SPIRITUALISM.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1820, 5 August 1913, Page 4

SPIRITUALISM.

CULT DENOUNCED AS "DEMONISM," (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.) Auckland, August 4. The philosophy of Spiritualism was as« sailed by tho Rev. A, A. Murray in tlw oourso of a sermon to a large congregation at St. Andrew's Church last evening, lie daw attention to the fact that Spiritualism -was assuming largu proportions, According to Dr. Mack, of Hamburg, there wore in Berlin in 1910 ten thousand adherents, many being of courtly rank, with four hundred mediums, and from fifteen to twenty societies in North America. There wero sixteen million Spiritualists, and it was estimated in 1894 that followers throughout -tho world i numbered sixty million, excluding the demoralised racoa of China, Japan, India, and the Sudan, while thiaro wero over two hundred, jour-, nals devoted to "this awful system." Ho remarked that ho was at one time of tho opinion that Spiritualism was nothing but. the outcome of heated imagination, but ho was compelled, to say that there was something in. it. Such men as Sir William Crooks, Sir Oliver Lodge, Dr. Alfred Russell Wallace, and tho late Professor James had examined the. phenomena produced by certain mcd"ims, and admitted that Spiritualists had somo ground for thoir claims, Tho _ preacher _ conceded that Spiritualists did communicate with someone, but it was someono impersonating tho dead, and thereforo mediums were deceived in interpreting tho phenomena they produced. Subjecting tho olaims of Spiritualism to tluo infalliblo test—"the Word of God"—>Mr. Murray prooeeded to 6hoW by Scriptural quotations that—(l) Thg Word of God forbids and condemns all attempts to communjcato with the spirits of the departed; (2) that communication with the spirits of tho departed is unnecessary; (3) impossible. Tho preacher declared that tho real mischief of Spiritualism was tho substitution of evil spirits for tho living God. Hie gave it as litis conviction that Spiritualists communicated with demons wlio impersonated the dead. The alarming rapidity with which tho cult was growing really gave proof of tho prophecy of St. Paul that "in tho latter times eomo shall depart from th/o faith, giving heed to tho seducing spirits and doctrines of demons." Mr. Murray conaluded with a solemn warning to Christian and non-Christian people to have nothing whatever to do with Spiritualism, which', he argued, was nothing less than demonism.