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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 35
That the Spirits are Deceivers, their Communications Utterly Unreliable and Contradictory, and Tending Backwards to the Heathenism of a By-Gone Age
That the Spirits are Deceivers, their Communications Utterly Unreliable and Contradictory, and Tending Backwards to the Heathenism of a By-Gone Age.
"When spirits begin to speak with man, he must beware that he believe nothing that they say; for nearly everything that they say is fabricated by them, and they lie; for, if they are permitted to narrate anything, as to what heaven is, and how things in the heavens are to be understood, they would tell so many lies that a man would be astonished."—"Flashes of Light," p. 244.
"To say that spirits return always telling what is absolutely true to all, would be uttering what is untrue. But to say that they return always bearing falsehood, would be equally untrue. If death finds a man a liar, it does not change him. He enters the spirit world the same liar. He carries with him all that belongs to his spiritual nature. He leaves nothing behind."
"The spirit world is the extension of earthly life. When spirits from such earthly conditions gain access to a medium, they present their personality; and nothing less than intentional falsehood and deception, or error through ignorance, can be expected."
"As there are truthful men on this earth, and men who are untruthful, so there are in spirit life truthful and untruthful spirits—or lying spirits, as they are termed in the old book." "Spirits parted from the earth form are wise or foolish, truthful or untruthful, just the same as are spirits in the body, and vary in their opinions, especially in mundane matters, the same as they did when in the flesh." "If it (the spirit) is deceiving here, it is deceiving there (spirit land); if frivolous here, frivolous there."
From an evil tree good fruit cannot be expected? A. J. Davis, Mr. Woodman, Dr. Potter, and other leading Spiritualists affirm that as spirits increase in knowledge and virtue, they are correspondingly elevated in the heavens, and gradually find it more and more difficult to communicate with those on earth; that no spirit above the second sphere can possibly communicate, and thus it will be seen that, as all these lying, and frivolous, and otherwise debased spirits are in the sphere next our earth, and are the ones said to be most capable of, and most anxious to communicate, and as they are habitual liars, no dependence whatever could possibly be placed in the communications made.
"I am impressed to declare the fact that there is a certain class of unadvanced spirits who, under peculiar circumstances, will say precisely what the questioning minds of the circle may ardently, and page 14
therefore positively desire; and this is one reason why palpable contradictions are sometimes spelled out through the electrical vibrations."—"Philosophy of Spiritual Intercourse," pp. 91, 92.
"Thus it has been shown that there are three active causes of contradictions in these spiritual communications, namely: 1st. The ignorance of many of the spirits concerning the science of producing vibrations. 2nd. Our frequent misapprehension of the precise thoughts the spirits design to convey through the sounds. 3rd. The presence of affectionate spirits who unconsciously glide into sympathy with the feelings and desires of the interrogator."—Ibid, p. 96.
"There must of necessity be in the spirit-world those who are in every condition of development, and who occupy every imaginable position on the ascending plane of progression. . . . .Of necessity, the communication from each of these must be affected, as all human intercourse is, by the peculiar characteristics of each individual."
"I do not mean here to say that I have enumerated all the impeaching evidence that may be found in this matter. I am, on the contrary, aware that I have not, nor can I well do so in the limits allotted to this paper. For, as no two mediums are alike in their manifestations, and there are now thousands of them; as no two communications through the same mediums are ever exactly alike, because ever liable to be affected by the existing conditions of both mind and body; as the spirits who commune are no two of them alike, and are now numbered by tens of thousands; and as the variety in the source, as well as in the instrumentality of the communication is as vast as that which is to be found in the human character everywhere, so there must of necessity be many other causes to warn the well regulated mind to beware of credulity and fanaticism, and to weigh all things carefully and well, before yielding belief."—"Spiritualism," vol. ii. pp. 43, 48.
A circle is formed. Its members are all of a strongly positive character. There are spirits who wish to communicate. The members of the circle are not unfolded, and hence a spirit of narrow development is attracted. The circle ask questions on various topics, and at length touch on doctrinal themes. If the circle be page 15
of Universalists, the spirit, will appear to be a Universalist, and will declare that there is no hell" or devil, and that God is a being of love and benevolence. If the circle be of Presbyterians, the spirit will appear to adopt that creed, and declare there is a hell, a triune God, etc. If the circle be of Atheists, and ask if there be a God, the spirit will answer in accordance with their minds. If of Unitarians, then God will be a unity, and the spirit wilt agree with the circle. And, let the circle be composed of what sect or society it may, the spirit wilt appear to be of corresponding belief"—"Arcana or Spiritualism," p. 311. Again—"A spirit, when controlling a medium, is governed by the same laws as the mortal magnetiser. It is for this reason that the resulting phenomena become difficult to distinguish, in partially developed mediums, from the magnetism of the circle, and that of the spirit attempting control. The utmost caution is requisite to prevent self deception. If the medium is in the peculiar susceptible condition usual to the early stage of development, he will simply reflect the mind of the circle, and what purports to be a spiritual communication, will be only an echo of their own minds." Ibid. 194.
