Spiritualism as a religion embodies the truth of life after death, of the immortality of the soul and the existence of a God. Through mediumship it offers evidence of spirit communication through the medium to the recipient and in so doing seeks to demonstrate the continuous existence of the human soul.
Spiritualism has no creed and dogma and simply encourages the individual to study this earthly life’s purpose once it is accepted that we survive death.
The seven principals of Spritualism are derived from the communication given from spirit through Emma Hardinge Britten at a lecture given by her in London in the late 1800’s and as reprinted in The Two Worlds of Aug 17, 1888:
SPIRITUAL COMMANDMENTS GIVEN BY THE SPIRITS THROUGH EMMA HARDINGE BRITTEN.
- Though shalt search for truth in every department of being; test, prove, and try if what thou findest is truth, and then accept it as the Word of God.
- Though shalt continue the search for truth all thy life, and never cease to test, prove, and try all that thou deemest to be truth.
- Thou shalt search for the laws that underlie life and being; strive to comprehend these laws, live in harmony with them, and make them thy rule and guide in all thine actions.
- Though shalt not follow the example of any man or set of men, nor obey any teaching or theory as thy rule of life that is not in accordance with thy highest sense of right.
- Though shalt remember that a wrong done to the least of thy fellow-creatures is a wrong done to all; and thou shalt never do a wrong wilfully and consciously to any of thy fellow-men, nor connive at wrong doing by others without striving to prevent or protesting against it.
- Though shalt acknowledge all men’s rights to do, think, or speak, to be exactly equal to thine own; and all rights whatsoever thou dost demand, though shalt accord to others.
- Thou shalt not hold thyself bound to love, or associate with those that are repulsive to thee; but thou shalt treat such objects of dislike with gentleness, courtesy, and justice, and never suffer thy antipathies to make thee ungentle or unjust to any living creature.
- Thou shalt ever regard the welfare of the many as superior to those of the one or few; an in cases where thy welfare, or that of thy friend, is to be balanced against that of society, thou shalt sacrifice thyself or friend to the welfare of the many.
- Thou shalt be obedient to the laws of the land in which thou dost reside, in all things which do not conflict with thy highest sense of right.
- Thy first and last duty upon earth, and all through thy life, shall be to live out to the utmost of thy power the laws of right, which are – in morals, JUSTICE; in science, PROGRESS; in religion, THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD, THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN, the immortality of the soul, and compensation and retribution for the good or evil done on earth.
THE TEN LAWS OF RIGHT.
- Temperance in all things, whether physical, mental, moral, affectional, or religious.
- Justice to all creatures that be; justice being the exercise of the same rules of life, conduct, thought, or speech that we would desire others to act out to us.
- Gentleness in speech and act; never needlessly wounding or destroying aught that breathes, save for the purpose of sustenance or self-defence.
- Truth in every word of thought spoken or acted; but reservation of harsh or unpleasing truths where they would needlessly wound the feelings of others.
- Charity – charity in thought, striving to excuse the failings of others; charity in speech, veiling the failings of others; charity in deeds, wherever and whenever the opportunity offers.
- Almsgiving – visiting the sick and comforting the afflicted in every shape that our means admit of, and the necessities of our fellow-creatures demand.
- Self-sacrifice, whenever the interests of others are to be benefited by our temperance.
- Temperate yet firm defence of our views of right, and protest against wrong, whether to ourselves or others.
- Industry in following any calling we may be engaged in, or in devoting some portion of our time to the service of others.
- Love. Above and beyond all, seeking to cultivate first in ourselves and next among all mankind, the spirit of that true and tender love which can think, speak, and act no wrong to any creature living; remembering always, that where love is, all the other principals of life are fulfilled beneath its influence and embodied in its monitions.