Religious delusions; a psychic study

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Class _Mu_ir

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Contents

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Superstition ..'..... I

Mohammedism 18

Chapter I. Superstition

Superstition and fraud are the principal sources of delusions. It is, therefore, important to discuss superstitions before we investigate the cause of religious delusions.

Superstition has made much of our history and literature, and created one-half of the world's beliefs.

It comes to us in two forms :

One comes in the charming form of fancy, where moonlit dells are filled with dancing fairies. The other appears as a black raven of terror, where consort goblins, ghosts and devils to plan mischief. Imagination has ever been the great myth maker. It has given the world all the folk-lore of childhood and peopled the air with mysterious spirits. Superstition created witchcraft, spiritualism, hobgoblins, harpies, hags and spooks.

The mysterious brooded over us in the cradle as the nurse in her lullaby, sang of fairies. It charmed us later when the chimney-corner stories were told about imps, lying in ambush for bad boys.

Against this harmless child-lore we are not contending. Our opposition is against the terrors of superstition.

Delusions often command a respectful standing because they are not understood. Because they are not comprehended they are surrounded with mystery. Whatever they could not understand, the superstitious declared to be spirits.

The formula stood:

''If that is not a spirit, what is it?

I don't know ; therefore it is a spirit."

What a contradiction! What a travesty upon logic!

To affirm because we do not know what a manifestation is, that we do know what it is, has led multitudes into darkness. Mohammed, Joseph Smith, Ellen White, and Spiritualists had visions and saw shining lights. They said, "If this is not the Spirit of God what is it? I do not know, therefore it is the Spirit of God." Upon this flimsy foundation Mohammedism, Mormonism, Spiritualism, Adventism, Christian Science and other occults are builded. The superstitious are ready victims for the imposter ; hence they go together.

The superstitious believed that everything that happened was caused by some devil, goblin or ghost. All' phenomena were caprices of malign spirits. These evil spirits, citizens of the air, produced every calamity. The air swarmed with imps, hobgoblins, vampires and mischief makers. Disease, misfortune, war, pestilence, earthquakes, storms, floods, insanity, idiocy, epilepsy, sickness and death were produced by hags, harpies and demons, who delighted in torturing mortals here below.

Evil spirits were not only all around us but in us. The nightmare was a night demon.

The man with the ague had a devil in him, shaking him for his meanness. Dethroned gods, semi-gods and hideous deformed imps peopled the air, lurked in the forests and mountains, skulked around haunted houses and graveyards, and ventured out at the dusk of the evening to torment poor weak humanity. They could assume any shape. The witch could contract until she could slip out at the keyhole, with the key in the hole. They were visible or invisible just as they liked.

Some walked the earth as great giants with bloody throats ; others came in the form of a cat, a dog, a goat, a pig without legs, a hound with a sharp head like an ax ; others came in the shape of a gnat or rat. The devil often to disturb women came in the shape of a pretty man. In this form he is still bewitching women. A pretty man is worthless anywhere.

What awful things we say about the Devil. We call him old Nick, because Nickkar means black like the raven. We call him old Hairy, because we think he is wooly and hairy. We name him old Scratch, because we think he has hoofs, horns and claws as we used to see him in pictures in the Bible.

Ancient lore tells us that the devil organized a school, in a subterranean cavern, to train witches and wizards how to torture men. On graduation day, he did not have his pupils to make speeches, but all the members of the senior class were compelled to run through a narrow cavern. If the devil could seize the last one he had him for his servant. Hence the phrase : "The Devil takes the hindmost."

Nothing was natural these days. The whirlwind was caused by the flight of demons. The gnawing of some vampire caused the pains and aches of the body.

A volcano belched forth. "What is that? I don't know, therefore it is the snorting of a mad devil." The eclipse of the sun was caused by the spreading of the wings of some Monster Spirit. To appease the wrath of these maddened demons was the chief business of the people. Medicine men spent their time driving away devils by incantations and casting out demons.

