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A podcast for Ex-Christadelphians (and for anyone who has never heard of them and wants to join in our fun!)
S1 Ep. 13 Hypnosis, Telepathy, and Ghosts: The History of Spiritualism and the Christadelphians
The Life After Leaving Podcast: An Ex-Christadelphian Podcast
2 hours 42 minutes
10 months ago
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
The Life After Leaving Podcast: An Ex-Christadelphian Podcast
A podcast for Ex-Christadelphians (and for anyone who has never heard of them and wants to join in our fun!)