Prove All Things:
A Response to Women In Ministry

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Chapter 15

Spiritualism and Women: Then and Now

Laurel Damsteegt

Those who feel called out to join the movement in favor of woman's rights and the so-called dress reform, might as well sever all connection with the third angel's message. The spirit which attends the one cannot be in harmony with the other. The Scriptures are plain upon the relations and rights of men and women. Spiritualists have, to quite an extent, adopted this singular mode of dress. Seventh-day Adventists, who believe in the restoration of the gifts, are often branded as spiritualists. Let them adopt this costume and their influence is dead.

Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 421

The author of chapter 17 of Women in Ministry, "Ellen White and Women's Rights,"¹ makes a study of the above passage, mostly to show that it has nothing to do with the ongoing struggle within the Seventh-day Adventist church to ordain women to the gospel ministry.

This Women in Ministry author admits that spiritualism was connected with the Woman's Rights Movement of the 19th century, but says spiritualism declined at the end of that century. Therefore, she feels that Mrs. White's warning in the passage above does not apply to the ordination question our church faces today. Through a discussion of editorial changes and a full-blown study on "rights," she seeks to make this passage of "none effect."

This chapter will seek to show that spiritualism was not only a part of the earlier women's movement, but it is a vital part of this movement today. Instead of spiritualism fading out, as the Women in Ministry chapter indicates, it has crescendoed into the New Age movement and is very much a part of the whole feminist movement and, indeed, our very culture. Spiritualism deals not only with the obvious--rappings, necromancy, and divination--it has very much to do with a philosophy carefully delineated in The Great Controversy. There we are told that this insidious, pervasive movement will be instrumental in setting aside the authority of Scripture to bring about the joining of hands of all Christendom to bring on the final movements.²

Women's ordination is but a small step in the feminist agenda. To believe that ordination itself is the only issue for women in the Seventh-day Adventist church is surely naive. Ordination, the laying on of hands that would give an ecclesiastical blessing for a woman to function fully as a minister of the gospel of the Seventh-day Adventist church, adds little to what she already does or can do. But ordination is necessary as a vital stepping stone in the feminist agenda for a robust total "equality" of position. The recent document, "The President's Commission on Women in Ministry--Report," tells just a bit of what is on the agenda for the Seventh-day Adventist woman, pushing reluctant Adventists to put women in line not only for pastorates but also for conference and union leadership and even the presidency of the General Conference.³

Women in Ministry differs from other Adventist publications pushing for women's ordination in that its authors present themselves as theologically conservative. Their conservative approach makes ordination of women appear innocuous. It seems that an attempt has been made to disassociate women's ordination from feminism and even from liberal Adventism.

If the issue were just over sending out fine Christian women to evangelize and win souls, no one would have a problem. But the issue is not women doing God's work with heart and soul. The issue is who is behind the agenda to bring feminist perspectives into the Seventh-day Adventist church. The prince of the powers of darkness has poisoned even the most beautiful and powerful avenues of reaching people.

Bound up in this "simple" issue are such important considerations as the foundations of our faith. If we interpret Scripture to allow women to oversee, or to "usurp authority over the man" (1 Tim. 2:12), we are going directly contrary to Scripture. Just how important is this changing of the meaning of Scripture? Suppose we were to change the name or being of God from our Heavenly Father, which the Bible calls Him, to Mother or Light, as many in the feminist movement urge, would we not create a new idolatry? If we deem man and woman the same, as many feminists promote, do we not open the door to androgyny, great perversion, and wickedness? If we discard the biblical roles that distinguish men and women, do we not insult the Creator who crafted us differently for His glory?

Feminism has seeped into every fiber of the current generation. It is not something most are even aware of, because education has been thoroughly revamped by feminism. It seeks to change attitudes even in kindergarten and throughout school.⁴ Most people living in this culture don't even realize how much feminism has affected them.

I can understand that some proponents of women's ordination might feel resentful when ideas expressed in Women in Ministry are compared to radical feminism. But feminism is a continuum. All feminism has the same roots and leans in the same direction--variations are just matters of degree. Yesterday's radical feminism has become today's norm. Furthermore, feminism transcends denominational distinctions, which is one reason why we face it within our church. To quote Mary A. Kassian,

"In spite of their political, sociological, or theological nuances, feminists all adhere to a common presupposition. It is this common presupposition that has shaped and dictated the progression of feminism's philosophical development. Moreover, in the Church, feminism transcends denominational distinctions. The denominational ties of Roman Catholic, Baptist, United Church, Methodist, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Anglican, and Jew are all superseded by the common bond of feminism. . . .The major consideration was only that women's concerns were being pursued within the context of established Judeo-Christian institutions.^"5

Unfortunately, some proponents of women's ordination do not realize what is behind the scenes. They are totally Christian and kindly naive, yet they are totally deceived about the issues involved here. Supporting this feminist agenda item is dangerous because it is part of a much larger picture, one that we have been warned against. "Those who feel called out to join the movement in favor of woman's rights and the so-called dress reform, might as well sever all connection with the third angel's message."