Popes issued bulls against comets, and councils excommunicated eclipses by denouncing them and forbidding them to remain any longer.

Evil spirits sent the frost that nipped the corn. Ghosts killed cattle and raised the storms. The old time Charivari originated from the custom of making hideous noises to drive away bad spirits.

The second position taken by the superstitious was as follows : "God causes all things. All natural phenomena are the works of God." The superstitious said God sent pestilence to punish us for our sins. He sent calamity to make us love him.

Destruction of crops, frosts, comets and sickness were warnings. God was a God of torture as well as a God of love. Children died to punish the parents for their sins. It is not unusual now to hear ministers at funerals tell people that God has taken away their little babe as a warning. This is a lingering superstition. God does not kill children to warn parents of sin. God does not burn up cities to alarm men. Of course these superstitions belong to the ignorant. Our superstitions do not rise up to the majestic dignity of the olden times when old women went flying through the air on broomsticks in their nocturnal serenades, but we do not like to see the moon over the left shoulder, or see a bird fly through the house. We are not superstitious. We are just a little peculiar. We do not like to turn back to get some article after we start on a journey; for Lot's wife, looked back and became salt.

We still cling to the bad omen of unlucky Friday, because the Savior was crucified on that day. It is dangerous to sit with thirteen at the table, for there were thirteen at the supper with Christ and one was a traitor.

We deny that we are superstitious and yet we do not like to see a cat cross the road when we start out on a journey, or a squirrel on the left hand side, or to cross when four hands shake, or to begin work on Friday, or pay debts on Monday or marry on the 13th.

Many farmers plant potatoes in the moon, instead of in the ground. Neither would they set a hen on an odd number of eggs. We are not superstitious, but we believe in signs and omens.

The moon upside down means dry weather.

We will not engage in special work or move on Friday. If thirteen sit at the same table one will die sometime,

A howling dog under the window of the sick forebodes death. Still we whistle when we go through a graveyard. We still believe the clock stops when some one dies.

The ringing of the dumb-bell in the ear admonishes us of coming troubles. When we see a white horse we look for the red-headed girl. We still lay the head of the dead towards the east.

Shakespeare refers to this custom when he says : "W r e must lay his head toward the east, my father has reasons for it."

The horse-shoe wards off disease, enemies and calamaties, hence it is lucky to have one over the door. Wives and maidens consult fortune tellers. If a man's nose Itches he will have trouble. If a woman's nose itches she will "See a stranger, Kiss a fool Or be in danger."

Most women go through these three stages every dav. If the ear burns some one is talking about you. "If the dish cloth falls A stranger calls," and the young girl says it will be her beau. "If it rains before seven,

It will clear before eleven."

"You can't tell before two, What it is going to do."

The third time is charming.

The destiny of children depends upon their birth. "Monday's child is full of grace, Tuesday's child is fair in face, Wednesday's child is full of woe, Thursday's child has far to go, Friday's child works hard for a living, Saturday's child is loving and giving, And the child that is born on Christmas day is fair, and wise and good and gay."

The deportment of girls decides their future. "Whistling girls and crowing hens Always come to no good ends."

"A whistling woman and crowing hen, Are neither fit for God or men."

Marriage and courtship are surrounded with myths and charms. We try our fortunes by opening the Bible by chance, and if the passage, "And it came to pass," is on the page, our wish will come true.

The girl catches the lady bug, tosses it in the air, thinks of two young men and says :

"Fly away east, or fly away west, Show me where lives the one I love best." Many a maiden has tossed a grain of corn or a nut upon the fire and said as she named it : "If he loves me pop and fly, If he hates me, burn and die."

She did this only for fun, but by all means preferred to see the corn pop. What a charm follows the four-leaf clover.

"A clover, a clover for two, Put it in your shoe, The first man you meet In field, street or lane, You'll get him or one of his name."

Should she meet Smith or Jones the omen would not mean much now.

Where is the youth that has not counted the apple seeds. "One I love, two I love, three I love I say, Four I love with all my heart, Five I cast away.

