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Spiritualism

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WORLDVIEW/RELIGIOUS ANAYLSIS

Spiritualism Summary
Many people view Spiritualism as a legitimate, God given religion. What is Spiritualism? According to Wikipedia, Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living. Anyone may receive spirit messages, but formal communication sessions (séances) are held by “medium,” which can then provide information about the afterlife.Spiritualists communicate with people who died and the spirits communicate through people with special skills who are called mediums.
The beginning of Spiritualism started in the United States. This religion was started in 1848 by two sisters, Maggie and Kate Fox who realized that they could communicate with a spirit that was haunting their house. The house the Fox family moved into was said to be haunted. A prior tenant moved out of the home because of weird disturbances. There had been random rapping on doors, windows and ceilings at all hours of the day. In March of 1848, the Fox family began to hear strange sounds and activities throughout the home. The strange noises that the children were hearing were very loud that it caused the beds to shake. Later in March, Kate Fox decided to challenge the spirit and called out to the spirit saying, “Do as I do!” She knocked twice and then the spirit knocked twice. Eventually, the sisters developed a code between the spirits and themselves. Through this code, the sisters learned about the spirit that haunted their home. The Fox sisters became the first mediums and started holding séances to help people contact family that passed.
Spiritualism spread throughout North America and Europe. Throughout North America and Europe, Spiritualist claimed that they had discovered a method of contacting the spirit world and without a doubt can establish life beyond death. Spiritualist believed that Spiritualism is a religion that is not based on a particular savior. According to the National Associations of Churches, Spiritualism is a common sense religion, one of knowing and living. They accept all truths and endeavor to prove their validity. Truths are found in nature, in other religions, in writings, in science, in philosophy, in Divine Law and are received through spirit communication. Spiritualists believe that God or Infinite Intelligence is ALL That Is, expressing through all creation by love, light and law. Humanity, the most complex of life on earth, reaches this Divine Source through prayer, mediation, listening to the inner awareness, and service.
Flaws in Spiritualism
Spiritualism is not the same as Christian religion. Spiritualism is for those who believe in more than just a God that will solve all of their problems. Christians believe that God create all that is seen and unseen (Genesis), that Jesus is the Son of God and is one with God (John 10:30) , that Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:18), Jesus suffered and was crucified (Matthew 27:23-56), Jesus died and was buried (Matthew 27: 57-60), Jesus rose again (John 20), Jesus ascended to heaven (Mark 16:19-20), Jesus will return to judge the living and dead (Matthew 24:30), that anyone can have salvation (Roman 10:12) and that people who repent of their sins will be forgiven (Roman 10:9-10).
It has become very popular to see a television show with people speaking to the dead. The Bible speaks against this type of religion, “And when they shall say unto you ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah8:19, 20). When Isaiah wrote these words he was inspired by God but the many voices people are hearing from the dead are not of God, they are in place to decisive whoever lack knowledge and faith in God. A deception of the devil to kill, steal and destroy.
I am reminded of the story in 1 Samuel 28, “Saul and the witch at En-dor,” during this time the Lord did not answer Saul through dreams, nor by Urim or by prophets. So, Saul told one his servants to seek a woman with a familiar spirit, so that he can speak with her. The servant told him of a woman that had this familiar spirit in En-dor. Saul then disguises himself to go see her, and ask her to bring up a particular spirit. The women recognize Saul and inquire to Saul, “Why are you trying to deceive me?” Saul tells her, “Don’t be afraid, tell me what do you see?” The woman said, “I see a spirit coming up out of the ground.” Saul wants to know what does he look like and she tells him an old man wearing a robe is coming up. Right away Saul assumes that this old man was Samuel and bowed down to the ground. But the woman really saw was a familiar spirit that imitated him and she learned who Saul was by the familiar spirit who possessed her. The Bible teaches us that communication with the dead can be demons imitating departed loved ones.
According to Michael Prescott, “A large number of physical and materialization mediums were exposed as frauds. A common tactic was to tackle the materialized “spirit” in the middle of the séance and hold on to it until the lights came up, at which point the struggling figure would be revealed as the medium in disguise.

Jesus Declared That He Was The Only Way - to the Father (John 14:6) - his Father is in heaven (Matthew 7:21, 10:32-33) so He was telling us that He was the only way to heaven. Jesus also said that some who called Him Lord were not truly His children (Matthew 7:21) but only those who do the will of the Father.
I recall a passage in the Bible, where we would find a man who had a son who was possess by a demonic spirit the scripture reads as follow: Mark 9:16-29 KJV
And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
Just to give you a view of how I would approach one who believes in Spiritualism and to convert them into Christianity. So that they would know the one true God, Jesus says, “This kind only comes by fasting and prayer.” As a Christian, we have to be very careful how we approach certain individuals who have been operating in Spiritualism. Although, most people want to believe like the father of this young man who cries out to Jesus saying, “Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.” Also, while trying to convert a nonbeliever, determines the magnitude of the relationship of the believer of God. As a believer I believe that we must be ready to go into battlefield for the Lord at any given time, for situation of any kind, whether it's spiritualism or feeding the homeless. We must be ready to lead them to Christ's by sharing with them John 3:16 in leading them to Romans 10:9 and ending in a prayer for that's the most powerful weapon in our arsenal and that's prayer as I am I must say this:
2 Corinthians 10:4-5
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cowan, Steven, 2000, Fives Views of Apologetics, Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan Publishing House
Wikipedia Foundation Inc., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritualism (accessed March 15, 2013).
National Spiritualist Association of Churches, http://www.nsac.org/spiritualism.php (accessed March 15, 2013).

--------------------------------------------
[ 1 ]. Wikipedia Foundation Inc., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritualism (accessed March 15, 2013).
[ 2 ]. National Spiritualist Association of Churches, http://www.nsac.org/spiritualism.php (accessed March 15, 2013).
[ 3 ]. Ibid.
[ 4 ]. King James Version, Touch Bible, http://bible.org/netbiblecopyright (accessed March 15, 2013)
[ 5 ]. Michael Prescott TypePad, http://michaelprescott.typepad.com/michael_prescotts_blog/2011/11/some-problems-with-mediumship-in-the-heyday-of-spiritualism.html (accessed March 25, 2013)

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