Why Do Skeptics Use Untruths To Disparage Spirituality?

      

By Stephen William

By Stephen William, author of: ”Nostradamus His Prophecy Finally Explained.” Available on Amazon Kindle now. Recently a friend of mine at the Spiritualist Church I regularly attend , gave me a book which she said, “This will interest you !” She has read my articles in this magazine defending the reality of the existence of a spiritual dimension to existence and mentioned “ It may well inspire an article for you.” Well, she was right about that about that ! She must have been Psychic ! The book was written by a well-known American atheist   with an endorsement by the well-known British scientist and atheist  Richard Dawkins author of “The God Delusion” .describing it as “An admirable work” . It is subtitled rather grandly  as  “The Thinking Person’s Answer to Christian Fundamentalism”.  Some fellow mystics may say what is wrong with that. Fundamentalists of most conventional faith- only religions sometimes give us mystics a tough time for having the temerity to use direct spiritual contact to provide evidence of a supernatural element to existence. Very often by selectively quoting texts which very often are supposed to have been produced by direct spiritual contact! Yet on reading the book ,although it is a well written and informative book, it appears to be a dismissal of spirituality in general, whether it is of conventional religions or mysticism. The author. Is not just dismissing religious fundamentalism. but also, all forms of spirituality, as some kind, of mediaeval nonsense. Although he argues  his case with a certain amount of rationality, he unfortunately dismisses all spiritual awareness  with the help of out of context quotes of deceased prominent people. To give an example. he quotes. an out of context quote from the great American President Abraham Lincoln. It gives the impression that Lincoln was a complete skeptic of  spirituality . Lincoln as many people are aware had an unconventional outlook on religion for the mid -1800s , in fact he has often been described by his many biographers as a Deist, instead of a Christian . However, in many of speeches throughout his life (and after the quote that was used) , he referred to God. He also as I have written in a previous article for Mystic Living Today, consulted mediums to contact his dead son Willie, as the illustration from his time below illustrates.     A CONTEMPORARY ILLUSTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND HIS WIFE CONSULTING A MEDIUM TO CONTACT HIS DECEASED YOUNG SON WILLIE. THESE CONSULTATIONS WERE WELL KNOWN AND REPORTED AT THE TIME. The author also uses out of context quotes from  Mahatma Gandhi , the great Indian nationalist and George Bernard Shaw, the  famous writer and playwright to depict them as non-spiritual  people. This is despite Gandhi trying to bring people of all religions together in his country and often stating his belief in a spiritual reality to existence! He also is credited by some with creating a new updated form of Hinduism. George Bernard Shaw although stating he decided to become an atheist at the age of ten, he also stated he ceased to be an atheist when he “was old enough to think.” He also said he was never really an atheist “but because a belief in God meant a belief in that old tribal idol, Jehovah.” He declared himself in adult life to be a Mystic! You cannot get more spiritual than that. If non-belief in spirituality was such a proven case ,why does a writer resort to  mis- representing known spiritual people as skeptics of the supernatural? I suggest this is because after they have stated the obvious lack of modern  proof of the supernatural from organized non-proof religions, they deliberately ignore the proof of a spiritual dimension to existence in modern mysticism. It  struck me as the reason they do this from one of his other  quotes , this time from a well- known skeptic of spirituality , Carl Sagan. He quotes him as saying, “I would love to believe that , when I die, I will live again, that some thinking remembering part of me will continue  . But as much as I want believe that  and despite the ancient and  world-wide cultural traditions  that assert an afterlife,  I know of nothing to suggest it is anything more than wishful thinking.” Carl Sagan made this remark in a book he co-authored called the “The Demon Haunted World” . As most mystical people will know this is a deliberate ignoring of the evidence of an afterlife presented to multitudes of people around the world of mystical mediums every day! Carl Sagan was obviously a very well-educated scientist and astronomer. However, that does not mean he was right about everything! His quoted remark appears to totally dismiss the evidence that mediums  provide. Evidence which is beyond coincidence and trickery. The evidence which contains very often personal family history , which is impossible to extract by casual questioning or checking on the Internet or some other source. Also, he does not address the correct personal predictions that many people have received , which very often are at variation with their normal life pattern and objectives, so cannot be based on previous mentioned occurrences in their conversation with the mystic practitioner . You cannot look up future events on the Internet either! So why are “professional skeptics” reduced to very often either pretending most “great” or” intelligent” people are on their side or deliberately ignoring credible supernatural evidence given by mystics without giving a credible “rational” alternative to how they managed to obtain information by scientifically “acceptable“ means?”  