Six he loves, seven she loves, eight both love. Nine he comes, ten he tarries, Eleven he courts, and twelve he marries." This was only pastime, but many a girl has looked shy at the youth for whom she named her apple that had eight seeds in it, both loved. Many a maiden has buried her face in the pillows and cried all night because her apple had only five seeds.

The wish-bone of a chicken has made many matches.

We are not superstitious, but Friday is the fairest or foulest of the week.

If it rains on Monday it will rain three days in succession.

Sing before you eat and you will cry before you sleep.

Now how foolish these signs and omens are, and yet they shape many lives. To argue against them is to offend many good people who have noticed that these signs never fail.

Yet these so-called harmless signs, presentiments and dreams have given birth to many epidemic delusions that have tortured humanity. A captain refused to go out of port because he saw a mysterious shooting star.

A prominent lady refused to embark on a trip across the ocean when all arrangements had been made, because there was a death on board that day. Foot-ball teams, baseball teams, naval officers and soldiers want a mascot to keep off bad luck and defeat. If they forget their mascot they are sure to be hoodooed. By the way, hoodoo is a corruption of the voodoo of the ignorant negroes of the south, and voodoo is old time witchcraft. But a few months ago a negro boy of Louisiana was killed because he hoodooed his companions.

In almost every community there are wart charmers. People have faith in them. To oppose them as frauds is to offend many superstitious persons. In every village there is the old hag fortune teller. Under the advice of these fortune tellers many girls are led into vice and degredation.

In Boston 15,000 people visit these frauds. They pay $500,000 annually for prying into the future. It is a reproach upon the character of any woman to visit these deceivers and frauds.

Virgil's description of the ancient harpies is applicable to the slimy fortune teller.

"When from the mountains with hideous cry, And clattering wings the filthy harpies fly,

Monsters more fierce offending heaven never sent From hell's abyss to human punishment; With virgin faces, but bodies obscene, With claws for hands, and looks forever lean." The poet describes the modern medium : "The hag is astride This night for a ride, And the devil and she together."

The combination of the devil and the woman in polluting the innocent is to be dreaded more than famine or war. All these things are relics of superstition. Superstitions that made witchcraft possible, witchcraft that murdered 5,000,00 innocent people. Superstition gave the world the craze about the philosopher's stone. Superstition gave the world alchemy, or discovering the art of changing the cheap metals into gold, or to find the panacea for healing all diseases.

Many of these delusions became epidemic and whole communities have gone mad. Christians and all sensible people should rise above all these foolish signs, omens and delusions, for they pave the way for dangerous delusions.

There is much paganism in the church today. Holy water, visions, the wakes, relics, images, hearing noises and seeing messengers in our revival meetings are lingering superstitions. The ancient pagans painted the body. We paint the hair, cheeks, and mustache. They bored holes in their noses for rings ; we bore them in our ears.

SUGGESTIONS,

In order to find a working basis in discussing religious delusions, I have adopted the following rules :

1. Take nothing for granted. We will hear of wonderful cures, dreams and manifestations. Investigate. Don't believe them. Nineteen out of twenty are exaggerations.

2. These healers, fanatics and religious enthusiasts must not tell a commonplace story. No one will listen to it. Therefore they invariably tell an exaggerated story in order to get attention.

3. Don't believe your best friend, not even your mother when she talks of the supernatural. Other good mothers and good friends have been mistaken. There are good people among the Mormons and Spiritualists, but they are deluded.

4. Nothing can be known, except as we appeal to facts. Superstitions, inferences and guesses prove nothing.

5. Because you cannot explain certain phenomena do not declare they are supermundane. No one has proved that disembodied spirits ever come to this world.

6. Because the great mass of people believe a thing is true is no proof of its genuineness. Nearly all people once believed in witchcraft, alchemy, and that the air was peopled with goblins damned. If a whole community goes religiously crazy, don't follow the hallucination. Have courage to speak for truth. Vindication will come.

