AGAINST SPIRTUALISM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 604, 6 September 1909, Page 8

AGAINST SPIRTUALISM.

';■•; ':.■•,'' 3 , Spiritualism. dealt;with several .yes-; ;i)vSfehlay.t-;^y•. ; : 'i . '''/•';-.?-'s -■ ;i<>;■;-.;"■. : .? : , : '..i ' ■•;'.' Dr.-'G|bb toxt/lsamfi'viii, i?, ; 2ov |;g::rt^S_eek'3ib¥;!;TOto'.' ': thafc.-'lave '■ 'familiar |f,;.;:; Bpinta,ianfl;;uflto\th [&';{■i?fllfeir.";;;jiWhatov?r :'might:;be' : said^qf; ; 'the' ifyh phenomena^,.of '":: Spiritualism;K"(said4; the fe; : /AyaV-'a'; ; .sh'anv ; ;pf;the .most p'ronpunced|.desbrip-

|,:;K?'tipttJ;. .SAnd fit .xlaune^ : ;to;.be!:a ; ,religion. j] Jit I'l'S; olnimcd - Jesus Christ ftp': : the fey ■ tpM'V! l -' :^s ' ; i ) !??3 ■medium, --.'lit |T;%:';.tleniecl:.that;; He'was the unique' Saviour.of .-ijsA '■■:'' aiidVyet\ ; be f.i"::;Wte^^\ ; in;f;SpOTtualistie'7p'henpm'eiajvbm | ; ;y'.:pp jmattic6uldj,be'.'a',Spiritualist 'in,-, the.- sense; IV/jv.in "which'the'associated'. Spiritualists-;under-tPlli pterin, i'withput.'': ceasing': [\ti>'l be .'.& |';',i : ; ; .Chriatiaa.'.-' It "was a religion that 'SpiritmIt had |*:.Vate;-- t theologyV.'thbtigh;'the; system:-.of thoughtto'ideeerve the; name." K;;:,,lt'had;: at-anjprate;;its;,methods of fedeirip-, its;servicos'and its singing 'and f'^ieptinbhs.it,posed as a substitute for the re-v ti% ]igidn;iof'.Christ; ':RS ;such;he;,arra.ignVd ';> v .;it..'as,!» shatri| the''sham ;of 'shams. ', Let :thom ;gficbnsidip'r,: itr- in -the -light-;bf-'v.the; four: vV'J'jbf/any/religion really '.worthy 'of the namo. ;:?.;i, , ;Such"::a religion.must giyolight'tb; the mindj ;i:;-,.pe'aceV.to'ftne'.-.'consoience,'.-love, to, the 1 : heart,Ch'ristianity alpne .perfectly. aiiswpred. .these t^Kteitsjf:though' : he; : agreed 'with ■'Professor, Gar-; pCf vie i; in {affirming; that/whprever : . : thefe; was |.j.;+.;r6ligion there'.was revelation. -lii all really I;,; J:', religious ;.belie?s>the're'; iyere .the. ■■ beginnings, p j-.y hijweyer Vcriido,"; of'. man's '''discovery.,: of >,God, p.V/rfatjd of iGoU's'. : 'disclosure3'-to'-maii. ''But'he pjcould ;find '■■. lib■; h'ght ;in ; Spiritualism.- ; God -as |-;y^.; : iEathOT:4t::knew,; ; v npthing- of;'- Even , God 'as |y ; :r;persoiia I:,.was ;practicali^' -:unknown;' to-';its p ; 3vliterature, vlt^knewjno'?Saviour;:rSet'.;pyer. L 5 :"against'■ife ;cree'didt-' -point :the:'magrii-fc.Slficpnttaffirmatipris.'ofjthe^Chfistian.faith-with

