A discourse from J. S. Loveland, once a minister, reported in the _Banner of Light_, contained this paragraph:-
"With G.o.d there is no crime; with man there is. Crime does not displease G.o.d, but it does man. G.o.d is in the darkest crime, as in the highest possible holiness. He is equally pleased in either case. Both harmonize equally with his attributes-they are only different sides of the same Deity."
In "Automatic Writing" (1896), p. 139, a question was asked concerning evil, meaning sin and crimes among men. The spirit answered that these were conditions of progress, and were so necessary to elevation that they were to be welcomed, not hated. The questions and answers are as follows:-
"_Ques._-Can you give us any information in regard to the so-called Devil-once so firmly believed in?
"_Ans._-Devil is a word used to conjure with.
"_Q._-Well, then, as the word itself doubtless arose from the word "evil," which means to us unhappiness, can you give us an explanation of the existence of evil?
"_A._-Evil-as you who are the greatest sufferers from it, name one of the conditions of progress-is as necessary, aye, more so, than what you call good, to your and our elevation to higher spheres.
It is not to be hated, but welcomed. It is the winnowing of the grain from the chaff. Children of truth, don"t worry over what to you seems evil; soon you will be of us and will understand, and be rejoiced that what you call evil persists and works as leaven in the great work of mind versus matter.
"_Q._-But it seems to us impossible that brutal crimes like murder, a.s.sa.s.sinations, or great catastrophes, by which the innocent are made to suffer at the hands of malicious and cruel persons, should work for ultimate good?
"_A._-Percipients of the grand whole of Being can understand but may not state to those on your plane, the underlying good making itself a.s.serted even through such dreadful manifestations of human imperfections as the crimes you name.
"When asked why certain wrongs were allowed to be perpetuated, this answer was given:-
"There is a law of psychical essence which makes necessary all these ephemeral entanglements which to you seem so severe, and you will yet see from your own standpoint of reason why such hardships must be endured by questioning souls on the highway of progress.
"_Q._-But do you from your vantage ground of larger knowledge grow careless that such injustice is done?
"_A._-We do care, but cannot remedy.
"_Q._-Why can"t you remedy?
"_A._-Because humanity is but an embryo of existence.
"_Q._-If you can perceive the trials and sorrows of mortals, and can interfere to save them, why do you not more often do so?
"_A._-When undeveloped souls pay the price of development, we stand aloof, and let the play go on. Interference will do no good."
In view of such a confession, what becomes of the many claims put forth by other spirits that they are ever hovering near their friends to a.s.sist and guard them, to help and inspire them, and keep them from evil and danger?
These say that those terrible crimes (and this would include all crimes) are all necessary, that they are tending to develop souls, and bring them to higher spheres, and thus are just as laudable as good actions; so they settle back in a gleeful mood, and "let the play go on;" let wicked men cultivate and develop and practice their evil propensities, and the innocent suffer. Well may men pray to be delivered from such a spirit a.s.sembly as that.
In "Healing of the Nations," p. 402, Dr. Hare says:-
"That anything should, even for an instant, be contrary to his will, is inconsistent with his foresight and omnipotency. It would be a miracle that anything counter to his will should exist."
A lecture on the "Philosophy of Reform," given by A. J. Davis, in New York City, bears testimony to the same effect:-
"In the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, it is affirmed that sin is the transgression of the law. But by an examination of nature, the true and only Bible, it will be seen that this statement is erroneous. It gives a wrong idea of both man and law.... It will be found impossible for man to transgress a law of G.o.d."
Thus they very illogically a.s.sume that if G.o.d has the will or the power to prevent evil, it could not exist, and therefore, if there is such a G.o.d, he is responsible, forgetting that G.o.d is long-suffering, and bears long with vessels of wrath fitted for destruction, before they pa.s.s beyond the limits of his mercy and perish. But Mr. Davis says further:-
"Reformers need to understand that war is as natural to one stage of human development as peace is natural to another. My brother has the spirit of revenge. Shall I call him a demon? Is not his spirit natural to his condition? War is not evil or repulsive except to a man of peace. Who made the non-resistant? Polygamy is as natural to one stage of development as oranges are natural to the South. Shall I grow indignant, and because I am a monogamist, condemn my kinsman of yore? Who made him? Who made me? We both came up under the confluence of social and political circ.u.mstances; and we both represent our conditions and our teachers. The doctrine of blame and praise is natural only to an unphilosophical condition of mind. The spirit of complaint-of attributing "evil" to this and that plane of society-is natural; but is natural only to undeveloped minds. It is a profanation-a sort of atheism of which I would not be guilty."
The Bible says, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light and light for darkness." Isa. 5:20. And it makes another declaration which finds abundant confirmation in the sentiments quoted above: "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." Eccl. 8:11.
Having thus attempted to destroy in the minds of men all distinction between good and evil, all being alike in G.o.d"s sight, and all equally good, they try to make the way a little broader and easier for men to give full rein to all the propensities and inclinations of an evil heart, by teaching that there is no Lawgiver and Judge before whom men must appear to give an account of their deeds, but that they are responsible to themselves alone, and must give account only to their own natures. Thus Hon. J. B. Hall, in a lecture reported in the _Banner of Light_, Feb. 6, 1864, said:-
"I believe that man is amenable to no law not written upon his own nature, no matter by whom given.... By his own nature he must be tried-by his own acts he must stand or fall. True, man must give an account to G.o.d for all his deeds; but how?-Solely by giving account to his own nature-to himself."
At a seance reported in the _Banner of Light_, May 28, 1864, the following question was proposed, and the answer was by the communicating spirit:-
"_Ques._-To whom or to what is the soul accountable?
"_Ans._-To no Deity outside the realm of its own being, certainly; to no G.o.d which is a creation of fancy; to no Deity who dwells in a far-off heaven, and sits upon a white throne; to no Jesus of Nazareth; to no patron saint; to no personality; to no principle outside our own individual selves."
The "Healing of the Nations," p. 74, says:-
"Man is his own saviour, his own redeemer. He is his own judge-in his own scales weighed."
A little over twenty years after the birth of Spiritualism, Aug. 25, 1868, the Fifth National Convention of Spiritualists was held in Corinthian hall, Rochester, N. Y., at which a formal "Declaration of Principles" was set forth. From the seventh and eighth paragraphs, under principle 20, we quote the following:-
"_Seventh_, To stimulate the mind to the largest investigation ...