The Great Hope (Condensed)

Appeal to the Pleasure-Loving

To the self-indulgent, the pleasure-loving, the sensual, spiritualism presents a less subtle disguise. In its grosser forms they find what is in harmony with their inclinations. Satan marks the sins each individual is inclined to commit and then takes care that opportunities shall not be wanting to gratify the tendency. He tempts men through intemperance to weaken physical, mental, and moral power. He destroys thousands through indulgence of passion, brutalizing the entire nature. And to complete his work, the spirits declare that “true knowledge places man above all law”; that “whatever is, is right”; that “God doth not condemn”; and that “all sins ... are innocent.” When people thus believe that desire is the highest law, that liberty is license, that man is accountable only to himself, who can wonder that corruption teems on every hand? Multitudes eagerly accept the promptings of lust. Satan sweeps into his net thousands who profess to follow Christ. GrH_c 21.3

But God has given sufficient light to discover the snare. The very foundation of spiritualism is at war with Scripture. The Bible declares that the dead know not anything, that their thoughts have perished; they have no part in the joys or sorrows of those on earth. GrH_c 21.4