Let's talk the importance of the Seven Principles within the religion of Spiritualism

According to Chatgpt, principles serve a specific purpose in all religions. Principles serve to provide a belief system, a moral and ethical guide, community and identity, spiritual development, cultural influence, and social justice and advocacy. Each of the Seven Principles is important because it outlines the fundamental identity and belief system of Spiritualism. These specific principles were adopted when Spiritualism was established as a religion. The seven principles encapsulate the philosophy of the religion as given by spirit through the mediumship of Emma Hardinge Britten. The importance of each of the seven principles is herein discussed. 

The first principle provides a belief system. The first principle, “Fatherhood of God” is about the purpose of God in Spiritualism. God is everything. God is the intelligent force that has created the universe and everything that is in it. God keeps everything in balance, which allows expansion, transformation, and creation. The human race are children of God and contain part of God. God is the creator and keeper of the universe through which all things are possible. God created all life and all lives are equal. God is all and without God there is no existence and his existence is manifest through the operation of the universe. We are part of God, but not all of God. We are linked through God. He is beyond form and he is all of form. We are maintained and sustained by God. We can never be separated from God. We can access God without an intermediary. The revelation of God is indestructible and ongoing. God is accessible through nature, intuition, dreams, inspiration, coincidence. God’s purpose for man is to provide the ability to discover himself as a spiritual being and to live a physical life while expanding his spiritual self and awareness of God. Lessons are learned through the physical and spiritual body. Man has the need to learn and grow and therefore push the boundaries of understanding. The challenges and experiences in life are there for spiritual growth. Spiritualism encourages man to improve his life by recognizing and incorporating the Natural Laws. God's purpose for man is to be fulfilled. The first principle is important because it is about the role of God in Spiritualism.

The second principle provides a belief system, moral and ethical guidance, community and identity, spiritual development, cultural influence, and social justice and advocacy. The second principle, ‘The Brotherhood of Man’ states that there is a brotherhood between mankind wherein we care for each other's physical and spiritual needs. We are all equal and we must create tolerance and understanding toward each other.  We are to love one another and understand that everyone has the right to life. Every man is God himself, manifesting in a finite human form. One man may have a greater development of the spiritual principle than another; but in the principle of spirit and in that way all men are equal. Although there are different societies and cultures, the essence of being human is within everyone. There are no humans that are greater than or lesser than the other. Mankind is the child of God. We must promote love, tolerance, and understanding among men. Kindness and compassion can go a long way when we are not able to love, but ultimately we are supposed to overcome negative feelings like hostility toward others. “The Brotherhood of Man” is the moral and ethical obligation to “Love one another”. It is the Spiritualist idea that we are responsible for each other and we are to be in service to others. The interconnectedness with each other leads us to build community with each other. We are able to support each other’s growth and development through the Brotherhood and in so doing, we are able to spiritually grow. The second principle is important because it created the framework and path to take when it comes to our relationship with each other. 

The third principle provides a belief system, community and identity. The third principle is called, ‘The communion of Spirits and the Ministry of Angels’ and states that life and each individual is eternal. Energy changes form, but death is not the end of  life. Those who have died naturally come back to their family and friends. Furthermore, there exists a ministry of angels who are intermediaries between mankind and God. Angles work to give us hope, inspire us, and encourage us to live more spiritual lives. In “Philosophy of Spiritualism”, Minister Barry Oates explains that it is possible to communicate with the spirit world through thoughts, feelings and fellowship. Spirits in the spirit world exist on different levels and stages of their own growth and development. Through this communication spirits are able to teach, guide, and give messages. Spirits have helped with soul progression and understanding the purpose of life. Information comes down to us, but to talk directly with source would require that we increase our spiritual energy, which comes with spiritual development. We do not need an emissary to work with God. It is our work alone that allows us to progress and we can have a personal two-way relationship with spirit. The Ministry of Angels work on God’s behalf to help us with protection, love and encouragement. They are higher forms of beings that have not lived on earth. Guardian angels work to help individuals reach their life purpose. They help us, but do not interfere with free will. “The communion of spirits and the ministry of angels” is an example of the core Spiritualist principle that there is life after death, we can communicate with spirit, that we will be spirit and we will be able to communicate with the living after we die. It is the core belief in Spiritualism and it speaks to the existence of the afterlife. 

