Spiritualism 200732 225636102 2008-07-14T17:46:24Z 77.241.43.16 {{otheruses4|the religion|other uses of spiritualism|Spiritualism (disambiguation)}} [[Image:Spirit rappings coverpage to sheet music 1853.jpg|thumb|200px|By 1853, when the popular song ''Spirit Rappings'' was published, Spiritualism was an object of intense curiosity.]] '''Spiritualism''' is a [[religion]] that began in the [[United States]] and flourished from the 1840s to the 1920s—especially in [[English language|English]]-language countries.<ref name=Braude>{{cite book | last = Braude | first = Ann Braude | year = 2001 | title = Radical Spirits: Spiritualism and Women's Rights in Nineteenth-Century America, Second Edition | publisher = Indiana University Press | ISBN = 0-25321-502-1 | quote = | pages = 296}} </ref><ref name="Britten">{{cite book | last = Britten| first = Emma Hardinge| authorlink = Emma Hardinge Britten| title = Nineteenth Century Miracles: Spirits and their Work in Every Country of the Earth | publisher = New York: William Britten | date = 1884 | isbn = 0766162907 }}</ref> By 1897, it is said to have had more than eight million followers in the United States and [[Europe]],<ref name="NYT">{{cite journal | last = Times | first = New York | year = 29/11/1897 | title = THREE FORMS OF THOUGHT; M.M. Mangassarian Addresses the Society for Ethical Culture at Carnegie Music Hall. | publisher = The New York Times | pages = 200 }}</ref> mostly drawn from the [[middle class|middle]] and [[upper class]]es. Spiritualism is [[theism|theistic]], believing in [[God]], but the distinguishing feature is belief that [[spirit]]s of the dead can be contacted by "[[medium (spirituality)|medium]]s" and provide information about the [[afterlife]].<ref name="Carroll">{{cite book | last = Carroll | first = Bret E. | year = 1997 | title = Spiritualism in Antebellum America. (Religion in North America.) | publisher = Bloomington: Indiana University Press | ISBN = 0-25333-315-6 | quote = | pages = 248}}</ref> Developing for a half century without canonical texts or formal organization, the religion attained cohesion by periodicals, tours by trance lecturers, camp meetings, and missionary activities of accomplished mediums. Many of the most prominent Spiritualists were women, and most adherents supported radical causes like abolition and women's suffrage. By the late 1880s credibility of the movement weakened, due to accusations of fraud, and formal organization began to appear.<ref name="Braude" /> Spiritualism still exists, primarily through the [[Spiritualist Church]] in the United States and [[United Kingdom]]. ==Beliefs== The beliefs of Spiritualism vary among groups though they share certain beliefs. ===Theism=== Most Spiritualists believe in a [[monotheistic]], [[omnibenevolent]] [[God]], akin to [[Christianity]]. The [[Spiritualists' National Union]]'s first principle is "the fatherhood of God". ===Mediumship and Spirits=== Spiritualists believe in communicating with the spirits of discarnate humans. They believe that [[mediumship|spirit mediums]] are humans gifted to do this. They believe that spirits are capable of growth and perfection, progressing through higher spheres or planes. The [[afterlife]] is not a static place, but one in which spirits evolve. The two beliefs - that contact with spirits is possible, and that spirits may lie on a higher plane - lead to a third belief, that spirits can provide knowledge about moral and ethical issues, as well as about [[God]] and the [[afterlife]]. Thus many members speak of ''[[spirit guides]]'' &mdash; specific spirits, often contacted,relied upon for worldly and spiritual guidance.<ref name="Carroll" /><ref name="Braude" /> [[Image:Broadsheet equating spiritualism with witchcraft.jpg|thumb|250px|Spiritualism was equated by some [[Christian]]s with [[witchcraft]]. This [[United States]] 1865 [[broadsheet]] also condemned spiritualism's links to [[abolitionism]] and blamed it for causing the [[U.S. Civil War|Civil War]].]] ===Compared with other religions=== As spiritualism emerged in a Christian environment it has features in common with [[Christianity]], ranging from an essentially Christian moral system to [[liturgical]] practices such as Sunday services and the singing of hymns. Nevertheless, on significant points Christianity and Spiritualism are different. Spiritualists do not believe that the acts of this life lead to the assignment of each soul into [[Heaven]] or [[Hell]]; they view the afterlife as containing hierarchical "spheres," through which each spirit can progress. Spiritualists differ from Christians in that the Judeo-Christian [[Bible]] is not the primary source from which they derive knowledge of God and the afterlife: for them, their personal contacts with spirits provide that.