I have offended many good people by rejecting some of their big stories. They will tell you "We know this is true," and that must end discussion or offend. Better offend than to accept such proof. A lady in a New York town said to me, "A girl was hypnotized in the town east of here, and never came to conscience. She died in the hypnotic state."

I knew that was not true. As I was reading all the occult journals, I knew that case was imaginary. When I questioned the case, she became righteously indignant, a religious term for getting mad, and said, "I know what I am talking about, and I do not thank you for your insinuations. I knew the girl myself." When she had cooled, I said to her, "Now I am investigating this very subject. Here is a reward of $1,000 offered by the Psychic Society of one case where the subject died under hypnotic influence. You might get that reward. I am io SUPERSTITION.

preparing a book. Can I quote you for authority. Quickly she replied, "No, do not do that, I have the story from my friend." I visited her friend who said, "Oh no, she did not die. A physician hypnotized her, went to see another patient expecting to return if needed. The mother became alarmed and sent for him, but before he arrived the girl awoke."

We hear people tell stories where a hypnotist would go into an audience, snap his ringers under the nose of a man and command him to follow. All this is humbug. No man ever hypnotized a stranger without the consent of the subject.

While at the table of a hotel I heard two enthusiasts talking about divine healing. One said, "Miss C. went to Mr. Dowie and was healed instantaneously. She was a hopeless cripple with a curvature of the spine. One of the vertebra was decayed." I said to him, "Do you know this lady?" "Perfectly well. I knew her when she was an invalid." He gave me her name and address. Luckily I knew a physician in that city. I wrote him at once. Here is his reply : "Miss C. is a nervous hysterical woman. I have treated her for nervousness. She is laboring under the hallucination that she has spinal trouble. She wanted to go to Dowie and to satisfy the mind, we sent her. She came back apparently improved, but has relapsed and is in a more serious condition than ever."

The story of "Three Black Crows" illustrates the spirit of exaggeration, coloring and misrepresentation.

THREE BLACK CROWS.

Two honest tradesmen meeting in the Strand, One took the other briskly by the hand ; "Hark ye," said he, " 'tis an odd story this, About the crows !" "I don't know what it is," Replied his friend. "No! I'm surprised at that, Where I come from it is the common chat :

SUPERSTITION. II

But you shall hear an odd affair indeed ! And that it happened, they are all agreed. Not to detain you from a thing so strange, A gentleman that lives not far from 'Change, This week, in short, as all the alley knows, Taking a pule, has thrown up three black crowj."

"Impossible !" — "Nay, but it's really true, I had it from good hands, and so may you." "From who, I pray ?" So, having named the man, Straight to inquire, his curious comrades ran. "Sir, did you tell?" — relating the affair — "Yes, sir, I did ; and if it's worth your care, Ask Mr. Such-a-one, he told it me ; But, by the by, 'twas two black crows, not three."

Resolved to trace so wondrous an event,

Whip to the third, the virtuoso went.

"Sir, — and-so-forth — "Why, yes, the thing's a fact,

Though, in regard to numbers, not exact;

It was not two black crows, 'twas only one ;

The truth of that you may depend upon,

The gentleman himself told me the case.

"Where may I find him ?" — "Why — in such a place."

Away he goes, and, having found him out —

"Sir, be so good as to resolve a doubt."

Then to his last informant, he referred,

And begged to know if true, what he had heard.

"Did you sir, throw up a black crow ?" "Not I !"

"Bless me ! how people propagate a lie !.

Black crows have been thrown up, three, two and one,

And here I find, at last, all comes to none !

Did you say nothing of a crow at all ?

Crow — crow — perhaps I might, now I recall

The matter over." "And pray, sir, what was it?"

"Why, I was horrid sick, and at the last

I did throw up, and told my neighbor so, Something that was as black, sir, as a crow."

