Church of England Investigates PSI

7/28/2019 Church of England Investigates PSI

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A committee was appointed in 1937 by the Church of England andheaded by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to investigate

mediumship. After two years of work and a careful study of the

subject, Archbishop Lang and Archbishop Temple submitted thecommittees report. It was expected by the Committee and by the

general public that the guidance contained therein would be madeavailable to the rank and file of the Church of England who, up to

then had been given no official lead whatsoever regarding

communication with the deceased. However, the report was neverpublished; it was suppressed. The guidance, which the

membership of the Church of England had been expecting, aboutcommunication with the so-called "dead", was shelved by the

House of Bishops.

The effects of this report are potentially earth shattering in the

fact that a recognised leading Church body has investigated someaspects of mediumship and found them to be true. Below is the

full text of the Majority Report submitted to the House of Bishopsby the committee of Anglicans appointed by the Archbishops of

Canterbury and York to investigate communication with those in

the next world.

The Church of England Investigates Mediumship

THE SIGNATORIESDr. Francis Underhill Bishop of Bath and Wells.Dr. W. R. Matthews Dean of St, Pauls.Canon Harold Anson Master of the Temple.Canon L. W. Grensted Nolloth Professor of the Christian Religion atOxford.Dr Williarn Brown Celebrated Harley Street Psychologist.Mr. P. E. Sandiands, Q.C. Barrister-at-Law.Lady (Gwendolen) Stephenson

IN INTERPRETING our evidence it is important to take into account

the theories, prevalent among the more experienced and carefulSpiritualists, as to the nature and the value of the alleged messagesdelivered through the agency of mediums. It is pointed out, on theevidence of the "communicators" themselves, that the communicators andguides are themselves at very different levels or spiritual development andof very partial knowledge, and that the "controls" or which they make usemay often be very undeveloped personalities who are capable of thisparticular service because they are closely linked with temporarily


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disassociated portions of the personalities of the mediums concerned.

There are thus at least three factors which would render messages,especially those of a high order of spiritual or metaphysical value, liable todisturbance, and which lead to the difficulties, generally recognised by

Spiritualists, which the communicators would in any case find intransmitting messages which do not already lie within the generalconditions of our knowledge. There is however, nothing inherentlycontradictory, or necessarily improbable in this account of the conditionsinvolved in such communications. It is, however, no more than anhypothesis, incapable of scientific proof, nor does it assist us indetermining the authenticity of the communications themselves. Theverification of these, if it is possible at all, must rest upon ordinary scientifictests. To say this is not, however, to deny that the communications maysometimes be held to be convincing upon other than scientific grounds. Inany case it seems necessary to distinguish between the sense of contact

with departed friends or with " guides," and the assurance that themessages have necessarily any high value because they come throughthis unusual channel.It is perhaps of some importance to notice that there is general agreementin the communications that time has not the same rigid character as a "time series" in the life that lies beyond death. This is in any case probableon other grounds, but it is of interest as indicating a possible reason whythe communicators are frequently confused or mistaken as to exactindications of time. This may not be a failure in their own apprehension ofthe real significance of events so much as in their power of conveying that

apprehension in a form which can be adapted to the mentality of themedium and to the understanding of those to whom the message isdirected. It is often urged as of great significance that Spiritualism in manyrespects reaffirms the highest convictions of religious people, and that Rhas brought many to a new assurance of the truth of teaching which hadceased to have any meaning to them. This is a point of some difficulty,since assurance seems to come along different and even conflicting lines.We cannot ignore the fact that at least one considerable Spiritualistorganisation is definitely Anti-Christian in character. This divergence oftestimony is explained by Spiritualists as due to the continuance of spirits,at least for a period, within the system of beliefs which they have held in

this life. It is held that even though the whole development of thepersonality is being raised from level to level, the attitudes to truth andgoodness taken up in this life persist in the next, and that this somewhatdivergent testimony to the truth' of Christianity must be explained in thisway. We should add that whatever be value of this supposed confirmationof the truth of religion, Spiritualism does not seem to have added anythingexcept perhaps a practical emphasis to our understanding of those truths.Many alleged communications seem, indeed, to fall below the highest


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Christian standards of understanding and spiritual insight, and indeedbelow the level of spiritual insight and mental capacity shown by thecommunicators while still in this life.

