‘Could you drop us at the Spiritualist church, please?’

‘Spiritualism?’ [A look of horror] ‘They believe in all that possession stuff don’t they?’

‘Well, not really. They believe in the continuation of the soul after death. That the spirit lives on and continues to develop spiritually.’

‘Oh. Do they?’ [Thoughtful pause] ‘Well I believe that in my religion. But like, don’t spirits possess and cause illness and things?’

‘Is that what you believe?’

‘It’s in my faith…’

‘Well, it’s different for Spiritualists. They believe spirit is there to help the living, not cause them problems.’

‘Oh…’

This was a conversation which took place between a taxi driver and our small research team one evening. Religion is always a touchy subject, and many would be quite happy not to discuss it at all. This is perhaps understandable given that the number of people identifying as religious is falling according to the latest UK Census (see table). The numbers identifying as Christian, in particular, are falling, with some growth in numbers of Muslim, Hindu and Sikh worshippers. The biggest growth was in those choosing the category ‘no religion’, yet the number identifying with ‘other religions’ also grew; and among those ‘other religions’ is Spiritualism.

As the opening conversation shows, some people recoil in horror at the mention of Spiritualism. We found a common attitude was that people thought it was dabbling in the occult: ‘Oh no!’, they cried, ‘Best leave all that alone…’ So, what is Spiritualism, and why are so many people afraid of it?

What is Spiritualism?

Spiritualism tends to be dominated by images of fakery in Victorian séances which already gives it a bad name. The main thing that Spiritualism is known for – talking with the dead – is, in the popular imagination, ripped out of the context of the religion and community it sits within. From the eccentric Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit, to con-artist Oda Mae Brown in Ghost, portrayals of people who talk with the dead are routinely characterised as slightly deranged and comical older ladies; often pitiful characters who are easy to ridicule and dismiss. At the other end of the spectrum there are darker, more sinister portrayals like Alison Mundy in Afterlife, where the medium is possessed or haunted by spirits which roam battered and bruised around the earthly plain awaiting justice. No wonder our taxi driver was suspicious.

Spiritualism is based on the belief that the soul continues to live following the death of the physical body and that communication with spirit is possible through the channel of trained mediums. But there the similarity with such portrayals ends, as the everyday reality of Spiritualism is much more mundane. A self-respecting Spiritualist medium is unlikely to let themselves be ‘possessed’ in a dramatic performance. Rather than being an eccentric recluse living in some windswept spooky cottage, or constantly haunted by restless souls, they quite probably live next door and work quite happily as a nurse, a fire-fighter, or a teacher.

A growing religion

Spiritualism as a religion started in the United States in the late 1840s. The first Spiritualist church in the UK opened in 1853 in Keighley, Yorkshire, with the first UK national conference of Spiritualists taking place in Manchester in 1890. Although a relatively young religion, Spiritualism now has a visible presence across the US and much of Europe. Here in the UK almost every town and city has a building dedicated to it, from Alness and Glasgow, Bangor and St Ives, to Northampton and Dagenham. Despite its geographical spread, however, there is a lack of wider understanding about what Spiritualism actually is.

Today there are some 350 Spiritualist churches or centres in the UK affiliated with the overarching organisation The Spiritualists National Union. People do very ordinary things in these churches and centres. They get married and conduct funerals, they attend Sunday divine services and hold fundraising events, just like many other religious communities. Church services will open and close with hymns and prayers similar to many other faith traditions. There are no possessions, no vengeful spirits.

Why so scared?

I don’t expect all religious myths and misunderstandings can be healed from the backseat of a taxi, but the driver really engaged in conversation and wanted to learn more during our short journey to the church that evening. He was open to learning about something he had feared, and that openness is so important. Learning about the beliefs of others – whatever our own religion or lack of – can lead to greater understanding across people of all religions and none, and that can only be a good thing.

Researching Spiritualism has really opened my eyes to the animosity and fear directed at this under-the-radar minority religion and I’m left wondering what everyone is so scared of. These are very normal people, practicing a very ordinary religion, in very mundane places. Maybe the real fear of Spiritualism lies in its apparently comfortable relationship with death, and perhaps we’re just not quite ready for that yet.