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Spiritualism Modern Anglo Saxon

Logo at the entrance to a spiritualist church in Edinburgh in 2009.
Within a Spiritualist Church in Scotland , in 2009. The medium officiates at the center during worship.
Component works in a library spiritualist London.

Spiritualism modern Anglo-Saxon is a movement religious monotheist. Founded on the belief in God , he stands by the belief in a possible communication with the dead. They can be contacted by private individuals or by media driven, in order to gather information about life after death.

Spiritualism modern Anglo-Saxon was first developed in the United States in the nineteenth century following the testimony of Fox Sisters. It reached its peak of popularity between 1840 and 1920, mainly in English speaking countries

In 1897, the U.S. and Europe accounted for more than eight million followers , mostly from the middle and upper social classes.

This religion flourished for half a century, no official creed and without any formal organization. She acquired an existence through publications, demonstration tours, seminars, and activity mediums homeless. Many eminent spiritualists were women. Most supporters defended such causes as the abolition of slavery and women's suffrage. This movement promoted the birth of Spiritualism in France in 1857. In the late 1880s, the credibility of this informal religion was weakened by accusations of fraud against mediums. At the same time institutions and organized spiritualists official appeared. Nowadays various Spiritualist Churches are permanently implanted under various denominations, the United States and United Kingdom.

Summary

Beliefs

Entrance to the building of the Spiritualist Association of Great Britain, London in 2009

The beliefs of modern spiritualism vary among different groups of followers, although they share the same beliefs about God and the afterlife.

Deism

Spiritualists believe in one God, close enough to the concept of God in Christianity. The first principle of the Spiritualists National Union (Spiritualists' National Union) is the "brotherhood of God."

Mediumship and Spirits

Spiritualists believe in communicating with the spirits of discarnate humans. They claim that mediums are people able to establish this communication. They believe that spirits are continually evolving towards perfection, by accessing the spheres or plans of ever higher. For them, ' Beyond a place is not fixed, but a universe in which the spirits rose. These two concepts (communication with spirits and the spirits can reside in higher worlds) lead to a third belief: the spirits can provide instruction about God and the afterlife. Thus the followers speak of "spirit guides" to mention the spirits responsible for this education.

Some Christians associate the Spiritualism Witchcraft. The poster accuses U.S. of 1865 also support the movement of Spiritualism abolistionniste and have caused the Civil War.

Differences between Modern Spiritualism and Spiritism

The spiritualism , is a branch of modern spiritualism developed by Allan Kardec and present in all Latin countries. Spiritualism emphasizes the moral progress of the reincarnation , it is codified in five books from the outset. Based on Arthur Conan Doyle , most British Spiritualists of the early twentieth century are not responding to the concept of reincarnation. Some considered it possible but many refuted it because not confirmed by the exchanges said they had with the spirits. Thus, according to Conan Doyle, Spiritualism Anglo-Saxon failing to support the principle of reincarnation by practical observations during the seance, he abandoned this idea .

Origins

Modern Spiritualism emerged in the USA in the 1840s in the Burned-Over District (New York) on the basis of ancient religious movements such as Mormonism and Seventh Day Adventists. In this region the common opinion readily admitted direct communication with God or angels, which was seen as a good, unable to send unbaptized infants in hell forever.

Swedenborg and Mesmer

The spectator interest intensified when mesmerists cause a trance. Painting by Swedish artist Richard Bergh, 1887.

In this context, the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) and the teachings of Franz Mesmer (1734-1815) encouraged those who sought ways to explore the beyond. Swedenborg, who claimed to communicate with spirits while remaining conscious, described the structure of the spiritual world. Two visions of things from Swendenborg interpellaient pioneers of Spiritualism. Firstly, there is no one single paradise and hell, but rather a multitude of levels, the more hellish than pardisiaque. Moreover, the spirits represent intermediaries between God and humanity, that is to say the messengers of the divine plan. Although Swedenborg discouraged contact with the spirits, his work seems to have led many others on this path.

Mesmer did not contribute to any religious belief but popularized a technique, which was later called hypnosis , can cause a trance that might render the subject susceptible to beings from another dimension. There was a large part of the show in demonstrations mesmerism and presenters of the nineteenth century who taught the subject as far clung to distract the public to demonstrate a method of communication with the divine.

The iconic figure who combined the best works of Swedenborg and Mesmer in a typical American synthesis was probably Andrew Jackson Davis. He called his system of thought "philosophy Harmonial. Davis practiced mesmerism for healing and the foresight to Poughkeepsie in upstate New York. His book of 1847: The Principles of Nature, Her Divine Revelations and a Voice to Mankind , was entirely dictated to a friend Davis, while the latter was in a state of trance. This book represents a kind of Bible reference for the spiritualist movement although its highly individualistic values exclude any single vision of the world.

The evolution of the movement

The Fox sisters.

