Modern Spiritualism and the Bible

 •  2 min. read  •  grade level: 9
 
Modern Spiritualism utterly refuses the test of Scripture. Its antagonistic attitude towards the Bible is notorious.
A well-known spiritualistic author, writing under the nom de plume, "Oxford M.A.," says:- " So long as you reply to our arguments with a text, we cannot teach you. Any one who can so reply is beyond reach of reasonable teaching."
Evidently this writer, recognizing that the Bible condemns his position, would fight on the mock-heroic ground of first disarming his opponent of his only true weapon-the sword of the Spirit. Undermining faith in the Scriptures is a favorite tactic of Satan.
Another writer1 on Spiritualism says:- " To assert that it [the Bible] is a holy and divine book, that God inspired the writers to make known His divine will, is a gross outrage on, and misleading to, the public.... The truth is the Old Testament is neither more nor less than Jewish history.... The New Testament is made up of traditions and theological speculations by unknown persons. A book so full of errors... requires to be read with care." " Outlines," pp. 13, 14.
Language could not be plainer. The old Testament, only history; the New Testament, made up of traditions and theological speculations by unknown persons. Refusal of the Bible could not be more explicit.
The reader will scarce credit it, that immediately following the quotation just given, the Author of "Outlines" has a sub-heading, " The Bible not Opposed to Spiritualism." The effrontery of first condemning the Bible as unreliable and then quoting it for support is amazing.
Either the Bible is what it claims to be; inspired of God, or it is the wickedest book in the world. It is the pure truth of God, or the darkest error. It is either " worthy of all acceptation," or to be utterly and absolutely refused.
 
1. The author of "Outlines of Spiritualism for the Young: designed for the use of Lyceums [Spiritualistic Sunday Schools] in Particular and Spiritualists in General." The book contains 185 pages. Originally published in 1889, under a slightly different title, it has been revised and enlarged (1894). Its third edition, from which we quote, bears the date 1906. This book is a deliberate attempt to poison the impressionable minds of the young, and its use as a text-book among them must bear very evil fruit. The copy before me was actually given to a young girl for attending one of these Spiritualistic Sunday-schools in the North of England.