Spiritualism Outlined and Explained

Q: Why hasn't the Modern Spiritualist Movement made a more powerful impact on the world?

A: But it has made a considerable impact or you wouldn't be asking this question. Perhaps the Spiritualist Movement has placed too much emphasis on trying to prove survival, instead of concentrating more on spreading the excellent spiritual teachings it has obtained from worlds of light beyond our Earth.

No medium can prove survival absolutely, he can only offer evidence of it - and there's a world of difference between these two claims. Mediums provide a service. They serve the world of the spirit and educate and comfort the witnesses here on Earth.

Q: Is Spiritualism a dangerous cult linked to the occult?

A: No. Spiritualism is a free-thinking belief system; it's a state recognised religion in Britain, registered at the Home Office and it has its own ordained ministers who perform marriages, funerals and naming services (the Spiritualist equivalent of a Christening).

It asks its adherents to believe nothing, but advocates that they test everything at the bar of their own common sense and intelligence. It has no creed, no dogmas, no special book or set of philosophies.

But it does have Seven Principles upon which it was founded. They were given to the world through the mediumship of Emma Hardinge-Britten, and people following Spiritualism (which many claim is also a science and a way of life, as well as a religion) broadly accept these as a basis for daily living. They are:

The Seven Principles of Spiritualism:

1. The Fatherhood of God.

2. The Brotherhood of Man.

3. The Communion of Spirits and the Ministry of Angels.

4. The Continuous Existence of the Human Soul .

5. Personal Responsibility.

6. Compensation and Retribution for all the Good
and Evil Deeds done on Earth.

7. Eternal Progress Open to every Human Soul.

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But some Spiritualists hotly disagree with the 'archaic' or 'dated' wording of some of these Principles; and many adherents will now only accept them as broad guidelines provided that they retain the right to interpret them freely.

But most Spiritualists agree that their 5th Principle, Personal Responsibility, might be the most important one. This teaches that man cannot blame anyone for his thoughts, actions or deeds, but himself. We must carry the burden of our mistakes and we must rectify them. Spiritualists do not accept that there is any 'vicarious atonement': no one can remove from a person what he or she has done; only the perpetrator can rectify his or her own 'wrong-doing.'

Spiritualists find this a morally sound concept because it speaks of a Divine Justice that cannot be cheated in any way: it is the Law of Cause and Effect in operation. A man reaps only what he has sown. If he plants a rose, a lettuce will not grow. If he shines forth Love, only Love will return to him; and this law also applies to the outpouring of the negative aspects of hatred, anger, intolerance and selfishness.

Q: What happens in a Spiritualist Church?

A: There's usually some music; hymn-singing or songs, a prayer (delivered spontaneously from the heart of the speaker), and sometimes there's a reading (given from any book on Earth from any faith, philosophy or teachings, or even from the reader's own thoughts). This is usually followed by a philosophical talk and then by a demonstration of clairvoyance: message relaying from the Next World.

Nearly all Churches also hold services where spiritual healing is administered to the sick through the laying-on of hands or through prayer. Churches usually advertise in local newspapers or you can get their addresses from your central library or from Internet search engines.

Q: My father was a Catholic and didn't believe in communicating with the 'dead'. Do you think he'll get in touch now that he has passed on?

A: It's up to him. If he still believes communication is wrong then he may not try. On the other hand - and this is the stronger possibility - because he now realises that he is still alive he'll probably make the effort. Incidentally, we cannot communicate with anything that is 'dead'. Mediums communicate with the living. Catholics pray to their saints; and who are these but mortal beings who have passed into eternity?

No religion possesses the monopoly on Spiritual Truth - each Faith has a small portion of Absolute Truth.

Christianity is not the only belief system: there are Buddhists, followers of Mohammed, Hindus, Jews, Humanists and many more - including the Spiritualists. There are many different religions in the world today and each one is just a stepping-stone on an eternal pathway towards the understanding of Spiritual Truth. There are hundreds of different pathways, but only One Goal - the realisation of God, the Great Spirit.

Q: So what exactly is a Spiritualist?

A: A Spiritualist is a person who accepts the Seven Principles of Spiritualism and tries to live his or her life in accordance with them; in the same way that a Christian is a person who accepts the tenets, creeds and dogmas associated with his Faith and tries to live his life accordingly.

But try not to get weighed down by unnecessary labels. Actions speak much louder than words.