While there is insistence upon the supremacy of love comparable with the

New Testament assertion that "God is Love" the accounts sometimesgiven of the mediatorial work of Christ frequently fall very far below the fullteaching of the Christian Gospel, seeming to depend rather upon somepower of working a miracle of materialisation (in the organisation isdefinitely Anti-Christ-Resurrection appearances) than upon a radical andfinal acceptance of the burden of guilt of man's sin, and a victory wroughtfor us upon the Cross. Nevertheless, it is clearly true that the recognition ofthe nearness of our friends who have died, and of their progress in thespiritual life and of their continuing concern for us, cannot do otherwise, forthose who have experienced it, than add a new immediacy and richness totheir belief in the Communion of Saints. There seems to be no reason atall why the Church should regard this vital and personal enrichment of oneof her central doctrines with disfavour, so long as it does not distractChristians from their fundamental gladness that they may come, when theywill, into the presence of their Lord and Master, Jesus Christ Himself, orweaken their sense that their fellowship is fellowship in Him. It is claimedby Spiritualists that the character of many events in the Christianrevelation, as recorded in of the Gospels, is precisely that of psychicphenomena, and that the evidence for the paranormal occurrences whichSpiritualism has adduced strongly confirms the historicity of the Gospelrecords, in the sense that they also are records of paranormaloccurrences, including instances for example, of clairvoyance (in the storyof Nathaniel) of materialisation (in the feeding of the five thousand, andabove all in the narrative of the Resurrection appearances). The miraclesof healing are acclaimed as closely parallel to the healings performedthrough mediums. It is strongly urged that if we do not accept the evidencefor modern psychical happenings, we should not apart from long tradition,accept the Gospel records either. It is certainly true that there are quiteclear parallels between the miraculous events recorded in the Gospel andmodern phenomena attested by Spiritualists. And if we assert that thelatter must be doubted because they have not yet proved capable ofscientific statement and verification, we must add that the miracles, andthe Resurrection itself, are not capable of such verification either. We musttherefore ask what the proper Christian grounds of belief in these centraltruths of Christianity are.

The answer to this question is clearly that we believe upon a basis of faith,and not of demonstrable scientific knowledge. Our grounds for this faithare to be found either in a direct mystical assurance that Jesus ofNazareth as we have received Him, is indeed God's word to us, or, morebroadly in the apprehension of ethical and spiritual values. We do notaccept the Gospels because they record wonders, but because they ring


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true to the deepest powers of spiritual apprehension which we possess.But if this is so, we must clearly apply similar criteria to the claims ofSpiritualists, and this means that while we regard some part of theseclaims as matter proper to the scientist, we regard some other parts regardsome other parts of these claims as not properly capable of scientific

verification or dispute, but, at the same time, as deserving theconsideration of Christians upon grounds of another kind. It has beenseen, in the account of the evidence submitted to our Committee, that -sofar as rigid scientific tests are concerned -very little if anything remainsboth verifiable and inexplicable out of the whole mass of Paranormalphenomena. Modern psychological knowledge has revealed a wide rangeof powers and of possible sources of misunderstanding in oursubconscious or unconscious mind. When these are combined with thepossibility of thought transference, of telepathy many communicationsdelivered through mediums seem capable of explanation.

We have to notice that no good evidence for telepathy itself is yetforthcoming but probably a majority of scientists would accept it as a factwithout pretending to offer an explanation of it. If telepathy is denied, theevidence that these communications do come from discarnate spirit isgreatly strengthened on the scientific side. But the tests applied byscientists in as such are in their very nature experimental, objective andimpersonal. It is necessary to ask whether such tests do not in themselvesinvalidate an inquiry Into values which are in essence personal andspiritual. The experiences which many people have found most convincingare of a kind which could hardly occur in the atmosphere of scientificinvestigation- They are sporadic, occasional and highly individual. Theycould not possibly be repeated or submitted to statistical analysis. it isworthwhile to notice in this connection that in the ordinary affairs andbeliefs of human life we do not ask for scientific verification of this kind. Weaccept many things as certain in the realm of personal relationships upon'the basis of direct insight. When we say that we know our friends, wemean something very different from saying that we can give a scientificand verifiable account of them. But we are none the less manycommunications delivered sure of our knowledge. Similar certainties are tobe found in the sphere of mystical experience. It may well be that in thismatter of the evidence of the survival of the human personality after death,we are dependent exactly upon this same kind of insight. and that ascientific verification, though valuable where it can be obtained, is ofsecondary importance, and only partially relevant. And this is precisely thesituation in which we find ourselves in our assurance of Christianity itself."We walk by faith, and not by sight. It is thus a weakness, rather than astrength in the Spiritualist position that it has been represented as restingupon scientific verification. if rigid scientific methods are applied 'It isprobable that verification will never be attained.

