfixed facts\u201d of history, and it argues no small \ndegree of presumption and arrogance to deny it. \n\n(80) I Cor. XT, 17. \n\n(81) I Cor. XT, 16. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n88 Spiritism \n\nThe Resurrection is looked upon by all Chris- \ntians as the dominant proof of the divinity of the \nmission and teaching of Christ. It set a heavenly \nseal upon his life and work. It is a demonstra- \ntion adapted to the capacity and understanding \nof all classes whatever their intelligence. Hav- \ning proved that Christ died, and has come to life \nagain by his own power, without the aid of astral \nmatter or psychic stuff borrowed from the gar- \ndener or any other person, there is absolutely \nno escape from the conclusion that he is really \nGod. It is inconceivable that God would allow \nsuch an imposition upon humanity as to permit \nof a falsifier to work such a prodigy, especially \nwhen such a miracle was foretold and appealed \nto in advance as the very crown of his divinity. \nHence God\u2019s honor is involved in the Resur- \nrection of Christ. If Christ be not risen from \nthe dead by his own power, then humanity \nshould have nothing to do with God for allow- \ning the human race to be deceived in this fashion. \nChrist not only foretold his own Resurrection, \nbut the Apostles appeal to it constantly in their \npreaching. When there is a vacancy in the \nApostolic group, to fill the place of the traitor \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism 89 \n\nJudas, the qualities demanded of the new can- \ndidate are that he shall not only be a witness to \nthe life and death of Christ, but to his Resur- \nrection as well. <32) The attempt of Spiritists to \nexplain the Resurrection upon purely natural \nand psychic grounds is one of the few attempts \nduring the last 1900 years of the enemies of \nChristianity to find such an explanation. Hith- \nerto the customary attitude of Christ\u2019s foes has \nbeen to deny the Resurrection entirely. Atheists, \nagnostics, infidels, \u2014 all realized the accumulated \nweight of evidence was so tremendous that there \nwas no possible escape from either admitting the \nfact and its consequent divine and miraculous \ncharacter, or else denying it in its totality. There \nwas no middle course. It remained for modern \nSpiritism to evolve this new and fantastic ex- \nplanation. \n\nThere can be no question that Christ was dead \nwhen he was placed in the tomb. St. John ex- \npressly tells . us that he died (34) on the cross, and \nthe other Evangelists give the same testimony. \nThe atrocious tortures that he endured before \nbeing crucified would in themselves have been \n\n(32) Acts i. 22. (33) I Cor. xv, 14-17. (34) John xix, 33. \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n90 Spiritism \n\nsufficient to kill him; the marvel was that he \nlived three hours hanging in agony on the Cross, \na form of punishment that the great Jewish his- \ntorian, Josephus, tells us was in itself sufficient to \ncause death. The Roman soldiers who were sent \nfor the express purpose of bringing about his \nspeedy death by breaking his legs did not do so, \nfor the simple reason that this was unnecessary, \nChrist being already dead. The piercing of his \nside with a lance by Longinus was in itself \nenough to cause death at that moment, and Pilate \ndid not give the body of Christ to Joseph of \nArimathea until he had officially received the \nproof of Christ\u2019s death from the Centurion in \ncommand of the troops. The Jews themselves \nwere convinced of his death, else they would not \nhave demanded a guard over the tomb. So we \nsee on all sides, and from all classes, a unanimous \nconviction of the certain death of our Saviour. \n\nYet, suddenly nature is conquered, and his- \ntory reverses itself. After three days, Christ \nwho was dead reveals himself full of life, and \nthis fact is attested by a large number of wit- \nnesses, worthy of belief. They did not see him \nin sleep, or during a dream, or at night, but in \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism 91 \n\nbroad daylight, when they were in full posses- \nsion of all their faculties ; they heard his words, \nreceived his commands, touched him, felt his \npierced hands and feet and put their fingers into \nhis open wounds; they even reclined at the table \nand ate with him. During a period of 40 days \nthis continued, under the most varied circum- \nstances, in a great variety of conditions, and \namong all classes of people. He was seen close \nto the tomb, in the garden; on the road to \nEmmaus, in the upper room, on the shore of the \nlake, on the mount of Olives and elsewhere. He \nwas seen not only by the holy women, but by \nmen as well, by St. Peter, and the disciples at \nEmmaus; then by all the Apostles gathered to- \ngether, by that famous skeptic St. Thomas who \nwished more evidence than the others; nor was \nhe denied it. Then to seven of the Apostles on \nthe shore of the lake, and finally in Galilee, when \nthere was an assemblage of five hundred of his \nApostles and disciples, most of whom were liv- \ning when St. Paul wrote his celebrated Epistles \nto the Corinthians/ 351 an appeal to their testi- \nmony as a proof of the Resurrection of his Lord \n\n(35) I Cor. XV. 6. \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n92 Spiritism \n\nand Master. In all these apparitions of Christ \nthere was no dark room, no dim ruby light, no \nmedium, no cabinet, no complicated apparatus, \nno table tilting, no spirit rapping; no automatic \nwriting; no direct voice manifestation, nothing \nin short that characterizes modern mediums and \nSpiritistic seances. The characteristic of Modern \nSpirit materializations is that usually they occur \nonly a few feet distant from the medium, and \nthey are ordinarily visible only for a few min- \nutes at a time and in a darkened room. Whereas \nthe appearances of Christ after the Resurrection \nwere at varying distances, often considerable \nones, and they were visible for a long period of \ntime in the sunlight. The Apostles and disciples \nnot only saw Christ, talked with him, broke \nbread with him, and visited with him, but they \nwere so convinced of the reality of the Resurrec- \ntion that they willingly laid down their lives for \nthe truth of their belief. No one at all familiar \nwith the history of Christ and his dealings with \nthe Apostles can accuse them of being credulous, \nand easily persuaded. On the contrary, they \nwere hard to convince, and unwilling to make an \nact of faith. Hence, this new attitude on their \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n93 \n\n\n\npart, even to giving up their lives as martyrs for \ntheir faith in Christ\u2019s Resurrection is a proof of \nthe highest order. \n\nStill another effect of Spiritists to discredit \nand deny this miraculous element in the life of \nChrist is found in their attributing to psychic \nphenomena the celebrated miracle of Our Sav- \niour walking on the water, related in detail by \nthree of the Evangelists and the very clear ac- \ncount of it in the Gospels is alleged to be due to \nthe fact that the sacred writers were quite \nfamiliar with psychic apparitions and spirit- \nistic phenomena.' 