The spiritualists generally see 31 March 1848 as date of birth of their movement. That day, the sisters Kate and Margaret Fox of Hydesville signalized series of strange shots and answering their questions. Their explanation was that he was the manifestation of the spirit of a deceased peddler. These unusual events occurred before witnesses. The practical meaning of American thrives because it was an observable phenomenon and the Fox sisters soon became an attraction. Amy and Isaac Post, who knew the Fox family for many years, greeted the two girls home in Rochester during the spring of 1848. Immediately convinced of the reality of events experienced by the sisters, they became their first followers and presented the young mediums to their friends Quakers. Thus many of the pioneers of modern Spiritualism belonged to the Quaker community and were already involved in religious reform movements of the nineteenth century. Women were particularly attracted to spiritualism, which gave them an important role as mediums. In fact, spiritualism offered for the first time in American women a platform on which they could apply to a mixed audience.

The demonstrator of trance states before the most famous Civil War was Cora LV Scott (1840-1923). Young and pretty, her performance on stage subjugated men. His audience was struck by the contrast between his frail appearance and eloquence girl on spiritual matters. This contrast supports the idea that spirits spoke through her. Cora married four times and each time took the name of her husband. During his most active period, it was known as Cora Hatch.

Another famous spiritualist was Achsa W. Sprague , who was born on 17 November 1827 in Plymouth, Vermont. At the age of twenty years they suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and attributed his healing to the intervention of spirits. This demonstrator was entering into a trance and became extremely popular. She traveled all the United States until his death in 1861. Sprague was an abolitionist and advocate of women's rights.

Another prominent spiritualist and a medium before the Civil War was Paschal Beverly Randolph (1825-1875), an African American who also took part in the abolitionist movement.

Enthusiasts and skeptics

Frank Podmore , ca. 1895.

In the years after the spiritualistic wave initiated by the Fox sisters, demonstrations of mediumship (turntable and automatic writing, for example) proved a very profitable venture. These demonstrations quickly became mass entertainment. The Fox sisters earned their living this way and others followed their example. Thus, spiritualism was transformed into a show at a fair. Manifestations attributed to the spirits were proliferating at the same time as the rivalry of the mediums to attract more paying spectators. The fraud became widespread and was unearthed by independent commissions, such as the Seybert Commission . In some cases, fraudsters were abusing people presenting themselves as spiritualists were tried before a court .

Harry Price , 1922.

The principal investigators who uncover fraud belonged to different environments. There were professional researchers such as Frank Podmore of the Society for Psychical Research , or Harry Price 's National Laboratory of Psychical Research. Others were artists as magicians John Nevil Maskelyne. Maskelyne revealed the tricks of the brothers Davenport bursting on stage in the middle of their show. In the 1920s, the famous magician Harry Houdini began a crusade against well-known mediums dishonest. Houdini never contrary to spiritualism as a religion, but attacking the crooks who used lies to get rich .

William Crookes. Photo published in 1904.

Despite such widespread fraud, the growing influence of Spiritualism. He drew particular those who suffered the death of a loved one. The most famous case is that of Mary Todd Lincoln who was mourning the loss of his son and who organized sessions at the turntables white house which involved her husband, President Abraham Lincoln. The casualties of the Civil War , while those of the First World War , sparked renewed interest in spiritualism Subsequently, the integration movement renovators who used messages supposedly coming from spirits to defend causes policies, such as equal rights. Other newcomers to the movement were initially materialists, opposed to any religious principle. Thus, Robert Owen , a socialist and an atheist influence adhered to spiritualist religion after attending mediumistic experiences. Many scientists who analyzed them these phenomena also declared themselves convinced by spiritualism. For example, the chemist and physicist William Crookes (1832-1919), biologist Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) , and Nobel Prize winner Charles Robert Richet. Another supporter was the journalist William Thomas Stead (1849-1912) , or even the famous writer Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). Demonstrations of the medium Eusapia Palladino became the subject of scientific studies, some conducted by Pierre and Marie Curie.

An influential religious and unstructured

From the U.S. , the movement spread rapidly throughout the world, although it took root at significantly UK. In England in the 1850s, the meetings in fashion over tea often included a turntable session, during which spirits were expressed by blows or movements of the table. This phenomenon attracted the attention of the French educator Allan Kardec (1804-1869), who was the first to synthesize the methods and ideas of the movement to extract a complete and coherent philosophical doctrine. Kardec The five books , written during the fifteen last years of his life, became the founding works of Spiritualism , which spread in Latin countries. The spiritualism defined by Kardec is practiced today by millions of people in Brazil . In Puerto Rico, Kardec's doctrine were widespread among the ruling classes and led to the birth of a movement known as the Mesa Blanca (The White Table).

Women's Chicago talk of Spiritualism in 1906.

