 Spiritual: August 02, 2017 Issue [#8415] |
  Spiritual
This week: The Uninvited Edited by: Shannon  
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Welcome to the Spiritual Newsletter. My name is Shannon and I'm your editor this week. |
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The light of God surrounds us;
The love of God enfolds us;
The power of God protects us;
The presence of God watches over us;
Wherever we are, God is!
The Prayer for Protection was written by James Dillet Freeman, a Unity Church minister and poet, in 1941 and accompanied Buzz Aldrin aboard Apollo 11 on his journey to the moon in 1969. I first heard the prayer in 2007 while watching a television program titled Paranormal State on A&E. On the show, paranormal investigators from Pennsylvania State University (a group of PSU college students who call themselves the Paranormal Research Society) investigate and rid homes of various entities. They recite the prayer as they roam from room to room in an attempt to clear the house of its unwanted guests.
The scientific community scoffs at the very idea of ghosts, but "Gallup Polls tell us that more than one in three Americans believe that houses can be haunted and more than 20 percent believe that people can communicate with the dead. So if ghosts cannot exist, why do so many people believe that they can?" 1
Ghosts, demon possession, poltergeists, spirits, and residual hauntings are very popular these days; one could argue they've been popular since The Uninvited hit the big screen in 1944. Just take a gander at your local theater marquee if you have any doubts. But why? What is it about this subject that so fascinates and frightens us?
The belief that human spirits continue to exist after death and may be communicated with lead to a religious movement called Spiritualism in the mid 1800s. "By 1897, spiritualism was said to have more than eight million followers in the United States and Europe, mostly drawn from the middle and upper classes." 2 Of course, scam artists saw this phenomenon as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and so-called "mediums" popped up all over the country.
After the death of his beloved mother, Harry Houdini sought the help of a medium in an attempt to contact his mother's spirit. Finding the medium to be a fraud, Houdini dedicated the remainder of his life to debunking and exposing the extortionists. He went so far as to offer $10,000.00 (the equivalent of $139,556.07 today ) to anyone "who could exhibit supernatural phenomena that he could not mirror." 3 The money was never claimed.
Fast-forward to 2017 and Spiritualism is more popular than ever. Several churches have incorporated its belief system into their spiritual practices and are convinced the dead have something important to impart to the living--that we can learn from them if we're willing to be openminded and suspend disbelief. Turn on your television, go to the movies, take a trip to the bookstore, or walk downtown in any major city and you will find psychics, mediums, fortunetellers, astrologers, and clairvoyants. Some are quite well known and have counseled famous actors, politicians, and First Ladies of the United States.
There are many things about the universe I don't understand, and in my 16-year nursing career I've seen things I can't explain. While caring for a young woman who was dying from cancer, I witnessed her grip the bedrails and scream, "No, Grandpa! I'm not going!" One of her family members told me the patient's grandfather had been dead for years. On another occasion, the call-light in a recently deceased patient's room kept going off repeatedly--four or five times an hour. The room stayed unoccupied for days due to the faulty call light, but maintenance couldn't find anything wrong with it.
Do you believe in ghosts? Have you tried to communicate with a dead loved one? Are you a Spiritualism practitioner? Have you written a story about interacting with spirits on the other side? Respond to this newsletter and I will share your thoughts and comments in next month's feedback section.
“Now I know what a ghost is. Unfinished business, that's what.”
~ Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses
Peace and blessings.
Works cited:
1. Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits. New York: Checkmark, 1992.
2. Wikipedia contributors. "Spiritualism." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 19 Jul. 2017. Web. 1 Aug. 2017
3. https://www.thegreatharryhoudini.com/occult.html |
I hope you enjoy this week's featured selections. I occasionally feature static items by members who are no longer with us; some have passed away, while others simply aren't active members. Their absence doesn't render their work any less relevant, and if it fits the week's topic I will include it.
Thank you, and have a great week!
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The following is in response to "Hermeneutics" :
Quick-Quill  writes: This is my interpretation of just what you wrote about. Yes, I too, like your parents, believe in the literal version of God and Satan. To think otherwise would almost negate the whole Bible and leave a great story no more real than other books about self claimed prophets. They are great stories, but have no living entity to act on our behalf. Much like the idols that represent them. It takes a real relationship with the almighty along with faith to understand that principle. I understand that people have constrained and twisted the words of God to their own meaning. However if one honestly seeks to know the truth, without built in barriers, they will find it.
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tYpO/T.Boilerman  writes: Shannon: As a pastor I appreciate your family's view of the Bible! I found your article to be thoughtful and well written! If folks have never read the Bible, I challenge you to give it a try. Please open your heart and mind and ask God to reveal Himself on its pages!
God Bless!
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Michaelmountain:spring hope  writes: There really is a dearth of nonpoetry spiritual endeavors. I appreciate what you did list. I will enter one when it comes on line in September. My site is full of non-poetic spiritual expressions.
Michaelmountain
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Jeff  writes: I really struggle with how I feel about the Bible. On the one hand, I've heard so many people claim that it's the inerrant literal word of God. On the other hand, I've had just as many people who say that the text itself is meant to be interpreted. Personally, I think I lean more toward the latter, especially since it was written by humans, regardless of where the inspiration came from. And if I've learned anything from my time on this earth, it's that humans don't always flawlessly interpret the input they receive. So I'm much more inclined to view the Bible as, yes, the inspired word of God, but not necessarily one that's literally 100% factually accurate.
P.S. If you haven't already checked them out, give Joanna Penn's fiction a try. She writes supernatural thrillers under J.F. Penn and her ARKANE series follows a Lara Croft/Indiana Jones-type who traverses the world uncovering mysteries and conspiracies related to religious and other supernatural artifacts. I've always enjoyed the ideas she pulls from real-life myths and legends. 
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