38 \u2019 But no sane man could utter \nsuch a calumny. A simple reading of the Gos- \npel narrative shows that Christ appeared to the \nApostles in the early morning, there was no \nspiritistic apparatus, no medium, no darkened \nenclosure, no cabinet, no trance, no hypnotism, \nno hallucination. It was on the high seas; the \nApostles were frightened, therefore they were \nnot accustomed to the production of spiritistic \nphenomena. The apparition was no usual affair, \nas is alleged, hence their trepidation. More- \nover, Christ spoke to them, and actually entered \n\n(86) Matt. xiv. 22. \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n94 Spiritism \n\nthe ship with them, so that it was no phantom \u2014 \nno ghost \u2014 but Christ himself. To attempt con- \nsequently to place this or any other miracle of \nChrist in the category of spiritistic phenomena \nis neither science or religion, but a studied effort \nto discredit Christianity and to attack its great \ncentral stronghold, the divine personality of its \nFounder. \n\nConsistent with its avowed policy of explain- \ning every event in the life of Christ from a spirit- \nistic standpoint, we are treated to this highly \nnovel account of the well known triple tempta- \ntion of Christ by Satan (87) which is referred to as \na travelling clairvoyance, a phenomenon, we are \ntold, quite common with spiritistic mediums, and \nby which the soul leaves the body and travels to \nthe places represented in the vision. It is a sort \nof globe trotting soul, in a half dreamy state, \nwith no objective representation at all. This \nfantastic account shows to what lengths Spiritists \nare ready to go in discrediting Holy Scripture. \nNo effort is too far fetched to use against Christ. \nFor Spiritists the Bible is no longer the Word of \nGod in the sense that historical Christians be- \nes?) Luke iv, 1. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n95 \n\n\n\nlieve it to be inspired; it is merely a form of \nautomatic writing, tainted with the mentality of \nthe mediums cooperating therein, and conse- \nquently the Bible contains misstatements and \nerrors. Shocking as this is to the devout \nChristian mind, it is the only possible conclusion \nfrom the spiritistic premises, and it should put \nus on our guard against the new sect, that on the \npretense of proving the soul\u2019s immortality, is \nundermining the entire fabric of historic Chris- \ntianity by actually or virtually, either explicitly \nor implicitly, denying every doctrine of the \nChristian faith. \n\nSpiritist authorities assure us that Christ se- \nlected his Apostles and disciples for no other \nreason than that they were good mediums, pos- \nsessed of unusual psychic powers. Out of all the \nmultitudes from whom he might select his com- \npanions he chose twelve men. <88) Why these \nparticular ones? It was not for their intelli- \ngence or learning, say the Spiritists, for Peter \nand John, who were among the most prominent, \nwere expressly described as unlearned and igno- \nrant men. It was not for their virtue, for one of \n\n(38) Matt. tv. 18. \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n96 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nthem proved to be a traitor. It was not for their \nunwavering faith, for there were great numbers \nof earnest believers. And yet Spiritists claim \nthey were chosen on some subtle principle since \nthey were called in ones and in twos. In at least \ntwo cases they were pairs of brothers, as though \nsome family psychic gift or peculiarity might \nunderlie the choice. In other words, we are \ntold by the Psychic Research Propagandists that \nthe quality which determined their choice by \nChrist was this \u2014 that they were good Psychics, \nand Christ, the greatest medium who has ever \nappeared upon earth, desired to surround him- \nself with others who possessed similar qualities. \nBut this is mere gratuitous assumption. Never \nsince rational man existed on earth has pure as- \nsumption risen to the height of proof. It is a \nviolation of the elementary rules of logic to as- \nsume as already proven the very point in \nargument, yet this method is customary at every \nstep and is on par with the whole Spiritistic pro- \nfession. Christ never, in any way, at any time, \ngave any indication whatsoever of being directly \nor indirectly engaged in the production of \nSpiritistic phenomena. Never did he indicate \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n97 \n\n\n\nby word of action that his followers either dur- \ning his lifetime or afterwards were chosen for \ntheir psychic powers. Christ, the Son of God, \nthe omnipotent and eternal and everlasting, \nnever depended upon a few frail, weak human \ncreatures to give him some of their \u201cpsychic \nstrength\u201d to enable him to perform his miracles. \n\nEven Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, \nis robbed of its supernatural significance. It \nwas nothing but a seance, the production of \npsychic phenomena, a purely natural event. \nSpiritists declare that on that historic Sunday, \nthe Christian leaders were all \u201cwith one accord\u201d \nin one place, and they seize upon the phrase \n\u201cwith one accord\u201d as expressing admirably those \nsympathetic conditions which in psychic circles \nhave always been found conducive to the best \nresults. It is difficult to be patient with the pub- \nlicity agents of Spiritism. They falsify the most \nobvious texts of Sacred Scripture. In this pas- \nsage the whole argument is built up upon the \nphrase \u201cwith one accord,\u201d yet had a later transla- \ntion of the Bible than the King James been con- \nsulted the argument would have failed. The \nProtestant Revised, like the Douay version, has \n\n7 \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n98 Spiritism \n\nthe more accurate rendering \u2014 \u201call together\u201d \nmeaning they were all present instead of \u201cwith \none accord\u201d \u2014 so does the Latin and Greek orig- \ninal. Is this an honest method of founding a \nNew Religion? Is this a Scientific way to add \nnew splendor to the Religion of Christ? Is it \nethical to deliberately distort texts in this fash- \nion to support a thesis? The gift of tongues \nverified at Pentecost is lightly waived aside by \nsaying that in seances Mediums frequently \nspeak unknown trance tongues. The remarka- \nble difference is that mediums speak while in a \ntrance, whereas at Pentecost there was no trance \ncondition verified among the Apostles. Further, \nmediums in a trance state act in an automatic \nmanner; they are in a condition of passivity, \nwithout initiative, without volition, without con- \ntrol; whereas conditions the very reverse of this \nare to be noted at Pentecost, where the Apostles \nmanifested a degree of high activity; they were \nthe masters of the situation ; they knew what they \nwere about, and they addressed themselves reso- \nlutely to their task with