We may sum up the position from the point of view of science as follows:


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There is no satisfactory scientific evidence in favour of any paranormalphysical phenomena (materialisations, apports, telekinesis, etc. ) All theavailable scientific evidence is against the occurrence of such phenomena.Further, the hypothesis off unconscious mental activity in the mind of the

medium or sensitive is a strong alternative hypothesis to that of the actionof a discarnate entity in cases of mental mediumship. Thus the strictlyscientific verdict on the matter of personal survival can only be one of nonproven. Again, the whole question of extra sensory perception is still amatter of scientific sub judice. On the other hand certain outstandingpsychic experiences of individuals, including certain experiences withmediums, make a strong prima facie case for survival and for thepossibility of spirit communications while philosophical, ethical andreligious considerations may be held to weigh heavily on the same side.When every possible explanation Of these communications has beengiven, and all doubtful evidence set aside, it is very generally agreed thatthere remains some element as yet unexplained. We think that it isprobable 'that the hypothesis that they proceed ;In some cases fromdiscarnate spirits is the true one. That so much can be said, even in socautious a form, involves very important consequences, and makesnecessary certain warnings. It is abundantly clear, as Spiritualiststhemselves admit, that an easy credulity in these matters opens the doorto self deception and to a very great amount of' fraud We are greatlyimpressed by the evidence of this which we received. and desire to placeon record a most emphatic warning to those who might become interestedin Spiritualism from motives of mere curiosity or as a way of escaping fromthe responsibility of making their own decisions as Christians under theguidance of the Holy Spirit. It is legitimate for Christians who arescientifically qualified to make these matters a subject of scientific enquiry,though, as we have already said, such enquiry has its necessarylimitations. But it is not legitimate, and it is unquestionably dangerous, toallow an interest in Spiritualism, at a low level of spiritual value, to replacethat deeper religion which rests fundamentally upon the right relation of thesoul to God Himself

It is necessary to keep clearly in mind that none of the fundamentalChristian obligations or values is in any way changed by our acceptance ofthe possibility of communication with discarnate spirits. Where theseessential principles are borne in mind, those who have the assurance thatthey have been in touch with their departed friends may rightly accept thesense of enlargement and of unbroken fellowship which it brings. It isimportant to distinguish between assurance of this personal contact andassurance of the accuracy and authority or the messages received. As wehave seen, and as many Spiritualists admit, there is every probability thateven authentic messages would be liable to distortion. There is a verygreat danger of misdirection if such messages are accepted as givingauthoritative guidance unless they are checked by our own human reason


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under the guidance of the Holy Spirit received through prayer. But there isno reason why we should not accept gladly the assurance that we are stillin closest contact with those who have been dear to us in this life, who aregoing forward, as we seek to do ourselves in the understanding andfulfilment of the purpose of God. We cannot avoid the impression that a

great deal of Spiritualism as organised has its centre in man rather than inGod, and is, indeed, materialistic in character. To this extent it is asubstitute for religion, and it not in itself religious at all. We were impressedby the unsatisfactory answers received from practicing Spiritualists to suchquestions as, "Has your prayer life, your sense of God, been strengthenedby your Spiritualistic experiences" This explains in great part the hesitancyof many Christians to have anything to do with it. But if Spiritualism does,in fact, make so strong an appeal to some, it is at least in part because theChurch has not proclaimed and practiced its faith with sufficient conviction.There is frequently little real fellowship even between the living, and the fulland intimate reality of the Communion of Saints is often a dead letter.Spiritualism claims, in fact, to be making accessible a reality which theChurch has proclaimed but of which it has seemed only to offer a shadow.