Woman's Rights and Spiritualism

In 1975 I wrote a research paper entitled "Attending Spirits" that showed how the women's rights movement of the 1900s was directly linked to spiritualism.⁶ I tediously paged through early Adventist periodicals up through 1881⁷ (we never dreamed of CD-ROM searches in those days) to get a feel for the feminist concerns and issues that surrounded the now-well-known statement (Testimonies for the Church 1:421) quoted at the beginning of this chapter.

I puzzled over how women's rights could be considered spiritualistic. I pored over the periodicals looking for clues.

Then I discovered an important lead. In the September 26, 1871, Review and Herald, Uriah Smith published a most insightful article, "Victoria C. Woodhull."⁸ This opened the whole issue for me. In an account of spiritualistic mediums of that day, he told how the career of Mrs. Woodhull was "planned and executed thus far wholly by the spirits."⁹

I had not previously heard of Victoria C. Woodhull. Now I began digging into the histories and found that she was a renowned spiritualist who, because of direct spirit-leading, became one of the foremost women's rights activists of her time.

Finding out about Victoria C. Woodhull opened up for me a whole study on spiritualism in the women's rights movement. My conclusions, drawn in 1975, were that there was legitimate concern enough for Adventists to distance themselves from the women's rights movement: "SDA publications were quick to link Mrs. Woodhull's gross immorality first to spiritualism and then to the surge for equality, or woman's rights. In the final analysis one could get the idea that early Adventists considered such rights to be a facet of Spiritualism."¹⁰

Imagine my amazement in reviewing current secular literature to find newly published evidence supporting this early study! In the last three years four major works have come out about Victoria C. Woodhull and spiritualism.¹¹ Some devotee has even made an extensive web site listing a complete bibliography of books, videos, articles, and reviews about Victoria C. Woodhull!¹²

While other women's rights activists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony had struggled vainly to make an impact on society, Woodhull, at the direct leading of the spirits, proclaimed herself a candidate for President of the United States and was granted a hearing before the Judiciary Committee of the Joint Houses of Congress! She drew up "The Woodhull Memorial," a document dealing with woman's suffrage, and presented it to the joint committee. Astonished women's rights advocates couldn't believe her inroads and welcomed her into their inner circle (for a while, anyway).

But fascinated as I was by these assertions, I was astonished when I came to understand the strong spiritualist trends among many of the other women's rights activists in the early post-civil war years. Spiritualism was a "new" religious movement dominated by women.¹³ Its two strong attractions were "rebellion against death [espousing necromancy] and rebellion against authority."¹⁴ Spiritualist women were among the first to speak in "promiscuous assemblies" (gatherings of both sexes), giving special messages said to be from the spirits of such men as Socrates and Benjamin Franklin. "Not surprisingly, the rights of women were very much on the minds of these great thinkers."¹⁵

"At a time when no churches ordained women and many forbade them to speak aloud in church, Spiritualist women had equal authority, equal opportunities, and equal numbers in religious leadership."¹⁶ "Spiritualism validated the female authoritative voice and permitted women an active professional and spiritual role largely denied them elsewhere."¹⁷

"Spiritualism and woman's rights drew from the same well: Both were responses to the control, subjugation, and repression of women by church and state. Both believed in universal suffrage--the equality of all human beings. For women--sheltered, repressed, powerless--the line between divine inspiration, the courage of one's convictions, and spirit guidance became blurred. Not all woman's rights advocates became Spiritualists, but spiritualism embraced woman's rights."¹⁸

I have been shocked to note how many of the leading personalities in the women's rights movement actually consulted the dead or had spiritualistic philosophies. Among them were Harriet Beecher Stowe,¹⁹ Isabella Beecher Hooker, ²⁰ Horace and Mary Greeley,²¹ and even Henry Ward Beecher, the powerful preacher.²²

Susan B. Anthony wrote, "Oh dear, dear! If the spirits would only just make me a trance medium and put the rights into my mouth. You can't think how earnestly I have prayed to be made a speaking medium for a whole week. If they would only come to me thus, I'd give them a hearty welcome."²³

Elizabeth Cady Stanton heard spirit raps and "miraculously" wrote the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments on the famous McClintock "spirit table."²⁴ Later, her very detailed instructions for her funeral included being dressed in ordinary clothes, and that "common sense women should conduct the services." The mahogany McClintock spirit table was placed at the head of her coffin.²⁵ This table, now famous, is presently housed at the Smithsonian as a symbol of early feminism and its spiritualistic connection.

Victoria C. Woodhull claimed that the "Woodhull Memorial" she presented to Congress was conceived by the spirits as she dictated it to someone while she was in a trance.²⁶

Even "conservative" women's rights leaders were spiritualists. Harriet Beecher Stowe (who had no use for Woodhull) regularly "contacted" her dead son. Spiritualists claim that Uncle Tom's Cabin was dictated to her by the spirits.²⁷

These persons not only had the philosophy, they also followed the lifestyle and had dealings with the spirits that clearly define them as spiritualists. Amazing.