the utmost energy. \nMoreover, in a trance condition, mediums have \nno clear knowledge of their utterances; nor do \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism 99 \n\nthey direct the course of their thoughts. Whereas \nthe Apostles at Pentecost had a connected view \nand grasp of their subject, and in well ordered \nfashion set out to achieve it. In addition to all \nthis, a further variation must be observed. The \ngift of tongues in the Apostles was external and \noutside of them, in persons whom they addressed, \nthe effect having taken place upon the minds of \ntheir audience of several thousand, whereas in \nthe medium the effect is internal, within the me- \ndium who speaks a strange tongue. Hence all \nthrough the weary effort of following Spiritistic \nclaims, we find upon investigation only a super- \nficial parallel that is nothing else than a travesty \nupon historic Christianity; it is a caricature \nthat Spiritism presents to us, a counterfeit, noth- \ning real or substantial in the way of paralleling \ngenuine Christian miracles. Thus the whole \ncharacter and value of the miracle of Pentecost \nis misconceived by writers on Spiritism. St. \nLuke tells us expressly \u201cEvery man heard them \nspeak in his own tongue, \u201d (39) \u2014 and he emphasizes \nthe names of the nations present putting before \nus the expressions employed by the vast audience \nfrom the ends of the earth. \n\n(39) Acts ii, 6. \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n100 Spiritism \n\n\u201cWe have heard them speak in our own \ntongues the wonderful works of God .\u201d* 401 \n\nThere is here no question of dark lantern \nmethods, no seance room mysteries, no curtained \ncabinets, no table tilting, no spirit rapping, no \nhysterical mediums, no trance, no selected few \nwho were sympathetic, no psychic circle, no \nholding of hands, no suggestions, no hypnotism, \nno clairaudience, no direct voice. It is the plain \nopen air, out of doors \u2014 where \u201cThe multitude \ncame together .\u201d 1411 The crowd was in a doubting \nrather than in a receptive mood, they demanded \nproof, and the proof was immediately fur- \nnished by St. Peter in his address to that many \ntongued population \u2014 \u201cParthians and Medes, \nand Elamites and inhabitants of Mesopotamia, \nJudea, and Cappodocia. Pontus and Asia, \nPhrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of \nLibya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome. \nJews also, and Proselytes, Cretes and Arabians.\u201d \nPeter spoke and the doubters were convinced, \n\u201cand there were added in that day about three \nthousand souls.\u201d (42) \n\nThe miracle of Pentecost was at once a physi- \n\n(40) Acts ii. 11. (41) Acts ii, 6. (42) Acts ii, 41. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism 101 \n\ncal and a moral miracle. One hundred \nand twenty persons were present/\u00ae\u2019 and it \nresulted in a complete transformation of their \ncharacter. Previously they had been cowards, \nhesitating, doubtful ; now they became bold \nand zealous, braving all dangers, even death \nfor their crucified and resurrected Master. \nWhat has Spiritism to offer in comparison \nwith this? Having destroyed as they think \nthe very essence of Christianity the Spiritists \nproceed steadily attacking every doctrine that \nstands in their path. Everything sacred must be \nexplained in accordance with their Spiritistic \ntheory. Once upon a time in respectable circles \nScience was built upon facts; it had to fit the \nevidence and square with the phenomena on \nevery side. Now modern Scientists reverse the \nnatural scientific processes of centuries and try \nto make the facts fit their preconceived theory. \nThis results in distorting, truncating, evading, \nminimizing, denying facts, however well proven, \njust as it suits their unchristian purposes. By \nthese methods Spiritists are prostituting not \nonly religion but they are prostituting Science. \n\n(43) Acts i. 15. \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n102 Spiritism \n\nAccording to Spiritism, the Sacrament of Bap- \ntism is no regenerating function, cleansing the \nrecipient from sin and infusing supernatural \nlife. It is merely the reception of psychic \npower. Denying sin, ridiculing the necessity of \na renewal of supernatural life, rejecting Baptism \nwhereby man is raised again to be a child of \nGod, the next step is that of doing away entirely \nwith the spiritual order instituted by Christ to \nperpetuate his work. Hence we are treated by \nSpiritists to the absolute rejection of the Sacra- \nment of Holy Orders. In the Church of Christ \nthe representatives of religion are made the \n\u201cministers of God and the dispensers of the \nmysteries of his grace, \u201d (44) but in Spiritism the \npriesthood has no place \u2014 the medium takes the \nplace of the priest. According to the New Re- \nligion the Sacrament of Holy Orders was a mere \npassing on of psychic power, and Christ differed \nin no wise from any medium who is able to \ncharge another with psychic force. \n\nSpiritists declare that mediums are able to \nconvey a power to other persons just as Christ \nwhen he was levitated over the lake was able to \n\n(44) I Cor. iv, 1. \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\nGoogle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism 103 \n\nconvey the same power to Peter so long as Peter\u2019s \nfaith held firm. There is no case on record \nwhere a medium has conveyed this power to any \none else. Yet it is with arguments such as this \nthat Spiritists wish us to deny the Divinity of \nChrist. St. Paul too was a medium we are told, \na student of psychic research, and his miraculous \nconversion while on his way to Damascus\u2019 45 \u2019 was \nmerely one of many similar incidents in the pro- \nduction of Spiritistic phenomena, an apparition \nof the dead, mainly an auditory one, a case of \nclairaudience on the part of St. Paul having all \nthe features of mediumistic phenomena, both \nexperimental and spontaneous, although in St. \nPaul\u2019s case, they tell us, it was an event of the \nfirst magnitude. This, it is alleged, was the be- \nginning of virile mediumship with him; from \nthat time on he began to recognize the phenom- \nena in all their types. The miracles to which \nSt. Paul refers are, it is alleged, mere psychic \nphenomena, and he spoke and wrote as a spirit- \nist, manifesting a wide acquaintance with the \nentire range of spiritistic phenomena. But to \nthis a flat denial must be entered. Even a super- \n\n(45) Acts ix, 1-22. \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n104 Spiritism \n\nficial perusal of any of the Epistles of St. Paul \nwould have revealed to any inquiring mind the \ntremendous abyss between the great Apostle of \nthe Gentiles and modern Spiritism. St. Paul and \nPsychic Research are in open and violent oppo- \nsition at every turn. Indeed his whole antipathy \nto Spiritistic Phenomena may be summed up in a \ncharacteristic passage in the Acts of the Apos- \ntles. (46) Like Christ himself whose ambassador \nhe was, St. Paul drives out the Evil one in \nChrist\u2019s name. \u201cAnd it came to pass, as we \nwent to prayer, a certain girl, having a pythoni- \ncal spirit, met us, who brought to her masters \nmuch gain by divining. But St. Paul being \ngrieved, turned and said to the Spirit: \u201cI com- \nmand thee, in the name of Jesus Christ to go out \nfrom her. And he went out the same hour.