The essence of Spiritualism has existed since the first human beings recognized the magnificence of the Universe. This recognition led directly to a belief that there is a higher power than humanity that has created the wonders of nature, including mankind itself. The Spiritualist movement in the United States has existed for well over a century.
Christianity was created as a religion following the death of Jesus, and formally recognized around 300 AD after the conversion of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great. Some would argue that Jesus was never a Christian because the religion had not formed yet.
Using Jesus’ own words from the Bible as quoted in the gospels of Matthew 22, Mark 12 and Luke 10, the conditions for being a follower of Christ are to “love God and to love your neighbor as yourself”. Since Jesus clearly met these conditions, he is deemed to be a Christian.
Spiritualism has a Declaration of Principles that covers nine key areas. Spiritualists declare a belief in Infinite Intelligence. Christians declare a belief in God, with that God generally being based upon Jehovah from the Old Testament. Many Christian Spiritualists combine this into a reverence for the Creator of All That Is, and declares that everything that exists justifies a belief in a higher power. We didn't get here by random chance and a lot of time.
In John 8:58, Jesus declared that He existed before Abraham. Clearly, this refers to the spirit of Jesus and not to Jesus the man. Christian Spiritualists believe in the teachings of Jesus and the Christ Consciousness that transcends Jesus as a person. When Jesus speaks in John 14:6, saying “I am the way, the truth and the light”, He was proclaiming that a person reaches the highest levels of spiritual development through a reverence for all of the creation and a love for all people. Christian Spiritualists insist that the way is open to all faiths and religions so long as they treat each other according to the Golden Rule and recognize that there is a higher power than mankind.
The Declaration of Principles upholds Jesus’ commandment to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. A major deviation from fundamentalist Christianity is that the Declaration of Principles specifically holds each person responsible for the consequences of their own actions. Jesus does not provide a “get out of hell free card” to those that believe that Jesus was the Son of God. This personal responsibility is closer to the Eastern views of karma than to the concept of salvation coming from the belief that Jesus is the personal savior of all Christians. Members of the Christian Spiritualist Temple are free to define Jesus' role in their lives as they see fit.
Spiritualism is all inclusive when the Declaration of Principles states that nobody is ever beyond redemption. This is hard to accept if you include Nero, Ivan the Terrible, Hitler, Idi Amin, Pol Pot and many other infamous people throughout history that have inflicted great pain and suffering on many millions of people. Spiritualists generally do not believe in either heaven or hell as a "resting place". The soul continues to exist, and all souls continue to progress on their spiritual journey back to the Creator.
Through the spiritual contacts made through mediumship, and the numerous descriptions of those having near-death experiences, the most important issues in a person’s life are how they treated themselves and others. Through multiple lives, each soul works out its karma and continues to develop on their spiritual journey. There are no exceptions, but there may be many, many reincarnations for people to experience in order to continue their journey back to the Creator of All That Is.
One of the greatest benefits from being a spiritualist is that the fear of death is reduced or vanquished. Spiritualists know from direct experience that the soul continues after death through the messages from those that have passed over. Details of the lives of those receiving the messages are unknown to the spiritual readers. The messages provide intimate information that confirms that the message is from a departed individual known to the receiver. Spiritual messages also help guide people in their life choices to achieve their unique spiritual purpose. Masters, Spirit Guides, Angels, and Spiritual Teachers also provide messages and guidance to those that ask for their assistance.
The Declaration of Principles used in the Christian Spiritualist Temple has been adapted from those provided in N.S.A.C. Spiritualist Manual. The major change in wording is contained in the first principle, and it involves changing a belief it Infinite Intelligence to a belief in God. Each person is allowed to define God in whatever terms that are meaningful to them. For the author, The Creator of All That Is defines God, and nothing further is known about the origin or true nature of the Creator.
These are the Declaration of Principles as they are recited each Sunday at the Christian Spiritualist Temple. If Jesus were in our congregation, He would be invited to recite these principles with us.
We believe in God.
Physical and Spiritual Nature are the expression of God’s creation.
A correct understanding of Nature and living in the spirit of God constitute true religion.
The existence and personal identity of the individual continue after the change we call death.
Communication with the so-called dead is a fact proven by the existence of spiritualism.
The highest morality is contained in the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Each person is responsible for their own happiness or unhappiness as they obey or disobey natural, physical and spiritual laws.
The doorway to reformation is never closed against any human soul, here or hereafter.
The precept of prophecy contained in the Bible is a divine attribute proven through mediumship.
We are all here for a reason, and the world needs each person to fulfill the creation as it evolves. There are no spare parts to the body, and no spare people in the Universe. We are all a part of the Creator and the Creator is in us all. The main focus of spiritualism is to promote spiritual development and the highest possible love of God, one’s self and love of others.
If you would like to learn more about Christian Spiritualism, visit http://www.christianspiritualisttemple.org. This website receives over 100 visits per day, with some of the major destinations including Healing Music, Kids Page, Inspirations, Links and Living Healthy. We welcome all people without regard to race, religion, sexual preference or any other condition. We affirm that Jesus was a Christian Spiritualist and recognize Him as an example of how to lead a life of divine purpose and spiritual development.
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