Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1872-04-11
Spiritualism.

what 81 10. Ina.e~ee. 4. u decd Or w.as
MEssRs. EDITORS The Spiritualists of
this country have not. as yet, adopted any
creed or subscribed to any Articles of
Faith. They have no constitution or by
laws by which they are bound, or which
they pretend to be binding on any one.
The most that has been done Is that va
rious societies have, at different times, put
forward resolutions indicating their belief
They have no infallible Pope whose word
Is law. Hence il must be apparent that no
one Of them is able to make any statement
individually binding on any other one.
The individual who speaks l, alone re-
sponsible for what is said.
With this understanding and while the
subject /, before the public mind. | would
crave the privilege of making. through
your. paper, a few statements In relation
to my own belief a. a spritualist. and In
relation to the belief OF some other per
sons who differ with me.
will state at first what believe tn he
self-evident truth that the correctness or
incorrecine-s OF any belief. abstractly con-
sldercd. can In no way bc affected by the
moral character of those who may seem or
pretend to accept It.
And. as leading point Of the belief Of
BY far the greater number of SpiritualiSts,
the fact IL Individual accountability and
responsibility. In other words. spiritual
L. q,
has It's attendant, reward or punishment,
that virtue oa1ses happiness and vice mis-
erv; that the last named effect a naturally
follows it, cause a. the preceding and eau
No more be separated from II; that 1t i
utterly impossible for a vicious man To live
seventy years the servant of sin. and, af-
forwards by few hours pcnetential repent
. ance and confession. become thereafter
wards always completely happy: but that
/ for a man to obtain the greatest amount OF
I happiness. he mus, do all the gecd he can
/ first. last. and all the time.
A. perfection can not be looked for
among finite beings. either In goodness or
~ickedness fihe term can so be used. 50
We do not expect to attain to a state OF I'cr-
feet happiness. or to be consigned 10 a state
of perfect misery Immediately after death.
II at all.
The Evangelical churches. IL not directly.
A. wc claim. by implication teach AZ tha, a
person may commit all the sin he i capa-
bic Of committing for seventy year. II he
live 80 long. and II hc sincerely r"pcuts
hcior'. d,ins, DE vill then pas, to "a sat" ~
perfect bliss.
Fhis We consider no more nor less than
grating indulgcncc." to commit sin with
only this simple check (which the extreme
wickc,lnc>s Of the world prove. 10 De aud
to have always been insufficient I" deter
mankind from committing all classc. 81
crimes. that the indiv dual mus, run has
own rtsb whether or not "a" viii live to re-
peut
The indulgence granted by tn. Roman
and Protestant churches differ ouly ia tho
condition, of granting IT,
This We claim Is Just and suffice oh
lection To popular Theology, and. a. the
I spirtt-wotld l. unanimous IN teaching the
rcver.e-ihs; every one i, tai DE held STREET
F ly accountable for every act. proof ot the
rcliahlcnes, Of spirii-commu mic aiious: aud
All important item in deciding what the in
hucncc OF Spifi,ualism mAy be.
one word more in regard to the reliable
ne-> OF spirIt-communica,ien.
We claim for spirits that they arr trust
worthy aud reliable mot infalliblc Tor they
are not infinite in knowledge or goodne>s}
in the same and To the same cor a
/ greater extent that human beings arr: In
| fact. that they are nothing but human be-
| ings transported TO another state or sphere
! Of existence; that q few days or year, so
is's away ar.isi. sso, lnaaIs pot nd docs
4 ton OF the individual. Hence, II they
would tell fAlsehoods here. they may amer
| they have passed over.
! Because Que witness I'm the BODY" may.
or does falsify. all such witnesses. a. .. all
human testimony. are not rejected. Why
deal differently with spiriiss
Let W. do justice and In all thing, be
consistent
The fact that over IL 0Oo COO people Ia
The n'icd states are Splrituall,;s. and ac-
c"pt To- greater or less extent the teach
ings 90 sllirits goes some ways ia proving
that they are relied on.
Were / not fearful Of my articles being
alreAd, too lengthy, would say more
A. II j.. will close With the INJUNCTION: :
Prove all things. and hold fast that which
j. good" A.P BARkEE
ELLSWORTH. March 30;h ls.2