\u201d (4T) \nWere St. Paul alive today he would employ his \ninspired pen and his gifted mind against the \nemissaries of Satan who are roaming the world \ndisguised as Spiritists, as he did against the \nmagician of old. (48) And in this he would be but \ncarrying out his stern admonition to the Ephe- \nsians (tt) warning them to have \u201cNo fellowship \n\n(46) I Cor. iv, 1. (48) Acte xiii. 6. \n\n(47) Acts xvi, 16. (49) J$ph. v, 11. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n105 \n\n\n\nwith the unfruitful works of darkness but rather \nreprove them.\u201d Lovers of dark rooms and ob- \nscure seances and curtained cabinets might \nponder on this apt command of the great St. \nPaul. \n\nSpiritists are taking out an insurance policy \nagainst eternal loss by fire. They don\u2019t want to \ngo to Hell so they are doing away with it en- \ntirely. By this elimination of a highly uncom- \nfortable future for sinful persons, Spiritism may \nappeal to a large clientele who have little regard \nfor morality in its teachings. Hell drops out \naltogether they tell us. It simply does not exist. \n\nThis reminds us of the remark of a sagacious \nobserver, who pondering on the wickedness of \nthe world and the apparent preponderance of \nevil and the defeat of justice, cried out, \u201cThere \nmay possibly be a heaven but there certainly will \nbe a hell.\u201d \n\nAnd yet some how or other, but just how we \nare not told, it may not be so happy over there, \nfor there is still a hint of some inconvenient sit- \nuations. Some sort of Purgatory still awaits the \nsinner. The idea of punishment, they tell us, or \npurifying chastisement, in fact the idea of Pur- \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n106 Spiritism \n\ngatory, is justified by the reports from the other \nside. Without such punishment we are assured \nby Spiritists there could be no justice in the uni- \nverse, for how impossible it would be to imagine \nthe fate of a Rasputin the same as that of a \nFather Damien. \n\nSo the situation at best seems to be doubtful. \nYet there is some hope, even if there is a Hell. \nDenying the Divine Christ to be the universal \nRedeemer of the human race, nevertheless they \nrepudiate the age old expression \u201cOut of Hell \nthere is no redemption,\u201d for they teach that \nthere is a progressive evolution out of Hell and \nits misery, a sort of wandering on and on ; a pro- \nbationary period as it were, a progression to a \nhigher plane. But we summon all the Spiritists \nin the world to bring forward one single text of \nthe Old or New Testament to substantiate this \nendless progressive march of the soul. It is very \ncurious to observe the adroit way in which the \ndoctrine of Purgatory is insisted upon to throw \nout a bait for the purpose of deceiving Catholics. \nNeedless to say in all of Holy Scripture or in the \ngreat tomes containing the authentic teaching of \nthe Fathers and Doctors of historic Christianity \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism 107 \n\nthere is not a line to substantiate this modern \nSpiritistic position. \n\nIt is not surprising, therefore, after having \nalleged that Christ and his apostles were me- \ndiums, and ancient Christianity was a perpet- \nual darkened seance, that the early followers of \nChrist should have imitated their leaders, and the \nApostolic Church was filled with spiritualism, \nthey seeming to have paid no attention to those \nOld Testament prohibitions of Spiritistic prac- \ntices but lived and acted as those who cultivated \nall the phenomena of Psychic Research. Evi- \ndently there is not much agreement in the realm \nof Psychic Research, because we are told by still \nother Spiritist writers that the Apostles did not \nsucceed after Christ\u2019s death as well as he did; \nvery few cures are recorded by them, and they \nwere not so conspicuous as those of Christ. \n\nCertainly the pens that wrote statements such \nas this, know nothing of the history of the Apos- \ntles or of early Christianity. The texts already \nquoted from St. Paul prove conclusively that the \nApostles and first Christians held no communi- \ncation with evil spirits, nor did they indulge in \nany form of Spiritistic communication; they \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n108 Spiritism \n\nnever evoked the souls of the dead, but con- \nforming to the Old Testament prohibition and \npolicy and example of Christ, they worked \nmiracles and cast out devils and warned their \nfollowers to have nothing to do with dark room \nmethods. \n\nIt was necessary for the Apostles to perform \nmiracles to guarantee the divinity of the Chris- \ntian religion, and this working of miracles was \npredicted by Christ .' 501 That this forecast was \nrealized in the most public manner is evident \nfrom the Acts of the Apostles, the first history \nof the infant Church .' 511 Among the most strik- \ning of the innumerable miracles of the Apostles \nwere the healing of the lame man at the gate of \nthe temple , 1 1521 as well as that of the paralytic ,' 531 \nthe healings performed by the mere shadow of \nSt. Peter, (54) and the deliverance of St. Peter by \nan angel .' 551 We read also of the many miracles \nworked by St. Paul at Ephesus and elsewhere, \neven by the mere touching of handkerchiefs \nbrought tp him ' 561 and of the resurrection of a \nyoung man, Eutychus, at T royas .' 571 The conver- \n\n(50) John xiv, 12; (52) Acts iii. (55) Acts xiL \n\nMark xvi, 17. (53) Acts ix. (56) Acts xix. \n\n(51) Acts v, 15. (54) Acts v. (57) Acts xx. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n109 \n\n\n\nsion of St. Paul alone would be sufficient to prove \nthe divinity of the Christian religion. It oc- \ncurred in daylight, and worked in him a com- \nplete moral revolution. From an enemy of \nChrist, he became his passionate friend and \nApostle, sealing with his life his energetic \nbelief in the Divinity of Christ. Christ ap- \npeared to Saul, then to Ananias, then Saul was \ncured of his blindness, he was baptized and re- \nceived the name of Paul, and worked ever after \nwith unwearied love and fidelity for the conver- \nsion of the world. The reality of all these events \nis testified by the full accounts in the Acts of the \nApostles.' 