INTRODUCTION – X

Among our opponents’ objections there are some that are more plausible, at least in appearance, because they are based on observation and are raised by serious individuals.
One such observation refers to the language of certain spirits, which does not seem worthy of the loftiness that might be attributed to supernatural beings. However, if we refer to the summary of the Doctrine presented above, we will see that the Spirits themselves teach us that they are not all equal to one another in knowledge or moral qualities, and that we must not take everything that spirits tell us at face value. It falls to sensible persons to separate the good from the bad. Obviously, those who conclude from this fact that we deal solely with evil beings whose sole intention is to deceive, are unfamiliar with the communications given during meetings in which high order spirits manifest; if they were, they would think otherwise. It is unfortunate that chance has served these persons so badly by showing them only the decadent side of the spirit world.
On the other hand, we do not want to presume that an affinity of inclinations might have attracted evil, deceitful, and foul-mouthed spirits to them rather than good ones. We could conclude, at most, that the strength of their principles is not solid enough to preserve them from evil, and since they find a certain pleasure in satisfying their own curiosity, evil spirits take advantage of this fact to mingle with them, whereas good spirits stay away.
Judging the character of spirits by such facts would be as illogical as judging the character of an entire people by what is said and done in a group of a few wild or disreputable individuals who do not deserve the company of either learned or sensible persons. Those who judge in this way are like foreigners who enter a great capital by way of the worst outskirts and then proceed to judge the entire population of the city according to the customs and speech of this one neighborhood. In the spirit world, there is also a good and an evil society. If such individuals would actually study what happens among higher order spirits, they would realize that the celestial city does not contain only the dregs of society.
Nonetheless, they might ask: Do high order spirits really come to us? And we would reply: Do not remain on the outskirts; watch, observe and judge for yourselves. The facts are here for everybody to see, except those to whom the words of Jesus apply, “they have eyes but do not see; they have ears but do not hear.”
A different variation on this opinion considers all spirit communications and all physical manifestations as being nothing more than the intervention of some diabolical power, a new Proteus, who can assume any form it wants in order to better deceive us. We do not consider such an idea to be worthy of serious examination, and thus will not dwell on here: it has already been refuted by what we stated earlier. We would only add that, if such were the case, we would have to concede that the Devil is sometimes very wise, very reasonable, and especially, very moral – or that there are good devils.
In fact, how could we believe that God would allow only the Spirit of Evil to manifest himself in order to deceive us, without providing us the counsels of good spirits as a counterweight? If God could not do so, it would imply powerlessness; if God could but did not, it would be incompatible with divine goodness. Either supposition would of course be blasphemous. However, we would like to emphasize that accepting the fact that evil spirits do really communicate means accepting the fact that spirit manifestations do really occur. And since they do occur, it is only with divine permission. Without being impious, how can we believe that God would permit only evil manifestations to the exclusion of good ones? Such a doctrine is contrary both to the simplest notions of common sense and religion.

Contents
Home