Click
Here To Study: PRESENTATION
OF SPIRITUALISM ~ WORLD'S PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS -1893
The first 6 central beliefs of Modern Spiritualists were
adopted
in Chicago, Illinois, 1899:
Below, The word 'belief' is an oxymoron;
scientific proof of Life after Death has been established.
1 belief in Infinite Intelligence.
2 the belief that the phenomena of
Nature,
both physical and spiritual, are the expression of Infinite
Intelligence.
3 the belief that a correct understanding of
such
expression and living in accordance therewith, constitute true religion.
4 the belief that the existence and personal
identity
of the individual continue after the change called death.
5 the belief that communication with the
so-called
dead is a fact, scientifically proven by the phenomena of Spiritualism.
6 the belief that the highest morality is
contained
in the Golden Rule: "Whatsoever ye would that others should do unto
you,
do ye also unto them." .
The Original ~ SIX PRINCIPALS OF SPIRITUALISM
As Given From Robert Owen In The Spirit World
Through
Mrs. Emma Hardinge-Britten
Incomplete
As It Does Not Include The FAMILY, MOTHERHOOD & SISTER
HOOD
1. The
Fatherhood of God
2. The Brotherhood of man
3. The Immortality of the
soul
and its personal characteristics.
4. Proven facts of
communication
between departed human spirits and mortals.
5. Personal
responsibility.
With compensation and retribution hereafter for all good or evil deeds
done here.
6. A path of eternal
progress
open to every human soul that wills to tread it by the path of eternal
The Suggested Changes For The USA,
NSAC
1) The
Parenthood of
Infinite Perfection, The Great Over Soul, Quantum Physics,
The NO-THING
2) The
Sisterhood-Brotherhood
of all that "IS"
3) The Continuous
existence
of the human soul
4) The Communion
of Spirits
and the Ministry of Angels
5) Personal
Responsibility
6) Compensation
and Retribution
hereafter for all good and evil deeds done on earth.
7) Eternal
Progress open
to every human soul.
The English
SEVEN PRINCIPALS OF SPIRITUALISM
Expanded & Quoted From:
UNIVERSITY OF SPIRITUALISM
[ English Spelling Not American
]
Again,
Incomplete As It Does Not Include The FAMILY, MOTHERHOOD
& SISTER HOOD
.
1) The Fatherhood of
God
2) The Brotherhood of
Man
3) The Continuous
existence
of the human soul
4) The Communion of
Spirits
and the Ministry of Angels
5) Personal
Responsibility
6) Compensation and
Retribution
hereafter for all good and evil deeds done on earth.
7) Eternal Progress
open
to every human soul.
FATHERHOOD OF GOD [1]
Spiritualism defines God for no
man.
Definitions imply limitations and we refuse to limit the illimitable or
define the indefinable; but one fact is clear, the great first cause,
called
God, manifests by and through law. Men and angels may utilise
these
laws, they cannot change them. Logically, we cannot conceive of a
first cause, for all causes must themselves be caused. Eternity means
backward
as well as forward, but the human mind is so constituted that the brain
would break down if it did not set some limitation on imagination.
In all worlds we find implacable
law
in manifestation and, since love is the highest manifestation of that
law,
we bow our heads before the incomprehensible. By combining it
with
the protective idea which fatherhood connotes, we make concrete to our
imagination the great lawgiver and designer "who doeth all things
well." We cannot conceive of justice setting aside natural
law to work miracles for a favoured few. Nor love creating
a world of unhappiness and consummating His folly by brutally punishing
those of His creation who are incapable of accepting the statements of
priests.
These are the rocks on which
creedalism
is foundering. Priests freely adapted from ancient mythologies
concepts
of God repugnant to elementary principles of righteousness. They were
based
on an ignorant fear which theologians still try to graft on to the God
of Jesus, who taught a God of love in its place. Belief in a
creed
is in some vague way believed to be essential to salvation from eternal
torment, and this idea has gradually supplanted the necessity for
character
as an essential part of religion.
