Spiritualist Churches

Spiritualist Churches

Spiritualist Churches

There are several Spiritualist organisations which set standards for Spiritualists and mediums and provide common frameworks of beliefs.

The main church in the UK is the Spiritualists' National Union, and in the USA is the National Association of Spiritualist Churches. Other spiritualist organisations also exist in both countries.

Spiritualists' National Union

The first united organisation of Spiritualist churches in the UK was the Spiritualists' National Federation, founded in 1890. This organisation was succeeded in 1902 by the Spiritualists' National Union (incorporated 1901).

The Spiritualists' National Union now has 350 affiliated Spiritualist churches or centres, with almost 16,000 full members and over 2,000 associate members.

Local churches, which are run by elected committees, have considerable freedom to arrange their own activities, as long as they remain within the organisation's rules and accept the Seven Principles.

The National Spiritualist Association of Churches

The National Spiritualist Association of Churches was incorporated in 1893 in Washington D.C., as a non-profit religious organisation.

Buildings

A Spiritualist church is a place where spiritualism is practiced. It may be a special church building but it can be a hall or any other suitable place.

Services

Churches in the Spiritualists' National Union hold services every week, usually led by a medium, which the public are welcome to attend.

During these services a medium will 'link' with the spirit world.

The main service takes place on Sundays and consists of prayers, hymns, a reading and a talk from a medium – usually with the help of their Spirit Guide – about the philosophy of Spiritualism and related subjects. Spiritualists say that the medium also spends some time linking with the spirit-world and passing on messages to members of the congregation.

Holy books

Holy books

Unlike many religions Spiritualism doesn't have a sacred text and relies instead on the Seven Principles - a model of living that guides rather than preaches, and allows followers to interpret the Spiritualist values.

1. The Fatherhood of God
2. The Brotherhood of Man
3. The Communion of Spirits and the Ministry of Angels
4. The continuous existence of the human soul
5. Personal responsibility
6. Compensation and retribution hereafter for all the good and evil deeds done on earth
7. Eternal progress open to every human soul

Spiritualism and Christianity

Many Spiritualists believe that Christianity and Spiritualism are compatible but many Christians would disagree.

One way Christianity and Spiritualism have been combined is this code of beliefs from The Greater World Christian Spiritualist Association:

• I believe in one God who is Love.
• I accept the Leadership of Jesus the Christ.
• I believe that God manifests through the illimitable power of holy spirit.
• I believe in the survival of the soul and its individuality after physical death.
• I believe in Communion with God, with His angelic ministers, and with souls functioning in conditions other than Earth Life.
• I believe that all forms of Life created by God intermingle, are interdependent, and evolve until perfection is attained.
• I believe in perfect justice of the Divine Laws governing all Life.
• I believe that sins committed can only be rectified by the sinner himself or herself, through the redemptive power of Jesus the Christ, by repentance and service to others.