Description
Book Synopsis America''s Civil War took a dreadful toll on human lives, and the emotional repercussions were exacerbated by tales of battlefield atrocities, improper burials and by the lack of news that many received about the fate of their loved ones. Amidst widespread religious doubt and social skepticism, spiritualism--the belief that the spirits of the dead existed and could communicate with the living--filled a psychological void by providing a pathway towards closure during a time of mourning, and by promising an eternal reunion in the afterlife regardless of earthly sins.
Primary research, including 55 months of the weekly spiritual newspaper, Banner of Light and records of hundreds of soldiers'' and family members'' spirit messages, reveals unique insights into battlefield deaths, the transition to spirit life, and the motivations prompting ethereal communications. This book focuses extensively on Spiritualism''s religious, political, and commercial activities during th
Table of Contents
- Preface 1
- One—Antebellum Spiritualism 5
- Two—Science, Religion and Mysticism 26
- Three—Spiritualism During the Civil War 43
- Four—Doctrine, Dilemmas and Doubts 66
- Five—Assassination, Resurrection and Exploitation 92
- Six—Spreading the Faith 124
- Seven—Phantoms of War 136
- Eight—Pathos, Politics and Presumptions 167
- Chapter Notes 193
- Bibliography 205
- Index 217
