What is Spiritualism?

Spiritualism is not, as is commonly believed, a sinister cult meeting in darkened rooms to “call up the dead” but an officially recognised religious movement with its own churches who possess the same rights and privileges as other religions.

Spiritualism is in itself a religion in that it embodies the main ideas of all religions that there is a life after death, immortality and the existence of a God. The difference between Spiritualism and other religions is the ability through mediumship to prove that the Human Soul survives beyond physical death; that is to say certain people called mediums are able to communicate with those who have passed over, thus furnishing conclusive evidence of their continued existence in another world. Mediums cannot call up these people as one would a friend on the telephone – they come to us, but only when they are ready, willing and able to do so.

Who are these mediums? They are highly sensitive people who have developed their psychic power – which each one of us possesses to a greater or less degree. Some are born mediums; others take years to develop, while others, through ignorance or lack of opportunity of development are unable to exercise their gift.

Spiritualists recognise God as an Infinite Power embodied in all that is good and beautiful in our world, the greatest factor in the universe and the controlling force of all nature. We do not believe in a vindictive God sitting in judgement over us. We are our own judges here and now and we shall receive compensation or retribution for whatever we have done, whether good or bad. Heaven and hell are not places to which we are destined to go, but states of mind of our own creation.

Spiritualists are not anti-Christian any more than they are anti-Jewish, anti-Hindu or anti-Moslem. Spiritualism is a universal religion recognising such leaders as Buddha, Mohamed, Moses as well as Jesus. We do not, however, claim a monopoly of religion. One’s religion is a personal matter and any person adopting Spiritualism is free to interpret the principles according to their own awareness.

Another major difference between Spiritualism and the orthodox Christian religion is embodied in our fifth principle – Personal Responsibility. We do not accept that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. We hold that no one can do this but ourselves. We are given free will and the ability to distinguish between right and wrong and we alone are responsible for all our thoughts and actions.

What the church calls sin we regard as the violation of the divine laws made by God, which Paul interpreted when he wrote “whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap”. Man alone must atone for these “sins” and not shirk his responsibilities.

We do not automatically become spiritual when we leave this world. We shall in fact, retain our earthly characteristics while the opportunity will be given throughout eternity to make spiritual progress and so undo any wrongs we committed on earth, for both free will and personal responsibility will still be with us in the world to come.

Man is a spirit now within a mortal body. Death is but the parting of the ways – our body to decay but our spirit to live on in a new environment. The knowledge of a continuous spiritual existence gives motive and purpose to our physical existence.

We are living in a material scientific age in which orthodox religion has lost its impact. Any religion therefore which can successfully overcome this materialist influence must be scientific – and Spiritualism is just that. It has turned the pious hope of a hereafter into a scientific fact. The advent of the spirit of man into this world and in the course of time, his transition to another world is a scientific fact proved by mediumship.

Religion has been defined as faith without science – and science as faith without religion. Spiritualism embodies science, faith and religion, unfettered by dogma or creed.