Spiritualism deal essentially middle class and especially women. American spiritualists gathered in private homes for sances, in community halls for demonstrations at national conventions or at seminars that were gathered thousands of followers. The most popular of these seminars were Camp Etna "in Maine , "Onset Bay Grove" in Massachusetts , "Lily Dale" in western New York state, "Camp Chesterfield" in the Indiana , " Wonewoc Spiritualist Camp in Wisconsin , "Pleasant Lake" in Massachusetts. In allowing their supporters in camps, spiritualists regained a method originally developed by American Protestants in the early nineteenth century. Meeting these camps were primarily located in New England and California , although some settled through the central states. The town of Cassadaga in Florida , was and remains the main spiritual center of the southern states . A number of publications appeared spiritualists in the nineteenth century and played a large role in the unification movement. Among the most important were: The Banner of Light (Boston), The Religio-Philosophical Journal (Chicago), Mind and Matter (Philadelphia), The Spiritualist (London) and The Medium (London). Other influential periodical called themselves The Spiritist Magazine (France), Le Messager (Belgium), Annali dello Spiritismo (Italy), El Criterio Espiritista (Spain), and The Harbinger of Light (Australia). In 1880, there were sixty monthly publications throughout the world . These journals were not alike, just like the different currents of thought spiritualists. Some as the Spiritual Magazine (England) were a Christian orientation and conservative, they objected to so influential reformist currents within the Spiritualism. Others, like Human Nature, were openly supported the non-Christian and socialist theories. Still others, such as The Spiritualist, spiritualistic phenomena considered a scientific perspective, away from any theological or political debate . The movement was based on individual values, each person based on his belief the Beyond its own reading and personal experiences. Therefore, its organization as a religion took shape late and was also opposed by some mediums. However, most appreciated members to gather in Christian churches and especially in the parishes of the Universalist Church of America (Universalist Church of America). Gradually, the informal movement waned because of the bad publicity caused by fraud and also because of the growing influence of religious structures that channeled. Today, the Spiritualist Church (Spiritualist Church) is the main heir of this movement to the United States.

Other media

Eusapia Paladino Warsaw , 1893.

Florence Cook (1856-1904) was a medium London which was the first British to conduct a full materialization, that of "Katie King" in 1874.

William Stainton Moses (1839-1892) was a priest, an Anglican who, from 1872 to 1883, fills 24 notebooks of texts written by automatic writing. Most of these pages describe the conditions of existence in the spiritual world.

Emma Hardinge Britten (1823-1899), born in London, moved to the United States in 1855 and was active in spiritualist circles as a medium to deep trance. His book intitull Nineteenth Century Miracles: Spirits and Their Work in Every Country of the Earth assured his fame grows at the same as that of the movement.

Eusapia Palladino (1854-1918) was a medium of Italian poor suburb of Naples , who earned his living by performing on tour in Italy, France, Germany, England, United States, Russia and Poland. Many skeptics claimed that she was using tricks to simulate the alleged manifestations of spirits. Conversely, other observers attested to these psychic abilities. For example, the Polish psychologist Julian Ochorowicz , who installed Eusapia to Warsaw in 1893. He presented it to the writer Bolesaw Prus , who was the witness of sances and incorporated Spiritualist references in his work Faraon . Ochorowicz also studied, fifteen years later, the medium Polish Stanisawa Tomczyk .

After the 1920

After the 1920s, Spiritualism evolved in three directions which still exist today.

The syncretism (mixing doctrines)

The first branch of Spiritualism perpetuated the tradition of individual practices and took the form of small groups centered around a medium , without hierarchy or dogma defined. Currently many spiritual circles informal incorporate elements of Spiritualism. Followers share opinions varied about the nature of God or reincarnation. Some circles spiritual beliefs lean toward the New Age or neo-paganism , while others declare themselves "Christian Spiritualists" and supplement their traditional faith by experiments spiritualists.

The Spiritualist Church

The second part took the form of a structured organization, strongly tinged with Christianity , a creed and a liturgy and a specific supervised training of mediums . United States, Churches Spiritualists are mostly affiliated to the National Spiritualist Association of Churches, while in the United Kingdom they are grouped by the 'Spiritualists' National Union, founded in 1901. A spiritualist catechism began in 1920. It is taught today by the University Arthur Findlay Stansted Hall. Some differences of opinions have caused schisms in the Spiritualist Church. The most notable occurred in England in 1957 between those who consider Spiritualism as a religion attached to any other and those who perceive it as an extension of Christianity. The mode of operation of Spiritualism currently resembles that of all other religions and has abandoned any form of sensational. Mediums are trained to teach the mentally messages received from the spirits and not carried over to make materialization of spirits as the last century .

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The third part was oriented empirical research about the survival of the spirit after the death of the physical body. As early as 1882 with the founding of the Society for Psychical Research, "secular organizations undertook to objectively analyze the facts reported by the spiritualists. Today, researchers in this field avoid making reference to the spiritual and prefer to appear as scientific. They also differ from their bases of religions and belief in the afterlife on the observations of phenomena such as mediumship , the near-death experiences , the experience of travel outside the body , the electronic voice phenomena and research on the reincarnation. Many of them consider themselves the successors of the Spiritualist movement intellectuals .

See also

References


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