- 38 - calling, kept on hand in their homes suitable bonds for the head, hands and feet, and submitted to being tied up with them by their visitors. If after they had been tied up, manifestations occurred that could only be ascribed to, and as a matter of fact were produced by, spirit beings, the visitors would be duly impressed and would be won over to this type of spirit communication. But since it was not the good spirits that used such mediums as their instruments, persons who frequented these events eventually fell under the influence of Evil. The teachings they received from the evil spirits through the mediums turned them away from the true God, and led them into vices of the vilest kind. It was the female mediums in particular who were the most patronized, and against whom was directed the threat spoken by the Lord through the prophet Ezekiel: Ezekiel 13: 17-19: ‘Son of man, face the women of your country who only act as “prophets” on their own discretion; speak out against them, and say: Thus, saith God the Lord: “Woe to the women that sew bindings for all wrists, and make hoods of an appropriate size to capture souls. You are stealing souls from me. You have profaned me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and for a bite of bread in order to slay souls that should not die, by lying to my people, who like listening to lies.”’ The method followed in the development of mediums in the ‘medium schools’ of Biblical times is not described in any detail in the original documents of the Holy Scriptures. First of all, the applicants for mediumship were tested as to their general aptitude for the calling. It quickly became apparent who possessed the necessary aptitude. Those who were not suitable were dismissed. But even applicants highly gifted by nature as mediums were retained as students only if their character warranted the belief that they would employ their mediumistic talents in the service of what was good and sacred. This factor was the most essential for the heads of the good medium schools, whereas in the schools conducted by priests who worshipped idols only the applicant’s mediumistic powers were taken into consideration. The same difference existed in those days in the development of mediums that you may find today. You yourself have witnessed with your own eyes the development of several mediums. You have arranged for and conducted gatherings at which this development took place. You conducted such gatherings as Divine services and you did your utmost to bring yourself and the other participants nearer to God. You placed yourselves under God’s protection. You opened and closed the gatherings with prayer and with praise to the Lord. Your readings were chosen from the word of God as recorded in the Holy Scriptures. You sought only that which is good, and were ready, if it pleased God, to become useful instruments of Good. The Israelites who believed in God sought to develop mediums in the same way. In contrast to this, however, you should observe what goes on at most ‘spiritistic séances’ today. There is generally no mention of God or of praising Him. People attend for the sake of experiencing something out of the ordinary and for excitement. Who brings it about, whether good spirits or evil ones, is of no consequence; and many of those who go to such gatherings do not even believe that the phenomena witnessed there are the workings of the spirit world, but persist in according them a ‘human’ explanation. This nullifies at the outset the sole purpose the good spirit world has for its communication with mankind, namely, to bring people nearer to their God.
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