We reject the so-called revelations of Joseph Smith, Ellen White, Mohammed, Spiritualists and Mrs. Eddy because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is sufficient for all. He gave us perfect revelation. Nothing is to be added. We are to preach no other gospel. These prophets and prophetesses have not added one moral truth. There is nothing in any of their teaching to bless the world. Jesus gave us all moral truth. I challenge any one to show me one moral truth that has been given to the world, since the days of the Apostolic Church. When Christianity comes in contact with delusions Christianity grinds them to pieces. Delusions flourish where Christianity is inactive. For the first six centuries of the church, there were no delusions that disturbed the advance of Christianity. Today we are divided into waring factions and delusions flourish.

Chapter II. Witchcraft

The delusion of witchcraft originated from the twin sisters, ignorance and superstition. Its hideous form did not grow up in a day. Once there was a great gulf between the sorcery of the pagan and the mysticism of the Christian. Gradually the deformities of paganism and the myths of Christianity paved the way for the witchcraft mania.

The mysterious was everywhere. The mountains, valleys, and air were full of goblins damned. The circle of belief began to enlarge. At first the ignorant and superstitious were annoyed by demons and ghosts. Then the delusion that the air was full of evil spirits to do harm to men, seized the common people. Finally it became an epidemic delusion. The educated, statesmen, philosophers, preachers and judges became advocates of witch trials. The people were divided into two classes : witches and witch-finders. The sleep of reason brought about these conditions. Men did not think. It was universally accepted that there were witches and wizards sending calamity, disease and death upon those people whom they despised. They never stopped to question the common notion that the witches went raising storms, blighting health, haunting houses and killing children. Blackstone, the greatest legal mind of the world said : "To deny witchcraft is to deny the Word of God and the testimony of the ages."

Chief Justice Matthew Hale, one of the greatest judges of all ages, sentenced women to death for witchery.

Francis Bacon, Richard Baxter, Sir Walter Raleigh, Dr. Thomas Brown, John Calvin, Luther, Wesley, King James, and indeed all the preachers, lawyers, physicians, and judges arrayed themselves against witches. John Wesley protested against the repeal of the law against i 4 WITCHCRAFT.

witchcraft. He said, "To give up witchcraft is in effect giving up the Bible." King James and all the potentates of Europe hastened to enact laws against witchcraft. The death penalty was to be inflicted upon all witches and wizards. For two hundred years Europe went wild. Reason was asleep, and judgment dethroned. They charged witches with every crime. Witches caused epilepsy, insanity, pestilence, raised storms, bewitched cattle and children, drank with devils, ate with ghosts, debauched themselves with the devil, and consorted with Satan for the purpose of torturing and tormenting men. According to the superstitions of that day these devil-servers met often in the devil's council, called the devil's Sabbath, because it was held on Saturday, the Sabbath. In this council they made hell-broth which would drive men into stupidity or insanity. Here they met to receive instructions from Satan. He taught them how to do the devil's work and to plan mischief. Here upon the throne he heard the reports of those who had gone forth to do his bidding. Witches and wizards vied each other in trying to tell who had done the most meanness. The devil flogged all who could not relate deeds of evil. Some of the witches came to the council on broomsticks, others were carried on the backs of devils. In leaving their homes they went out through the key hole and returned through the chimney. Lest this obscene hag should be missed, the devil delegated an imp to assume her shape and occupy the bed until she returned. In this council the new members were initiated. They swore allegiance to Satan, and bartered away their souls, for which the devil gave them power to bewitch man and beast. They were required to kiss the devil. The devil sometimes tested the loyalty of his subjects, by pretending to be dead ; then all the hags and harpies, and goblins set up an awful wail that shook the mountains. The one that made the most hellish noise was rewarded by having the devil hug her. Everybody believed in these secret meetings of the demons. Laws were enacted to put to death all who attended. Tests were instituted to detect those who had been in council with these demons and ghosts. They threw the woman accused into a tank of water, if she sank and drowned she was innocent, and should receive a Christian burial. If she floated, she was guilty and should be burned to ashes.