<ref name="Carroll" /><ref name="Braude" /> [[Animist]] faiths, with a tradition of [[shamanism]] and spirit contact, are similar to Spiritualism, and in the first decades of the movement many mediums claimed contact with [[indigenous peoples of North America|Native American]] [[spirit guide]]s, in apparent acknowledgment of these similarities. Unlike animists, however, spiritualists speak of the spirits of dead humans and do not espouse a belief in spirits of trees, springs, or other natural features. Within [[Islam]], certain traditions, notably [[Sufism]], consider communication with spirits possible.<ref>Noor Muhammad Kalachvi 1999: Irfan</ref> Additionally, the concept of [[Tawassul]] recognises the existence of good spirits on a higher plane of existence closer to God, and thus able to intercede on behalf of humanity. [[Hinduism]], though heterogeneous , shares with spiritualism the existence of the soul after death. But Hindus differ in that they believe in [[reincarnation]] and hold that all features of a person's personality are extinguished at death. Spiritualists maintain that the spirit retains the personality it possessed during human existence. [[Spiritism]], the branch of Spiritualism developed by [[Allan Kardec]] and found in mostly Latin countries, has emphasised reincarnation. According to [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], most British Spiritualists of the early 20th century were indifferent to the doctrine of reincarnation, few supported it, while a significant minority were opposed, since it had never been mentioned by spirits contacted in séances. Thus, according to Doyle, it is the empirical bent of Anglophone Spiritualism — its effort to develop religious views from observation of phenomena — that kept spiritualists of this period from embracing reincarnation.<ref name="DoyleVol2">{{cite book | last = Doyle| first = Arthur Conan| authorlink = Arthur Conan Doyle | title = The History of Spiritualism, volume 2 |location=New York| publisher = G.H. Doran | date = 1926 | url= http://www.classic-literature.co.uk/scottish-authors/arthur-conan-doyle/the-history-of-spiritualism-vol-ii |isbn=1-4101-0243-2}}</ref> Spiritualism also differs from [[occult]] movements, such as the [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]] or the contemporary [[Wiccan]] covens, in that spirits are not contacted to obtain magical powers (with the exception of power for healing). For example, [[Madame Blavatsky]] (1831–91) of the [[Theosophical Society]] only practiced mediumship to contact powerful spirits capable of conferring [[esoteric knowledge]]. Blavatsky did not believe these spirits were deceased humans, and held beliefs in reincarnation different from the views of most spiritualists.<ref name="Braude" /> ==Origins== Spiritualism first appeared in the 1840s in the "[[Burned-over District]]" of [[upstate New York]], where earlier religious movements such as [[Millerism]] (Seventh-Day Adventism) and [[Mormonism]] had emerged during the [[Second Great Awakening]]. This region of New York State was an environment in which many thought direct communication with [[God]] or [[angel]]s was possible, and that God would not behave harshly — for example, that God would not condemn [[baptism|unbaptised]] infants to an eternity in [[Hell]].<ref name="Carroll" /> ===Swedenborg and Mesmer=== [[Image:Hypnotisk seans av Richard Bergh 1887.jpg|thumb|right|200 px|The onlookers' excitement is palpable as the [[Mesmerist]] induces a [[trance]]. Painting by Swedish artist Richard Bergh, 1887.]] [[Image:Emanuel Swedenborg full portrait.jpg|thumb|left|100px|[[Emanuel Swedenborg]].]] [[Image:Franz Anton Mesmer.jpg|thumb|left|80px|[[Franz Mesmer]].]] In this environment, the writings of [[Emanuel Swedenborg]] (1688-1772) and the teachings of [[Franz Mesmer]] (1734-1815) provided an example for those seeking direct personal knowledge of the [[afterlife]]. Swedenborg, who claimed to communicate with spirits while awake, described the structure of the spirit world. Two features of his view particularly resonated with the early spiritualists: first, that there is not a single hell and a single [[heaven]], but rather a series of higher and lower heavens and hells; second, that spirits are intermediates between God and humans, so that the Divine sometimes uses them as a means of communication.