The view has been held with some degree of Church authority, thatpsychic phenomena are real but that proceed from evil spirits. Thepossibility that spirits of a low order may seek to influence us in this waycannot be excluded as inherently illogical or absurd, but it would beextremely unlikely if there were not also the possibility of contact with goodspirits. The belief in Angelic guardians or guides has been very general inChristianity But in any case the Christian life is grounded upon God, andits fundamental activities are prayer and worship, which issue in lovingworship of mankind. A life so grounded has nothing to fear from evilinfluences or powers of any kind. The Church of England, for reasons ofpast controversy, has been altogether too cautious in its references to thedeparted. Anglican prayers for the departed do not satisfy people's needs,because the prayers are so careful in their language that it is not alwaysevident that the departed are being prayed for, as contrasted with theliving. In general we need much more freedom in our recognition of theliving unity of the whole Church in this world and in that which lies beyonddeath. But detailed suggestions on this point should be matters of dispute,and lie beyond the main purpose of this Report. If Spiritualism, with allaberrations set aside and with every care taken to present it humbly andaccurately, contains a truth, it is important to see that truth not as a newreligion, but only as filling up certain gaps in our knowledge, so that wherewe already walked by faith, we may now have some measure of sight aswell.

We must leave practical guidance to the Church itself.

Chancellor Garth Moore was the judge of the Consistory Courts of


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Durham, Southwark and Gloucester. He was a Fellow of CorpusChristi College, Cambridge, where he was Director of Studies in Law.

After many years in practice at the Bar and in various judicial

capacities he was ordained priest in the Church of England in 1962.He was also President of the Churches' Fellowship for Psychical and

Spiritual Studies.

Christianity and Psychical Research

- E. Garth Moore -

SO FAR in this book we have been concerned with a review of thefield of psychical research. It is a wide field and not all of it has beencovered. But enough has been covered to enable the reader who comesfresh to the subject to form some view of the nature of the psychic. It is aninteresting field of exploration. But it is more than that; it is important in its

bearing on both natural science and religion. In this chapter we shallconsider primarily the relationship between psychical research andChristianity.

As has been said already, it is (in my view and in that of many others) idle todeny the existence of some psychic phenomena, notably telepathy,precognition, apparitions and poltergeists. Their explanation, however, isquite another matter. But whatever may be their explanation, all thesephenomena have one thing in common; they reveal that the ordinary laws ofphysics as at present understood, useful though they are for the ordinaryaffairs of life on this planet, do not tell the whole story and present but a

partial picture of existence. One can go further and state that, if but a singlepsychic phenomenon can be proved to have occurred, that alone is enoughto require a revision of our formulation of the laws of physics or else anacknowledgement that there is a dimension beyond the physical. This, inturn, has a bearing on religion, for our religion depends in large measure, ifnot totally, on our experience of the Universe around us, even while it isconcerned with matters beyond this life and this Universe. The here-and-now is of necessity our starting-point, however widely we may range in therealms of deduction and speculation, and, if psychic phenomena occur, ourhere-and-now is different from the picture presented by an orthodoxformulation of the laws of physics. To the materialistically minded natural

scientist, therefore, we would say, 'Look at the evidence. If you find therenothing to suggest that the psychic exists, you are justified in ignoring it andresting content with what you already know and with the formulation of thelaws which you have deduced therefrom. If, however, you find enough tosuggest that the psychic may be a fact, encourage its further exploration asyou would encourage the further exploration of any other possibility. If,however, you go further and discover that the psychic is, as is claimed, areality, then you must consider its bearing on the laws of physics which you


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have already learnt, for it is clear that, as at present expressed, they areinadequate to explain the nature of things.'

The theologian, too, has a duty to look at the evidence. Hitherto, all toooften, he has either ignored the psychic altogether, or dismissed it as

nonsense, or has acknowledged its reality, but shunned it as being of thedevil. To ignore it is odd in those of whom the majority may be expected byprofession to believe in a non-material dimension to Creation. For aChristian theologian to treat it as nonsense is to demonstrate how deeply hehas been infected by the comparatively modern and now slightly outdatedwave of secular materialism. To regard it as a diabolical reality is at leastlogical and is to adopt an attitude which deserves to be taken seriously. It is,however, an attitude which those adopting it may reasonably be challengedto defend. There are arguments to support their view, just as there arearguments against it. But they both require to be stated and examined. Ifarguments can be advanced to show that in some respects psychical

research is inimical to religion, arguments can also be advanced to showthat it is of value to religion. Let us see if we can strike some sort of balance-sheet.

