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of valuable first edition books that were disputed in a will
featured in survival evidence when medium Craig Hamilton-Parker
-demonstrated at an Orthodox-owned college.
Craig was asked to appear at Winchester's King Alfred's College.
This university sector college - it has over 5,500 students
- was founded by the Church of England in 1840 to train teachers
for church elementary schools.
Its undergraduate and masters' programs now span the humanities,
arts, performing arts, social sciences, teacher education,
business, health and applied social studies.
The college is one of the UK's largest providers of primary
initial teacher training.
Craig was invited by. Prof Elizabeth Stuart to speak and
demonstrate to her colleagues and theology students.
"They are specialising in studying `Deaths, myths and
culture surrounding death,' or something like that!"
Craig told PN last week.
"The students were of mixed belief from traditional
Christians to humanists and atheists.
"First, I gave a talk about 'Spiritualism followed by
questions and answers. After a break, concluded with an hour's
demonstration. In all, my visit was probably about three hours."
Craig told students how leading medium Doris Stokes "turned
my sister's life around and how it inspired me to leave a
very highly paid job as the MD of an advertising agency to
become a writer and medium."
After describing how mediums perceive, Craig "spoke
about how many religions are anti-Spiritualist and why, and
also about mediumship in early Christianity, Buddhism and
Hinduism.
After speaking about the aura, Craig pointed out that mediums
cannot summon spirit entities to order or prove there is a
God, but can offer evidence "that the human personality
survives death."
He commented "that you do not necessarily need to believe
in God to accept that there is an afterlife as it is a natural
extension of this world and will probably be proven one day."
Some of the questions fired at Craig were: "Do people
need to believe in an afterlife? Is it perhaps a refusal to
accept the inevitability and angst associated with the annihilation
of the personality?"
Continues at top of page.. |
Other questioners wanted to know "Was the rise of Spiritualism
a response to- the suffering of the first world war?"
and "Are near-death experiences the brain's response
to the firing of the temporal lobes?"
Another point raised was "Is Spiritualism as cheap entertainment
on TV doing harm to the religion?"
Craig said that the students and academics were "nice
about how many religions are people, but very sceptical. It
was anti-Spiritualist and why, and a tremendously hard audience
also about mediumship in early to work with.
"The first person I linked to refused to speak to me
as he didn't want to give any voice clues.
"Throughout the evening, they all took a similar attitude
and mostly nodded or grunted! Only afterwards was I able to
know if what I had said was right or not."
Craig told PN that like many mediums, he tends to forget
everything after demonstrating, but recalled some of the spirit
messages he delivered.
To one of the lecturers present - he lectures on atheism
- Craig "gave a verified link from his father.
"I told another student- how he gave up business to
study. He is known by other colleagues to be very sceptical."
Tuning in, Craig said that in the family "there had
been a huge problem because some very, very valuable first
edition books bound in leather and gold were disputed in a
will.
"In particular, I said that these books were by a famous
poet." After the demonstration, the student verified
"that his. father (I think) had owned first editions
by Robert Burns. The dispute split the family in half."
Recalling the evening, Craig added that a different student
"would not take a link circumstances.
"I said I had a man in the ordnance corps who went to
Africa and India, and died of throat cancer.
"I gave the name, but forget now. He denied it all,
but afterwards admitted I was right:"
Summarising the evening, Craig ended: "It is interesting
that colleges are prepared to give Spiritualism a fair hearing.
"I believe many were very shocked at the accuracy of
what I said, perhaps more so because it challenged their beliefs.
"A number of the students afterwards asked me for the
address of their local Spiritualist church so they could see
more." |
 ELIZABETH
STUART, a professor of Christian theology who organised Craig's
visit, told PN last week that she was one of his recipients.
Explaining why she decided to invite Craig, Prof Stuart said:
"We run an MA in religion - 'The rituals and rhetoric
of death.'
"It has been our custom to invite a medium to come and
address the group and offer a demonstration if they feel able.
"We believe that religion is a lived reality and therefore
do all we can to introduce students to practitioners of particular
belief systems."
Prof Stuart added: "There was one contact that stood
out. Mr Hamilton-Parker approached one of my postgraduate
students with a contact who had been at sea, had a bad leg
and been involved in some family dispute over a book.
"He also made contact with someone who could have
been an aunt of mine who left me a silver teapot, but not
all the details matched."
Asked for her stand on survival after death, Prof Stuart
replied: "I am a bishop in the Open Episcopal Church
and take a broadly catholic approach.
"I believe in the communion of saints. Therefore,
I believe that the dead and the living are
in relationship.
BACK TO SPIRITUALISM SECTION
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"I accept heaven and purgatory, though believe hell was destroyed when Jesus descended among the dead."
So what was the general reaction from those who attended?
"I think the sceptics remained sceptical, though none
doubted Mr Hamilton-Parker's sincerity," said Prof Stuart.
"All were impressed with his evident sincerity.
"Most were on the MA in religion, but some were postgraduate
research students. There was a handful reading for the BA
in theology and religious studies."
Post your
thoughts about some of the issues raised in this article.
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