<ref name="Carroll" /> Although Swedenborg warned against seeking out spirit contact, his works seem to have inspired in others the desire to do so. Mesmer did not contribute religious beliefs, but he brought a technique, later known as [[hypnotism]], that it was claimed could induce trances and cause subjects to report contact with supernatural beings. There was a great deal of professional showmanship inherent to demonstrations of [[Animal magnetism|Mesmerism]], and the practitioners who lectured in mid-19th-century North America sought to entertain their audiences as well as to demonstrate methods for personal contact with the Divine.<ref name="Carroll" /> Perhaps the best known of those who combined Swedenborg and Mesmer in a peculiarly North American synthesis was [[Andrew Jackson Davis]], who called his system the ''Harmonial Philosophy''. Davis was a practicing [[Mesmerist]], [[faith healing|faith healer]] and [[clairvoyance|clairvoyant]] from [[Poughkeepsie, New York]]. His 1847 book, ''The Principles of Nature, Her Divine Revelations, and a Voice to Mankind'',<ref>[http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=moa&idno=ACA6166.0001.001&view=toc ''The Principles of Nature, Her Divine Revelations, and a Voice to Mankind''], Andrew Jackson Davis, 1847.</ref> dictated to a friend while in a trance state, eventually became the nearest thing to a canonical work in a Spiritualist movement whose extreme [[individualism]] precluded the development of a single coherent worldview.<ref name="Carroll" /><ref name="Braude" /> ===Reform-movement links=== [[Image:Fox sisters.jpeg|thumb|150px|The [[Fox sisters]].]] Spiritualists often set [[March 31]], [[1848]], as the beginning of their movement. On that date, [[Fox sisters|Kate and Margaret Fox]], of [[Arcadia, New York|Hydesville, New York]], reported that they had made contact with the spirit of a murdered peddler. What made this an extraordinary event was that the spirit communicated through rapping noises, audible to onlookers. The evidence of the senses appealed to practically minded Americans, and the Fox sisters became a sensation.<ref name="Carroll" /><ref name="Braude" /> [[Amy and Isaac Post]], [[Elias Hicks|Hicksite Quakers]] from [[Rochester, New York]], had long been acquainted with the Fox family, and took the two girls into their home in the late spring of 1848. Immediately convinced of the genuineness of the sisters' communications, they became early converts and introduced the young mediums to their circle of radical [[Quaker]] friends. It therefore came about that many of the early participants in Spiritualism were radical Quakers and others involved in the [[Reform movement|reforming movement]] of the mid-nineteenth century. These reformers were uncomfortable with established churches, because they did little to fight [[slavery]] and even less to advance the cause of [[women's rights]].<ref name="Braude" /> Women were particularly attracted to the movement, because it gave them important roles as [[Medium (spirituality)|mediums]] and [[trance]] [[lecturer]]s. In fact, Spiritualism provided one of the first forums in which U.S. women could address mixed public audiences.<ref name="Braude" /> [[Image:CoraLVHatch.jpg|thumb|left|85px|[[Cora L. V. Scott]].]] The most popular trance lecturer prior to the [[U.S. Civil War]] was [[Cora L. V. Scott]] (1840–1923). Young and beautiful, her appearance on stage fascinated men. Her audiences were struck by the contrast between her physical girlishness and the eloquence with which she spoke of spiritual matters, and found in that contrast support for the notion that spirits were speaking through her. Cora married four times, and on each occasion adopted her husband's last name. During her period of greatest activity, she was known as Cora Hatch.<ref name="Braude" /> [[Image:Randolph-1.jpg|thumb|right|85px|[[Paschal Beverly Randolph]].]] Another famous woman spiritualist was [[Achsa W. Sprague]], who was born [[November 17]], [[1827]], in [[Plymouth Notch|Plymouth Notch, Vermont]]. At the age of 20, she became ill with [[rheumatic fever]] and credited her eventual recovery to intercession by spirits. An extremely popular trance lecturer, she traveled about the United States until her death in 1861. Sprague was an [[abolitionist]] and an advocate of [[women's rights]].