On the credit side for psychical research several items can be put; but thereis one of quite outstanding value to the cause of religion. If psychicalphenomena be established as realities, it is clearly shown that what we nowcall the material does not comprise the whole of existence. There is adimension beyond what at present we call the purely material. It may bespiritual, or it may be psychic; but it is, in terms of current physics,nonmaterial, and this is the essence of religion's claim. If the material be all

that exists, then Christianity, together with most, if not all, other religions, isfalse. If there be something beyond the material, then present-daymaterialism is false. That it is materialism which has been shown to be falseis the claim of many psychical researchers. The claim must not beoverstated. There may be a spiritual dimension as well as a psychicdimension. We may ultimately discover that there is no essential differencebetween the material, the psychic and the spiritual; that they shadeimperceptibly into each other; and that it is simply a question of degree. Butthe terms, material,psychicaland spiritualare convenient terms for denotingthree broad categories, the psychical being the middle category, shading offat one end into the material and at the other end into the spiritual. With a

recognition of the reality of the psychic factor and with the advent of moreknowledge concerning it, we may eventually reframe the laws of physics sothat they take account of the psychic as well as of the physical. If we do, it isquite likely that our extended understanding will be regarded as anextension of physics and it will be forgotten that it is the psychic which hasgiven rise to the extension. It will, nevertheless, be a fact that a newdimension has been introduced and that that new dimension is what we nowcall the non-material. Be that as it may, the importance of establishing the


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existence of the non-material - of something which does not conform to theknown laws of physics - is enormous. It establishes that basically thematerialists are wrong and that the adherents of religion are right.

Let us examine this further in the context of survival of bodily death. A

medium may give messages purporting to come from a deceased person,tending to establish the identity of that person, containing information knownto the deceased, but unknown to the medium. As has been seen,[1] this maynot conclusively prove survival, because there are always the possibilities oftelepathy and precognition as logical alternatives. But, if they do not provethe identity of the alleged communicator, they certainly prove the abnormalsensitivity of the medium, for she has become possessed of information bysome means other than the material. This in itself makes survival a muchmore probable hypothesis, for it indicates that there is something beyond thematerial, which in turn increases the probabilities that there is something inour make-up which is non-material and which, therefore, may well survive

the dissolution of our material bodies. It is, in fact, strong corroboration of theChristian doctrine of the life everlasting, even though it be not conclusiveproof of the truth of that doctrine[2].

[1] Chapter 4.[2] Such survival is not necessarily proof ofeverlastinglife. See whatfollows.

It may be argued that, for the committed Christian, the promises and powerof the risen Christ should be sufficient guarantee without the help ofadventitious aids. That is true, so far as it goes. But there are plenty of

persons who are not committed Christians. For them this type of evidencemay be exactly what is required to tip the balance and to turn them intocommitted Christians. Christianity can certainly survive without this sort ofcorroborative evidence; but the evidence can greatly strengthenChristianity's claims, confirm its adherents and confound its opponents.

Thus viewed, psychical research is the ally of religion in that it corroboratesreligion's basic claim that the nonmaterial is a reality. This remains true,even for those who take the extreme view that psychic phenomena arediabolical, for the Devil himself, if he exists, is not material, but a spirit, and,whatever characteristics he may possess belong to the realm of the non-material.

It is a Christian tenet that there is a life after death. As has been seen, this isnot conclusively proved by psychical research, though psychical researchhas made the truth of this belief more probable. Still less has psychicalresearch established that life hereafter is life everlasting. On the evidence itis perfectly reasonable at times to believe that communications 'from theother side' in fact emanate from the source from which they purport to come,while still realising that the proof is not conclusive. But, while allowing that


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such a belief is reasonable, it must also be allowed that, even if, on abalance of probabilities, survival of bodily death be established, it does notfollow that life hereafter is life everlasting. For all we know, from this type ofevidence, such life may be as transitory as life on this earth. It may have itsspan and then be extinguished. Psychical research provides no evidence to

the contrary. But psychical research does show that it is more probable thatthe Christian doctrine of the life everlasting is true. At the lowest estimate,psychical research shows that survival of bodily death is more probable thanextinction, and some of the evidence shows that such survival is much moreprobable. This, for those who doubt, is a great leap forward. If survival ofbodily death can be established, or even rendered probable, the great stepforward has been taken. The next step, from mere survival to survival for alleternity, is a much smaller step. If survival at all occurs, it is notunreasonable to envisage it as going on for ever or as being but one furtherstage in a process which goes on for ever. This is all the more so havingregard to our ignorance concerning the time-factor.[3] For all we know, time,

as we understand it here, does not exist outside the material universe. It is,as it were, a framework for the material and can be shed together with thematerial. If however, it does exist outside the material universe, it may existin a form very different from anything that we can envisage, and the wordseternaland everlastingmay have ceased to have meaning.

