A new basis of belief in immortality / by John S. Farmer.

  • Farmer, John S.
Date:
1882
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A new basis of belief in immortality / by John S. Farmer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    96/132 (page 94)
    “It must be borne in mind that Spiritualism does not purport to be a‘revelation,’but a republication (by natural means), adapted to the present circumstances of manldnd, of the essential doctrine of the im- mortality of the soul. There is no passage in the Now Testament which gives us to understand that no fresh knowledge, in addition to what was possessed in the apostolic times, on the subject of the unseen world, should ever by any means be conferred on mankind, while there are many passages that will bear an entirely different sense. “ The Reformation was no new revelation, but the republication by natural means (among which the art of printing is to be reckoned) of important truths which had long been darkened by a cloud of supersti- tious doctrines and usages, that for centuries scarce a trace of them wa.s to be found in the world, save exceptional and fitful gleams. So »Spiritualism, it maybe said, is the recovery by natural means of certain powers enjoyed by the early Christians, which for some reason or other —perhaps by the worldliness and corruption of the Christian world— had fallen into decay and disuse, but traces of which are most distinctly to be found scattered through history, from the days of Jesus to our own time. There is nothing in the Bible that I have ever discovereil to render this view untenable; on the contrary, there is much that would render it probable that a clearer knowledge and additional expe- rience would, in the course of time, be vouchsafed to man,” XII.—T/icse new-fangled Miracles and Revelations will draw people away from Bible. They tend to heresy, injulelily, irreligion, and, immorality: Spiritualists generally are deniers of Chris- tianity, and are absolutely hostile to the Bible and its teachings. klr Thomas Shorter replies to this objection as follows :— • “As I cannot endorse the extravagant statements on this head, which have been so widely circulated, so ueitber would I conceal that there is, to a painful extent, a basis of truth for these exaggerations. But the point to be proved is, that this antagonism, to whatever extent it exists, originated in the spiritual belief, and is a consequence of it; that whereas before men accepted it they were Christians—since they received it, and through having received it, they have ceased to be so, .and have become anti-Christian. Now, I think it will be found on investigation, that whUe there are spiritualists of almost every religious persuasion both in and out of Christendom, yet the Spiritualism of to- day has fallen chiefly among those who were outside of all churches and religious organisations. “Professing Christians as a rule would not hear of Spiritualism, and they did not want to hear moro about the spirit world. Herein seems to me its providential mission ; and how sad, yet how natural, that those who call themselves the religious classes should be its bitterest opi>o- nents. They seemed to think it even a sin to inquire further, they liad light enough already: perhaps a little more would show the dust and cobwebs in their spiritual habitations, and from very shame, they might be put to some trouble to sweep and garnish them afresh; so they con- cliulcd to put up their shutters, and, if Spiritualism met them in the streets, to frown upon it .^s not being either respectable or needed, ami