<ref name="Braude" /> Yet another prominent spiritualist and trance medium prior to the [[U.S. Civil War|Civil War]] was [[Paschal Beverly Randolph]] (1825&ndash;75), an [[African-American]] "Free Man of Color," who also played a part in the [[abolitionism|Abolition]] movement.<ref name="Deveney">{{cite book | last = Deveney | first = John Patrick | year = 1997 | title = Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician | publisher = Sunny Press | ISBN = 0791431193}}</ref> Nevertheless, many abolitionists and reformers held themselves aloof from the movement; among the skeptics was the eloquent ex-slave, [[Frederick Douglass]].<ref name="PBS">''Telegrams from the Dead'' (a [[PBS]] television [[documentary film|documentary]] in the "[[American Experience]]" series, first aired [[October 19]], [[1994]]).</ref> ===Believers and skeptics=== [[Image:Frank Podmore.jpg|thumb|right|85px|[[Frank Podmore]], ca. 1895.]] In the years following the sensation that greeted the Fox sisters, demonstrations of mediumship ([[séance]]s and [[automatic writing]], for example) proved to be a profitable venture, and soon became popular forms of entertainment and spiritual catharsis. The Foxes were to earn a living this way and others would follow their lead.<ref name="Carroll" /><ref name="Braude" /> Showmanship became an increasingly important part of Spiritualism, and the visible, audible, and tangible evidence of spirits escalated as mediums competed for paying audiences. Fraud was certainly widespread, as independent investigating commissions repeatedly established, most notably the 1887 report of the [[Seybert Commission]].<ref>[http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/11950 ''Preliminary Report of the Commission Appointed by the University of Pennsylvania''], The Seybert Commission, 1887. 2004-04-01.</ref> In a few cases, fraud practiced under the guise of Spiritualism was prosecuted in the courts.<ref>Williams, Montagu Stephen. 1891. ''Later Leaves: Being the Further Reminiscences of Montagu Williams.'' Macmillan. [http://books.google.com/books?id=xTILAAAAYAAJ&printsec=titlepage#PPA91,M1 See chapter 8.] </ref> [[Image:Harry price by william hope.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Harry Price]], 1922.]] Prominent investigators who exposed cases of fraud came from a variety of backgrounds, including professional researchers such as [[Frank Podmore]] of the [[Society for Psychical Research]] or [[Harry Price]] of the [[National Laboratory of Psychical Research]], and professional [[magic (illusion)|conjurers]] such as [[John Nevil Maskelyne]]. Maskelyne exposed the [[Davenport Brothers]] by appearing in the audience during their shows and explaining how the trick was done. During the 1920s, professional magician [[Harry Houdini]] undertook a well-publicised crusade against fraudulent mediums. Throughout his endeavors, Houdini remained adamant that he did not oppose Spiritualism itself, but rather the practice of deliberate fraud and trickery for monetary gain.<ref>[http://www.geocities.com/houdinitribute/spiritualism.html Houdini Tribute: Spiritualism]</ref>[[Image:Crookes William.jpg|thumb|115px|[[William Crookes]]. Photo published 1904.]] Despite widespread fraud, the appeal of Spiritualism was strong. Prominent in the ranks of its adherents were those grieving the death of a loved one. One well known case is that of [[Mary Todd Lincoln]] who, grieving the loss of her son, organized séances in the [[White House]] which were attended by her husband, President [[Abraham Lincoln]].<ref name="PBS" /> The surge of interest in Spiritualism during and after the [[American Civil War]] and [[World War I]] was a direct response to the massive casualties.<ref name="DoyleVol1">Arthur Conan Doyle, [http://www.classic-literature.co.uk/scottish-authors/arthur-conan-doyle/the-history-of-spiritualism-vol-i/ ''The History of Spiritualism Vol I''], Arthur Conan Doyle, 1926.</ref> In addition, the movement appealed to reformers, who fortuitously found that the spirits favored such ''causes du jour'' as equal rights.<ref name="Braude" /> It also appealed to some who had a [[materialism|materialist]] orientation and rejected organized religion. The influential [[socialism|socialist]] and [[atheism|atheist]] [[Robert Owen]] embraced religion following his experiences in Spiritualist circles. Many scientists who investigated the phenomenon also became converts. They included [[chemistry|chemist]] and [[physics|physicist]] [[William Crookes#Spiritualism|William Crookes]] (1832–1919), [[evolution]]ary [[biology|biologist]] [[Alfred Russel Wallace#Spiritualism|Alfred Russel Wallace]] (1823-1913)<ref>[http://www.wku.edu/~smithch/wallace/S118A.htm ''The Scientific Aspect of the Supernatural'', Alfred Russel Wallace, 1866.]