68 \u2019 \n\nDuring the first centuries of Christianity, the \nprogress of the Church was marked and en- \ncouraged by the continuance of the power of \nperforming miracles in the name of Christ. All \nthe Fathers and writers of this period are unani- \nmous in referring to these prodigies, which oc- \ncurred before the eyes of the then scoffing world ; \nthey even invited the pagans to examine the cases \nand they were challenged to deliver to them any \none possessed of a devil and they would speedily \n\n(58) Acta ix. \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n110 Spiritism \n\nliberate the unfortunate, as Christ guaranteed. \nThe enemies of Christ themselves never \ndreamed of denying the fact of the miracles. \nThey always admitted and acknowledged the \nreality of the fact itself, and hence the constant \ninsistence of the Christian apologists that these \nfacts were due to the divine intervention. In the \nfollowing centuries, there is a vast number of \nauthentic miracles to testify to the continuance \nin the Church of this power of working miracles \nin the name of Christ, yet not a word is ever \nuttered regarding Psychic Research, communi- \ncation with the souls of the dead, or any Spirit- \nistic Phenomena. The Acts of the Saints and \nthe great historians of the early centuries give us \nan account of the striking miracles performed at \ntheir own particular period of history and \nworked under their very eyes, to which they had \nbeen ocular witnesses. Nor has the power died \nout as Spiritists would have us believe. Rome \ntoday has a special tribunal for the examination \nof all miracles and they subject every case to a \nrigorous scientific scrutiny and investigation. \nBefore this court, the most august and competent \nin the entire world, many miracles in \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n111 \n\n\n\nthe eighteenth and nineteenth centuries \nwere proven, which make the modern \nworld a parallel to the wonders operated \nduring the time of Christ, and prove true the \nprediction of Christ that this power would never \nfail. Yet in the face of all this testimony, run- \nning through nineteen centuries, we are told by \nSpiritists that the teaching of Christ was in many \nmost important respects lost by the early Chris- \ntians, and has not come down to us!! \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV \n\nSPIRITISM AT THE BAR OF REASON AND \nREVELATION \n\n\u201cAnd this is the victory which overcometh the world, our \nFaith.\u201d (i) \n\n\u201cThat henceforth we be no more children tossed to and fro, \nand carried about with every wind of doctrine by the wickedness \nof men, by cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to de- \nceive.\u201d <2) \n\nSPIRITISM CONTRARY TO HUMAN REASON \n\nThose who on earth were quite choice about \ntheir company are not likely to be supremely \nhappy in the Spiritistic heaven where the souls \nof the good and bad mingle so promiscuously as \nthey do in seances. Who would wish to go to \nheaven if all the unrepentant villains of the earth \nwere there, mingling intimately with them, and \nturning heaven into hell? What one believes on \nearth seems to make little difference in the realms \nof the Spiritistic heaven. It is quite useless to \nbe a Christian at all, to practice virtue, to be self- \nsacrificing, to follow the counsels of perfection, \nor to aim at a devout life, because murderers, \n\n(1) I John v, 4. \n\n(2) Eph. iv. 14. \n\n112 \n\n\n\nDigitized by CjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n113 \n\n\n\nadulterers and blasphemers will get just as much \nreward as those who lead an upright life. Inger- \nsoll, Paine, Voltaire, and Renan who spent their \nlives scoffing at the divine Christ will fare just \nas well as those missionaries and martyrs who \ngave their lives that historic Christianity might \nbe propagated. If the future life must be spent \nwith the idiotic spirits who are manifested in the \nmodern seance room, then immortality has no \nobject. Certainly it is not an everlasting exis- \ntence to which sane and saintly persons will be \nattracted. Spiritism will have a tendency to de- \nstroy, rather than to confirm belief in a future \nlife as Christians understand it, or else it will \nhave just the opposite tendency, namely to en- \ncourage those whose souls are racked with doubt \nand uncertainty to commit suicide so as to arrive \nat the truth which the human mind justly craves. \n\nThe spirits and mediums do not agree about \nconditions in the next life. Some say they have \nno hands; others indulge in athletic sports and \npiano playing, they live in brick houses, there \nare cigar factories there, and they get mud on \ntheir clothes 11 So we are assured by no less \n\nauthorities than Sir Oliver Lodge and Sir Ar- \n\n8 \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n114 Spiritism \n\nthur Conan Doyle. None the less there is some \ncompensation for those who find \u201cdry\u201d America \na hardship, for the spirits assure us that there is \nan abundance of whiskey and soda over there. \nProhibitionists and those of a Puritanical turn \nof mind are not likely to be altogether at peace \nin this spiritistic heaven where there are cigar- \nettes and the demon rum. The Spirits are rather \na dull, gross, material lot. Their conversation is \ninvariably of things that are not at all spiritual. \nFrom authentic spiritistic photographs we ob- \nserve that they have their pets and domestic ani- \nmals in the next world. Of course some spirits \nsay there are no animal pets in the next life, but \nthis only adds to the confusion, and is one of the \nvery curious things about Spiritism, the lack of \nunanimous consent about conditions in the future \nlife. The trivialities and nonsense, the obsceni- \nties and blasphemies, the lies and contradictions \nof the seance room are notorious. The so-called \nspirits of the great ones of the earth that are \nevoked seem to forget their former existence, and \nact and talk as if they were lunatics. So evident \nare their lies and contradictions that Spiritistic \nleaders are forced to find some excuse for the \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n115 \n\n\n\ncontradictions into which they are involved. For \ninstance Milton cannot scan, Shelley is unable to \nmake a rhymed couplet, and the Bard of Avon is \na poorly educated simpleton. But the chiefs of \nthe modern spiritistic cult draw a parallel be- \ntween the liars on earth, and those in the next \nlife, warning us not to demand more hereafter \nthan we can secure here ! 