Superstitious
Beliefs I
April
1861
Man,
to understand himself, must know how he stands in society; for public
opinion is the standard of all our acts. Now to know ourselves is to
see where we, as one individual, stand to the surrounding influences
that act upon us. For we are mere machines in the world, to be moved
and regulated by the wisdom of God (or science), or by the opinions
of mankind. These opinions are what cause all the misery in the
world; so to know ourselves is to know science, which proves all
things.
I
will show where every man ought to stand - and to show more clearly
where I am, I must take the two extremes of man's belief. The first
is the religious belief of another world. This class embraces all
those who are affected by it and all false ideas based on phenomena
that cannot be explained. Many of these ideas purport to come from
the dead, or are opinions; so it takes in all the superstitious who
bow down and worship this belief.
If
a man believes that his power comes from another world, then all who
embrace this belief are ready to acknowledge the standard. This
standard of the priests had its full sway in early ages when the
priests cured all diseases. At last opposition arose, as in all
humbugs, and a more learned class of humbugs sprang up who led the
more sober part of the people. They admitted the religious error and
made a still more religious belief. So you may trace the grand scheme
of humbugs from Judaism down to the present day. When new phenomena
appear that affect one, they also affect the other. Just keep the two
before your eyes. You will find the same reform, as it is called, in
these two humbugs.
The
spirits of the dead and all kinds of superstition have been battled
by science and their standard driven from the dark ages of heathen
idolatry, step by step; sometimes appearing in various forms of
assumed wisdom, again splitting into parties and settling down into
deception. This will always be, until man sees himself in the true
light of reason, not of opinion.
To
show the two extremes of humbug, I will take one that is established
and is as real to those who believe it as that the sun rises. This is
the allopathy practice of medicine. This is the very foundation of
man's belief, and to give it a character and standard, it must have a
religious belief as erroneous as its father, the old church. These
two go hand-in-hand, and their absurdities have called out another
class - the spiritualists; accompanied by their physicians. These are
at war with each other, and what looks absurd to one of these parties
is true to the other. Each has its standard of belief to which it
bows down and worships and which is as real to them as their own
existence.
I
will show that they are the two standards of the world. The standard
of science never goes back to precedents for its proof, but shows its
science by its works. If it goes back, it is to show that the world
has progressed - not to rake up some wisdom - but to show that the
world has progressed every day in science.
The
science of life contains the two classes above mentioned. As I have
said, the spiritualist goes back into the dark ages of Judaism, where
the belief of heaven and hell and spirits of the dead were invented -
together with every kind of heathen superstition - to seek wisdom, by
which to correct the errors of the age; supposing that the world was
wiser then than now - and showing that any foreign intelligence
purporting to come from abroad is worth more than what they get at
home.
Now,
does science go out of the way? No. Chemistry is here, just what it
is everywhere, and the chemist is always showing his improvements;
and so it is with all sciences. But that science founded on opinions
is proved by referring to someone's opinions. And when you go to the
opinions, you are sent to another, and so on. It is like chasing a
jack o'lantern to find the basis independent of an opinion. The
science of health is in the hands of these blind guides. There is no
difference between them. They are the two extremes of humbug. One
belongs to the upper crust; the other to the lower. And if there
chances to be a person not under one of these two classes, directly
or indirectly, I should like to see where he stands.
Disease
is one of the heathen inventions and has had as many names as any
political party ever had, but is always the same thing. The serpent
was its author (or inventor) when it made Eve eat the forbidden
fruit. As that was a sin, it poisoned all the human family, as is
believed. And as sin is disease, all men became diseased; for all
have sinned, the Bible says. The apple that brought on the first
disease could not have been eaten by the inhabitants of the world; so
that they must have caught it from our first parents. Thus catching
diseases originated - but Jesus condemned this idea when he said the
old proverb was done away with; that the father had eaten sour grapes
and the children's teeth were set on edge, showing that it was a lie.
But
the people believed it. As the serpent was lost, or metamorphosized
into the devil, and the people were made to believe it, it became
necessary to have a place for him to dwell. So hell was invented as
his dwelling place. And as he still held his old grudge, because he
was driven out of the garden, his whole power was aimed against
mankind.
We
next hear of him tormenting Job with boils; so that disease was his
invention. He used to send out young devils (or evil spirits); and
sometimes the Lord employed them, as when he wanted to deceive Ahab.