[3] See chapter 3.

Be all this as it may, in establishing the existence of the non-material thecontribution of psychical research to the cause of religion is enormous and itis not confined to the question of survival. Not the least of its contributions is

in the extent to which it renders the Bible credible. It was materialism whichfor so many made the Biblical miracles so hard to believe. By demonstratingthat the material is by no means all that is real, psychical research hasrendered the miraculous far more credible. With the example of DorothyKerin[4] before us, we need no longer boggle at the Biblical miracles ofhealing. With the modern examples of ESP around us, we can the morereadily accept our Lord's ESP[5] as literal fact and not as mythicalhyperbole. In the light of modern cases of apparent possession,[6] we shallbe more cautious in attributing the Biblical accounts of possession to therecorders' immaturity of understanding of matters medical. With theevidence which psychical research provides of nonmaterial forces, we canthe more readily accept at their face-value the Biblical references to angelsand to devils. With experience of apparitions in our own time, we can themore readily accept the literal truth of the accounts of our Lord's post-resurrection appearances. In short, in the light of psychical research, thescepticism engendered by Victorian materialism is cut down to size. TheBible is not proved to be true; but much of it is shown to be within thebounds of possibility, and the leap of faith is removed from the category of afoolhardy act by a blind man into that of a responsible decision by one whohas weighed thepros and cons.


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[4] See p. 82 et seq.[5] See p. 8.[6] See Chapter 10.

So much for the credit side. It is submitted that the assets there shown are

considerable. What of the debit side?

For those who take the Bible seriously the most formidable condemnation ofpersons who have any truck with the psychic is based on certain passagesin the Bible, and particularly in the Levitical writings. It is claimed that theseand other passages utterly condemn psychic practices. In Deuteronomy,[7]for example, we read: 'When thou art come into the land which the Lord thyGod giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of thosenations. There shall not be found among you anyone that maketh his son ordaughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer oftimes, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar

spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all these things are anabomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thyGod doth drive them out from before thee.'

[7] Matthew 18. 9-17.

In Exodus[8] it is written: 'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.'

[8] 22. 18.

In Leviticus[9] we find: 'Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neitherseek after the wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.'

[9] 19. 31.

And again (Leviticus)[10]: 'And the soul that turneth after such as havefamiliar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even setmy face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.'

[10] 20. 6.

And again (Leviticus)[11]: 'A man also or a woman that hath a familiar spirit,or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them withstones: their blood shall be upon them.'

[11] 20. 27.

Largely on these passages formidable arguments are presented againstpsychic practices. They are very well marshalled by Canon Stafford Wrightin Christianity and the Occult[12] and they merit close scrutiny.

[12] Scripture Union (1971).


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The first point to be observed is that one needs to go back to the Hebrew inorder to understand what these passages mean, for the English translationis misleading. This book is no place for the examination in detail of thelinguistic arguments;[13] it has been clearly done in Nothing to Hide.[14]Briefly, the argument amounts to this: that the prohibition in Exodus 18 and

the condemnation in other passages are aimed at some practices whichwere fraudulent, at others which were sordid, and at any which wereidolatrous. For example, the word which has been translated into English asfamiliar spiritis the Hebrew word, OB or OBH or OUV. This literally meansan empty wine-skin or wind-bag, and became associated with the fraudulentpractices of those who at a sance surreptitiously produced squeaks from itand indulged in ventriloquism for the deception of the sitter who had visitedthe 'medium' to obtain information from the dead. The type of necromancy atwhich the prohibition was aimed was not simple communication with thedead, but one which involved highly objectionable practices with corpses.

[13] Nor am I fitted to conduct such an examination.[14] By the Revd Leonard Argyle, B. D. (Churches' Fellowship for Psychicaland Spiritual Studies, 1970).