The fourth principle provides a belief system and opportunity for spiritual development.The fourth principle, ‘Continuous Existence of the Human Soul’ states that life is eternal and God is indestructible.The continuous existence of the human soul, also known as the Law of Progress states that when a person dies they go to the spirit world where they live life on the other side and can only change as a result of soul progression based upon their own actions. The surviving soul and spirit keeps its consciousness, intellect, emotions, memories, hopes, ambitions, loves, fear, and sense of humor. Some people move on to a loving place and some people move on to a dark place, but it is up to their own progression to progress beyond it, which they will do on their own accord. God does not leave anyone behind and nothing is ever static. There is no conclusion. The work we do in this life is carried over to the next life, but that doesn’t mean we should not live this life to the best of our ability. We should live our life here and know that what we do here goes on with us and it makes sense to do things the right way. “The continuous existence of the human soul” is another core Spiritualist belief. This principle is important because it is a core belief that we continue to live after we die. It is through the continuous existence of the human soul that we get the opportunity toto grow and develop,even after we die. 

The fifth principle provides a belief system, moral and ethical guidance, and spiritual development. The fifth principle is called, ‘Personal Responsibility’ and states that we have free will to decide what is right and what is wrong. We are personally responsible for our own actions, including words and thoughts. We are responsible for fighting our own wrongs by way of service to others. We are responsible for our behavior and how it impacts others and mankind. The spiritual development we have acquired guides the decisions we make. Intention is important because we do not always realize all the ways in which we impact others, but our intention may not be to hurt anyone. We should be aware of the words we use since they could impact others. We have a responsibility to ourselves, to our groups, and to the community to live to our highest standard of good. “Personal responsibility” is about the core belief that we are responsible for our thoughts, actions, and feelings in this lifetime. This principle is a core belief and gives purpose to choose right or wrong. It offers moral and ethical guidance within Spiritualism. 

The sixth principle provides a belief system, moral and ethical guidance, social justice, and advocacy. The sixth principle is called, ‘Compensations and Retribution’ and states that everything we do and think has consequences for us. There will be compensations and retributions afterlife for all the deeds done on earth. There is spiritual justice after death. It is not necessarily that we are being punished, but guides and angels come forward and guide us in the right direction, if we ask. We can also move into a different life if we do not like the situation we created for yourself. Atonement in Spiritualism means that we will be given a situation to help us understand how we can do things differently in alignment with God. Every experience in life is for our own progression and in the afterlife we will have other experiences and opportunities for progression. Refining the spirit is an eternal process. We will all have support and we will develop at our own pace. The goal is to be with our creator. “Compensation and retribution hereafter for all the good and evil deeds done on earth” is important because it speaks to the Spiritualist belief that we will be rewarded for our good deeds and will be made to learn from our bad deeds in the afterlife. It provides the moral and ethical guidance to do the right thing for yourself and others. It is a principle that can strengthen community bonds by reminding the Spiritualist to be compassionate, kind, and patient as we never truly know anyone’s battle. 

The seventh principle provides a belief system and opportunity for spiritual development.The seventh principle is called, “Eternal Progress Open to Every Human Soul’ and states that everyone can and does spiritually progress during this life and beyond. Progression of the soul is defined by the brightness of the soul. Eternal progress is ours if we choose to do it and help is available. “Eternal progress open to every Human soul” is important because it is about the core belief that we do not stop living when we die. We continue living and we continue having experiences, we continue learning and growing. It is a moral and ethical guidance that reminds Spiritualists to continue to strive as the circumstances in which we find ourselves in this life might be different than what we find when we die and for that reason we want to continue striving to make the right choice. 

The Seven principles are important in that they play the fundamental role of a principle within Spiritualism, which is to provide a belief system, moral and ethical guidance, community and identity, spiritual development, cultural influence, and social justice and advocacy. The seven principles are important because they strengthen and encourage Spiritualists to strive to do and be their best while maintaining their relationship to God. The Seven Principles are a simple way to remember the Spiritualist core beliefs. 

Reference

Leonard, John C. The Higher Spiritualism. SDU Publications, 2010. 

Oates, Barry. Philosophy of Spiritualism. SNU, 2007.

Oates, Barry. 21st-Century View of the Seven Principles of Spiritualism. SNU, 2017.

Britten Museum & Library. The Creed of the Spirits. SNU, 2013.