Is There a Better Way?

I just finished reading an article written by Ray Jones about the problems in Spiritualism and world religions. I would like to extend his words to include all religions throughout the world. When I attended a Fundamentalist church, during the late 1950 and early 1960s, there were many ministers talking about the loss of church attendance. When I visited that church in 2006, the church’s name had been changed and the original congregation scattered. Where, I don’t know. Today all churches have the same problems. The author of the eBook, “Building Christian Communities” that was originally published by the Roman Catholic Church in 1992, talked about the growing problem of the church losing members and the children of “old time Christians” were either not attending any church, or were attending non-denominational churches. In the Province of Quebec, Canada, the Catholic Church used to have enough priests to handle all of their parishes. Today there is maybe one priest to han­dle all of the parishes in a hundred square mile area. What’s happening?

One thing that may explain it is that the original teachings of the church were going by the wayside as people became more and more involved in the “modern technological material age.” Parents don’t take their children to church. They say, “We are letting our children make up their own minds about going to church when they grow up.” As you know, when children grow up, they don’t go to church; they have made up their minds by saying “I didn’t go to church when I was a kid, so why should I go now”? In fact, the majority of grown-ups have never stepped foot inside a church to attend the funeral service of a parent or other loved one. They may have gone to the funeral at a funeral home, but that’s all.” In fact most people you ask if they go to church will tell you NO! When you ask why? They simply shrug their shoulders and change the subject.

All churches are having the same problem when it comes to building their congregations. In fact, it is like “pulling hen’s teeth” to get anyone to even allow you to talk to them about religion in any form.

One of the problems that churches have is a lot of petty jealousy that is running rampant in the church unabated; even the minister’s hands seem to be tied so that he/she can do nothing about it.

In Islam, they are engaged in “Jihads’,” because they are so afraid that Christianity will try to convert some of their members. For a number of years in the United States, church membership has been on a constant decline. Spiritualism, in the late 1800s had over three million members throughout the United States alone. Today, there are way less than a million. What is going on? I think that one answer is that people just can’t get beyond the old religious creeds and dogmas that say, “my church is better than your church”, or “my church and its teachings are the only way to heaven.” All Christian churches and denominations teach exactly the same Bible, God and Jesus Christ and that to get into heaven you must accept Christ as your personal savior, not the church per se.

All Spiritualist churches, temples, societies and associations teach exactly the same things. But, like the denomination, why do we continuously fight with one another over which one of us is teaching the only right way? If you are an ordained minister, certified medium, certified healer, lecturer, teacher or National Spiritualist Teacher and the pastor or minister of a church, then why do you have to continuously prove to other Spiritualists that you have been properly trained, and are in accord with spirit? If we are not, it will be proven faster than you can say “Jack Robertson.”

Ray, you said it like it is, but it still doesn’t mean a thing to most people. People will just not lay aside their egos and prejudice for you or me or any one else. If we call ourselves Christian, believers in Islam, Spiritualists or any one of the more than a thousand religions and denominations in this world, WE ARE ALL brothers and Sisters, or the second Principle of Spiritualism is totally wrong “We believe in the brotherhood of man”.

We as Spiritualist need to get together and practice what we preach, especially the principle of personal responsibility. We teach that we all have the God given (Infinite Intelligence) gift of freewill, freewill to make choices. Choices, that ALLOW all people in this world to believe what they want, do what they want, and go where they want. Even if it means that many will meet their maker along the way. One of our principles says “We believe that the highest morality is contained in The Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” Every world religion has a similar wording to “The Golden Rule” that means exactly the same thing. But it seems that we are all far too selective as to how and whom we will apply this principles to. It is my goal to practice the Golden Rule in my life and that personal responsibility is always at the forefront of my being.

In William Stainton Moses’ book, Spirit Teachings,” the spirit +IMPERATOR, talks about Spiritualism as being the religion of the future. It is the church that will teach the truth about God, (Infinite Spirit) and what Jesus really taught so long ago. We as Spiritualists today have the greatest opportunity to teach what is good and true in this world. It is our right. We need to do all we can to unite as one church united in purpose and teaching by recognizing each other gifts and abilities as they did in the mid to late 1800s into the early 1900s. Otherwise, we will never get away from the old denominational church’s dogmas and creeds, and we can all do more to bring into our churches those who are looking for the truth.