It is true that many Christians
now
accept the doctrine of evolution, and even repudiate the deity of
Jesus,
but it is hopeless to think they can get their newer viewpoint accepted
so long as they use words which infer the retention of earlier
meanings.
It is quite common to hear the name of Jesus Christ used by men who
repudiate
his deity, Jesus the Christ did not mean Jesus the God but Jesus
the anointed, anointing being a common practice when priests were
ordained.
Similar subterfuges are introduced
by those who desire to "square Spiritualism" with the very errors
that Christianity is striving so hard to throw off. Thus old
ideas
are perpetuated, despite the pretense that words now mean something
entirely
different from that which our forefathers taught. I therefore
advise
students to avoid the use of the word "Christ," which forms
the theological battleground, and to avoid being drawn into bitter
sectarian
disputes. This you can do by using the
word
Jesus when the man is meant and God when you are referring to
Him.
But by all means cease the hackneyed use of any words which mean so
much
but are used so glibly. "Why do men call me good? There is
none good but God. "Worship God," said Jesus.
We accept
the
ideal presented by Jesus in the phrase, "Be ye perfect even as your
Father
in heaven is perfect." God, therefore, symbolises all that is
just,
holy, good and wise. The ideal is expected to arouse
corresponding
ideals, for man is ever prone to imitate the qualities he
admires.
Mean men have mean concepts of God, and fighting men think He reserves
a special corner in heaven for bloodthirsty warriors. We
naturally
excuse personal actions if we think they are pleasing to the
Deity.
That, in the past, justified the burning and torturing of
heretics.
What God does must surely be right for His children to do. Hence
the necessity for teaching the God of love and justice.
Love and
hatred
cannot co-exist side by side--the one destroys the other.
Spiritualism
repudiates all such imperfections as vice, hatred, partiality, or
injustice
as attributes of God. God never made mistakes. He did not
create
Adam and Eve or place them where he knew they must "fall" and curse
humanity
for ever. Nor would He need to drown the consequence of His
errors
in a flood or sacrifice one-third of Himself to atone for the mistakes
of the other two-thirds. These are the mazes from which
Christianity
cannot disentangle itself so long as it uses words with obsolete
meanings.
Enlightened
Christian opinion now inclines to the view that all these statements
are
pure symbolism, but the masses still cling to a literal interpretation
of the Bible, which presents an anthropomorphic God with very human
failings.
Evolution proves that man was not created "perfect," but rose
from
lower forms of life. Even if Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of
Eden six thousand years ago, they would know no language, no arts, no
science,
and they would be but one step removed from the intelligence of brutes
in the field. Adam, therefore, did not fall.
Fatherhood
connotes
the sonship of all mankind. In this sense, Spiritualists
interpret
the teachings of Jesus. If you use the phrase, "Christ in you,"
you
mean the divinity of God as expressed through the soul of man.
You
do not mean a man named Jesus reincarnated in you. Hence the need
for eliminating ambiguous phrases and for using words which have
undisputed
meanings. Only thus can you stand aside from the terrible
sectarian
disputes which have deluged the world with blood and tears in the name
of religion. Clarify your mind as to what you exactly mean when
you
use words referring to deity like God, Christ and Jesus. The main
point to remember is that if "Christ" means "God" there is only a
difference
in words between the creedal Christian and the Spiritualist. But
it does not.
BROTHERHOOD OF MAN [2]
The
brotherhood
of man cuts at the root of all inequalities of opportunity. It
expresses
a family relationship that ought to prevail all over the world.
It
makes criminal the degradation of "subject" races. They should be
helped, not exploited for commercial purposes. In family life we
do not take advantage of each other's necessities. The family
ideal
must embrace all humanity. Political work must be directed
towards
general culture, with perfect freedom for all to work towards the same
goal.
Arbitration
must supplant warfare. Trades and professions must be freed from
all that is demoralising. It ought not to "pay" to gamble with
people's
lives and fortunes on the stock pay exchange, nor for the politician
and
lawyer to lie and cheat, the tradesman to adulterate, the armament
maker
to precipitate wars, nor wealth in any way to corrupt the finer
qualities
of the soul. Every aspect of life must have a way opened up so
that
men may be transparently honest without fear of tricky duplicity, or
loss
of livelihood.
