S1 Ep. 13 Hypnosis, Telepathy, and Ghosts: The History of Spiritualism and the Christadelphians

Today we’re chatting about ghosts! More specifically, about how the Christadelphians have historically tried to disprove the existence of ghosts and the beliefs of Spiritualists to their followers! It’s time for science class with John Thomas as he explains the (now considered pseudoscience) "science" of odology, explains how Jesus Christ (electric medium) used hypnosis on his disciples, speculates on whether followers will be able to be invisible and teleport when they’re resurrected (sorry, you can only hold eyeballs), and how God’s Holy Spirit is actually… electricity. We discover the story of a Christadelphian with psychic abilities and end the episode with the most legendary ghost story to ever be told in Christadelphia! It’s going to get spoooooooky! This episode was also released alongside Episode 14, Fellowship with Zinnia, due to some overlapping themes and topics. We hope you enjoy this podcast double feature! See you in 2025!   Resources and References    “Other Powers: The Age of Suffrage, Spiritualism, and the Scandalous Victoria Woodhull” by Barbara Goldsmith, Page 78   Some background information on Spiritualism in the Britannica:   Dr. Thomas: His Life and His Work by Robert Roberts   Popular Figures who were Spiritualists   The First Woman to Run for President in the US, Victoria Woodhull   Talking to the Dead: Kate and Maggie Fox and the Rise of Spiritualism by Barbara Weisberg   The Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith   The Oprah Winfrey Show   July 1852 edition of the “Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come” by John Thomas   2023 Pew Research data   2024 Article on Americans belief in ghosts   Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Psychics   Harry Houdini’s crusade to expose medium and spiritualism   The Ambassador of the Coming Age  (later known as The Christadelphian Magazine) July 1868, August 1868 and September 1868 editions   The Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come Magazine by John Thomas, July and August 1852   Age-Gap paranormal romance: A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley   Twilight by Stephenie Meyer   The Princess Bride Movie, 1987 “Good night, Westley. Good work. Sleep well. I’ll most likely kill you in the morning”   Prosopagnosia, medical condition   Jim Jones Healings 1   Jim Jones Healings 2   Rapidash Pokemon   The Bible: 1 Kings 19 2 Corinthians 12 Habakkuk 2:2-3 Joel 2:28 Job 33  Acts 10 Revelation 1 Matthew 22 1 Samuel 28   Odology   Louis Cahagnet’s “Celestial Telegraph, or Secrets of the Life to Come revealed through Magnestism”  Robert Roberts: A Study of Life And Character    The Christadelphian Magazine/ The Ambassador of the Coming Age Magazine:  April 1869 February 1895 February 1888 May 1887 June 1876 January 1877 May 1955 November 1919 August 1913 November 1926   National Spiritualists’ Association of Churches Bookstore   The Girl with Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts   The Wizard of Oz (movie), 1939   Spiritualism by Michael Ashton Read Online at: This is Your Bible   John Thomas’ Ghost: The Christadelphian Magazine, November 1871 The Christadelphian Magazine, January 1872   Medium and Daybreak, November 24 1871 edition Full article provided by request from the University of Oxford Bodleian Library and from the Hamilton College. Thank you to the archivists and librarians who assisted in this request!   The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster   Lily Dale: The True Story of the Town That Talks to the Dead by Christine Wicker   Life with the Afterlife: 13 Truths I learned about Ghosts by Amy Bruni   Other Resources not mentioned: If you want to learn more about Spiritualism, check out the Dig Podcast:   Other mentions of Spiritualism and Ouija Boards in The Christadelphian Magazine: March 1939 March 1920   Spiritualist website hosts John Thomas’s writings on Odology   John Thomas’ book on Odoloy: Odology: An Antidote to Spiritualism, being an Analysis of the Claims of Spirit Rapping ⁠