Saturday 7 September 2013

My Diary.... A Cergyman's View on Spiritualism... We look on ourselves as the Good Guys - BUT?



 
13th August I attended ASK Cumbernauld to the usual full house that one expects when visiting this church.
15th – Development Circle...
1
8th I was off to the Albany Street Spiritualist Church, Edinburgh. (SNU)  Our capital city is always busy at this time of the year with the Edinburgh Festival - this year I found it busier than normal so it will be interesting to see if the numbers are up for this year.

20th At a discussion on Spiritual Healing...

22nd - Development Circle...

24th – My workshop at the Glasgow Association which was again well attended.

25th  - Kilmarnock Spiritualist Church. (SNU)

26th -  A change for me...Instead of being on the platform I sat in the congregation of Glasgow Association Spiritualist Church and after the service I enjoyed watching the church’s fledglings go through their paces.

28th   Taking part in a discussion on Spiritualism.

29th – I was at Langside Spiritualist Church

30th - Psychic research...

31st - I felt privileged to be asked to take part in psychic research in a well known area in Scotland – an area which has many myths and legends attached to it.  Unlike the previous evening there was a lot of activity here. I am sorry I cannot tell you any more at this stage but when the report is published I will let you all know.
 
 
 

A few years ago a clergyman stopped me and asked many questions on Spiritualism.  He said he knew about the basics of our religion but wanted to fill in the gaps.  At the end of our session he said he had been surprised to find there was a number of his congregation going to his church on Sunday and then also attending a spiritualist church on a Tuesday evening.
A few years later we met again just around the time the local spiritualist church was moving to a bigger hall and another spiritualist church was just about to open in the area.  He said - not in a nasty way - “I am not too worried.  I am not being disrespectful but I feel that many attend your church for a bit of entertainment”.
Recently we came into contact and again the conversation got around to religion.  I will only take one sentence from this conversation “”I am not worried about the drift away from my church to your religion as in the end they will come back to their home”.  Again the was not said in a nasty way and I did not take offence.
To be honest I could see that this clergyman has his finger on the pulse of what is going on and in many ways I have to agree with him.  There are those who look on a demonstration of clairvoyance as entertainment.  But as we all know there are demonstrations of clairvoyance that don’t take place in our churches and are not part of our Divine Services.
The comment “they will come back to their home” is perfectly true.  Many people attend a spiritualist church for years, yet in the end they go back to the religion they were born into for their wedding or funeral.  Usually only one or two members of a family attend a spiritualist church and when it comes to their funeral it is usually easier for the family to opt for a funeral conducted by one of the mainstream religions.  Although this seems to be changing as spiritualist funerals and naming ceremonies (christenings) are on the increase.  But I have not noticed much of an increase in spiritual weddings.  And we have a compromise with several joint funerals that I feel is an admirable in a way with two religions coming together at such a time...
But we all have free will and Spiritualism never force anyone to accept our way of thinking.  whether one looks on us as nothing more than entertainment – and many within our organization don’t help matters here – spiritualism has proved time and time again of not only proof of life after death but also that there can be communication between the two dimensions.
 

 
 
 Dana  - Spiritualist mediums do not "tell fortunes." They attempt to provide you with evidence of the survival of the human soul after death.
Blair – as you have only sat in two development circles so i would steer clear of trance workshops at the moment.  You have barely dipped your toe in the water as far as learning about  your psychic ability is concerned so stick to the basics.
And I would say the same to Jane... who has only sat in her fourth development circle and is not too keen on the programme for the month of October which dwells mainly on ‘trance’.  Tell your circle leader that is too much too soon and she should understand.  Well, hopefully she will understand or you should look for another development circle.
 
 
 
We have reached a stage where atrocities, no matter where they happen around the world, are relayed into our living rooms via our TV screens.  I feel that so many become immune to the suffering of others.  After all we have seen it all before in war and disaster movies.  But this time it is not actors playing the part but innocent men women and children being killed or maimed. 
In movies there always has to be a good guy and a bad guy and it is the same with atrocities all around the world.  But on many occasions the innocent civilian population caught in the centre of war zones find it hard to distinguish between the good and the bad guys.    
The chemical attack in Syria is horrific as it killed and injured so many innocent people.  But innocent men, women and children are dying every day by the actions of the so-called ‘good guys’ now and in the past Drone attacks, the use of Agent Orange, cluster bombs, using bullets and shells with depleted uranium on the tips of them.  Some of our allies are even today still manufacturing and exporting cluster bombs. 
Surely all human life is precious and it is not acceptable that anything goes as long as we take out the so-called ‘bad guy’?   We cannot use depleted uranium bullets and shells knowing that this will sign a death-warrant to many of our troops and civilians.  This cannot be acceptable as long as we win the battle.
It is easier to transport a negotiation table around the world than an army and may save more innocent lives?