Spiritists and Spiritualists actually know what they subscribe to and why.
Occasionally an odd well-read individual may also understand the differences. (not many)

Everyone else is likely guessing or banging on about some other subject altogether.

Can you imagine a 'Christian' going to a 'Christian Church' and begin speaking about Jesus is the son of God, the First Born only to find out, that 'Church' firmly believes Jesus is God?

If a person is in a Spiritualist Church and they are asked to do message work: what happens, in some cases, if they speak about reincarnation?

Depends on the Church but in the worst case scenario, they may be rudely asked to stop and sit down.

This thread is about Spiritist and Spiritualist. For the most part, most people could care less how some define them but when the issue comes up, for example the issue mentioned in the previous paragraph, it can become a wide awakening event.

The words Spiritist and Spiritualist mean different things to different people. I highly suspect, the word Spiritist, a valid word, is a word most people have had very little if any contact with.

Oh, BJ - we've been down this path many times before..... :wink: I think you're being mischievous again. :wink:

It doesn't MATTER if (quote) ......The words Spiritist and Spiritualist mean different things to different people. or (quote) .....the word Spiritist, a valid word, is a word most people have had very little if any contact with.

In this forum under this category it's not to do with folk being muddled. Neither is there any justification for bringing into this forum aspects of the Christian religion.

Take a look, please, at the forum title and the category. The forum is 'Spritualism' and it's housed in the category 'Religions & Faiths'. Modern Spiritualism is a religion formally recognised and registered in many parts of the world. So it belongs under this forum's umbrella category.

It isn't 'spiritualism' - the catchall word for anything to do with 'being spiritual' or to do with 'spirituality' etc. No it was to enable conversations about the religion and philosophy of Spiritualism that this forum was created for. (or 'Modern Spiritualism' as I often present it to try to prevent the ever-present ambiguity)

I know all that because many years back I pressed for this forum's creation.

How It Began
 

The opening posting of this thread reads : "Those reading this probably will consider themselves a Spiritualist but I suspect they really are Spiritist. Please discuss." So let's do that, should we? But first a preamble, an important one I think......

It's unfortunate that nearly two centuries ago the pioneers of a new movement - one that has its roots in the USA incidentally - chose an ambiguous word as the name for their new movement. Oh how I wish they'd chosen more wisely!

Some years ago - long before many of the current members were around - I presented a case for this website having a page for that religion. A forum for (Modern) Spiritualism or 'Spiritualism' for short. I pressed for it every occasion I could and in time this forum was introduced and placed appropriately under the umbrella category it's in. Most members won't know that I suspect.

As I said earlier, I wish the pioneers had chosen its name more wisely because without the upper case 'S' it becomes a word with an altogether different meaning - spiritualism isn't, though, Spiritualism. As I said earlier, an ambiguous word and to this day it continues to cause difficulty.

The essence of (Modern) Spiritualism is survival and its demonstration by way of mediumship - period. The essence of Spiritism is much the same, incidentally. Adherents of one will not have persuasions much different from adherents of the other. Beyond that either one can be as complex as individuals choose to make it but the fundamentals remain unaltered.

Many of those who see themselves as Spiritualists or as Spiritists know all that and it's mainly others who get confused.

"The Poughkeepsie Seer" probably had a lot to do with the name Spiritualism. I suspect the answer might be buried in the The Great Harmonia.

Spiritualism has changed over the last 1 and 1/2 centuries so much that it hard to discern how it actually got started. It seems it played a major role in the Women's movement but neither parties seem to acknowledge that.

Then Spiritism came on the scene which muddled what Spiritualist used to believe.

Before Spiritism came on the scene, Henry Olcott contributed a lot to Spiritualism, especially his great book "People from the Other World" which was written on the cusp of him funding the purse for the newly formed Theosophical Society in which he was their first President. That society is instrumental for bringing forth Buddhism to the West which had/has an influence on Spiritualism.

I know a lot of Spiritists that believe in reincarnation ... but I don't know any "Spiritualists".

We complement each other. :D

QUOTE 42 EXCERPT:


You were definitely the soul that I needed when I started to explore Spiritism.

It's nice to see you here. :smile: :hug3: