Hypnotism and its Dangers
273
No One to Be Passive Instrument—It is not God’s purpose that
any human being should yield his mind and will to the control of
another, becoming a passive instrument in his hands.—
The Ministry
of Healing, 242
(1905).
Must Be Free From Human Enchantment—The mind cure
must be free from all human enchantment. It must not grovel to
humanity but soar aloft to the spiritual, taking hold of the eternal.—Lt
120, 1901. (.)
Explanatory Note on “Phrenology and Mesmerism”—“Good in
Their Place”: In 1862 Mrs. White published a lengthy article in the
Review and Herald entitled “Philosophy and Vain Deceit.” Repub-
lished in
Testimonies for the Church 1:290-302
, it aggregates thirteen
pages comprised of warning against deceptions and false miracles.
In that message she stated that certain sciences would be employed
by Satan to allure souls into the net that he has spread by means of
spiritistic phenomena.
It seems clear from the context itself and from the author’s article
“Science Falsely So Called” published in the
The Signs of the Times,
November 6, 1884
, that when she used the terms “phrenology,” “mes-
merism,” and “animal magnetism” in 1862 she did so in rather a loose
and all-inclusive way, as referring to those sciences which “pertain to
the human mind,” for so they were considered at that time.
The 1884 Signs statement is clearly built on the 1862 Review article
employing many of its sentences, but rewording some sentences and
using more precise terms. This is particularly so in those sentences of
the 1862 writing in which the words phrenology and mesmerism are
used.
In 1862 she wrote: “Phrenology and mesmerism are very much
exalted. They are good in their place, but they are seized upon by
Satan as his most powerful agents to deceive and destroy souls. His
arts and devices are received as from heaven, and faith in the detector,
the bible, is destroyed in the minds of thousands” (
Testimonies for the
Church 1:296
).
In 1884 she wrote: “The sciences which treat of the human mind
are very much exalted. They are good in their place, but they are seized
upon by Satan as his powerful agents to deceive and destroy souls.
His arts are accepted as from heaven, and he thus receives the worship
which suits him well” (
The Signs of the Times, November 6, 1884
).