Is it time Spiritualism cut all
ties with Christianity?
an article from
Psychic News17/12/93
Is
there really no common ground between Christianity and Spiritualism? In
this hard-hitting article by television and newspaper medium Craig Hamilton-Parker,
he argues that there is simply no place in our churches for orthodox elements
of any kind. Should we ignore Christmas then? Perhaps this has no place
in our Movement either.
It wasn't so long ago that Christians
would burn mediums
like me at the stake (possibly remembered by the burning brandy put on our
Christmas pudding)
At this festive time of year when we celebrate the Virgin Birth (an old
idea pinched from other religions) it's good to remember why real Spiritualists
aren't Christians.
Read your Bible thoroughly and you will see that Spiritualism and Christianity
are totally incompatible. Alternatively,to save valuable time ask a born-again
Christian who will quickly point out many quotes that condemn mediumship
as evil. The Bible was written by committees and altered over time to suit
the current political trends. The gospels are Roman documents deliberately
manipulated to suit a Roman domination of the world.
To the Emperors Justinian and
Constantine they must have seemed like a gift from God. "Turn the other
cheek while we occupy your country." All they had to do was Romanise
it a bit, add a few ideas like the death and rebirth of the sun god, call
it Christ and bingo -no more rebellions.
So
why are we Spiritualists including all this junk in our religion? Part of
the answer is that people who have been brought up in traditional Christianity
cannot separate Jesus Christ from God. There's a great Zen Buddhist saying:"Don't
confuse the finger that points at the moon with the moon itself."
Teachers like Jesus, Mohammed,
Krishna and Sai Baba are signposts on the pathway to God. They have realised
God but are not God itself. "Not me but my father" one of them
said. Nobody, no matter how holy, can realise God for you. That's a path
for your feet alone. If I burn in hell because I'm not a Christian that's
fine. I'll be in good company. I'll look forward to meeting Gandhi, Socrates,
Plato and Confucius who'll share my plight.
Isn't it about time that we purged
our churches of Christian imagery put there by uncommitted Spiritualists
who still can't let go of their ignorance?
Get rid of the Lord's Prayer,
the crosses, and in particular that insipid picture of Jesus looking upward
into a beam of light. We don't worship the ghost of an Essene Jew. We believe
in personal responsibility. Nothing should stand between us and our direct
experience of God.
I asked the president of one Spiritualist
church why it had a large cross on the wall behind the platform. "New
visitors may have just left a Christian church" he said. "It reassures
them that we believe in God."
But are we only looking to attract
former Christians and why should we cater to their misconceptions? And how
would someone of a Jewish or Islamic background react to a cross, the symbol
of war and persecution?
Before becoming a Spiritualist
I searched many religions for a truth that would satisfy me. My leanings
were towards Hinduism and Buddhism.
The cross on the wall of the first
Church I visited was the main reason I nearly didn't go back. Luckily I
was saved in the nick of time by philosopher Arthur Findlay. His book The
Rock of Truth put me straight and should be compulsory reading for any
Spiritualist who wants to occupy a position of responsibility.
Superficially, Spiritualism looks like a pale form of Christianity. If we
jettisoned prayers, hymns, pews and the trappings of Christianity we would
still be a religion. A real religion. A unique religion. A universal religion.
One that doesn't ask you to believe in a person or a dogma but opens a pathway
to the truth so you can find out for yourself.
The living philosophy of Spiritualism
is my guiding star.
