The fountain : with jets of new meanings . and enjoymentof such intercourse is the practice of religion. u In all kindness, says one of our most prominentwriters, we ask, is not Spiritualism founded on therevelations of mediums ? Could it have sprung intoexistence without them ? My reply is : Certainlynot; and simply because Spiritualism has no otherfoundation, it is radically incapable of becoming apractical religion. Some of our best workers andmost philosophical thinkers have strenuously advocatedthis error (of a medium-originated religion), as if itwere the most solemn and momentous truth—
The fountain : with jets of new meanings . and enjoymentof such intercourse is the practice of religion. u In all kindness, says one of our most prominentwriters, we ask, is not Spiritualism founded on therevelations of mediums ? Could it have sprung intoexistence without them ? My reply is : Certainlynot; and simply because Spiritualism has no otherfoundation, it is radically incapable of becoming apractical religion. Some of our best workers andmost philosophical thinkers have strenuously advocatedthis error (of a medium-originated religion), as if itwere the most solemn and momentous truth—adequate,when believed in and acted* upon, to overcome all pri-vate human ills, and adequate not less to work insociety universal redemption from every form of eviland wretchedness. The reduction of this central rad-ical error to a sort of independent individual practicehas eventuated in the belittling and wretchedly barren 224 JETS OF NEW MEANINGS. crop of small gratifications, which have come to allsuch self-painstaking MEN HEAP FROM THE SEEDS THEY PLANT. What is such a religion reduced to practice ? It issimply and only and forever nothing more than theprivate drawing-room development of mediums, andthe night-after-night communications with spirits ofevery name and nature—with friends and foes alike—and for no purpose other than the immediate gratifica-tion which may arise from having your great mentalpowers applauded and flattered, your fond hopesilluminated with immense promises of wonderful worksin store for you, and your feelings poetically excitedand your industry lulled to sleep by assurances that angels will take care of you, and that the slowlyrolling ages will bring every thing straight andsmoothe all the rough places. With such delightful convictions, the illogical pro* MISTAKE IN RELIGION. 225 fessor of Spiritualism goes out into the busy worlddreamily, like an opium-eater, full of enchanting sub-jective sensations and thoughtful ambitions, b
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectspiritualism, bookyea
