Is spiritualism all that it is made out to be?

Originally Posted by mac

It don't make him right and it isn't relevant to this forum or topic.....

And I like to speak for myself - not use the words of others.

I find and use truth where'er it may appear, and in this case I happen to agree with Mr. Hughes. I don't like -isms. I very deliberately didn't use the word "spiritualism" because the -ism implies a set structure, a universal framework which I don't think exists. Spirituality, the experience, is what's important, not any one person's rules that they build around their experiences. You make rules, you attract people who don't like to think for themselves, and you end up with situations like what the OP is decrying. Thus the relevance of my choice of words.

CS

Originally Posted by CuriousSnowflake

I find and use truth where'er it may appear, and in this case I happen to agree with Mr. Hughes. I don't like -isms. I very deliberately didn't use the word "spiritualism" because the -ism implies a set structure, a universal framework which I don't think exists. Spirituality, the experience, is what's important, not any one person's rules that they build around their experiences. You make rules, you attract people who don't like to think for themselves, and you end up with situations like what the OP is decrying. Thus the relevance of my choice of words.

CS

The truth as you believe it to be, your 'personal truth'.... It's not a universal one, the only real test of truth.

You have avoided using the term 'Spiritualism' (capital S to denote the religion and philosophy of Modern Spiritualism) for your personal prejudices but in a forum set up for its discussion, and in a thread entitled "Is Spiritualism all it's made out to be" that's somewhat incongruous....

You say spirituality, the experience, is what's important etc. but what you're really saying is that it's what's important to you personally. Again it's not a universal truth, the only truth, it's simply your values you're espousing and they're not Spiritualism.

Despite your belief, Spiritualism (not flexibly defined spirituality) does haves a firm structure although I wouldn't call it a "universal framework". It's a very simple structure fundamentally although it can readily be expanded, should one wish, to gain a deeper, broader understanding of what life - and death - is about.

And in doing that it's not down to having any 'personal truth' because it applies to all and anyone - the acid test, the universality, of 'truth'.

Originally Posted by psychoslice

There your games not mine, I have no use for them, happy playing, yea yea.

They're not games at all, not games in the way you're pretending they are, but of course you know that already.... Some members might think you don't....

You're the negative to anything positive - and that's OK - there's balance in all matters

Originally Posted by MMM

there are some great spiritualists out there now
there are great physical mediums, healers and mental mediums
there are fine ministers as well but there'll never be another emma britten or gordon higginson...

As I was saying to Enya, the field of mediumship as it's been known for decades, may not be the way of any future movement....

It's all too easy to look to the past, to mediums of the present, and assume that they are the future, that mediumship will be the same as we've known it.

Not for the first time I'll say that my personal belief (and I rarely express personal belief!) is that Modern Spiritualism has run its course. In the future there will be something different, maybe vastly different.

The truth can't ever change but the way it gets presented can - and probably will.

Originally Posted by mac

If I had to make a guess I'd say there won't be the same use of mediums and that any new generation of them will have different roles, focusing less on personal, evidential work and more on the conveyance of general information about our survival beyond corporeal death.

I agree, this is far more likely, being a sharing of knowledge and insight directly from Spirit and going beyond the need for evidence, although I think there will always be some working in that field.

Originally Posted by deepsea

You feel it too,G?

Most certainly J. Sommat's going on. The wheel has almost gone full circle. And it's going to go around again.


G

Originally Posted by Enya

I agree, this is far more likely, being a sharing of knowledge and insight directly from Spirit and going beyond the need for evidence, although I think there will always be some working in that field.

Evidential mediumship is a feature of Modern Spiritualism - it provides those who receive it with the evidence that life goes on. It's the bedrock of Spiritualist philosophy. A major concern when mediumship is at a low ebb.

But communication from discarnates to incarnates has probably happened in one form or another since humankind began to articulate its thoughts through language - maybe even before then. Quite whether that was in the form of evidential mediumship we can't know.

Whatever the outcome in the future it's probably not going to be called Spiritualism and I wouldn't mind that in the least. The word has too many negative connotations now anyway and a new name would be a good thing - even though the truth can never be any different - only the way it's presented... .

Originally Posted by glenos

Most certainly J. Sommat's going on. The wheel has almost gone full circle. And it's going to go around again.


G

Atmosphere,G?
Disasters?
Earthquakes?
Though I don't feel it is anything to with our planet.
Just a general uneasiness.
J.

[psychoslice]

Originally Posted by mac

They're not games at all, not games in the way you're pretending they are, but of course you know that already.... Some members might think you don't....

You're the negative to anything positive - and that's OK - there's balance in all matters

Don't be childish, I'm not saying your games are right or wrong, just saying there games, like all else here in this so called human life, what I say and do is my game, can't you admit that, what are you trying to hide, you try to make out that you know everything about spirituality, but you don't, can you abmit that?.

Originally Posted by deepsea

Atmosphere,G?
Disasters?
Earthquakes?
Though I don't feel it is anything to with our planet.
Just a general uneasiness.
J.

Not negative J. Absolutely positive.


G