SPIRITUALISM A SATANIC AGENCY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 240, 7 December 1877, Page 15

SPIRITUALISM A SATANIC AGENCY.

The_ negative doctrines or creed of this novel worship — lor it already has its shrines in various parts of London — may be summed up somewhat as follows :—lst.: — Ist. It denies the doctrine of the Trinity. 2nd. It denies the fall and corruption of man. 3rd. It rejects the atonement. 4th. It denies the necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit. sth. It denies the eternity of future punishment and the existence of Hell. 6th. It rejects the doctrine of the resurrection and of the day of judgment. 7th. It ignores the existence of the devil. Such then is the present aspect ; it only remains to consider the effegf on the family circle. Let us suppose that a little harmless table-tuFaing is indulged in, or handling of the planchette. By-and-bye the table does turn, or the planchette does move. Curiosity is aroused ; come what will of it. more manifestations must be had ; a professional medium is called in ; gentle raps are soon heard ; afterwards come the " voice "— " levitation "— " elongation " must be had — " materialisation " and all the other pleasant phases of devil-craft. In the course of time one of the circle shows signs of being mediumistic. He or she (more of the she) gradually developes into a writing, healing, speaking, musical, and physical phenomena medium. The mind becomes saturated with the new doctrines. The lecture hall and spiritualistic speaker take the place of the Church and the preacher. The arch-deceiver is much too subtle a master of his craft to say anything directly derogatory of Christianity ; it is not thus that votaries are won. It is by a slow and subtle process ; it is by stating that the lofty teaching of spiritualism is not to supplant but to developo the doctrines of Christianity ; that in these dark times the sublime and simple religion of Christ can only be kept alive by revelations divinely permitted from the world of spiritualism. The first phases were no doubt ridiculous enough ; but it is only by slow and gradual stages that it can introduce such an ally as spiritualism. For the illiterate and vulgar you must produce the illiterate and vulgar. It would have been alike absurd and impossible to have brought out the higher teaching first. — English Paper.