</ref> and [[Nobel Prize|Nobel-laureate]] [[physiologist]] [[Charles Robert Richet|Charles Richet]]. Other prominent adherents included journalist and pacifist [[William T. Stead#Spiritualism|William T. Stead]] (1849-1912)<ref>[http://www.attackingthedevil.co.uk/spiritualism/index.php ''Stead on Spiritualism'' at The William T. Stead Resource Site]</ref> and [[medical doctor|physician]] and author [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] (1859-1930).<ref name="DoyleVol1" /> Pioneering American [[psychologist]] [[William James#Study of spiritualism|William James]] studied spiritualism, publishing supportive conclusions. The [[séance]]s of [[Eusapia Palladino]] were attended by investigators including [[Pierre Curie|Pierre]] and [[Marie Curie]]. ===Unorganized movement=== The movement quickly spread throughout the world; though only in the [[United Kingdom]] did it become as widespread as in the United States.<ref name="Britten" /> In Britain, by 1853, invitations to tea among the prosperous and fashionable often included [[table-turning]], a type of séance in which spirits would communicate with people seated around a table by tilting and rotating the table. A particularly important convert was the French pedagogist [[Allan Kardec]] (1804-1869), who made the first attempt to systematise the movement's practices and ideas into a consistent philosophical system. Kardec's books, written in the last 15 years of his life, became the textual basis of [[Spiritism]], which became widespread in Latin countries. In [[Brazil]], Kardec's ideas are embraced by many followers today.<ref name="Hess">{{cite paper |author=Hess, David |title=Spiritism and Science in Brazil |version= |publisher=Ph.D thesis, Dept. of Anthropology, Cornell University |date=1987 |url= |format= |accessdate= }}</ref><ref name="Carroll" /><ref name="Braude" /> In Puerto Rico, Kardec's books were widely read by the upper classes, and eventually gave birth to a movement known as [[Espiritismo|Mesa Blanca]] (White Table). [[Image:Seven spiritualists 1906.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Middle-class]] [[Chicago]] women discuss Spiritualism (1906).]] Spiritualism was mainly a [[middle class|middle-]] and [[upper class|upper-class]] movement, and especially popular with women. U.S. spiritualists would meet in private homes for séances, at lecture halls for trance lectures, at state or national conventions, and at summer camps attended by thousands. Among the most significant of the camp meetings were Camp Etna, in [[Etna, Maine]]; Onset Bay Grove, in [[Onset, Massachusetts]]; [[Lily Dale]], in western [[New York State]]; Camp Chesterfield, in [[Indiana]]; the [[Wonewoc Spiritualist Camp]], in [[Wonewoc, Wisconsin]]; and [[Lake Pleasant, Massachusetts|Lake Pleasant]], in [[Montague, Massachusetts]]. In founding [[camp meeting]]s, the spiritualists appropriated a form developed by U.S. Protestant denominations in the early nineteenth century. Spiritualist camp meetings were located most densely in New England and California, but were also established across the upper Midwest. [[Cassadaga, Florida]], is the most notable spiritualist camp meeting in the southern states.<ref name="Cassadaga">{{cite book | last = Guthrie| first = John J. Jr.| coauthors=Phillip Charles Lucas; Gary Monroe| authorlink = | title = Cassadaga: the South’s Oldest Spiritualist Community |location=Gainesville, FL |publisher =[[University Press of Florida]]| date = 2000 | isbn =0-8130-1743-2}}</ref><ref name="Carroll" /><ref name="Braude" /> The movement was extremely individualistic, with each person relying on her own experiences and reading to discern the nature of the [[afterlife]]. Organisation was therefore slow to appear, and when it did it was resisted by mediums and trance lecturers. Most members were content to attend [[Christian]] churches, and particularly [[Universalist Church of America|Universalist]] churches harbored many Spiritualists. As the movement began to fade, partly through the bad publicity of fraud accusations and partly through the appeal of religious movements such as [[Christian Science]], the [[Spiritualist Church]] was organised. This church can claim to be the main vestige of the movement left today in the United States.