Why Churches Refuse to Investigate Spirit Communication
St. John (Disciple of Jesus) — April 23, 1916 (I:248-250)

I Am Here. John.

Yes, I come to tell you that I have been with you today in your attendance of the church services, and as the preachers declared their ideas of what immortality means, I suggested to you thoughts showing how unsatisfactory their reasonings and conclusions were. Of course, what the morning preachers said about the reasons for inferring that immortality must be the lot of man had in it a considerable force and also consolation, and I am glad that he dealt with the question as he did. But when all is said, it was merely hope and belief, knowledge was absent, and men so often realize that their hopes are not fulfilled.

How regrettable it is, that while men may know — and I emphasize know — the truth of immortality if they will only seek for it, yet they will not seek, although it is open to search even without the information that our messages give you. And in speaking of immortality in this writing, I mean continuous life upon the death of the physical body.

Of course immortality, as it has been explained to you, can only be learned from the teachings of our communications. But immortality in the former sense, continuity of life, can become established as a matter of knowledge, and to the satisfaction of these orthodox preachers, if they will only seek with open minds, divorced from the beliefs that keep them from accepting, as true, any and everything not contained in the Bible.

It has been established as a fact for a long time that in its beginning, antedating even the Bible, that spirits or angels communicated to men; and the Bible has many instances where such occurrences were declared. But while these orthodox teachers accept all these instances as true, yet they say that the occurrences were caused by some special interposition of God, and to a certain extent this is true. But this cause applies to all instances of spirit communication that have taken place since these Bible manifestations.

As we have told you many times, law — unchangeable law — governs all God's universe, and nothing happens by chance; and so every instance of spirit communion is the result of the operation of some law working in an orderly manner. No spirit could communicate and no mortal could receive the messages, unless the law worked in such a manner as to permit or cause the same. And here I must say, that the same principle of law that enables the evil spirit to communicate or manifest enables the higher spirit to do the same. There is no special law for one and not for another.

Your land is filled with mortals who have developed in them such powers as enable the spirits to become in rapport with them, and thereby make known the fact that the supposed dead are alive and able to declare the fact to mortals. These facts have been established to the satisfaction of men of all kinds and characters, to the scientist, as well as to the man of ordinary intelligence, and even less; and to the open-minded orthodox preacher as well as to the infidel.

And all these things are not merely matters of chance but are designed to show him that he is a living, never dying, being, as far as known, whether in the flesh or out of it, and what is thus designed and provided for man's consolation should not be looked upon with suspicion or fear of being against God's will. No, this great privilege is a part of God's goodness to man, and he must so understand it, and to his hope and desire for continuous life, add knowledge.

So I say, these leaders of the worshipers at the orthodox shrines, may, if they will learn the truth of this immortality, or continuity of life after the death of the body, will make certain that for which they have only a hope, backed by their faith in what their Bible tells them is the truth.

Of course this hope and faith may become so strong as to satisfy their doubts on the question, but even then it is not knowledge. This faith and hope will pale into insignificance, when the mother, mourning for her recently departed loved one, hears his voice declaring to her that he is still alive, and has all his love and longings for her, and that he is with her feeling her love for him.

But these teachers will not seek or if they do, and feel their hope and faith turn to knowledge, they will not declare the truth to their flock and why not declare the truth to their flock? Because the creeds and dogmas and iron bands of erroneous beliefs forbid them doing so. They will preach of the press and, if necessary, will lay down their lives for such a cause, but yet when they come to deal with this question of supreme and vital fact, they are afraid to seek the truth, or, in seeking, find, declare the freedom of their beliefs from the bondage of their creeds.

What a responsibility they have, and what an answer they will have to make! They bury the talent which is given them, and the accounting will be grevious.

But some day and soon, this truth will seek them with such overwhelming force, that their creeds will crumble, and in addition to hope and faith there will come to them knowledge, and with knowledge freedom, and with freedom, the pearl of great price which to them has so long been hidden in the shell of fear and bigotry.

I must not write more tonight. I felt that I must say these few things to you to encourage you in your work of bringing truth to light. So with all my love and blessings, I am your brother in Christ,

John.