Spiritualism; Modern Spiritualism; Modern Spiritualist Movement; Spiritualist Church

Today, many are confused over all this talk about Spirit and Spiritualism. We have terms such as: Spiritualism; Modern Spiritualism; Modern Spiritualist Movement; Spiritualist Church. Are there really any differences amongst these various terms? We think there are; significant differences at that. So, let us briefly explain how we perceive and distinguish these various concepts.
It is important to understand that the First Spiritual Temple was founded before any organized Spiritualist Church body came about in the United States. When it did, the Church leaders approached our founder, Marcellus Ayer, and requested - in fact, they insisted - that he join forces with them. He chose to remain independent, in order to assure that our Church remain free to pursue Spiritualism and the New Dispensation in Spiritualism in a totally open environment.

First of all: What is Spiritualism?

Spiritualism is a way of looking at and living life which accepts the reality that we were created, first and foremost, in God's image as SPIRIT; that underlying all which appears to be material, there is a spiritual foundation. In other words, Spiritualism is the opposite of Materialism.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in "The New Revelation," says of Spiritualism:

"The question which faces us, then, is how will this influence (Spiritualism) bear upon older organized religions and philosophies which have influenced the actions of men. "The answer is, that to only one of these religions or philosophies is this new revelation absolutely fatal. That is to Materialism."

Therefore, any religious or philosophical movement which accepts the reality of the Spirit can be said to be Spiritualist in nature. One would be very hard pressed to find any religious movement that does not accept some type of spiritual force and consciousness underlying and vitalizing the Human person. Therefore, Spiritualism can be said to be the foundation upon which most faiths and denominations are built.

Spiritualism - or "Spiritual-ism" - represents any teaching or "ism" of the Spirit.

If this is so, then the logical conclusion would be that, once the Human Person sheds the Human Body -- through death - what remains is the Human Spirit. That Spirit must, then, be free to go somewhere and continue to exist in some manner. In other words, the Material World and its body are temporal, while the Spirit is eternal. Again, most, if not all, religions preach this basic tenet of life and death. Many of Saint Paul's letters revolve around this seeming dichotomy between material/temporal and spiritual/eternal. Jesus Christ and many other prophets came to help show us this basic truth.