The 7 Principles of Spiritualism
The Spiritualist Church of Canada has an updated version of the Seven Principles
I acknowledge...
1 Infinite Spirit, Divine Creator of All That Is.
2 Unity and Equality of All.
3 Communication, Guidance and Healing from Spirit and Angels.
4 Continuous Existence of the Soul and Its personality
5 Personal responsibility for the Creation of Our Reality, through Thought, Word and Deed.
6 Actions create results according to Natural Law.
7 Eternal Progress open to Every Soul.
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Excerpts from a letter to the Spiritualist Church of Canada from its President, Rev. Sharon Golsby.
Dear Friends,
Another year has flown by so quickly. It seems as if it was only yesterday I advised that your Board of Governors for the Spiritualist Church of Canada was going to be revising the Seven Principles of Spiritualism. It was our intention to update the wording while still maintaining the integrity of the original principles. After numerous discussions we feel that we have achieved our goal.
It may surprise some of you to know that the Principles as presented in today's Churches are not the same ones originally attributed to Emma Hardinge Britten. Many old books retain the original of six "statements."
1 The fatherhood of God.
2 The brotherhood of man.
3 The immortality or the soul and its personal characteristics.
4 Proven facts of communion between departed human spirits and mortals.
5 Personal responsibility. With compensation and retribution hereafter for all the good or evil deeds done here.
6 A path of eternal progress open to every human soul that wills to tread it by the path of eternal good.
As these statements were said to have been passed to Emma Hardinge Britten by the Spirit of the great reformer Robert Owen there was no problem getting them accepted. They were later altered on the advice of a lawyer for the Spiritualists' National Union and became the Seven Principles.
The Spiritualist Church of Canada is proposing this updated version on the Seven Principles prefaced by the statement
I acknowledge...
1 Infinite Spirit, Divine Creator of All That Is.
2 Unity and Equality of All.
3 Communication, Guidance and Healing from Spirit and Angels.
4 Continuous Existence of the Soul and Its personality
5 Personal responsibility for the Creation of Our Reality, through Thought, Word and Deed.
6 Actions create results according to Natural Law.
7 Eternal Progress open to Every Soul.
Your board feels that the Principles as presented are succinct, and that they meet our objective. To those Churches who are comfortable with and who want to continue to use the Principles adapted from the SNU please continue to do so. To the others who are looking for a more modern day version please consider using the Principles we are presenting to you today.
Showers of Blessings,
Rev. Sharon Golsby
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The traditional seven principles that are often to be found in Spiritualist Churches are:
1) The Fatherhood of God
2) The Brotherhood of Man
3) The Continuous existence of the human soul
4) The Communion of Spirits and the Ministry of Angels
5) Personal Responsibility
6) Compensation and Retribution hereafter for all good and evil deeds done on earth.
7) Eternal Progress open to every human soul.
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As the Spiritualist Society of Barrie is a satellite of the Orillia Star of Hope Spiritualist Church, we are, at the moment, using their version of the seven principles, which are:
We believe:
1.In the Presence of a Loving and Universal Source
2.In the Unity and Equality of all Creation
3.In the Communion with Spirits and the guidance of Angels
4.In the Continuous Existence and Evolution of all Souls
5.That we are Personally Responsible for the Creation of Our Own Reality through Thought, Work and
Deed
6.That God is expressed though all nature
7.That All Healing comes from the Divine Within
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Whichever Principles your community uses, they are always open to interpretation.