Why do people go to Spiritualist churches?

I'm reading a book on grief that surprisingly had a couple of references to spiritualism.  Sadly the first passage quoted below is based on a very small sample number and presents a conclusion that is not a glowing endorsement of spiritualism.  However the second quote is very interesting and begs the question, if people are attracted to the values and fellowship of spiritualism, then why are attendances falling?



Spiritualism claims to help bereaved persons in their search for the dead, and seven of the bereaved people who were included in my various studies described visits to séances or spiritualist churches. Their reactions were mixed— some felt that they had obtained some sort of contact with the dead and a few had been frightened by this. On the whole they did not feel satisfied by the experience and none had become a regular attendee at spiritualist meetings.

Worden, J. William (2008-08-14). Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy, Fourth Edition: A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner (pp. 41-42). Springer Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.


The author interviewed a number of attendees at spiritualist meetings. Although many initially attended in an attempt to find out if their loved one was at peace or to hear words of advice from the other side, the majority of those interviewed continued attending spiritualist meetings because they liked the values and fellowship found in the group

Worden, J. William (2008-08-14). Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy, Fourth Edition: A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner (p. 42). Springer Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Hi Wes, thanks for that, in which country was the study based?

To be honest I will ask a question, if you were talking to a bereaved person and offering advice if they were seeking contact with a loved one which churches would recommend in Australia, or even now in the USA ( I would even include the UK now because of the prevalence of the fishing net or hybrid fishing net approach to mediumship) to try and get a good proof of survival message or to see one given, convincingly, to another recipient? Could you go there on a weekly basis and get that consistently? If not would you end up having to tell them to go only when certain mediums are on because they may get what they are seeking?

It is the classic problem the bereaved should be able to come, they should know the mediums will be giving messages that prove Spirit survives. They should also expect this will be in a caring and compassionate way. The failure to ensure that this is what they are getting and that the standards of mediumship ensure this is down to the overall Spiritualist movement.

When we fail these seekers they do not return, unless the other part of the caring community cuts in to re assure them. We also fail to provide material to attract thinkers. That was what drew me to it, not just meeting Lis in 1983, there was space for rational thought and on virtually every Sunday, in any centre, the mediums were giving decent proof of survival. I doubt that much which I now see would convince me to deeply were I a newcomer.

It does appear the centres that succeed are more likely to have messages which are more psychism usually having wide ranging and sometimes far fetched ideas which appeal to a specific group. However, there are a few centres where the standards have been maintained (particularly in the UK) where the numbers have been maintained.

Its a bit like a building, Spiritualism says that mediumship is its cornerstone, it proves the truth of our philosophy. In any building, if the cornerstone is damaged it becomes more at risk of collapse.

Jim

"However, there are a few centres where the standards have been maintained (particularly in the UK) where the numbers have been maintained."

Hello Jim,
Would you care to specify which UK centres you have in mind? It might save interested enquirers wasting a lot of time.

In earlier times (1960s/ 70s) Mediums seemed to be free to express themselves in ways appropriate to getting their evidence across. There seemed no imposed restrictions as to whether they took more of a mystic approach, a Greater World or a SNU view of Mediumship. The Church Committee quietly suggested where, in their view, improvements might be considered. This was in a mainly SNU environment - the quality of the Mediumship was the main, indeed the only, concern whether evidential or in expounding philosophy.
A steady inflow of enquirers received satisfactory evidence of individual survival through and beyond physical death.
There seemed to be an attempt to impose uniformity after Gordon Higginson's passing, even to drop the individual interpretation of the Seven Principles.
This was a major blunder in my view, as enquirers in the main were even then abandoning the "Thou Shalt' view of Life and the Spiritualist Church fitted the thinking of the time. Those who delved further into the philosophical explanations of Life, such as via the work of the Silver Birch group slowly abandoned Orthodox teachings, forging their own Life Values.
Perhaps the key was an encouraged freedom of thought in combination with superb Mediumship, delivered by dedicated, sincere, often self taught individuals.
I am merely one who gratefully continues to benefit from their wonderful work.

Sad to say, there are relatively few Spiritualist churches in the US, and none around here, so I've never had the privilege of visiting one.

However, I have been able to seek out and find mediums, so if one wanted to substitute "why did you seek out a medium?" for the question "why did you first attend a Spiritualist church?", my answer would be, to obtain evidence of life after bodily death.

Since I am now convinced that life continues, I would have to say that I remain involved, not to obtain further proof, but to increase my knowledge about a subject that I find fascinating: to promote the spread of that knowledge: and fellowship, albeit of an email and penpal sort.