Excerpt from The Identity of Primitive Christianity and Modern Spiritualism, Vol. 1 of 2 Many have stood aloof from fear, who inwardly have believed in its marvels, and many of its professed friends, from their inordinate zeal and lack of judgment, have repelled those, who, moderate in their own views, cannot allow for the enthusiasm of others. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Excerpt from The Identity of Primitive Christianity and Modern Spiritualism, Vol. 2 of 2 If it be objected, as it sometimes is, that Spiritualism is not a sys tem, my answer is, Jesus in his teachings presented no system. He taught the truth generally and specifically, but with no regard to any systematic arrangement, and there is a nearly perfect resemblance between Modern Spiritualism and Primitive Christianity in that the latter had not, and the former has not, a pronounced or written creed, or formula, or complete statement of faith and doctrine, or an eccle siastical structure and hierarchy. If these are essential to a system, then Modern Spiritualism like Primitive Christianity is not a system, but if through Spiritualism a future life is demonstrated, and its nature explained convincing evidence furnished that in that life we are all to be rewarded according to the deeds done in the body if through the knowledge derived from the inhabitants of the spiritual world we find additional and convincing evidence that God is really our Father that obedience and worship are justly due Him, and that He designs all His rational creatures to be happy; that as He is love so we must love one another, and in fact if through the revelations of Spiritual ism we receive teachings precisely similar to those of Jesus, so com prehensive in their character as to be applicable to all the relations of life, clearly defining our duty and course, then Spiritualism is a system. That it is this, and that it is in addition both a philosophy and a religion, I believe in the future will be abundantly proved, and generally acknowledged. N o doubt it has been observed by the reader, that my subject has taken a wider range than the title of the work would seem to imply but as I proceeded in my task I found it necessary, not only to constantly refer to the spiritual manifestations of the Old T esta ment, in connection with those of the New, but to treat of them equally with the latter, and thus the work has gradually assumed a form and character in which the varied phases and features of Modern Spiritualism are viewed in the light of those of the whole Bible. It has been found necessary to thus extend the scope of the work, for the reason that the manifestations of the New Testament. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
"The History of Spiritualism, Vol. II" is a book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, most famous for stories about the brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes. Doyle had a wide sphere of interests, including spiritual phenomena and life after death. This book is a detailed account of how spiritualism developed historically until the beginning of the 20th century.
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It has been suggested that 'spirituality' has become a word that 'can define an era'. Why? Because paradoxically, alongside a decline in traditional religious affiliations, the growing interest in spirituality and the use of the word in a variety of contexts is a striking aspect of contemporary western cultures. Indeed, spirituality is sometimes contrasted attractively with religion, although this is problematic and implies that religion is essentially dogma, moralism, institutions, buildings, and hierarchies. The notion of spirituality expresses the fact that many people are driven by goals that concern more than material satisfaction. Broadly, it refers to the deepest values and sense of meaning by which people seek to live. Sometimes these values are conventionally religious. Sometimes they are associated with what is understood as 'the sacred' in a broader sense - that is, of ultimate rather than merely instrumental importance. This Very Short Introduction, written by one of the most eminent scholars and writers on spirituality, explores the historical foundations of the thought and considers how it came to have the significance it is developing today. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Harvard psychologist and philosopher William James' The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature explores the nature of religion and, in James' observation, its divorce from science when studied academically. After publication in 1902 it quickly became a canonical text of philosophy and psychology, remaining in print through the entire century. "Scientific theories are organically conditioned just as much as religious emotions are; and if we only knew the facts intimately enough, we should doubtless see 'the liver' determining the dicta of the sturdy atheist as decisively as it does those of the Methodist under conviction anxious about his soul. When it alters in one way the blood that percolates it, we get the Methodist, when in another way, we get the atheist form of mind."
"Lewis struck me as the most thoroughly converted man I ever met," observes Walter Hooper in the preface to this collection of essays by C.S. Lewis. "His whole vision of life was such that the natural and the supernatural seemed inseparably combined. "It is precisely this pervasive Christianity which is demonstrated in the forty-eight essays comprising God in the Dock. Here Lewis addresses himself both to theological questions and to those which Hooper terms "semi-theological," or ethical. But whether he is discussing "Evil and God," "Miracles," "The Decline of Religion," or "The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment," his insight and observations are thoroughly and profoundly Christian. Drawn from a variety of sources, the essays were designed to meet a variety of needs, and among other accomplishments they serve to illustrate the many different angles from which we are able to view the Christian religion. They range from relatively popular pieces written for newspapers to more learned defenses of the faith which first appeared in The Socratic Digest. Characterized by Lewis's honesty and realism, his insight and conviction, and above all his thoroughgoing commitments to Christianity, these essays make God in the Dock very much a book for our time.--Amazon.com.