I believe it is because that they allow the familiar to exclude the different. They are familiar with using normal scientific research to solve an unexplained situation . However ,when faced with credible evidence of the supernatural, the normal scientific method does not equip them to  investigate it properly or even countenance taking a different approach in examining it. People of all cultural and educational backgrounds experience direct spiritual contact ,either with the assistance of a medium of some kind or by their own direct encounter. Science has for about a century had the theory of alternative dimensions (now called the Multiverse Theory) to existence. So why cannot the Spiritual Dimension be one or more of these theorized dimensions? Yes, it is only a theory ,but the last paper the world-famous physicist Stephen Hawking had published before his death, argued in favour of Multiverse Theory. Some of the  scientific opponents of the Multiverse Theory object to it on the basis it cannot be proven or disproven by normal empirical research. But surely that is even more reason to take the credible demonstrations of direct spiritual communication seriously? By admitting they are vaguely aware that there is something more to existence than contained in the physical Universe ,yet  they cannot evaluate for it in a conventional manner, surely demonstrates a strong need for a different approach? The reason I believe that some skeptics of the supernatural whether they are professionally trained scientists or just cynics who are just trying to make money selling books attacking spirituality because they know there is a market for it, sometimes revert to “twisting “ information to suit their existing analytical system is they have taken a “fixed position “ on their approach and find it hard to retreat from it.  Logic suggests that strong  evidence cannot be discounted ,just because it defies conventional thinking . They are forgetting the old adage ,just because something appears improbable , does not mean it is impossible. For example , Albert Einstein was originally told his ideas were impossible, but his Theory of Relativity went on to revolutionise Physics and helped usher in the modern world we now all know. Yet just as the scientific skeptics who originally ridiculed Einstein’s new ideas, these modern skeptics cannot adjust their thinking to new concepts. As sentient individuals we  know that we can see and hear , we do not need other people to tell us that .Even if they are  scientifically trained and  sight and hearing are products of scientific processes. Therefore, if we receive accurate spiritual information directly or via a medium about our current situation . our past life and deceased relatives and friends and possibly an unlikely future event which then occurs, why are we are crassly described as delusional or not telling the truth? This ability is part of a human capability and an indicator of a wider reality to existence , so why do not these “wise guy “ critics devise a method to examine it properly? Or use the existing methods that millions of mystical people around the world already use? Whilst writing this  article it came to me that a plausible reason for the existence of the Afterlife and our ability to communicate with it, is to prove  Eternal Love. As many long-term mediums and spiritualists  will tell you spirits come back to communicate with living people because they care for them and wish to reassure them . If the spirit has acted badly in their earth life to the person communicating via a medium, they often ask forgiveness and understanding. If they acted well towards the person receiving the message in this life , they come with supportive messages and assurances that whatever happens they are looking over them . They also come with sometimes warnings of tough times ahead and how to deal with them and the assurance these times will come to an end one way or the other. They also come sometimes with good news such as a longed-for child is to be born or a financial situation to be resolved in an effective way etc. This is a demonstration of enduring love for the people they cared for in this life and a demonstration it will never die. Surely Love of your fellow human beings and caring for their wellbeing is the underlying basis of all the major religions? Possibly that is the reason for the Afterlife that we can continue that Love for evermore. The Afterlife is proof of a Mystical Dimension to life and as a guide to the advantage of loving your fellow human beings as well as you possibly can. Peace, forgiveness and understanding are the results of Love. They make this challenging existence better for everyone. So fellow Mystics examine the “evidence” that is sometimes presented to denigrate all forms of spirituality and then defend against  especially the criticism of Mysticism and suggest to the critic that they visit a medium themselves  to have a mystical experience. If they refuse, they are not examining the evidence they claim they so desperately require.     ©Stephen William International Copyright. If you wish to discuss anything contained in this or any of my other articles ,please contact me on stephenwhealing@gmail.com My book which covers modern mysticism as well as Nostradamus’s , is available at only US $ 3.45 on Amazon Kindle or FREE TO READ if you are a Kindle Unlimited member. please follow this following link https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B098LS5PM7/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MBDF06G549ZKJ6XFKMCJ