It is necessary also to take into account the background against which theseitems of the Law were promulgated. Though their origin purports to be aboutthe time of the Exodus, in the form in which we have them they are severalcenturies later. They reflect the entry of the Jews into the Promised Landand their precarious foothold there, where they were under constanttemptation to forget their vocation as the Chosen People and to flirt with, andeven adopt, the religions and practices of the pagans around them. This was

the idolatry against which both prophet and priest inveighed, and the psychicpractices which came under their condemnation were inextricably entwinedwith these forms of idolatry. Against this background the weight to beattached to the prohibitions assumes a different proportion. Only thestaunchest fundamentalist holds that the whole of the ancient Law is still tobe observed. It is unlikely that today many would hold that the death-penaltyshould be imposed on a witch or a wizard in accordance with Exodus 22, 18or Leviticus 20, 27, or on those who commit adultery in accordance withLeviticus 20, 10. It is equally unlikely that they would subscribe to the lawthat 'if an ox gore a man or a woman that they die, then the ox shall surelybe stoned'.[15] We no longer feel it incumbent upon us to wear fringedgarments[16] or to refrain from rounding the corners of our beards[17] or toabstain from eating pork.[18]

[15] Exodus 21. 28.[16] Deuteronomy 22. 12; Numbers 15. 38; Deuteronomy 22. 12.[17] Leviticus 19. 27. and 21.5.[18] Leviticus 11. 7. For some reason, which he does no explain, CanonStafford Wright is irritated by this argument (op. cit., p. 119).


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A degree of intelligent eclecticism is demanded in our acceptance of much inthe Old Testament and the electic approach is consonant with the idea ofprogressive revelation. It is significant that the tone of the New Testamentdiffers markedly from the ferocity of the Old Testament. The woman taken inadultery was merely told to sin no more.[19] Peter was told in a vision that all

meats are clean.[20] 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth'[21] givesplace to foregiveness 'until seventy times seven'.[22] It is also relevant to ourdiscussion to note that Simon the sorcerer was rebuked by Peter, not forsorcery, but for the offence of simony to which he has given his name, whichis the attempt to buy spiritual gifts with money;[23] and it would seem thatthe damsel possessed with a spirit of divination who followed Paul about inPhilippi grieved Paul, not by her gift, but by following him about and being anuisance.[24]

[19] John 8. 3-11.[20] Acts 10. 9 et seq.; 11. 1-10.

[21] Matthew 5. 38; Exodus 21. 14; Leviticus 24. 20. Deuteronomy 19. 21.[22] Matthew 18. 22.[23] Acts 8. 9-24.[24] Acts 16. 16-18.

In the Old Testament itself, there are plenty of indications that psychic giftsare not to be condemned. The prophets, who had these gifts in greatmeasure, are held in great honour on account of them. Joseph not onlyinterpreted dreams, but used a cup for the purpose of divination.[25] Daniel,a 'man greatly beloved' by the Lord,[26] received visions, interpreted dreamsand (as we should say today) was credited with the possession of ESP of a

high order. So was Elisha, and by means of it he was able to warn the Kingof Israel of the movements of the army of the King of Syria.[27]

[25] Genesis 44. 1-5.[26] Daniel 10. 11.[27] 11 Kings 6. 8-12.

It is clearly impossible to extract from the Bible a condemnation ofeverything psychic. Probably nobody who has considered the matter wouldattempt to do so, for it would involve the condemnation of an innate qualitywhich, whether they enjoy it or not, some persons possess and whichperhaps is latent in all persons. Any such condemnation would include our

Lord himself within its ambit, for he exhibited ESP in a marked degree. Theattack presumably is confined to certain psychic practices. But, even whenthe attack is thus limited, it is difficult to sustain. Witchcraft (at least of theblack variety) is to be condemned, both because of the nature of itspractices and because it is frankly satanic. But a God-fearing modernmedium is not to be equated to the fraudulent medium condemned inDeuteronomy, chapter 18, nor with the sordid necromancer of those days.

And, since some persons are endowed with psychic gifts, they cannot be


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criticised when these gifts manifest themselves spontaneously, and theirowners can scarcely be condemned for using, or even developing, them.

But that is not to suggest that the Bible is to be ignored. One thing emergesclearly from an over-all reading of it, namely, that our God-given talents,

whatever they be, should be used to the glory of the God who has giventhem. To pervert them to other purposes may well be to fall within theLevitical condemnations. A good discretion is required, and wariness is to becommended. There are times when St John's warning is apposite:[28]'Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know yethe spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in theflesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is comein the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye haveheard that it should come: and even now already is it in the world.'