1 \n\nMediums claim that they can foresee the \nfuture, yet they could not foretell the sinking of \nthe Titanic, on which their great admirer, Mr. \nWilliam T. Stead, was a passenger. They did \nnot forecast the Great War, either its beginning \nor its end. They are unable to save from sickness \nor financial disaster those who consult them, and \nwere they possessed of a vision into the future, \nthey would not remain poor, as most of them are. \n\nThe mediums suit themselves to the fancy of \ntheir sitters, adapting themselves to the tastes, \nhabits and desires of those who consult them. \nThey take into account the national, racial, in- \ntellectual, social and political aspirations of \nvarious individuals and peoples. They are pious \nwhen the devout appeal to them ; they are loving \nwhen consulted by the affectionate, and they \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n116 Spiritism \n\nadopt a statesmanlike attitude when approached \nby politicians. They are businesslike when their \nwisdom is sought by merchants, brokers and \ncommercial leaders. They assume a learned air \nwith an intellectual and scientific audience, and \nthey do not hesitate to be vulgar and obscene \nwith those to whom such thoughts and language \nmake an appeal. In France they believe in re- \nincarnation; in England they deny it, while in \nItaly the favorite doctrine savors of Pantheism, \nAtheism or Materialism. Thus it comes to pass \nthat Spiritism has a tendency to make the devil a \nfool, rather than the source of all evil, which is \nthe historic Christian belief. Spiritists rob \nSatan of his inherent and unwearied malice, and \nthey deceive the world into thinking that the \ndevil is not as bad as he is painted. Truly this is \na plan worthy of Lucifer, and in the opinion of \nsagacious observers it is one of the most subtle \nof all the evils of the new cult. \n\nTHE PERILS OF SPIRITISM \n\nThe physical dangers to mediums and sitters \nattendant upon the cult of Spiritism have al- \nready been alluded to in previous chapters. The \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n117 \n\n\n\nfact is openly admitted by friends and foes of the \nnew cult. But too much emphasis cannot be laid \nupon the wrecked homes, the ruined lives, the \nunbalanced minds, the shipwrecked careers, and \nthe thwarted peace and happiness of those who \nbecame involved in this most insidious of all \nmodern perils. \n\nThe intellectual dangers are no less menacing. \nThe mind enmeshed in the experiments of the \nseance room is kept in a state of anxiety and sus- \npense, constantly awaiting fresh disclosures, ever \nhoping, and never having those hopes realized. \nSoon all intellectual activity is crushed. Lunacy \nis not infrequently the issue in some, while in \nothers there is a total neglect of the natural \npowers of the mind, resulting in lazy, listless \nhabits, impairing the mental faculties and unbal- \nancing the judgment. This state of conflicting \ndoubt and uncertainty prevents any fixed and \nsettled convictions, either in religion, science, or \nin the ordinary affairs of life. \n\nMorally the practice of the new cult weakens \nthe will to such an extent that the result is the \nfullest yielding to impulse, without strength of \ncharacter or energy to resist temptation, or an \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n118 Spiritism \n\nopportunity for the play of the normal processes \nof thought and action. Thus all moral respon- \nsibility perishes, and the operations of the will \nare paralyzed. The mind passivity requisite in \nall mediums and sitters soon becomes an open \ndoor for the entrance of evil spirits, and as a con- \nsequence we observe again the ancient phenom- \nenon referred to so often in the Gospels, the \ndevils taking bodily hold of those who give \nthemselves up to spiritistic practices. \n\nEXPLANATIONS OF SPIRITISTIC PHENOMENA \n\n1. The most common Spiritistic interpreta- \ntion of the phenomena of the seance room is that \nall communications with the other world are \nwith the dead, the discarnate souls of human \nbeings who once inhabited the earth. \n\n2. As opposed to this, there are three other \nviews. Some writers assert that all, or nearly all \nof the phenomena of Psychic Research can be \nexplained by purely natural laws. They even go \nso far as to say that the phenomena for which no \nnatural law is yet known may still be due to the \naction of the unknown forces which will doubt- \nless be made known by further experimentation. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n119 \n\n\n\n3. Others advance the opinion that many of \nthe phenomena reported are due to fraud, trick- \nery and cunning. This opinion is rapidly being \nabandoned as no longer tenable. The evidence \nof a great body of serious investigators whose in- \ntegrity is unimpeachable prevents us from even \nthinking of deliberate fraud or deception, \neither by them, or upon them, extending over a \ncourse of many years. \n\n4. Finally there is a group of very distin- \nguished investigators who admit most of the \nphenomena claimed by Spiritists, but they give \nan entirely different explanation of the facts ad- \nduced. Spiritists claim it is the souls of the dead \nwho communicate with us, whereas this last \ngroup of authorities claim it is diabolic interven- \ntion, the action of unseen evil intelligences, com- \nmonly known as demons. There is no doubt that \nsome of the phenomena of Psychic Research \nhave been and are now due to deceit, deception, \nfraud, lying, cheating and roguery, and that \nsome of them are due to the operation of purely \nnatural forces, partially known and partially un- \nknown, but which further investigation will \ndoubtless reveal to us in all its phases. Over and \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\n120 Spiritism \n\nabove all this, there are spiritistic phenomena \nwhich cannot be explained either by fraud or the \noperation of natural laws. To account for them \nthe operation of unseen, spiritual intelligences \nor demons must be offered as the only explana- \ntion that fits all the facts of the case. \n\nThat evil spirits, or fallen angels, exist, has \nbeen known as long as the world has been \ncreated. It is a fact admitted by Spiritists them- \nselves. Many investigators, whether champions \nor antagonists of the Spiritistic position, such \nas Sir William Barrett, Doctor Carrington, Pro- \nfessor Flammarion, Doctor Viollet, Doctor Lap- \nponi, and Mr. Godfrey Raupert, go so far as to \nsay that the cases of demoniac possession spoken \nof so frequently in the New Testament are par- \nalleled today in many cases of modern me- \ndiums, where the evil spirits take possession of \nhuman beings and employ them almost at will \nfor their nefarious purposes. Such for instance \nare the numerous cases of automatic writing, \nwhen the obsessed persons are compelled by the \ndemons to write day and night, without rest, and \nto write the foulest things that can be imagined, \nand against which they rebel, but in vain. