Choose Your Life

Messages from Unbelievers

 

Initial messages asking for help

as well as susequent messages

describing the results.

 

 

 

These messages are mostly from spirits who come to Padgett asking him to help them from darkness. Most do not believe in Jesus or a God or a soul. Susequently some return to report the astounding changes they experienced.

 

 

18 December 1914: Prof Joseph Salyards: 

(former teacher and friend from univ, died 1913):

 

I am here to tell you of some of my experiences in spirit life ...  I was, as you may know, not a very spiritual man when on earth, but thought that man only needed a great intellect in order to enjoy the great blessings of the spirit life. ... but I had no idea that something more than mere intellectual acquirements were needed in order to enjoy the happiness which God had provided for his children ...

 

Well, after I ascended to the spirit life I found that my intellectual and moral qualifications did not make me very happy ... I soon commenced to see that I had something more to acquire than mere knowledge of spiritual laws and things that appealed to the intellect ....

 

Your mother by her beauty of form and countenance and great Love first caused me to realize that I was not spiritually enlightened  ... I was soon convinced that while my mind was superior to hers in that I had a greater extent of knowledge and superior endowments of things purely intellectual yet what she possessed was far more necessary to my true happiness ....Soon she explained to me that only the Love of God existing in the soul was the true secret. 

 

I began to study these things and have advanced very much. I am now in the Third Sphere with your wife and father ... My true happiness is with possession and knowledge that I have the love of God in my soul.

 

Yes I am really Prof. Salyards who is writing and you must believe me.

 

Your old professor and friend,

JOSEPH SALYARDS 

 

 

 

16 December 1914: Albert Riddle: Former law partner; very dogmatic in his views, believed he could redeem himself. Padgett tells him otherwise.

 

I am here, your old partner:

 

We have no physical bodies but our spiritual bodies are very much like those we had on earth. You must know however that we are all affected to a greater or lesser degree by the condition of our soul development. 

 

My ideas are not very much changed as I still think that I am a man who must depend upon himself for his advancement and that God is a way off somewhere in the heavens and not much interested in my welfare. But your father is in another plane and I commence to wonder why .... I feel that there must be something more ...

 

I hear what your mother tells me but somehow I do not quite catch the import of her teachings ... but as I see the wonderful change in your wife and father I cannot but think that there must be something more than my own efforts at elevating myself is necessary ... So I am thinking deeply on the subject. ... it makes me think that there is something ... beyond what I have ever thought of.

 

... so if you can help me in any way please do so for I do not want to remain in this state ... some spirits have told me that they were benefited by you and hence I say, if you can help me do so.

 

I have had a spirit come to me who said he was Jesus but I did not believe him even though he was of a most exceeding brightness and loveliness. ... until I can see that he is the true Jesus I do not care to listen to him ...

 

I am not very happy as I have told you, 

 

I find that you can sense my thoughts and write them as you are now doing, ... You are writing what I really express to you. ...

 

Memory is not separate or distinct from the brain. It is merely that portion which keeps in full existence knowledge or experiences already gained. ...

 

I am engaged in studying the laws of spiritual life and its connection with the earth life. ...

 

My mind is just the same and my ideas of life are nearly the same except that I see that material things are not of very much importance to a man even when he is on earth. ...

 

Yes, sometimes he is in the third sphere and is a very happy spirit ... Yes, I see Mrs. Riddle and Bert very often. They are not very happy ... they do not realize that they are altogether in the spirit

... No, I cannot help them for I do not believe in such things as I told you.

 

I will try to do as you say, but it will be hard for me to believe that prayer is anything more than the mere expression of a desire and reaches no higher than a man's own mind and wishes.

 

I will do as you suggest ... I will try even though my doubts are now mountains high. I will pray with you tonight and try to believe with all my mind and soul.

 

Yes, your father is very different in his appearance and ... I now see that it must have been caused by some other powers of influence and I want it too, if it is for me.

 

... I was not given to spiritual things on earth, but I did not see the necessity of being so, for I thought that when I died I would not need anything but my own help to live a life of comparative happiness. ... I will pray and ask God to give me faith to believe. ....

 

Your one-time friend,

A. G. RIDDLE

 

 

 

27 December 1914: Albert Riddle: Tells of the results since two weeks before.

 

I am here, your old partner and friend.

 

I want to tell you of my present spiritual condition, which is somewhat changed ...