I';yji;its ■;belief.;.-lifSone ; God,', r "jast, v 'fcqrcifu] > ; -and , i:B '■' unchangeable;'. ■• in : •; purpose,- : '.■':'- adorable':,.. ,in tM: .wajestftv''ineffable .in. ~perfection,'j-'foreVier' |/.vyllight : ;on.\t^e: , hnman'spirit in. this or in-any Bs : AwsfW^r ,of |f-:;t;'tne'Contois<w«b) intelligible at:all,.:thomes-p-S'ieagesv^fere,trifling :ind .insignificant.'.\' ;v-;'; : - tv'v.'; ■ v^? 1 ! 810 be: something:-,in' tie;: [! , ;;: I ,.inena:of Spiritualism,' (there very often !%as |~j.:\ r 3uia.V-ery' : at.;least) ) i bnt;oven if all its claims, fof(i-iwe-fnlly.;-sßb^tot^ted no' K*; light on ■ultimate' mysteries, wqukl do nothing. p/:,-:; puf,,knpwledgo ; .o.f.Bpiritual ;things,, |fU'.-''i"Wlat ; if; a/real■mango.:was : mMo-tb' : grow,.at' £j : o:"Hje'seaiicßjtheiotb'er'nighfc-l-he '. had seen the.. fiv'; outjthe:.accompaniment of:hymn 'singing-T-iut Is'-J./: .what), would/it '■signify, ;for r tte' ! sbtu.o?.man t iW;ofSth'e:Being '.of'.Gbd ifrit' had ■really: i ha.p-' We should,be. still i..lCKJnvth'.e ;of phenomena'' and •Bβ far as ;great' secrets;. : '',V\ ■" v - l ' '.failed:to fulfil the other. three condk ','}: ;vi>tion3'Jpf -a^real; religion , ./'lt;had no.message •:■ «4Ve)l:it"ih|w'^b.-;,eaj'about, a':l6yirig heart'.'ffom i^-crwiilanffiropyV:of :'th'e/;churolies', ;tlieyi/.'knew , ;. '^>Xwe'S[?>SW ; ;.^illVto,';.hwr.*>V'qf.j:'Me l ::V.prapticali i.fii'paflaaitßfopy-lbf Jf)'SA3"sa:;religipni' ia- : ;spmtual ■'; imab'ihg- i ; U;^Go"d:;knqwn:. : apd(helping -nien -to' aohieve'thelr IrJ^-irjgiits/aslthe..redeeiiied v .'children' , ' of,'•'God,; 1 iwas. a. sham from,'beginning ; t6;, (sS*jJen(4.;';:lft'tiija^^'sense at'least wae.it'apaipabje:' l K^Ji^idipastufe.^ y 'j-.'-l ~;P ! ''-r ? : ?'v ,'f';:' ; ; '■'■"' ■■;- : ': : v i ! Itp"; say:,that. ; thp' fij'vV.<4e'v'elbpiaent' ; .'of 'the ipsyoliic;,. jman.--generally, fsife llltidSed i development ■of -tKe' ;i spiritual. •siuu, l :;'had; K®^had?not 'bcenisaints/y'No Icss-ian authority. %■ " : J JiMnV5&.-(iitliur : bid |Jft-xoflßpiritudism, ; was p dv&-TOftien ; *|i*.*'f ; that.',"; no' ■?i*sybliii! : K5 iiijihemiimeiiaVleadi to ''any 'spiritual tre«ult? : 'i( lf.#«l>^fl^'%/.ttOT!'oTO''sa^ei-' : p'fl-.of.ibaffibe I'a^'religipn'upon , the* lcgßidemaui : :tif 10 JtheimedlUßV ;qr,Hlie-. drivel-ritVTOs''.! mbstl j' ) ■;igrotesoioejin/its^absurdity.;;':'',.; J '..;';V : ! >i ; '; :■ (i^ri^iTie- sermon |^ ? ¥:-W. e '^®? : esicle.--frpm*''a«ljr" tinds'-fblly,' '-. *■: latipii'of.; Gbd'.'in' .Chm't.'/and'in'Jthe'BerYipe'pfj'.Jfe!; thai 'divine-human •liqrd'Jin^Whpnf. .they ■ fbund ■. f|ijS: ;: at;■onbe■;-the ! ethical' : imagbl,of Gbdj 'and'fi' i e;: fe -W-bigEest ideal :of jwhat; ajhuman.life^hould-b^,'"

I , ' DR. TUDOR JONES. I * "The dangers of hallucinations and delu , - (\ lions, and the way out to sanity," was the f subject on which -the Rev.i Dr. Tudor Jones \ ' commenced a series 'of sermons in the Uni- | ( tarfan' Church last evening. \ Tho preacher . called attention -to the great changes that J „ ibad come about in the last fifteen, years in I ihe'r6alm of psychology. Previous to fif- { teen. ,years ago, he said, the method of ini trospection was practically the sole method i used in. psychology, and that meant a watching or the 'mental processes without t dealing at all with tho physical basis or I >, life ' 'At the present date a great deal of t attention had, been paid to the nervous and L / train changes'as casting a good deal of'light t on the nund v of man. It was now known I that,if the nervous organisation got out of h gear the mental and moral development foll l lowecl suit. Though excitability of the*eysL tem by drugs, narcotics, or even by supf' s posed - supernatural phenomena, changes J were brought about in the very calls ot the \'> brain, which might cause'mental and moral j development to come to. an" end. , , r > Our knowledge came to -us through the t, , Various senses, and passed in a manner not f _ understood into ideas. , This much was cerF tain, that when a physiological disorder took r / place, a corresponding mental disorder was f , 'experienced. tb must be borne m mind that I * our ideas were produced by the various i senses, and tho senses of sight and hearing I especially had tho tendency, under certain j- • circumstances, to le,ad us astray from tho f " i normal. Illusions and hallucinations wore I formed' through effects produced on [ tho thought_ images, and might bei como so vivid as to prevent our ■ recognising the difference between, the illusion and reality. This occurred in people of 1 strong-nervous temperament who were on the look out for various kinds of spirits and sut pernatural phenomena, and who got whatever \ they wero looking for. They created a disr turbanco of the brain so that illusions and * s hallucinatiops were formed. It was evident J * that know next jto nothing about > , the , laws of psjehology, or else they would understand the sources of their supposed spirits / arid phantoms. . Dr. Jonea pointed out how individual and collective hallucinations of sight and hearing vjere produced. These had a great attraction, for people, for at the start they appeared in a pleasant manner, but if they were culti- , 'vated instead of checked their nature a]w,ays '. changed. As the years went by they took the [ ehape of hornblo phantoms which could not , be 1 banished by those who had encouraged their earlier forms. Tho preacher urged that ' * any tendency towards these visions should bo promptly checked, since those who indulged them would have to pay a temblo penalty - later on. The phantoms would hunt tjiem as a kind of Nemesis, rendering them incapable of the hard and solid work of life, and drivi ing them out to a supposed supernatuial re- ) gion where tho faculty of judgment was more itnd more lost, and man became more and , more a crertturo of false images. The true development of lifo consisted in observing only those- objects which ousted in space ' \ These were turned into ideas, and it was in the idea, not m the object, that tho meaning ' of life consisted. When we_ reduced the meaning bf life to a mere object in the external world we were descending in the scale, but when we reduced the meaning of life tc i a phantom < object we were unwinding th« ' whole chain of development and progress 1 The entire phenomena of ghost and visions and tho illusions of hearing and touch were to bo oxplained psychologically in the mannei f described, and it seemed to him w> bo one ol the gravest dangereof human life to culti vate these illusions, instead of checking then once and for all.