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n121 \n\n\n\nIt is sometimes difficult to convince Catholics, \nwho are not familiar with the literature or \nphenomena of Spiritism, that the facts in the \ncase point unmistakably to the intervention of \nunseen evil intelligences in worldly affairs, and \nthat they are accountable for much of the \nphenomena obtained in the seance room. This \nshould not be. Catholics, of all persons, should \nhave no hesitation in believing in the existence \nand nefarious activity of demons. After the \nMass, celebrated daily in countless churches \nthroughout the world, a public prayer is recited \nto God, imploring his Divine protection against \nthe malice and snares of the enemy, Satan, and \nthe other evil spirits who prowl about the world \nseeking the ruin of souls. This is a continuous \nact of faith in the existence of demons, and an ex- \npression of the conviction that they can and do \nharm us. \n\nSPIRITISM CONDEMNED BY THE CHURCH \n\nThe Catholic Church has always recognized \nthe possibility of demoniacal possession. The \nRoman Ritual, which lays down regulations for \nExorcisms that are centuries old, provides meth- \n\n\n\n1 \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n122 Spiritism \n\nods for determining whether the obsession is by \ndevils or not, and formulates rules for expelling \ndemons. Countless times throughout the last \n1900 years the Church has legislated regarding \ndevil worship, obsession, black magic, necro- \nmancy, spiritistic practices, seances, and all other \nsimilar methods of holding communion with the \nunseen world. The Canon Law of the Church \ncontains innumerable references to the legisla- \ntion enacted by the Ecclesiastical authorities in \nRome and elsewhere throughout the world to \nguard the faithful from the evils of Spiritism. \n\nAs far back as 1585, Pope Sixtus V issued a \nConstitution on the subject, in which he discusses \nthe whole matter, and warns Christians of its \nperils. On July 28, 1847, Rome again issued a \ndecree warning Catholics of its dangers and pro- \nhibiting them from attending seances. The eyes \nof Rome are ever upon the signs of the times, \nhence on March 30, 1898, we were given a fur- \nther decree by the Holy See reaffirming the \nprevious prohibition, taking into account new \nmethods of spirit communication, and forbid- \nding Catholics to practice them. Finally, by a \ndecree dated April 24, 1917, Rome prohibited \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n123 \n\n\n\neven a passive assistance at a spiritistic seance, \nand interdicted under severe penalties even the \nidle curious visiting such seances merely as a \nspectator. Hence for a Catholic to practice \nSpiritism, to engage in Psychic Research, to at- \ntend its seances, even out of curiosity, to assist \neven in a passive and indifferent way, without \nany active cooperation is to run counter to the \nlaws of Church. It is in the eyes of Ecclesiasti- \ncal authorities equivalent to paying divine honor \nand tribute to departed spirits, or demons, and as \nsuch the Church is competent to condemn it, just \nas she is competent to condemn any heresy or \nassault against the deposit of faith entrusted to \nher by Christ. \n\nTHE SPIRITUALISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH \n\nThere can be little doubt that the present \ncraze for communication with the unseen world \nis due to a natural craving in the heart of man to \nbe in touch with God. Man was made for God, \nand only in him can he find rest. Hence a right \nknowledge of God must convince us that the re- \nligion he has established to be his representative \non earth must have within it everything calcu- \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n124 Spiritism \n\nlatcd to satisfy the legitimate cravings of the \nhuman heart. Among these insatiate longings is \nthe desire to know something certain about the \nunseen world. The \u201cCommunion of Saints\u201d has \nbeen an essential part of the Catholic creed from \nthe very beginning of Christianity. The Church \nfirmly believes in the possibility of communi- \ncation with the unseen, but she does it in a man- \nner utterly at variance from the dangerous meth- \nods practiced by Spiritists. \n\nRecognizing the validity of man\u2019s desire to \ncommunicate with the supernatural, she has safe- \nguarded this holy aspiration by wise regulations; \nthey are no mere arbitrary decrees, but shaped \nand guided under the authority of the Holy See, \nand tested by the experience of long centuries, \nthey have a double claim upon our interest and \nour obedience. The Church has plotted the \ncourse, laid out the lines of travel, set beacon \nlights along the highway; she mounts guard over \nthe entire process of keeping in touch with the \nnext world, thus protecting her children from \nthe grave perils that otherwise wo.uld accompany \nthe seeker after a knowledge of God. That is \nwhat Pyschic Research lacks ; it has no author- \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism 125 \n\nized control ; it has no traditions, no precedents, \nno tribunal set up to supervise those who are its \ndevotees, and as a consequence there is nothing \nbut subjectivism, egotism, error, heresy, false- \nhood, atheism, agnosticism, and in the end devil \nworship, with the consequent impairment or \ntotal loss of spiritual and bodily health. \n\nThe Mystical Theology of the Catholic \nChurch is earnestly recommended to all those \nwho long to communicate with the unseen world. \nThe history of the Catholic saints whose lives \nand whose writings entitle them to be classed as \nmystics would make thrilling reading for all me- \ndiums and attendants at spiritistic seances. Such \nwere the lives of St. Teresa, St. Gertrude, St. \nCatherine, St. John of the Cross, St. Bonaven- \nture, St. Francis de Sales, Blessed Angela of \nFoligno, St. Paul of the Cross, St. John of \nCupertino, or Venerable Marie De l\u2019lncarna- \ntion, to mention only a few of a vast number of \nmystics. Nor did all ecstatics live in the dim \nand distant past. One of the most noted ones was \nGemma Galgani of Lucca, Italy, who died in \n1903. In the mystic theology of the Catholic \nChurch will be found explained the extraordi- \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n126 Spiritism \n\nnary forms of prayer practiced by the great \necstatics of history. The higher forms of con- \ntemplation in all their varieties, as well as the \ngradations of private revelations, the visions \ngranted to the Saints, and the union growing out \nof these between God and the soul are all set \nforth with clarity and sanity. All this rich and \nsolid literature will furnish the criteria laid \ndown by the wise and saintly writers of the \nChurch for facilitating the mystic union of the \nsoul with God, while at the same time preserv- \ning the soul from lapsing into error or heresy. \nThey indicate maxims to prevent self delusion \nand the soul\u2019s deception, mistaking the powers \nof darkness for those of light, or the promptings \nof their own weak selves in place of the Divine \nvoice, dividing the true from the false, and sep- \narating diabolism from the true worship of God. \n\nThose interested in Psychic Research will find \npleasure and profit by reading above all the \nworks of St. Teresa. This extraordinary woman \nwas one of the greatest saints the Church has \nproduced; her uncommon good sense, sound \njudgment and practical sagacity united in her \nthe mind of a man, and the delicacy and tender- \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism 127 \n\n\n\nness of a woman. Before her time mystic theol- \nogy had neither logical nor chronological devel- \nopment. It was not in any sense a science. It \nwas she who first treated in systematic form all \nthe phenomena of mysticism, organized and \nclassified all we know about it, and made it a real \nscience. Before her mystic theology concerned \nitself with ecstasies, visions and revelations; \nwhereas St. Teresa addressed herself to a thor- \nough analysis of the various processes by which \nthe union of