Experimental investigation of the spirit manifestations, [electronic ...

iiELiaious j:rrors of mil mama.v. 405manner, any rcliicion Avliich rests on assumed inspiration, rests, in fact, onthe evidence proving that tlicinspiration claimed ever took place.19G8, But arc we to believe in all miracles which have been allegedby men to have happened ? Are we to believe any book to be inspired,because men, who contradict each other, alleged it to be inspired? and ifseveral books are alleged to be inspired, how are we to choose betweenthem ? Is a man's choice of these books to be governed by his education? If brought up in Turkey, is he to believe that the Koran is theword of God ; if in Christendom, the gospel ? If all who surroundhim were to treat it as impious to doubt that a hook is the word ofGod, is he to submit to this dictation, or is he to exercise his own judgment,and examine whether the Bible of the Christian, and the miracleson which it rests, are not more likely to be true than the Koran and themiracles on which it rests ? But if, after having examined both of theseworks, he finds that the miracles on which they rest are, in both cases,entirely dependent on human testimony, and that this testimony is disputedon one side by the Mohammedans, and on the other by the Christians,and that each party only admits such miracles to be true as harmonizewith his own religion; that miracles told by profane writersrather tend to discredit than to corroborate the occurrences with whichthey are associated,—will not the inference naturally arise that the beliefin miracles is the result of religion, not religion the result of beliefin miracles?19G9. An analogous result may be perceived in relation to any extraordinarymanifestation in Spiritualism. Scarcely any one will believe thatthe spirit hand (1513) has been seen and felt at Koons's establishment inOhio, unless previously a convert to Spiritualism. Thus he does notbecome a spiritualist by reading the account of that manifestation, butbelieves the manifestation because he has been converted to Spiritualism.Did the truth of that manifestation rest upon the evidence of only oneset of eye-witnesses, even spiritualists had not believed in it. As miracleshave ever been alleged to have been seen only by very few persons,and have neverbeen of a nature to be seen by a succession of observers,I cannot conceive why any man, in any age or time, could be reasonablyexpected to display a credulity, the inverse of that now exhibited, asrespects this spiritual manifestation. Scarcely any person, without beingan eye-witness of the fact, has been brought to believe that tables movewithout human contact. By recurrence, the reader may perceive that inmy letter of February 3, 1851, I use this language in my letter to Mr.Ilolcorab : YouheUeve thai tables move icithout contact, hecausc i/ou haveseen them so moved ; I am shepiicalj because Ihavc never seen them movedloitlwut contact, though Ihavc been at several circles, (698.)1970. When I stated to my friend, Professor Henry, the experimentillustrated by plate 3, with the utmost precision, made twice on two dif-