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

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