Observations placeholder
Stainton-Moses, William - Spirit Identity - A DEAD MAN WITH MEMORY UNIMPAIRED AND CHARACTER INTACT
Identifier
015626
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
From the last paragraphs we can see that Moses clearly believed he was communicating with the dead, and this was proof. But it is not proof.
We have two possibilities. Either the Reverend Moses used prior knowledge to create this [in which case the accusations of fraud would be justified] or he was fed it by one of the members of his circle – such as Dr Speer and Moses was the innocent party.
It is important to know that both Dr Speer and Moses would look up obituaries, daily newspapers, biographies or The Annual Register to research the history of deceased people. I suspect that one of the circle had found this case and communicated it to Moses via intercomposer communication.
If this is not the explanation, then Moses was a fraud and all the rest of the observations recorded for him are also likely to be fraudulent.
You may argue that maybe it was the dead man, but there is far more convincing evidence on this site that memory is stripped from the dead very early on and all that is left is the Highe spirit and perceptions - and these sorts of details all wonderfully ordered and precise are simply not given on perception recall. Furthermore no words are use.
A description of the experience
Spirit Identity – William Stainton Moses
About this same time of which we have been speaking, the whole of one of our seances, extending to nearly two hours, was taken up by the communication of a series of facts, names, dates and minute particulars, from a spirit who was apparently able to reply to the most searching questions.
The day of his birth, particulars as to his family history and details of his early life were given at my request. Then came a perfect autobiography, so far as salient facts were concerned and embracing some trivial particulars, which, however fell into their place in the most natural way. All questions were answered without the faintest hesitation, and with perfect clearness and precision. The particulars were taken down at the time and are in all respects, where verification is possible, exact and accurate.
Even if this case stood alone in my experience, it is more difficult for me to imagine that what was so laboriously and precisely given was the product of imposture, the fraud of a deceiving spirit, or the vagary of an errant brain, than to believe, as I assuredly do, that the intelligent operator was the man himself, with memory unimpaired and individuality undestroyed by the change which we call death.
Resting, as it does, on the same basis with other facts that I have detailed and with many that I have not, it presents one more link in the chain of evidence.