Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-04-25

by Robert Dale Owen-Jesus and
the NewITestament According TO
the Spiritual Light. HHf hna
From the louisville Ledser.l BL
At meeting of the State Spiritual
lists Association of Indiana at Terra
Haute on the 3lst ult., Mr.. Owen deliv-
cred an address. in which he sets out
the creed of his Church, society"
or whatever it is called, briefly, but with
particularity enough to enable us to get
fairly hold Of its main points. We will
try and present them. |. He holds that
/" Christ was the founder Of spiritualism,
in that lie gave the world its highest
phenomena," taught the world all its
Iioblest lessons" and attested its most
sublime truth--the doctrine Of immor.
tality-by appearing to his disciples af-
ter death. Socrates was the fore
runner the morning star of the faith
of which "Christ was the sun" 2
He accepts of what are called the
Gospels only the three which he
calls "ihe Synoptcal Gospels -
Matthew, Mark, and Luke-and Of
these accept only Christ's own utter
Suces. He claims that they must be
rea.d with a mind free from all obscur-
inc O,ssses and all dis6guring adjuncts,
whether coming from Paul or any other
source, ana making allowance, also, for
more OF less error and inaccuracy in the
biopraphies." Which, we may remark
in passing, is makirg the basis of the
faith az once exceedingly narrow and
exceedingly vague, and is the true intidel
ground. The allowance for more or
less Of error" certainly leaves the new
believer with penumbra of very uncer-
tain breadth between total observation
and full light. 3. Spiritualsts are
Christians. not because Of the historical
evidence of Christianity, but because OF
its internal evidences, and In accordance
with their own highest teachings from
the spiritual sphere. Historical eyi'
dence establishes the existence OF the
three earliest gospels in the latter half
of the first century substantially as we
still find them, and that is about all that
historical proof can do for us. For
the rest that is for pretty much every.
ithing-''we must trust to the spirit OF
the record itself, when tested By our
own moral sense of uprightAess and
Justice" Which suggests another pas
sing remark, that the convert to this sort
OF Christianity is left TO shape 1t by his
own idiosyncracies more than by the
teachings of Christ The faith that rests
on individual allowance for errors IN
the gospel that it consents to accept at
all, completed by teachings from the
spirituai sphere which are very
queer ineulcations at times-and
tested by their accordance
with each ones sense of uprightness
and Justice, is, to say the least the
most accommodating faith ever offered
to human credulity. 4. Christ s
teachings were never intended to pe a
linality, because He told His disciples
that He i'fhad many things to say to-
them, but they could not bear them
now" but the spirit of truth after
his death, would lead them into truth.
This Mr.. Owens interprets into reason
able probability that He meant to till up
the cracks in His system by revelations
through modern mediums .. Christ
declared that spiritual signs should fol-
low those who believed in His words
that they should do the works He did,
and greater works also. Orthodoxy re
stricts the application Of all such say
ings. Christ himself never did, and /
propose in this to follow Christ, rather
than his Commentators. But Mr. Owen
does not tell us how he would extend
the application which orthodoxy
restricts. r. We are left to infer that the
wonders Of Hume and Kate Fox, and
the Davenport brothers, are spiritual
signs, which may be accepted as those
indicated by Christ. Adding merely
that be protests against sny authUrita-
tive creed, or declaration of faith for
savas millions by convention Of bun
5rsd ~ tws We conclude our summary
of his exposition Of ofspiriteslislic tenets.