the soul with God is achieved. \n\nMany of the saints of past ages have been \necstatics, and it is highly interesting to institute \na brief comparison between the ecstasies and \nvisions of the Catholic saints and the trance \nstates of Spiritistics mediums. \n\nIn mediums during a trance there is a lessen- \ning of intellectual power, whereas, in the ecstasy \nof a saint this power is immeasurably increased \nby a process of illumination; and the pose and \nattitude of the body is a noble one, not repulsive \nor repelling as is characteristic of spiritistic me- \ndiums. One is attracted by the ecstasy of the \nsaints, whereas one is repelled and disgusted at \nthe facial and bodily contortions of mediums. \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n128 Spiritism \n\nThe hallucinations in the case of mediums are \nusually representations of the imagination; that \nis they are visual, auricular or tactual, affecting \nthe senses, whereas, in the case of the saints in \necstasy, there are no hallucinations, the vision \nbeing purely intellectual. The mystic saints have \nbeen noted for their strong intelligence, their \nkeen minds, and their lofty and noble projects \nfor the good of religion and society. This \nis notably the case in the ecstatic founders of Re- \nligious Orders. They were men and women of \nlarge and liberal ideas, of great plans for God \nand humanity. But we will look in vain through \nthe chronicles of history for any distinct \nachievement originated, carried on, or encour- \naged by any spiritistic medium. Furthermore, \nthe loss of will power in mediums is notorious, \nwhereas nothing could be stronger than the in- \nflexible wills of the ecstatic Christian saints, who \nby their indomitable resolution overcame all op- \nposition to their plans to promote the kingdom \nof God on earth. \n\nMany mediums are subjective, selfish, egotis- \ntical and morally have reached no great heights \nof virtue, whereas the Christian saints who were \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n129 \n\n\n\necstatics have given the world magnificent \nmodels of self forgetfulness, and have been con- \nspicuous for their absence of hysteria, their \nwhole career having been marked by keen judg- \nment and robust virtue. The trances of me- \ndiums do not impel them to lead very saintly \nlives, whereas the reverse of this has been true of \nthe saints ; after their ecstasies they have been led \non to the very summits of virtue. Mediums are \nnotorious for being incoherent, contradictory \nand material in their language and concepts, \nwhereas the saints have been clear, connected, \nconsistent, elevated and thoroughly spiritual in \ntheir revelations. In the history of the Chris- \ntian religion there have been at times genuine \nand well authenticated apparitions of those who \nwere dead and gone ; they have been miraculous \nin every sense of the word ; they have been veri- \nfied by solid and unassailable proofs that will \nstand the strictest test in any court in the world. \n\nAt every point of comparison they are totally \ndissimilar to the manifestations of the seance \nroom. There is no sensitive, no psychic circle, \nno dark room surroundings, the apparitions in \nthe case of saints have been unbidden, no one \n\n9 \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n130 Spiritism \n\ncan predict when they will come or when they \nwill go, they have not been invoked, we know no \nlaws which they follow, they are beyond our \ncontrol, we cannot take the initiative in produc- \ning them, nor can we shut them off at will, we \ncan create no conditions in advance which are \nguaranteed to result in the apparitions, they are \nsudden and unexpected, and altogether spon- \ntaneous, there is about them nothing uncanny, \nnothing grotesque, nothing to impair health of \nsanity, nothing that runs counter to historic \nChristianity. \n\nBut the very reverse of all these circumstances \nis verifiable in the materializations of spirits in \nthe seance cabinet Spiritists in the modern ex- \nperiments in Psychic phenomena take complete \ncontrol of the situation ; it is they who invoke the \nspirits, they who prepare in advance all the con- \nditions, they who are the active agents in produc- \ning the result, and they can shut them off at will. \nThere is nothing sudden or unexpected about \ntheir coming, and they follow certain laws, \nwhich, when operative, issue in results that can \nbe assured in advance. \n\nThe one striking thing about them is that all \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nThe Modern Satanism \n\n\n\n131 \n\n\n\nsuch revelations accorded to the Saints have been \nin perfect accord with the doctrines of Chris- \ntianity. In no instance did those who died in \nthe odor of virtue and sanctity, and who by the \npermission of God appeared to living beings \nthereafter, say anything that would repudiate the \nhistoric Christian doctrines which they pro- \nfessed during life, and for the defense of which \nmany of them either actually died martyrs or \nwould have gladly done so. On the contrary, \nthey all confirmed in every detail the historic \nChristian faith they held during their lifetime. \nThis is marked contrast with the denial of every \ndoctrine of the Christian religion which we find \nthe predominant characteristic of present day \nSpiritism. \n\nFor exhaustive detailed information relative \nto the actual experimental features of Spiritism, \naccompanied by illustrations and verbatim re- \nports of messages from the other world, the \nreader is referred to the splendid works of Mr. \nJ. Godfrey Raupert, K. S. G., in \u201cModern \nSpiritism,\u201d \u201cThe Dangers of Modern Spirit- \nism,\u201d \u201cSpiritistic Phenomena and their Inter- \npretation,\u201d \u201cChrist and the Powers of Dark- \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\n132 \n\n\n\nSpiritism \n\nness,\u201d and his latest and most important work, \n\u201cThe New Black Magic.\u201d Mr. Raupert covers \nthe entire field of Psychic Research and Spirit- \nism with a master touch, having given the most \nand the best years of his life to a scientific study \nof the phenomena of the seance room. He was \nfor years a member of the English Society for \nPsychic Research thereby coming in personal \ncontact with all the noted leaders and mediums \nof the modern Spiritistic movement, and his \nvolumes constitute a library on the subject that \nis easily the best in the English or any other lan- \nguage. \n\n\n\nDigitized by LjOOQle \n\n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\nGoogI \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u2022 \u2022 \u25a0 .A '' \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u25a0 \u25a0 ... <\u00a3 >\u2022\u25a0./\u2022 v \n\nS-\"' \u2022 . % \n\n. \n\n\n\n\u25a0 :\u25a0 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u2022 ( \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nfSw \n\n\n\nDigitized by \n\n\n\nGoogle","title":"Spiritism, the Modern Satanism","tradition":"Spiritualism & Psychical Research","translated_text":null,"word_count":25601}