<ref name="Carroll" /><ref name="Braude" /> ===Other mediums=== [[Image:200px-Eusapia Palladino.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Eusapia Palladino]], [[Warsaw]], 1893.]] [[William Stainton Moses]] (1839–92) was an [[Anglican]] clergyman who, in the period from 1872 to 1883, filled 24 notebooks with [[automatic writing]], much of which was said to describe conditions in the spirit world. London-born [[Emma Hardinge Britten]] (1823–99) moved to the United States in 1855 and was active in spiritualist circles as a trance lecturer and organiser. She is best known as a chronicler of the movement's spread, especially in her 1884 ''Nineteenth Century Miracles: Spirits and their Work in Every Country of the Earth''. [[Image:JulianOchorowicz.jpg|thumb|right|90px|[[Julian Ochorowicz]].]] [[Eusapia Palladino]] (1854-1918) was an [[Italy|Italian]] Spiritualist [[medium (spirituality)|medium]] from the slums of [[Naples]] who made a career touring [[Italy]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]], the [[United States]], [[Russia]] and [[Poland]]. Her stratagems were unmasked on several occasions, though some investigators, including [[Nobel laureate]] scientists, credited her mediumistic abilities. One believer was the [[Poland|Polish]] psychologist [[Julian Ochorowicz]], who in 1893 brought her from [[St. Petersburg, Russia]], to [[Warsaw]], [[Poland]]. He introduced her to the novelist [[Bolesław Prus]], who participated in her [[séance]]s and incorporated Spiritualist elements into his [[historical novel]] ''[[Pharaoh (novel)#Inspirations|Pharaoh]]''.<ref name="Tokarzówna">{{cite book | last = Tokarzówna| first = Krystyna| coauthors=Stanisław Fita| authorlink = | title = [[Bolesław Prus]], 1847-1912: Kalendarz życia i twórczości ([[Bolesław Prus]], 1847-1912: a Calendar of [His] Life and Work)| |location=Warsaw |publisher =Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy| date = 1969 | isbn = }}</ref> Ochorowicz studied as well, 15 years later, a home-grown Polish medium, [[Stanisława Tomczyk]].<ref name="Fodor">{{cite book | last = Fodor| first = Nandor| authorlink = | title = An Encyclopaedia of Psychic Science | |location= |publisher = | date = 1934 | isbn = }}</ref> ==After the 1920s== {{Main|Spiritualist Church|Spiritualists' National Union|Survivalism (life after death)|Spiritualist Association of Great Britain}} After the 1920s, Spiritualism evolved in three different directions, all of which exist today. ===Syncreticism=== The first of these continued the tradition of individual practitioners, organised in circles centered on a medium and clients, without any hierarchy or dogma. Already by the late 19th century spiritualism had become increasingly [[syncretism|syncretic]], a natural development in a movement without central authority or dogma.<ref name="Braude" /> Today, among these unorganised circles, spiritualism is not readily distinguishable from the similarly syncretic [[New Age]] movement. These spiritualists are quite heterogeneous in their beliefs regarding issues such as [[reincarnation]] or the existence of God. Some appropriate [[New Age]] and [[Neo-Pagan]] beliefs, whilst others call themselves 'Christian Spiritualists', continuing with the tradition of cautiously incorporating spiritualist experiences into their Christian faith. [[Image:Conan doyle.jpg|thumb|100px|[[Arthur Conan Doyle]], creator of [[Sherlock Holmes]].]] ===Spiritualist Church=== {{Main|Spiritualist Church|Spiritualists' National Union|Spiritualist Association of Great Britain}} The second direction taken has been to adopt formal organisation, patterned after Christian denominations, with established creeds and liturgies, and training requirements for mediums.<ref>[http://www.snu.org.uk/seven.htm Creed of the Spiritualists' National Union]</ref> In the United States the Spiritualist churches are primarily affiliated with the [[National Spiritualist Association of Churches]], and in the U.K. with the [[Spiritualists' National Union]], founded in 1901. Formal education in spiritualist practice emerged in 1920, continuing today with the [[Arthur Findlay]] College at Stansted Hall. Diversity of belief among organised spiritualists has led to a few schisms, the most notable occurring in the U.K. in 1957 between those who held the movement to be a religion ''sui generis'' (of its own with unique characteristics), and a minority who held it to be a denomination within Christianity. The practice of organised Spiritualism today resembles that of any other religion, having discarded most showmanship, particularly those elements resembling the conjurer's art. There is thus a much greater emphasis on "mental" mediumship and an almost complete avoidance of the miraculous "materializing" mediumship that so fascinated early believers such as [[Arthur Conan Doyle]].