"Spirits differing very widely from one another as regards their knowledge and morality, it is evident that the same question may receive from them very different answers, according to the rank at which they have arrived; exactly as would be the case if it were propounded alternately to a man of science, an ignoramus, and a mischievous wag. . . . But it will be argued, how is it that spirits who are admitedly of superior degree, are not all of the same opinion? We reply, in the first place, that there are, independently of the cause of diversity just pointed out, other causes that may exercise an influence on the nature of the replies, irrespective of the quality of the spirits themselves . . . . . . . Years of study are needed to make even a third-rate physician; three-quarters of a life time to make a man of learning; and people fancy that a few hours will suffice to acquire the science of the infinite. Let there be no mistake in regard to this matter. The subject of spiritism is immense."—"The Spirits' Book," Introduction pp. 33, 34.
"Although they may in some instances give correct information, they are in most cases apt to be erroneous. First, from our spirit guide's sympathy with our wishes; next, from passing through a mundane organisation, by which the messages are tainted; the various influences of the circle sitting also affect; and, lastly, from the spirits themselves not being infallible, and sometimes not in page 16
such a good position as regards knowledge as is the investigator himself"—"Holy Truth, p. 100.
"Spirits who are best able to communicate thus (by physical manifestations) are little developed, unable to give you true and reliable information, tricky frequently, and on a low plane of intelligence, even where graver charges may not be brought against them"—Ibid. p. 139.
"There are many causes in our midst, and all on the human side, why Spiritualism has been measurably a failure. One of these is the imperfection of spirit communication. In the early days there were no attempts at self-deception. There were no dark circles then; and all spiritualists were sceptics. Now a vast amount of literature has been presented to us in the name of the spirit, and in the name of the spirit we have been asked to accept many new and strange doctrines. Is it not then obvious that we should take some means of ascertaining whether honoured names can be held responsible for these teachings which common sense tells us that they would never countenance? Is it true that the mighty dead have indeed retrograded, and from the other world come back to us with poor poetry, bad grammar, and false doctrines? We should be slow to accept these as coming from their purported source."—Victorian Harbinger of Light, Oct. 1873, p. 509.
The foregoing quotations, which might be indefinitely multiplied, are amply sufficient to demonstrate the utter unreliability of spiritism. A. J. Davis says that there are numbers of affectionate spirits who will affirm whatever those in the circle may earnestly desire. Judge Edmonds states that as the spirits are in every conceivable stage of development, no two of them being alike; and the causes of disarrangement in the communications are so multitudinous, rendering them thus unreliable, it is necessary to be very guarded in receiving any of these communications as true. Hudson Tuttle declares that, with many spirits, whatever the views of the persons seeking intercouse may be, the spirits will support them in those views; hence, if the persons composing the circle be Trinitarian or Unitarian, advocates of a limited or of a universal salvation, whether they are Atheists or Theists, the spirits communicating will declare each and every conflicting view to be right, and those opposed, to be wrong. Allan Kardec
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freely admits that the spirits differ widely from each other in knowledge and morality, and that the spirits occupying the same plane of intelligence hold opposite views and will consequently contradict each other; and he attempts to apologise for this by the statement that as years of study are needed to make even a third-rate physician, and three-fourths of a lifetime to make a learned man, it is only reasonable that an immense length of time should be required to harmonize and understand such an infinite subject as spiritism. Comforting reflection! The system which was to solve all doubts, and give certainty to every inquirer, is now admitted to require more than a lifetime to understand!! H. J. Browne, and Mrs. E. H. Britten, both admit that the spirits are impostors; that when they pretend to give advice as to mundane matters they are not to be believed, and when, in the names of Shakespeare, Byron, Brougham, Parker, &c., &c., they give utterance to doggrel poetry and mutilated English, they are to be at once discarded as impudent liars in assuming the names of these great men. Surely the request that we should leave the pure stream of Christian truth, and resort to these things, can hardly be made in earnest? Nothing but a blind and perverse hatred of the pure and elevating teachings of Christ and his Apostles, could lead any to advise persons to seek intercourse with these beings in the face of the damning evidence given above, and which might be largely increased.