SPIRITUALISM.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2217, 15 June 1870, Page 2

SPIRITUALISM.

Mr Christie delivered a lecture ou this subject ou Monday evening. Ke stated that, in coining forward to review some of the leading features of Mr Me era’ lecture, it formed no part of his intention, absolutely and unconditionally, to deny spiritualism as being an organised deception. That spiritualism, like every other ism, is more or less mixed up with recognised and indisputable truths, was sufficiently proven by the fact that it is embrace 1 by a large portion of both the educated and uneducated classes of the day in which wo live. He was inclined to think that the philosophy of the system bears in some respect distinct traces of light, j superior to some a id again miserably inferior to many prevailing theories ; mi l taken as a whok;, it is of a character winch made a forcible appeal to the passions and feelings of our nature —it wore a novelty in certain respects, and a freshness which appeared to supply the cravings of the ethereal dreamloving classes ; and the touching scenes and pictures which it afford were just of the character to kindle in them a confiding enthusiasm and faith. To him spiritualism appeared to be a system consisting of pickings from Judiasm, Christianity, Mahorocdism, Pat heisra, Buddism, and some other isms, both extant and exploded. In what respects spiritualism could lay claim to redeeming features, he was not enquiring, but in what respects he dissented from it, lie would point out. Ho disserted from the manifestation department of the philosophy, and from most of the teachings supplied therein, and professing to lie revelations from disembodied spirits. It appeared to him that the whole of tins must be attributed, not to spirits, but to the workings explainable or not explainable of one’s own mind. Notwithstanding that many of the alleged phenomena arc admittedly the result of trickery anti deception, no unbiassed enquirer con'd be so unreasonable as to deny that many of them are real and not fictitious, and it is with the assumption of their reality that he had now to deal; the great question seeking a solution being are they natural or unnatural —and if supernatural, arc they the work of evil spirits? That the category of manifestations has been greatly exaggerated, both as to number and character, was not denied §hy some] of the leading sp'ritualists ; but it was important to notice that to this exaggeration was dim the magnitude of the spiritual body, which Mr Moors had assured thorn to be 18 millons strong. To boast, therefore, of so large a number being arrayed upon the side of this strange faith went for little. If the number were analysed it would be found that by far the larger portion bedieved, if they believe at all, without having any better evidence than he (the lecturer) had. Neither was it true that all who attended seances and witnessed phenomena came away convinced. The very reverse was the case. The seances were often total failures, and often the phenomena exhibited were found«out to be deceptions. He would not call in question Mr Meers’s assertion that his belief was founded on personal experience and not ou rumour ; but it was quite possible for two persons to see the same evidence under different aspects, and deduce therefrom very different teachings. Having regard to the character—the extraordinary character —and the extent of the testimony, he (the lecturer) did not think that he was speaking rashly when he said that with the exception of perhaps one or two, there was not a professed spiritualist in this quarter hut had bottomed his faith on imported evidence, and he was doing himself a flagrant injustice, inasmuch as he had renounced the common faith of Christendom for the sake of another resting lipon—no one could tell what. We had therefore before us the extraordinary spectacle of many thus easily satisfied, who instead of seeking communion with Cod and seeking to he taught by his Holy Spirit, and taking teaching from his revealed wprd, prefer instead to seek intercourse with unknown spirits and to be taught of them—spirits (granting their intercourse) who appear to tell lies as often as truth, and who are so undeveloped in type as to he reduced to the miserable shift of signifying their pleasure by performances with an undulatory table or other pieces of furniture to tho wilderment instead of the satisfaction of the beholder. Ho thought it reasonable to suppose that our weak nature was a cause for this illusion, Sijch illustrations as were furnished by Mr Meers brought us back to the year 1660, when the notion was universally entertained that spirits went about conferring supernatural powers upon certain parties both for good and evil, enabling them to ride through the air and operate upon the health and happiness of mankind. For 300 years, the common sense of the world had repudiated r,JJ that as a delusion. With spiritualism, however, tho great scientific lights of the 17th, 18th, and 10th centuries were to be extinguished, and with them the light of the gospel. What was false is to become true ; what was limn palled retrogression is by spiritualists termed progression. Tips new re! Cion bore evident marks of being the same old superstition with a new face upon it. With regard to the teachings received from the spirits many of them were so grotesque that persons not acquainted with spiritualism would only consider them fit subjects for derision. Spiritualists denied Christ being tho Son of Cod and the Saviour of the world, denied the existence of the devil, and generally the teachings of the gospel ; they do not know | whether there will he a day of judgment, but believe there will not ; deny the inspiration .of the biljlo and maintain all ami particularly mediums are in a sense inspired. They boldly assured ns death is merely a phenomenon—a chemical change. Everything in this world is reproduced in the next, only on a grander scale, and spiritualised, as they termed it, Their vocabulary embraced such expressions as spiritual trees, spiritual flowers, spiritual ships, spiritual rivers, spiritual garments, and other similar phrases alike impious and nonsensical. One spirit was represented in the Banner of LhjM as addressing a friend on earth thus —“ When you come hero, 1 shall show you things which will make your eyes stick out, I toll you.” In Glasgow a seance avas held under tho superintendence of % professed medium. Moses was called, and asked what he was doing.—Answer : Selling pies. Abraham, what doing ’—Selling hot cofleo ;Elija, what doing?— Driving a chariot. And Shakespeare was a showman. The lecturer concluded by contrasting Christianity with the new faith.