People
should
be taught what to eat and drink, and what to avoid, so that a sound
mind
might control the highly developed physical body. Everything that
prevents us living clean, wholesome lives must be eradicated.
Your
politics, your work, your home life and your
studies--everything--enters
into the religion of Spiritualism, which will thus sweep all shams and
hypocrisies away. The religion of Spiritualism plants your feet
on
every reformer's platform, and makes deeds, not creeds, the pathway to
heaven.
CONTINUOUS EXISTENCE
[3]
You cannot
"prove"
either beginnings or endings; but we teach the immortality of the soul
with its characteristics and memories because it is consistently taught
by all returning spirits. They prove their individuality by the
matter
and manner of their communications. They all teach that true
growth
is of the soul, and is attained by effort and development in love,
wisdom
and experience. We do not merely believe we shall live after the
change called death; we affirm that it is a demonstrable fact. By
direct scientifically recorded evidence we have satisfied ourselves
that
the grave merely receives the physical elements of which the body is
composed,
and that consciousness persists after the decay of the body.
COMMUNION OF SPIRITS
[4]
This is the
sheet anchor of modem Spiritualism. Christians assert that
revelation
ceased two thousand years ago. We affirm that God's laws never
change,
and that revelations from the spirit world are still coming
through.
Scientists are now adding their testimony to ours.
Our
experiences
help us to understand the religious systems of the world, and, because
of this fact, we hope to become the unifying force that will eventually
bind them into one harmonious family. The true meaning of the
word
"religion" is "to bind back to God." Hence Spiritualism is a
religion
in the highest sense of the word.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY [5]
If
you accept this principle, away goes the premium on sin implied in the
"vicarious atonement," which teaches that man can shuffle the
consequences
of his misdeeds on to the shoulders of a "savior." It is quite
untrue.
The law of cause and effect follows us into the spirit world and
automatically
adjusts all relationships. This refusal to adopt orthodox ideas
brings
us into conflict with sectarians. But returning spirit people
prove
that cant, selfishness and hypocrisy, equally with all the virtues, set
laws in motion which produce inevitable results.
It is better
to ask forgiveness from the person you have wronged than pray to God to
take over your sin while you leave the victim suffering. Make
sure
of your victim's pardon. You will find God's forgiveness follows
as a matter of course. Realization of our responsibility
and
a willingness to live up to it allies us to positive powers of goodness
and changes our spiritual surroundings.
In the
spirit world, we find that even sins of omission point their accusing
fingers
at us, and that realities are no longer obscured by the customs or
hypocrisies
of modern life. Degraded thinking produces limitation of
psychic
perception, and true progress starts as soon as we "render unto Caesar
the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things which are His."
REMORSE AND REWARD [6]
Spirit
people teach that sin is most detrimental to the sinner. It
stunts
his spiritual growth and links him to associations in sympathy with
follies.
The infraction of spiritual laws produces pain as surely as the
breaking
of a limb under physical law. Virtue is its own reward, because
it
sets forces in motion which eventually produce happiness, even though
man's
stupidity may delay it during his earthly life.
There is no
vindictive punishment in the after-life, and the inevitable reaction of
vice is unhappiness. But suffering, bravely endured, always
proves
a stepping stone to progress. The development of a strong
character
means the development of spiritual powers. All spirits teach that
they grow "brighter" as they learn the lesson that prayer to God is
best
expressed by works for humanity. Thus it comes about that God is
not mocked. Character is the surest passport to heaven.
Darkness and
wrong thinking are synonymous terms from the spirit standpoint.
Right
thought leads to right action, which automatically dispels the
clouds
of illusion created by selfish indulgence and the misuse of life's
opportunities.
Spirits continually beg us to try and set laws in motion while still in
the body, and thus lay up "treasure in heaven" by developing the gem of
a beautiful life and avoid spheres of darkness. By spreading a
knowledge
of these laws, the spirit people hope to sweep away all unhappy
conditions
from earth and the lower spiritual planes which evolve from it.
