Spiritualist - miracle worker or charlatan?

Question

Do you believe in spiritualism? Or do you believe they exist only to fleece the gullible?

Answer 1

I believe that there are people who can communicate with the dead. However, I believe that there are even more people who are just very good at pretending they can.

Answer 2

I think there are some genuine spiritualists and some dishonest ones. I have been to a spiritualist church twice and found that some of the 'readings' were close, but in about half of the cases, the information was vague or the medium was trying to get a person to admit to knowing a given person, whose name seemed to mean nothing to them.

A few years ago, I heard a phone-in programme, where a medium told a caller to go to a certain room, open a specified drawer in an item of furniture and report back. How did be know what was in the room? I have also heard of people who 'read' information that was only shared between the caller and a departed relative/friend.

I think it's stretching credulity to say that such things are coincidence.

Some guesses are quite safe, though. If a sitter has dog hairs on clothing or has a bag full of dog food, a medium doesn't need to contact the dead to determine that the person likes dogs. A certain degree of perceptiveness can also tell a lot about an individual's personality.

Meanwhile, I would be very suspicious of a medium who got a client to change a will in his/her favour.

Answer 3

Which Spiritualism? There's a denomination called that, started in the 30's I think. They seem to fleece the gullible. But I don't believe all Spiritual people are out to do that. And, if they are trying to perform miracles for the "masses", then I'd say they're most likely charlatans.

Answer 4

There are many people in all walks of life who will con the gullible, you only have to watch rogue traders to see evidence of this. There are thankfully many good people in all walks of life, lets not tar everyone with the same brush

Spiritualism is a legal religion just the same as is Christians, Muslims, Jews. How many other religions have undergone so many rules and regulations and have to abide so tightly by the law, (fraudulent mediums act of 1951) and still subject to an outdated law of 1735 (witchcraft act)

The fact is that if people were to accept that there is an afterlife their religions would have to be seriously questioned.

Answer 5

It's very dangerous.

It is forbidden in the Bible and can open the door to harmful spirits (demons).

The fraudsters are actually less dangerous than those who have a genuine connection to the spirit world. Demons are quite capable of imparting all sorts of information concerning the lives of people who have died, and have been known to pose as the spirits of dead people in order to trap people into believing they are communicating with dead, loved ones. They are thus drawn into the world of the occult, which is not only soul destroying it can also cause real mental and health problems, not to mention the possibility of possession by evil spirits.

Answer 6

Unfortunately there are both in the world. This is why we are given this scripture. 1 John 4:1
[ Test the Spirits ] Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
You will know if it of the Lord or of the man or persons. On way to know for certain is if it is about them it will show eventually. If it is about God the truth will be revealed. People are not just being gullible. People need to believe but unfortunately they are looking for a sign of God being real. We are to walk in faith and faith is in believing in things not seen nor heard. We just know! God does reveal Himself in truth. Hope this helps!

Answer 7

I did think this for a long time. I still do think that some of them are charlatans, but I no longer think this about everyone. Some people are able to connect with those who have passed away, and they don't seek to gain anything for doing this. In fact many of them keep it a closely guarded secret, only telling those who are closest to them.

This is rare but I know for a fact that it happens.

Love and blessings
don

Answer 8

The dead are unconcious with no thoughts or feelings
ECCLESIASTES 9:5 & 10 & PSALM 146:4

So, if the dead are not concious - who are the spirits that are being contacted? -

The Bible answers that question....

To mislead people, the demons use spiritism. The practice of spiritism is involvement with the demons, both in a direct way and through a human medium. The Bible condemns spiritism and warns us to keep free from everything connected with it. (DEUTERONOMY 18:10-12 & GALATIANS 5:19-21)

Spiritism does for the demons what bait does for fishermen. A fisherman uses a variety of baits to catch various kinds of fish. Similarly, wicked spirits use different forms of spiritism to bring all sorts of people under their influence.

Do you really want to be under the influence of demons?

Check the scriptures

Answer 9

Real power - I was healed of a condition related to Chorea when I was 7. However, the power comes with a price. I was possessed for 14 years until I was exorcised at 21. They contact demons, not the dead.

Answer 10

i believe in the bible. ecclesiastes 9:5 says the dead are conscious of nothing. so those who 'contact' the spirit world can't be talking to the dead. the demons have knowledge of those who have died and can give their knowledge to the medium, spiritist etc which convinces the listeners that the dead are 'ghosts' who can be spoken to and can affect the physical world.
acts 16:16 shows the demons have limited powers of predicting the future. it also shows people can be possesed by such creatures.
deuteronomy 18:10-12 makes Jehovah God's view of such practices clear, they are detestable to him.

Answer 11

i ended once you observed as Jesus mythical: “i'm a historian, i'm not a believer, yet i'd desire to confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very midsection of historic previous. Jesus Christ is rather the main dominant determine in all historic previous.” “Christ is the main original man or woman of historic previous. No guy can write a historic previous of the human race without giving first and greatest place to the penniless instructor of Nazareth.” -- HG Wells.