- ホーム
- > 洋書
- > 英文書
- > History / American
Full Description
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 the war years, as well as the controversies surrounding the faith, strengthening the connection between ante- and postbellum studies of Spiritualism.
Contents
Table of Contents
Preface
One—Antebellum Spiritualism
Two—Science, Religion and Mysticism
Three—Spiritualism During the Civil War
Four—Doctrine, Dilemmas and Doubts
Five—Assassination, Resurrection and Exploitation
Six—Spreading the Faith
Seven—Phantoms of War
Eight—Pathos, Politics and Presumptions
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