ETERNAL PROGRESS [7]
It
is only man's folly that prevents the reign of the kingdom of heaven
upon
earth. It will materialise as soon as we recognise the futility
of
commercial, sectarian and political selfishness and intrigue. The
need for this correct "poise of the mind" is thrust upon the discarnate
spirit at every turn. Each gravitates to his own place, and it
speedily
becomes apparent that, as thought carries its owner to scenes and
conditions
that reflect his own mentality, there is no burking the issue.
On earth,
the
big purse buys power and respectability, but in spirit life earth's
petty
schemes are found to be a positive hindrance to spiritual growth,
unless
they were formulated with a genuine desire to advance human
progress.
The reborn into spirit life, therefore, study to eliminate every
thought
that has a purely selfish origin, and this is the magic wand that opens
up the pathway of eternal progress.
They
discover
that true happiness is only possible where strict truth, love and
justice
permanently abide. The religion of Spiritualism teaches us to
apply
these laws while on earth, and compels tolerance to all opposing
creeds.
But--though tolerant--we must be firm in our adhesion to
principles.
The canting hypocrisy which demands that we must play up to orthodoxy,
money powers, or any other form of "authority" is nauseating to sincere
reformers. Let history be your guide.
Very few
reforms
make headway so long as they compromise with error. The true man
becomes a brave soul. The brave soul brooks no departure from
"right
thought, right speech and right action," to quote
Confucius.
Cunning and diplomacy are frustrated by the operation of this simple
formula,
and those who practice it become the leaders of men on earth and the
ministering
spirits of God both here and hereafter.
INTERNATIONAL SPIRITUALIST'S FEDERATION http://www.spiritualist.freeuk.com/index.htm
Adopted At The London Congress 1960
It's Aims Are:
"To reveal that Spiritual nature of
mankind
which harmonises with natural law."
All life is governed by natural law but as humans
have
become more "civilised" we have largely isolated ourselves from our
spiritual
heritage by hiding our spiritual natures under layers of materialism
and
insensitivity. The Federation aims to help Spiritualists all over the
world
show people how to reveal that spiritual nature again.
It's Objects Are:
a) To unite in federal union Spiritualist and
related
associations in all parts of the world.
If the I.S.F. does no more than help to unite all
Spiritualists
and like-minded people in a common cause to promote universal
brotherhood
and
tolerance, it will serve mankind well.
(b) To co-operate with any other society or
institution
having objects similar to those of the Federation. (Especially in
the study and spread of an understanding of Spiritualism from the
scientific
and philosophical points of view.)
It is the bringing together of these aspects which
will
ultimately reconcile science and theology and form a basis for an
understanding
of the
purpose and meaning of birth, life and death.
(c) To promote the advancement, by means of
education
and communication throughout the world of the science and philosophy of
Spiritualism. Such philosophy shall be considered as recognising
the following principles:-
i) The existence of a
creative life
force
ii) The existence of a spiritual
link
between all forms of life
iii) The survival of physical death by
the individual
human spirit
iv) Communication between individual
spirits
on different levels of life
Until our spiritual nature returns to the forefront
and
influences social life on the planet, there can be little hope of
peaceful
brotherhood during our short stay on earth. Unless we understand our
spiritual
nature, we will achieve little progress towards the goal of human
perfection;
life will be without purpose and materialism will ultimately destroy
the
basis of social life. As part of its commitment to these objectives,
the
Federation has
set up a Scientific Forum as well as providing
teams
of teachers to visit different countries, on invitation, to train
mediums,
healers and speakers to use their gifts to the highest possible purpose.
Other objects of the Federation are:
(1) To issue to members, free of charge, a
journal
and other such literature as may be considered helpful.
(2) To arrange for the collection and
distribution
of scientific information likely to interest Spiritualists and
scientific
workers throughout the world.
(3) To aid students and enquirers in their
researches
into all or any of the matters mentioned above.
These are the aims and objects of the Federation
and
embracing as they do, a wide field of research and investigation, the
I.S.F.
is in a position to play a leading role in the collection and
communication
of news and views likely to further the interests of world Spiritualism.
