What is Spiritism?

They affirm their belief in the existence of an impersonal God, and of human beings, either incarnate—that is, in their human bodies in this world; or discarnate—that is, disembodied in the spirit-world; as they term it.

Verse 11 adds to this the evil of conjuring spells, that is, hypnotism, and also the wickedness of one acting as a medium, which means one who is a go-between, bringing messages from an evil spirit to another person. A spiritist is similar, that is, one having contract with evil spirits. One who calls up the dead is one who claims to actually bring a dead person in contact with a living person. This is deception, for it is actually a familiar spirit who impersonates the dead person. The witch of Endor was asked by King Saul to bring up Samuel (1 Sam.28:11), but when the woman saw Samuel she was terrified (v.12), for she was accustomed to the deceit of a familiar spirit. But God intervened in this one case to make a striking exception.

"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." (v. 18.) The essential idea of a witch was commerce with spirits, which finds its counterpart in the spiritualism of the present day. Hence in Leviticus she is described as "a woman that hath a familiar spirit." (Lev. 20:27.) The witch of Endor is the exemplification of her kind; for we read that Saul went to her and said, "I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring him up whom I shall name unto thee." (1 Sam. 28:8.) This is the very thing that spiritualists profess to do — to bring the inquirer into communion with departed spirits. Like Saul, unable to obtain communications from God, they seek information concerning things unknown and unseen through the agency of spirits. It is in fact a turning from God to Satan. The whole system, whether in Israel or our own day, is Satanic. A witch therefore was to be destroyed; and this shows the utter antagonism of her vocation to God; and the spiritualism now in vogue is no less hateful, and, if persisted in, no less destructive to souls.

He asks the woman to bring up for him a person who had died. This is what mediums profess to do. But it Is false. They only contact an evil spirit who impersonates the dead person's. The spirit knows something of the dead person's past, and may refer to this to persuade the inquirer that he is actually the dead person.

But is it possible to hold communication with spirits? The answer is "Yes." But — with whom? "Can we speak to our dead? is the eager question of many in our time.

The great war has given tremendous impetus to this thing. The world is full of sorrow as never before. Empty chairs and aching hearts abound on every hand. Mourners are told that they may still keep in touch with the departed. The Press has given every encouragement to this, and eminent men have lent their influence thereto. But is it true, or is it instead a monstrous delusion and fraud?

Where can we obtain light concerning this great question? Man is admittedly powerless here. Of himself he can know absolutely nothing outside his present environment. Some will tell us that they obtain a lot of information concerning the invisible world by attending spiritualistic seances. There, they say, they get into communication with the departed, and learn direct from them the truth as to the spirit realm. No greater delusion was ever prepared by the Devil for the children of men. It is not denied that persons do hold conversation with spirits, but it is not with the dead they thus speak, but with demons who personate them. This awful sin is sternly denounced is Isaiah 8:19-20 and elsewhere in Holy Scripture. The Spirit of God asks indignantly, "Should not a people seek to their God?" Only from God, through His Word, can we learn anything reliable concerning the world beyond.

Let us briefly consider the circumstances of King Saul. His forty years' reign of self-will and disobedience to God was now ending. The Philistines had declared war against him, and he was to meet them in battle on the morrow. Filled with foreboding, the unhappy King appealed to God, but without avail. Then he inquired for someone possessed of a familiar spirit, and learning that there was such a person at Endor, he went by night in a disguise and asked her to bring up Samuel. Some will perhaps say: "That is somewhat like what Spiritualists do to-day." They do absolutely nothing of the kind. The claim to put the living in communication with the dead is a monstrous fraud. The keys of Hades are in divine hands alone. Neither the just nor the unjust can be disturbed by Spiritualistic mediums. Yet it is not denied that such persons are in communication with the invisible world, but it is with demons they have to do; and it is with demons the mediums link up their miserable dupes.

Then to whom shall we turn? The spiritist claims to be able to tell us, and, so persistent is his claim in these days, that we must consider it. But let us be very careful from what standpoint we do consider it. We are pressed by the great apostle of it, Sir A. Conan Doyle, to obey the Bible and "test the spirits." But the way in which he would have these spirits tested is not the way pointed out to us in the Book which will preserve us from every snare if only we are subject to it. We must be careful here, for there is a very great desire to investigate the phenomena of spiritism. It is a fascinating pursuit, and in its fascination lies its danger. I noticed in the evening paper yesterday that a proposal had been made that a committee should be formed by the churches in Scotland for this purpose, and similar projects are on foot in England. There can be only one end to that. Many years ago the Psychical Research Society was formed by prominent scientists and men of letters for the purpose of putting to scientific tests the phenomena of spiritism, and they have only proved that, though probably the greater percentage is fraud and trickery, yet beyond all that, there is reality in it. The mediums do more or less get into communication with spirits, and many of these investigators have become spiritists — convinced by their tests that communication with the unseen is possible, which we do not deny; they are deceived as to what these spirits are, because they ignore the only test that can bring out their true character.

Again, another class resort to spirits, and let them teach them: they imagine the inhabitants of the unseen world must be able to tell them what is true, and these spirits even profess to interpret scripture for them.

But Sir A. Conan Doyle tells us that these things are only the ringing of the telephone bell; and here I am in full agreement with him. When the telephone bell rings we enquire "Who is it?" And that is the important matter now. Our beloved dead, says the Spiritist, are seeking by these means to attract our attention. But by what means will you make sure of this? Spiritists themselves have confessed that there are millions of malignant spirits of which we must beware. Have you any guarantee that these are not responsible for these apparently foolish and futile phenomena?

Sir A. Conan Doyle urged you to try the spirits, and backed up his plea by quoting Scripture: an old device that; but how shall we try them? By joining in these mediumistic practices? No, for that would be to do what God says is an abomination to Him. We can test them by the doctrines they bring, and 1 John 4 gives us that test as the one and only test, and by that test they are proved to be not the spirits of the departed, but seducing spirits, demons. "Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils." 1 Tim. 4. We have already considered some of these doctrines; we need not consider more. But whether these doctrines come via Sir Conan Doyle or the Rev. Vale Owen, or whoever else, and however much they disagree in minor points, they all agree in denying the Gospel of the grace of God. They deny the Deity of Christ, His Lordship as Man, and His precious blood that alone can cleanse our sins. There is no need for repentance towards God, nor faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; there is no judge external to us, and it is not true that the name of Jesus is the only name given under heaven by which men can be saved. The whole truth of Jesus Christ coming in flesh and the purpose of His coming are denied. They are not the spirits of the dead that communicate such anti-christian doctrines as these, but they belong to that vast legion of fallen spirits under Satan's leadership, who are the enemies of God and good, and of Christ and men. They are from the bottomless pit, and they have a king over them whose name is Apollyon.