The way in which people interpret the Bible is often conflicting and open to debate, however when it comes to what it has to say about mediums, there is a consistent sentiment. In the Bible, a medium is described as someone who practices communication and contact with the spiritual world – something which is doubted and even threatened by traditional Christianity. According to core beliefs of the Bible, communicating with the spiritual world involves occult practices that should not be followed. Traditionally, the Bible has been interpreted to imply that such contact with the spiritual world is evil and those who practice this, or facilitate it, are acting in a manner that is condemned by God.
The main passage that speaks on mediums can be derived from Deuteronomy: “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God”. Here, the Bible is clear that communicating with the dead or the pagan gods is considered wrong and those who participate in this practice will be considered unclean. It can be suggested that the biblical authors felt that communication with the spiritual world represented a form of idolatry.
In addition to the verse from Deuteronomy, there are other passages in the Bible that speak on the dangers of contact with the spiritual world. Leviticus 19:31 states that anyone who participates in these activities should be “cut off from among the people”, suggesting that alignment with the presence of a medium is so serious that it is necessary to break ties with that person. This emphasizes the gravity of the behavior and suggests it is worthy of a death penalty.
From a modern perspective, the verse from Deuteronomy can be seen as outdated and irrelevant since it was written at a different time and in a different cultural context. Furthermore, there are mixed opinions of the Bible’s interpretation of mediums. While there are those who strongly oppose such practices, there are people of faith who are open to the idea and are willing to explore the possibilities.
Essentially, the overall perspective of the Bible is that a medium is to be avoided and is an unacceptable approach to communicating with the spiritual world. Nevertheless, it is important to note that it is not a universal view and there are variations in how different faiths interpret the Bible’s teachings.
New Age Movements
In smaller, more progressive communities, mediums have been gaining more acceptance due to the rise in popularity of New Age movements. These movements recognize the power of spiritual experiences and defenses of such approaches to spirituality by providing an alternative view. They emphasize the potential of the likes of tarot and oracle card reading, as well as affirmations and aura cleaning.
New Age thinking has allowed for the practices of mediums to be viewed in a different light and with the advancement of technology being used to facilitate psychic readings, mediums have gained new fans and followers. The belief that communication with the spiritual world can be a spiritual guide has caused a shift in perspective and many are thriving in this new wave of spirituality grounded in technology.
New Age movements have enabled mediums to gain followers in mass and their concept of connecting to the spiritual world. With this methodology comes the idea that making visible what has previously been invisible can give way to more enlightened understanding and enable people to tap into their intuition and spiritual side.
Ultimately, the possibility of a constructive mediumship and mediums helping to lead people to a higher plane of reality inspired by technology are providing a total shakeup of what was previously believed to be true.
Mediums Through Science
Beyond New Age thinking, mediums are being studied as empirical science. With the advancement of technology and its ability to measure the connection between living beings, there is increasing interest in the power of mediumship and its tangible outcomes. One of the earliest attempts at empirical validation of mediums came in the form of experiments conducted by the Society for Psychical Research (SPR). The SPR was created in 1882 in part to study mediums and was instrumental in researching the ability of mediums to contact the spiritual world.
The institutionalization of mediumship through organized groups such as the SPR allowed for more rigorous inquiry into the powers of communication that mediums posses and has since led to some meaningful discoveries.
The SPR experiments concluded that mediumship was a real phenomenon but it was not accepted widely in the scientific world. Since then, more work has been done to explore the ability of spiritual communication and it has been suggested that prayer could possibly be a form of mediumship. Although this is a controversial notion, it has been incorporated into scientific experiments in order to ascertain whether or not effective communication with the spiritual world is possible.
Overall, the SPR experiments have helped to bridge the divide between spiritualists and scientists, allowing for more interdisciplinary research of mediumship. Through this, it can be suggested that mediums have achieved greater recognition in relation to mediumship.
Opinions and Criticisms
The notion of mediumship has faced criticism from many corners, with Christians being amongst the most vocal detractors of this practice. While there are those who are open to the possibility of mediums offering spiritual guidance, there still remains a sizable portion of the population who view this practice as heretical and a violation of God’s will.
The mixed opinions of what the Bible has to say about mediums is likely to be the source of continued debate in the future. One thing is for sure, for those who do practice mediums, there is a need to be aware of all opinions before participating in the spiritual world, no matter what their faith.
Conclusion of Traditionalists
Traditionalists generally cite the references mentioned in the Bible and deem it an unacceptable practice, as it is seen as an attempt to have contact with forces that are out of God’s control. It is argued that acts of mediumship would bring shame onto God and punish those who turn to it for comfort. Furthermore, traditionalists mostly regard mediumship as illusionary and will, rather choose to increase their faith in God for comfort, guidance and direction. Ultimately, traditional Christianity looks down upon mediums, emphasizing the consequences of one relying on sources outside of God.
Conclusion of Progressives
Progressives believe the act of mediumship is a spiritual experience and the idea of an individual’s connection to the spiritual world could be an affirmation to one’s values and beliefs. In this way, progressives generally support mediumship and allow for it to be a pathway of understanding and communication that is significant to one’s values and beliefs. Progressives view mediumship as an individualistic endeavour and would rather use it as an instrument in developing a relationship with the spiritual world, than as an alternative route to achieve spiritual enlightenment.
Conclusion of Atheists and Agnostics
Atheists and agnostics typically view mediumship less charitably and view it as another means of deceptive tactics, as it does not necessarily provide definitive proof of a spiritual connection. Apart from this, atheists and agnostics are mainly skeptical of mediumship, as there is an uncertainty of whether communication with the spiritual world is even possible. Given their beliefs, they view mediumship as false hope and an instance of misguided beliefs.
Conclusion of scientists
Most scientists still remain skeptical of mediumship and much of the empirical data that has been collected throughout the years still has not been able to prove that communication with the spiritual world is indeed possible. Scientific experiments on the nature of mediumship have been inconclusive and despite some evidence that suggests that mediums may indeed have the power to contact the other side, this notion lies outside the realm of traditional scientific understanding. Furthermore, it is argued that spiritual communication requires knowledge outside the realm of what is measurable and so its effects have been harder to pinpoint.