 

You told me that while I was a man of considerable intellectual attainment that fact would never take me to the sphere where love and happiness existed in their greatest degree, and that the only way to obtain that love and happiness was through prayer to God, and faith in his power to give them to me.

 

I have tried to pray with all my heart, and have felt the result of that prayer and of your prayers ... I am not yet in a condition of faith that enables me to fully understand ... but as I see so many evidences of the result of prayer ... I cannot but believe that there must be some great power in operation which answers prayer, and who if not God.

 

I am comparatively happy and realize that I am a spirit wholly of the spirit world, ...

 

You seem to be changed also since I first wrote to you, and your mother tells me that it is because you have more of God's love in your heart ...

 

... I believe that what you tell me is the truth, but I cannot understand it all, and hence my faith is not very strong. ....

 

You are very close to Jesus as I am informed, and he certainly is a wonderful spirit - the brightest and most lovely that I have ever seen in the spirit world. He tells me of the way to the Father as he calls God and I listen to him and try to believe what he tells me, but somehow I have my doubts and he turns away as if in great pity and love. ....

 

You seem to help me more, for you are somehow closer to me ... but until I do have this faith and love I cannot realize that he [Jesus] is a very great teacher. I mean that I cannot believe what he tells me so easily as what you tell me.

 

 ... now I will pray with more belief that it is not necessary for me to understand the process of obtaining this love, but that it is mine if only I believe that it is.   ...

 

Yes. I see the Professor quite often and he is progressing very wonderfully in his spiritual growth, ... 

I am as ever your own true friend and partner,

 

A. G. RIDDLE 

 

 

 

20 January 1915: Albert Riddle: Tells of receiving the DL and moving to the 3rd Sphere.

 

I am here, your old friend G. R. - Yes it is I, 

 

Well, as you know, when I first commenced to write to you, I did not exactly believe in a God or Jesus or his teachings.

 

... I was not in a very receptive condition of mind to enable me to believe that what you told me had any foundation in fact or in truth. ....

 

Well, as you continued to tell me that I was mistaken, ... I began to think about the matter. ...

 

And, when I learned that prayer was the only way to this Love, ... I commenced to pray also; but I must confess that my prayers were not accompanied with much faith. But I continued to pray, ...

and one day your grandmother came to me and ... assured me that if I would only try to believe, and pray to God to help me believe, He would answer my prayers; and I would soon find that with my earnest efforts, faith would come to me, and with faith would come this Love into my heart, and with this Love would come happiness and joy.

 

So I listened to her, and ... I continued to pray, and one day I met Jesus,... Jesus was so very beautiful and loving that I could not resist the influence which came over me; and then my faith increased, and I prayed with all my heart and soul.

 

At last, light came to me, and with it, such an inflowing of Love as I never dreamed could exist, either in the earth or in the spirit world. But it came to me and I felt such happiness as I never experienced before. ...

 

Oh, Padgett, I tell you that in all the wide universe of God there is nothing to compare to this Love of the Father. Let me say, that in all my life, when only my intellect ruled me, there was nothing to compare with that which came to me with this inflowing of the Love.

I am now in the third sphere with many beautiful and happy spirits. Your mother and wife are higher up, .... Your father has progressed too, and so has Professor Salyards.

 

Well, my soul is one now that is filled with this Love. ... I tell you that while knowledge of all God's laws and nature's mysteries is desirable, yet a knowledge of this Love of God is far and above compare - and not only more necessary but more desirable. ... the man who has all the knowledge and wisdom without this Love is poor indeed.

 

Jesus is the most wonderful of all the spirits in both Love and the knowledge ... So you must listen to him and believe.

 

... and no one who sees him, if he has any of this Love in his soul, can fail to know that he is the true Jesus of the Bible; it seems that spirits who have not this Love do not realize who Jesus is, or how wonderful and glorious he is. 

 

You must not think that you must wait until you come to the spirit world to get this Great Love, ... If I had only become conscious of this Love when on earth, I would have been saved many hours of suffering and unhappiness after I became a spirit. 

 

Your old friend,

G. R. (ALBERT G. RIDDLE)

 

 

 

20 February 1915: Riddle: Has moved to 3rd Sphere

 

I am here, your old partner: I am very happy tonight ..

 

I am now so very happy in my new sphere that I cannot explain to you what that happiness means. I cannot express myself in language sufficiently strong and descriptive that you may comprehend. 

 

I am in the third sphere but I am not contented to remain there for your mother has told me on many occasions of the far greater happiness existing in the higher spheres. ...

