Spiritualism’s main focus is to promote an individual to have a personal experience with God/Infinite Intelligence or Infinite Spirit.
Spiritualism is not based on a relationship with a particular Saviour, recognizing all prophets that came to mankind through the ages; not setting one above the other. It is rather based upon the idea that we are all to form our own relationship with God, and to obtain guidance and accept responsibility for our actions based on our interaction with that personal guidance. We are able to have that instant and personal communication directly with God with no intermediary, hence the reason why we do not give any one a fixed idea of God, only that there is a God.
Any attempt to personalize the idea of God only limits the totality of that Intelligence, being the reason Spiritualists sometimes refer to that idea of God as Infinite Intelligence or Infinite Spirit.
Another significant difference is the belief of survival of death by the personality, meaning that we still think of ourselves the same after death as during our physical life.
This is reasonably proven by Mediumship, the bringing back of loved ones in evidential form who have gone through the change called death. It also removes grieving when it is realized that our loved ones are still around us from time to time and able to communicate with us and still care about us and can be communicated with. Mediumship when done in the true sense will produce a real understanding of this existence and level of interaction to and from the spirit realm.
Another major difference is that we believe that the nature of mankind is to be good, not a sinner. We do not believe in sin and repentance, only spiritual progression by Natural Law. We also do not believe in Vicarious Atonement, meaning that you are responsible at all times, here and hereafter for your actions and must compensate in some fashion for them yourself, not a saviour of some kind for you.
The basic philosophy of Spiritualism does not say it is the only way, and does feel all religions can produce enlightenment and believes that Jesus as well as all other saviors and prophets were real people.
Our feeling is that your purpose here is to unfold spiritually then use that to be of service to others as you continue to unfold.
You need not aspire to be a medium or healer to be a spiritualist.
Spiritualism is a science, philosophy and a religion:
- A Science because it investigates, analyses and classifies facts and manifestations of Spirit.
- A Philosophy because it studies the Laws of Nature both on the seen and unseen side of life and bases its conclusions upon present observed facts.
- A Religion because it strives to understand and comply with the Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Laws of Nature, which are the Laws of God.
Co-Development is what the methodology is for enacting all which is spoken of previously, that being we draw from those around us, our own mind and experiences, and spiritual inspiration for our guidance.
This philosophy and movement of Spiritualism when put into practice in your life will truly change it and produce true freedom and confidence in oneself and can lead others through your example to seek what you have. We also are not a religion of conversion, only by example, through self-unfoldment, and teaching those who come seeking are we to spread the truth of Spiritualism.