<ref name="Cassadaga" /> ===Survivalism=== {{Main|Survivalism (life after death)}} The third direction taken has been a continuation of its empirical orientation to religious phenomena. Already as early as 1882, with the founding of the [[Society for Psychical Research]], secular organisations emerged to investigate spiritualist claims. Today many persons with this empirical approach avoid the label of "spiritualism," preferring the term "[[survivalism (life after death)|survivalism]]." Survivalists eschew religion, and base their belief in the afterlife on phenomena susceptible to at least rudimentary scientific investigation, such as mediumship, [[near-death experience]]s, [[out-of-body experience]]s, [[electronic voice phenomena]], and [[reincarnation research]]. Many Survivalists see themselves as the intellectual heirs of the spiritualist movement.<ref>[http://www.survivalafterdeath.org/articles.htm Archive of important Spiritualist articles maintained by contemporary Survivalists]</ref> ==See also== *[[Spiritism]] *[[New Thought]] *[[Spiritualism in fiction]] *[[List of Spiritualist Organizations]] *[[Lily Dale|Lily Dale Assembly]] *[[Necromancy]] *[[Telekinesis]] *[[Michel Eugène Chevreul]] *[[Harry Price]] *[[Thomson Jay Hudson]] ==References== *{{cite book | last = Brandon| first = Ruth |authorlink = | title = The Spiritualists: The Passion for the Occult in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries|location=New York| publisher = [[Alfred A. Knopf]] | date = 1983}} *{{cite book | last = Braude| first = Ann| authorlink = | title = Radical Spirits: Spiritualism and Women's Rights in Nineteenth-Century America |location=Bloomington| publisher = [[Indiana University Press]] | date = 2001 | isbn = 0-253-21502-1 }} *{{cite book | last = Britten| first = Emma Hardinge| authorlink = Emma Hardinge Britten| title = Nineteenth Century Miracles: Spirits and their Work in Every Country of the Earth | publisher = New York: William Britten | date = 1884 | isbn = 0766162907 }} *{{cite book | last = Brown| first = Slater| authorlink = | title = The Heyday of Spiritualism|location=New York| publisher = [[Hawthorn Books]] | date = 1970}} *{{cite book | last = Buescher| first = John B.| authorlink = | title = The Other Side of Salvation: Spiritualism and the Nineteenth-Century Religious Experience |location=Boston| publisher = [[Skinner House Books]] | date = 2003 | isbn = 1-55896-448-7 }} *{{cite book | last = Carroll| first = Bret E.| authorlink = | title = Spiritualism in Antebellum America |location=Bloomington| publisher = [[Indiana University Press]] | date = 1997 | isbn = 0-253-33315-6 }} *{{cite book | last = Davenport| first = Reuben Briggs| authorlink = | title = The Death-Blow to Spiritualism | publisher = New York: G.W. Dillingham | date = 1888}} *{{cite book | last = Deveney| first = John Patrick| coauthors = Franklin Rosemont| authorlink = | title = Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician|location=Albany | publisher = [[State University of New York Press]] | date = 1996 | isbn = 0-7914-3120-7}} *{{cite book | last = Doyle| first = Arthur Conan| authorlink = Arthur Conan Doyle | title = The History of Spiritualism, volume 1 |location=New York| publisher = G.H. Doran | date = 1926 | url= http://www.classic-literature.co.uk/scottish-authors/arthur-conan-doyle/the-history-of-spiritualism-vol-i |isbn=1-4101-0243-2}} *{{cite book | last = Doyle| first = Arthur Conan| authorlink = Arthur Conan Doyle | title = The History of Spiritualism, volume 2 |location=New York| publisher = G.H. Doran | date = 1926 | url= http://www.classic-literature.co.uk/scottish-authors/arthur-conan-doyle/the-history-of-spiritualism-vol-ii |isbn=1-4101-0243-2}} *{{cite book | last = Fodor| first = Nandor| authorlink = | title = An Encyclopaedia of Psychic Science | |location= |publisher = | date = 1934 | isbn = }} *{{cite book | last = Guthrie| first = John J. Jr.