 

I am also happy because I have my soulmate with me so very often ...

 

Your grandmother's very presence inspires me to believe and seek for the happiness of these higher spheres.

 

Well as you want me to tell you of some of the laws of the spirit world I will say that the one great law is that God is Love and that He is willing to bestow that love on anyone spirit or mortal who asks Him for it. I find that my mind is expanding to a great extent by reason of the love that I possess. No man or spirit can possibly be filled with this love and not have the wisdom that necessarily comes with the love. 

 

I am not yet fully conversant with the laws of communication but I know enough to be able to say that every spirit is trying to communicate with their friends on earth and they are not able because the mortals are not in that condition of psychical rapport that will enable them to receive the communications of the spirits. 

 

But this I do know, that when the rapport exists the communications become stronger with the exercise of the powers. ... So you must believe that I am writing to you and that all the others of your band are doing the same thing.

 

When I last wrote I had commenced to have faith in the Father and had received some portion of His Love. Well, since then as I prayed my faith increased and as my faith increased more of this love came into my soul and with it an increased happiness.

 

I am now very far advanced over what I was when you first commenced to talk to me of this love and I shall, through all eternity, remember and thank you for what you did for me.

 

So when I had received enough of the spiritual awakening to realize who Jesus was I gave him my close attention .. I commenced to grasp the truth and believe that my salvation depended on my receiving this great love. I tell you that Jesus is the most wonderful of spirits that I have seen or heard about. 

 

So you see I am not only a believer in God and Jesus but also in the doctrine that men cannot save themselves. I thought that man was sufficient unto himself when I was on earth but now I know that he is not. 

 

So with all my love and blessing, I am your old partner,

A. G. RIDDLE 

 

 

 

12 January 1915: George W harvey: Former friend asks for Padgett's help. Then Helen acts as go-between with two other friends

 

I am here, George W. Harvey:

 

I lived in Washington, and kept a restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue and Tenth Street. I am in the spirit world and in the earth plane and in hell also, I am not happy for I am in darkness and despair.

 

Yes, I did, but that did not keep me from hell, the priests mislead me, and they are here too damn them - can you help me any, if you can do so. Yes I remember Taggart, but he is here too - and can't help himself, for I see him sometimes, and he tells that he is in a condition of suffering too. No, but he is not in condition to help me, even if I do see him.

 

You must help me if you can. I don't know but I want help from someone. I know they say so, but I don't believe them, for they can't help themselves. No I don't know them. I will see him at once and ask him, and tell him that I want to know. So good-night.

 

Your friend,

GEORGE W. HARVEY 

 

 

 

12 January 1915: Helen: Helen writes as go-between with Harvey, Taggart and Padgett.

 

I am here, Helen:

 

Yes he [Harvey] said that he knew you on earth and wanted you to help him. I see that he has gone to seek Mr. Taggart, but I don't think that he will be much helped. ... Well, I will go and see if I can find them, and make them come here, and write you what I hear.

 

They are here:

 

Mr. Taggart tells Mr. Harvey that you told him that the way to get out of this condition of darkness and unhappiness is to pray to God, for His Love to enter into their hearts, and believe that it will, [and] be willing to have it come ... but that he has not yet been able to believe. But Mr. Harvey says, that when he was on earth, he was a strict Catholic and that he often prayed and attended to his duties, and even left some money for the priests to pray him out of purgatory, but their prayers have not helped him, and he does not believe that there is any God to whom a person can pray and from whom he can get relief - so that when you talked that way to Taggart, you were merely trying to mislead him as the priests did him.

 

But Mr. Taggart says: George you are wrong there, for our friend ... prays with us and for us and seems to believe with all his heart that there is a God and that he will answer prayer. So I am not so certain that there is not a God and one who answers prayers, I am going to try to pray and believe myself and I advise you to do likewise.

 

Mr. Harvey says:

 

Taggart it is all nonsense, and if that is the only way we can get out of this condition, we never will be any better than we now are - so you need not tell me of God and prayer.

 

Mr. Taggart says:

 

George, I have seen the effect of this prayer on some spirits and I know that they have been made more beautiful and happy, and even Mackay .. sees light ahead and has felt some strange influences come into his heart as he said a prayer. Now what is the use in your being pig-headed and say that there is no God, when you don't know anything about it. ... there must be something in this belief or I would not see so many happy spirits around us. Be a man who can keep his mind open ... Let us not become hardheaded in this matter. As you were so easy to believe on earth what your priests told you ... why can't you try to believe a little [here]? I am going to try my best to believe.