These
devils could enter man and make him do all kinds of things. They
tried it with Jesus, but they could not deceive him; although he
recognized their existence, for he used to cast them out. These
devils had teeth, and they could also talk. The Bible is full of
accounts of their tormenting man; and if it is true - or the
Christian explanation of it, then there were evil spirits at the time
the Christian era commenced, eighteen-hundred years ago. Now where
are they? If man is not affected by them - who is the author of our
troubles? Man is affected more than he ever was. These same devils
reigned in the time of Jesus, and he sent forth his disciples to cast
them out. He said that they would be destroyed at the end of the
world, for then the devil and all his works shall be destroyed; and
death itself. Then there should be no death nor hell. They were to be
cast into the lake of fire.
Jesus
put the power of destroying these evil spirits in the hands of his
disciples. Now let us see what they have done. First we find the
priests persecuting them, hanging them, and casting them into prison,
till all the disciples were destroyed, and they got the power into
their own hands. If these devils were the priests that crucified
Jesus and all his disciples, then we can trace them along. But if
they were evil spirits which the devil sent into the priests and
prophets, we can also follow them down.
The
people were divided on this point. The priests taught that they were
the chosen ones to put down the evil spirits; not that such were in
them. And here is where the war commenced. The priests, like the
demagogues, had power over the masses, and as the people believed in
these evil spirits, of course there would be different opinions about
their power. The most superstitious were the easiest led, and as the
priests had full possession of the minds of the masses, it was very
easy to interest them in their favor.
So
all opposition came from a more liberal quarter, but yet governed by
the same belief in the spirits of the dead; so science had nothing to
do with the religious quarrel. The quarrel commenced about a false
opinion, existing only in the minds of political demagogues, and
science is as much a stranger as in any political quarrel. Still they
hold out to the people that they are their friends, and thus they
have got the world to admit their wisdom. What do these parties
propose to the people? To restore order and happiness to man.
I
will give their platform. They have established the fact that there
is another world; which constitutes one plank. The return of spirits
to earth is another. Also the devil, leading the wicked into trouble.
These and a still larger number of grievances are laid down as facts.
What do the leaders propose? To get up an army and attack this devil;
and in the name of goodness, reform the world, drive the devil out of
existence and establish the kingdom of heaven on earth. This is the
appeal to the people, and as this is a spiritual war against the
devil's kingdom, it is necessary that the people should know what
they are fighting for and who are their leaders, etc.
The
priests, like the demagogues, have made the people believe that they
have been deceived and that it is necessary that they should do
something to get out of their trouble; while the troubles are the
effects of their beliefs, invented by man - and all the warfare is to
fight down their own beliefs. So it is with the sick; the devils are
the priests' opinions, and the disease is the punishment of their
belief. So the people pay the priests for the opinions and get the
reward thereof in aches and pains.
These
are the profits of the priests; for they know that the people know
not the author of their misery. They offer their services to fight
down the very evil they have created. In spiritual, as well as in
literal wars, there must be opposition parties; some for the health
and some for the disease. As the war is in the minds of the people,
the destruction of life is what is aimed at. Health and happiness,
being the land of science; the destruction of either cripples both,
so all their aim is at this land.
All
will admit that this land is overrun with every kind of devil, in the
form of disease. How to destroy them is a matter of opinion, so
parties spring up and make war in their peculiar way. The priests are
for driving them out by prayer; while every prayer goes to create
more devils. This is seen by another class called educated or more
scientific; i.e. the doctors. They calculate more scientifically -
for their own benefit - and have induced the people to give up to
them all those who are killed by these devils, in order that they
should examine and discover the place of rendezvous. Thus the people
have given them this power over all who fall by disease.
So
when a person is attacked by one of these children of their own make,
they commence war against it. If he attacks them in the side, the
doctor claps on a blister. If he flies to the head, he also follows
him there. If he goes to the stomach, a dose of calomel is sent after
him. This generally starts the devil and ruins the man; and his
house, being shattered to pieces - he gives up the ghost and leaves.
Then the doctor claims his prize; so he cuts up the head like a
vegetable, hanging up one part and preserving the other in alcohol.
They contend this is all for the benefit of the people; and like the
priests in Egyptian theology, instead of lessening the evil, they
create ten times as many more.
Finally,
the people, in despair - like Saul - have left their oracles and
sought witches or those having familiar spirits, to enquire how to
get rid of these Philistines that are overspreading the land and
devouring their lives and substance. So in the darkness of night,
they disguise themselves and are seen making their way to some woman
having a familiar spirit, to inquire of her how the battle is going
on with their friends; for the doctor is fighting the battle. In a
trembling voice, they ask if the spirit will respond. A faint rap is
heard denoting 'yes.' Then the communication is open, and the spirits
have the field. Here is war between the living and the dead. A
revolution commences; but as both are in the devil's employ, it makes
but little difference to the scientific man which gets the day.
teloV