| coauthors=Phillip Charles Lucas; Gary Monroe| authorlink = | title = Cassadaga: the South’s Oldest Spiritualist Community |location=Gainesville, FL |publisher =[[University Press of Florida]]| date = 2000 | isbn =0-8130-1743-2}} *{{cite paper |author=Hess, David |title=Spiritism and Science in Brazil |version= |publisher=Ph.D thesis, Dept. of Anthropology, Cornell University |date=1987 |url= |format= |accessdate= }} *{{cite journal |last= Lindgren|first= Carl Edwin|authorlink= |coauthors= |year= 1994|month= January|title=Spiritualism: Innocent Beliefs to Scientific Curiosity|journal=Journal of Religion and Psychical Research |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=8–15 |issn=1731:2148 |url=http://users.panola.com/lindgren/spirit-1.html |accessdate= |quote= }} *{{cite journal |last= Lindgren|first= Carl Edwin|authorlink= |coauthors= |year= 1994|month= March|title=Scientific investigation and Religious Uncertainty 1880-1900|journal=Journal of Religion and Psychical Research |volume=17 |issue=2 |pages=83–91 |issn=1731:2148 |url=http://users.panola.com/lindgren/spirit-2.html |accessdate= |quote= }} *{{cite book | last = Moore| first = William D.| authorlink = | title = Exploring Everyday Landscapes: Perspectives in Vernacular Architecture, VII |editor= Annmarie Adams and Sally MacMurray (editors)| chapter= 'To Hold Communion with Nature and the Spirit-World:' New England's Spiritualist Camp Meetings, 1865-1910|location= Knoxville|publisher =[[University of Tennessee Press]] | date = 1997| isbn = 0-8704-9983-1 }} *[[Frank Podmore|Podmore, Frank]], ''Mediums of the 19th Century'', 2 vols., University Books, 1963. *Salter, William H., ''Zoar; or the Evidence of Psychical Research Concerning Survival'', Sidgwick, 1961. *''Telegrams from the Dead'' (a [[PBS]] television [[documentary film|documentary]] in the "[[American Experience]]" series, first aired [[October 19]], [[1994]]). *{{cite book | last = Tokarzówna| first = Krystyna| coauthors=Stanisław Fita| authorlink = | title = [[Bolesław Prus]], 1847-1912: Kalendarz życia i twórczości ([[Bolesław Prus]], 1847-1912: a Calendar of [His] Life and Work)| |location=Warsaw |publisher =Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy| date = 1969 | isbn = }} *{{cite book | last = Weisberg| first = Barbara| authorlink = | title = Talking to the Dead|location=San Francisco|publisher =Harper| date = 2004 | isbn = }} *{{cite book | last = Wicker| first = Christine| authorlink = | title = Lily Dale: the True Story of the Town that talks to the Dead|location=San Francisco|publisher =Harper| date = 2004 | isbn = }} ==Notes== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== *[http://www.spiritist.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=30 International Spiritist Council] *[http://www.spiritwritings.com/library.html Spiritualist E-Texts] *[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14221a.htm The Catholic Encyclopedia: Spiritism] *[http://www.google.com/Top/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Spiritualism/ Google mirror of the Open Directory Project: Spiritualism] *[http://www.survivalafterdeath.org/articles.htm Collection of Spiritualist E-Texts] *[http://www.spirithistory.com/ John B. Buescher's website on the history of Spiritualism] *[http://www.gerald-massey.org.uk/massey/cnr_miscellanea_tracts_3.htm#74_01_25 Poet and Egyptologist Gerald Massey on 'Why I Became a Spiritualist'] *[http://www.mysteriouspeople.com/Katie-King.htm Florence Cook and Katie King. The story of a Spiritualist medium] *[http://www.spiritualist.tv Spiritualist Resources] *[http://www.mathpages.com/home/kmath322/kmath322.htm Spiritualism and Electromagnetism] at MathPages *[http://www.spiritualists.org Spiritualist Seance Photography and Spiritualist Museum] *Andrew Lang, [http://www.psychanalyse-paris.com/852-Fetishism-and-Spiritualism.html Fetishism and Spiritualism], ''The Making of Religion'', (Chapter VIII), Longmans, Green, and C°, London, New York and Bombay, 1900, pp. 147-159. *[http://www.theswa.org.uk/ The SWA is intended to be a not-for-profit self regulating organisation for all types of spiritualist workers] {{Spiritism and Spiritualism}} {{Theism}} {{belief systems}} [[Category:New religious movements]] [[Category:Spirituality]] [[Category:Religious history of the United States]] [[Category:Spiritualism|*]] [[Category:Paranormal]] [[bg:Спиритуализъм]] [[de:Spiritualismus]] [[fr:spiritisme]] [[he:ספיריטואליזם]] [[nl:Spiritisme]] [[ja:心霊主義]] [[pl:Spirytualizm]] [[pt:Espiritualismo]] [[ru:Спиритуализм (религия)]]