Friday 6 March 2009

Four Definitions of Spiritualism as a Religion



Emma Hardinge-Britten, probably the finest early advocate for Spiritualism, set down the following definitions in the 1870's and I feel they are as applicable today as they were then. I would only add that these days it is widely accepted by Spiritualists that the judgement in definition three, is carried out by ourselves after arrival in the spirit world and not by a third party.


1) Spiritualism proves by a set of obviously supernatural phenomena, that a world of invisible intelligence is communicating with us.

2) It demonstrates by an immense array of proven facts given all over the world, under circumstances that preclude the possibility of collusion or human contrivance, that the communicating intelligences are identical with the souls of mortals who once lived on earth.


3) It shows by universal agreement in the communications, that every living soul will be judged for the deeds done in the body and reaps the fruit of its good or evil life on earth, in happiness or suffering hereafter.

4) All the communicating spirits agree in declaring that the life succeeding mortal death is not a final state but one which manifests innumerable conditions of progress; and these four propositions I emphatically protest are ALL the spiritual facts we know to be absolutely proved, or upon which all the immense varieties of persons that make up the ranks of Spiritualism, can absolutely agree.

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