 

Mr. Harvey, says:

 

Taggart, what is the use of being fooled twice, once is enough for me. Priests are here with me and suffering more than I am, and when I ask them ... they say: "To hell with prayer." Now how am I to believe anything that is told me about prayer or God?

 

Mr. Taggart says:

 

George, ... listen to me for a moment. When I came over, I was in great darkness and despair, and believed that there was no possible help for me .. but one day I was called to meet our friend and I found that Mackay was there also, ... and I told our friend that I was anything but happy; and he said believe in God's Love and you will soon be, and I said, who is God and what is His Love; and then he explained to Mackay what that love is, and I heard it all; and then I told him that God was a myth and prayer was nothing but the wish of a man and went no higher than his mind.

 

But... we had an argument right then and there, .. it made me think and wonder if I could be wrong and he right; and before I left him, not only Mackay, but myself promised that we would try an experiment .. and we have been doing it many times since, and while I am not yet convinced that there is a God, or that prayer to Him will take us out of our awful conditions, yet I have felt many strange sensations, and at times, some little feeling of happiness; so, I would be a fool not to try and get this relief, if I possibly can. And George, if you are willing to make the effort with us we will be glad to have you come. Of course you need not believe if you don't want to, but just come and join with us in our experiment and you will soon realize that there is something operating that you cannot account for. Mackay is now feeling very much happier and improve in his appearance, and I attribute it to trying the experiment I told you of. ....

 

Mr. Harvey said:

 

Taggart, you were a pretty level-headed man when on earth, and what you say impresses me; but you will have to show me what you mean by this experiment. ...

 

Mr. Taggart says:

 

George, it is a very simple thing. .. our friend said that if you will say to God, if there be one, that you will that this love shall come into your heart and that this belief shall come into your mind, and repeat this with all earnestness and will, you will find that after a little while, this belief will come to you, and this love will come. So Mackay and I, believing that our friend would not intentionally deceive us, promised to say these things, ... and I must confess to you that some strange change or sensation has come to me. .. So you see, George, if it does no good, it can do no harm, 

 

Mr. Harvey says:

 

Well Taggart, there may be something in what you say and I am willing to go with you; .. So let me hear again what I am to say and I will commence.

 

Then Mr. Taggart repeated the prayer and they left.

 

You are too wonderful in your way of getting the attention of spirits who are in darkness to turn their thoughts to things that may help them. And I am so glad that you are helping these spirits, 

 

So goodnight, my own darling Ned.

HELEN 

 

 

 

17 June 1915: Joe Shellington: A friend of Padgett's, was helped out of darkness by Helen.  

 

I am here, Joe Shellington:

 

Well, I am glad to let you know that I am in the land of the living. I have waited a long time to write to you.

 

I am in a state of semi-darkness and am suffering somewhat from the recollections of my life on earth, but thanks to your wife, I am commencing to see the light and to learn the way out of my sufferings.

 

When I found myself dying, I thought that I was going to sleep and when my spirit was separated from my body, I hovered around for a long time. But after waiting a long time I, at last, came to the conclusion that I was a dead one.

 

My mother told me that I must now think of the things that belong to the spirit world. But I was compelled to give my thoughts to my wife and daughter. I was with them nearly all the time for many long days, and tried to speak to them. I know now that they did not know that I was present and did not hear my voice. I never fully realized what my position was until long months after I died.

 

So one time in my wanderings I entered the circle of the medium where you heard me talk to you. But you never told my wife that I had talked to you. But, old friend, do not fail to let her know that I have written to you tonight.

 

After I realized that I was a spirit, I found myself in a dark atmosphere surrounded by dark spirits who were like myself.

 

I was not happy and I suffered very much from my recollections of my earth life, and had no fixed home. All spirits in a condition like mine have to roam about with no place that they can call home. I rather expected to find myself in hell, as I was not a Christian. But I have not seen that hell, and I do not believe that there is any such place. Yet the sufferings which we all have creates a hell enough for any spirit who wants such a hell.

 

Well, I am now learning to pray to God and to believe in His Love. So I am seeking that Love, and I believe that I will soon get enough of it to get out of my present condition.

 

So with my kindest regards and many thanks, I am

 

Your old friend,

JOE SHELLINGTON