If there is one consistency within the Spiritualist movement that cannot be discredited without doubt, it is the evident decline of it’s popularity during the last decade . This most extraordinary outcome is the consequence of poor management, arrogance and complacency on the part of officialdom that has failed to act on opportunities and has declined to address the need for the organisation to move forward and change. The once mighty symbol of spiritualism has become the victim of the subject it advertises........namely death.
The spiritualist’ footing has been unmercifully slaughtered by the rise of information technology and other media based outlets that have integrated their programming to the promotion of life-after-death issues; Most Haunted, Ghost Hunt and Psychic Detective are just a few of the programs amongst many that regularly attract a large audience. One producer of a well known supernatural show on Living TV is often commanding an audience of three-million people per show. Be that as it may, the increasing popularity of paranormal type digital tv / radio shows, which were previously thought to promote traditional spiritualist beliefs are in-fact adding further atrophy to the spiritualist core.
A remarkable consideration is the number of vagabond type attendees at Spiritualist churches in the United Kingdom. This plight can be illustrated by focusing on a typical average gathering within a spiritualist congregation. It can be justifiably argued that approximately 70 percent of attendees will be aged 60 years or over and all but 25 % of the congregation will be under 40 years of age or less. The former group ( 60 years plus ) is more likely to consist of members who are regular attendees, whereas the latter group ( 25 years plus / minus ) is more likely to consist of people who are either one-off visitors or occasional attendees; consequently the downward trend is set.
The descending trend in Spiritualism is therefore verified by this striking picture of waning attendance's throughout the United Kingdom as spiritualist die-hards do die and fewer strangers join the church for any considerable time.
Even more formidable is the topsy-turvy definition of the term Spiritualism that is held by people who are genuinely interested in the paranormal . If asked the question ‘ How do you connect with Most Haunted, Colin Fry, Derek Accorah, Supernarural, Ghost Hunt’, etc , the overall retort is one of enthusiasm and fervor. Notwithstanding , if asked the same question about Spiritualism, the audience might be hard pushed to get a clear definition that inspires any kind of zeal.
Remarkably, Spiritualism along with all other supernatural media outlets share the same of sense of purpose, that is to say their aim is to investigate the paranormal and return evidence of supernatural incidents. All the same, the typical spiritualist church attracts a congregation of a few dozen people at best, whereas the technically based media outlets can attract a potential viewing audience of thousands if not millions of people.
The spiritualist church has per se lost its way in the 21st century of information technology where news-feeds and information of any kind can be returned and transmitted across the globe at the push of a button. Thousands of paranormal type web sites can be identified on Google alone, some of which display exciting new ideas and imagery that the impoverished spiritualist church just cannot match. In addition, some web sites are so sophisticated that audience participation via a membership scheme offers a real alternative for enthusiastic people who wish to proactively contribute and share paranormal information.
One such web site is The Atlantic Paranormal Society ( http://www.the-atlantic-paranormal-society.com/ ) which offers it’s readers a wealth of audio and visual media as proof of the afterlife.
The spiritualist church has its roots in the Victorian era when spiritualism was young and the spiritualist audience gathered to share prayers, worship the lord, sing hymns and dabble in a little spirit communication. This ceremony has not changed in a hundred years and apart from a little tweaking around the edges to dodge the likelihood of upsetting the diminishing but loyal congregation, most other enthusiasts, including the disenchanted have moved on and are connecting in ways that were unthinkable just ten years ago.
The Spiritualist church has taken leave from it’s once mighty bond with the paranormal mob and a well earned rest is now inescapable. The catalogue of missed chances can be tagged to various circumstances but the ‘dinosaur mentality’ of spiritualist officialdom must take the flack. They have instead chosen to wash their hands of responsibility, just in time for a large slice of sweat sponge cake, washed down with weak milky tea.
Published by www.spiritvoice.biz/