In Holland they tossed the accused into the sea. If innocent the person would sink to the bottom. If guilty they would swim to shore, only to meet death at the hand of the executioner.

Every misfortune was caused by a witch, and every sick child or animal was bewitched. Everybody was on the alert, looking for witches, for they began to roam about dusk. Some came forth rattling their chains, which meant they had escaped from purgatory. Witches were responsible for all calamities and sickness. A preacher had a headache. He declared he was bewitched. His devout flock went forth to find the witch. The crime was fastened upon an old woman. She confessed. She said she took her hatchet, went to his bed, and hit his skull, but that it was too hard to crack. There were hard-headed preachers then as now. This poor deluded creature was hanged for trying to crack the skull of a man. In Germany a woman was condemned because she turned an actor into an ass. The inventions of men were turned into devices of torture. The accused were placed upon the rack, cast into dark dungeons, where they were chained to the slimy wall for days. If they did not confess they were placed on the rack. The judge would then ask, ''Are you guilty?" "No." "Turn the wheel again." The poor creature would be stretched until half unconscious. "Now will you confess?" "No." "Turn the wheel again." The bones were dislocated and the spirit went home to God. Sometimes the accused were tied to posts, and the hateful revolving spoon placed in front of them. Each revolution the spoon dipped closer to the eyes of the man under torture. "Will you now confess ?" "I am not guilty." The next revolution touched the eye. The blood flowed ; refusing to acknowledge his guilt, the accuser shouted, "Turn the wheel vigorously." Two revolutions and both eyes were cut out. In England Mrs. Balfour was accused of witchcraft. On oath she denied. They put her feet in the iron boots and heated them to white heat. She refused to lie. They brought her husband and placed him on the rack. That failed. They then brought her son, put his feet in the iron boots, wedges were placed on each side, and fifty-seven mallet strokes were delivered upon the wedges, that crushed the bones and marrow. Still she would not confess. Last her little daughter was tortured in the presence of the mother. The cursed thumb-screw was placed upon the little girl's hands. The blood burst from the veins. The mother could not endure this atrocity. She confessed and was burned to ashes, because she was a witch.

The story of the Salem witchcraft is one black spot in our history. In 1692 scores were cast into prison, and twenty persons put to^death. Bridget Bishop was hanged in June; Sarah Good and Rebecca Nuse in July; George Burroughs, John Procter, George Jacobs, John Willard and others in August. The people of Salem then went mad. The jails were full of the accused. Old Giles Cory was placed upon a table, another table was placed upon him, rocks were piled upon the table and he was pressed to death.

These murders were done in the name of law and religion.

In England 30,000 were put to death for witchcraft. Holland and Germany vied with England. We are not very proud of our ancestors. In two hundred and fifty years not fewer than 5,000,000 persons gave up their lives on account of this witch mania. Most of these people were executed either upon the testimony of good witnesses, or upon their own confessions. The hallucination went so far that no one was safe, and evidence was of no value. The highly. excited frenzy could see anything. Twenty witnesses testified in an English court that they saw an old woman walk out upon the sea, capsize a ship and drown all on board. The innocent old woman was put to death.

In Germany ten witnesses swore that they saw ten persons on the back of the devil, flying over the city. They recognized five persons. Upon this evidence the five were hanged. In Sweden a council of ministers gave evidence that they saw an old woman turn herself into a dog. Did these people see these spirits, hags and witches ? They were honest, truthful men. Did they lie? Certainly not. Did they see the devil playing with witches? Certainly, in the same way that the drunkard sees snakes, the maniac sees his dead mother, or the spiritualist sees the spirits of the dead. They saw these witches in their mind's eye. We can see just what we are looking for. The hypnotic subject sees the bees, the drunkard fights the demons and snakes, the spiritualist sees the spirits of the dead and the deluded of the seventeenth century sawghosts and witches. The whole excitement of witches and wizards was a delusion and a fraud. There is not a school boy in our land who does not ridicule the story of witchcraft. Millions believed in witches two hundred years ago. Today no one believes in them.