[28] 1 John 4. 1-3.

On a more practical plane, those who eschew all psychic practices oftenclaim that it renders its practitioners unstable and opens the door throughwhich undesirable forces may take possession of them. The claim isprobably exaggerated; but it is not without some substance. Most certainlythose who are not by nature of a stable equilibrium should avoid, so far asthey can, all contact with the psychic. This is not always easy, for a personmay well be both schizophrenic and also endowed with psychic gifts whichforce themselves to the surface. But certainly the unstable should try to keepthemselves free from psychic influences. The danger of possession is real,

though slight. It can occur, or, at least, it looks as though it does sometimesoccur. But when one has regard to the large number of practisingspiritualists who do their best to encourage psychic manifestations and whoexhibit no sign of being possessed (other than when actually in trance orsemi-trance), the danger is seen to be of no great proportion. When,however, it does occur, it can be devastating. It is, therefore, sound practicalpolicy to warn persons, especially the young, not to play about light-heartedly with the ouija-board or with anything else pertaining to the psychic.For the serious psychical researcher it is a calculated risk. As in other fieldsof exploration, it is a risk which is justified, and, as in many a field ofresearch, without risk no advance can be made. Apart from the intrinsicvalue of the study of the psychic for its own sake, it has its immediatepractical value. There are those who are worried by psychic manifestations,whether they be of apparitions or poltergeists or anything else, and whorequire to be reassured and helped. Reassurance and help can be givenonly by those who have made some study of the psychic, inadequate thoughat present their knowledge be. Exorcism can prove beneficial to the patient;but, like any other operation, it should not be attempted by those who havenot acquainted themselves, so far as possible, with the evil which they areseeking to remove, and this can be achieved only by a study of the subject.


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Another obvious danger, but one which is seldom mentioned, is the dangerof being frightened. Psychic manifestations can be alarming, and fright canbe very traumatic.

But the greatest danger of all, to my mind, is one which is never mentioned.It is a subtle one and it is a spiritual danger rather than a psychical orphysical one. It is the danger of triviality. It is the danger into which thosepersons fall who are constantly seeking communication with the departed.

Apart from the very doubtful nature of many of these allegedcommunications, and apart from the utter lack of value which so often theyexhibit, the danger lies in the recipient's resting content with these trivialitiesand ceasing to seek a deeper and real communion with God. That is thebasic danger. But it is one which overflows into other channels. It can lead toan abandonment of the search for truth by other more orthodox and morestrenuous and more profitable means, calling for a measure of self-

discipline. In can lead to a dangerous reliance on supposed and unsureguidance from beyond the grave in matters affecting this life, with aconsequent surrender of initiative in those mundane matters which arecommitted to our own care and judgement. It provides in fact a meretriciouseasy option, lulling its victims into a false feeling of security. The consequentmalaise can manifest itself in a number of different ways; but basically itstems from an often unavowed, but nevertheless real, displacing of Godfrom his proper position of centrality in our lives; and that is the true idolatry,rightly condemned in the Levitical scriptures. And, for all we know, activelypromoted by Satan as a subtle and powerful weapon wherewith to deflectsouls from God.

Let us now take a look at our balance-sheet. So far as the cause of religionis concerned, we can now see that the psychic provides entries on both thecredit and the debit side. It is in some respects an ally of religion. In otherrespects it can be inimical to religion. Our assessment of where the balancelies is of necessity a value-judgement. It must be clear by now that my ownassessment is that the psychic, properly regarded and properly approached,is a powerful ally to religion though no substitute for it. Whether thisassessment be right or wrong, the psychic is, for good or ill, a factor whichboth physics and religion must take into account. It must, therefore, bestudied. To say that it must be properly approached is not to differentiate it

from anything else which is potentially powerful. Fire and water can be verydangerous as well as very beneficial, and experiments with them should beconducted with circumspection. The same is true of investigations into thepsychic. It is not for dabblers, and the serious researcher should becircumspect. As a counsel of perfection, he should be God-fearing; but,whether or not he acknowledges the Creator, he should approach his taskwith that reverence for the wonders of Creation and for the truth whichinforms every true scientist whether he be theist, atheist or agnostic.


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'Magna est veritas et praevalebit.'

Church of England Investigates PSI

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