Bound up in this woman, Victoria C. Woodhull, and the women's rights movement were tenets of spiritualism waiting to be revealed.

Spiritualism seeks to equalize the roles of women and men under the guise of "love"; it makes marriage look foolish and tears down Christianity by voiding scriptural authority.

Spiritualism Seeks to Destroy God's Protective Gift of Marriage

When Victoria Woodhull and her sister, Tennie C. Claflin, came to public notice, they were mediums and stock brokers on Wall Street and published a small weekly newspaper. Beautiful, totally immoral, and assertive, these women scandalized the papers with their blatant sexual openness. Driven by the spirits to lead a "social revolution," they delighted in publicizing the immoral behavior of the famous people of their time to support their sexual revolution, which was totally against marriage and the biblical roles of women. These sisters tried to show how people doing evil things could still be viewed as "good."

Henry Ward Beecher, probably the most famous preacher of that era, taught a gospel of love to his huge church.²⁸ Victoria C. Woodhull came to know many of the naughty details of his liaisons, and she blackmailed him. She wanted him to "come out" and support her sexual revolution. He would have nothing to do with her, so she published one of his sordid stories.

Woodhull felt that doing evil was not "evil," but being hypocritical about it was. Being a "good person" does not mean being righteous, she said; a "good person" can do very evil things.

This is a significant tenet of spiritualism, that there is no difference between good and evil, that morality is not really all that important. Ellen White focused on this aspect of spiritualism:

"Love is dwelt upon as the chief attribute of God, but it is degraded to a weak sentimentalism, making little distinction between good and evil. God's justice, His denunciations of sin, the requirements of His holy law, are all kept out of sight. The people are taught to regard the Decalogue as a dead letter. Pleasing, bewitching fables captivate the senses and lead men to reject the Bible as the foundation of their faith."²⁹

Woodhull and Claflin (under the inspiration of the spirits) and a few of the more radical women's rights advocates understood what their conservative sisters could not. Religion and marriage were the two institutions obstructing the way of "true" social equality. Christianity, very fundamental and biblical in those days, taught the headship of men in the home and church according to the writings of Paul. To these women activists, marriage bound the woman and kept her from reaching her full potential. How could she find freedom when she had no "choice?"

Shocking to the Victorian mentality of the last century were Woodhull's vulgar remarks:

"If I want sexual intercourse with one hundred men I shall have it . . . and this sexual intercourse business may as well be discussed now, and discussed until you are so familiar with your sexual organs that a reference to them will no longer make the blush mount to your face any more than a reference to any other part of your body. . . . I do not propose to have any blush on my face for any act of my life. My life has been my own. I have nothing to apologize for."³⁰

Woodhull and Claflin taught that woman should be free to truly love whomever and whenever she pleased (like the men). In a talk entitled "The Scarecrows of Sexual Freedom," Woodhull denounced a "loveless and indissoluble marriage" as "legalized prostitution."

"They say I have come to break up the family. I say amen to that with all my heart. . . . In a perfected sexuality shall continuous life be found. . . . Such to me, my brothers and sisters, is the sublime mission of Spiritualism, to be outwrought through the sexual emancipation of woman, and her return to self ownership, and to individualized existence." ³¹

In one of her speeches, Mrs. Woodhull announced that she had "declared relentless warfare against marriage, and ha[d] sworn to wage it `until the last vestige of this remnant of savagery shall be wiped from the otherwise fair face of present civilization.'"³²

So far, I have shown that spiritualism was deeply involved in the feminist movement in the nineteenth century. Women in Ministry acknowledges this. But Women in Ministry says spiritualism has no part in the feminist movement today--and therefore Mrs. White's warning, quoted at the beginning of the chapter, does not apply to the ordination question our church faces today. Let's take a look at modern feminism.

Modern Feminism

Current literature depicts Woodhull as a prototype of modern feminists and of the whole feminist movement that has saturated our culture. "Victoria never stopped believing that the spirits had brought her into the world to lead a `social revolution.' She said that from her birth, and even before, she had been marked for this fate."³³

Despite the fact that she was far more radical than others in her day and that ultimately she became an icon that for years blackened the women's rights movement, feminists today are grateful for her lead. "Woodhull rejected the 19th century definition of women's role. Women must `own themselves,' she said. In her life and views she was more than a century before her time."³⁴ Gloria Steinem, one of today's leading feminists, urges women to "catch the spirit of the real Victoria Woodhull."³⁵

Today her spiritualistic philosophy permeates our culture. Sex education and the X-rated media have created a society that never blushes over any type of immorality. A president can be "good" while doing evil deeds; more and more people cohabit³⁶ because they "love" each other; single-parent families are on the increase. An ever-growing number of persons who do get married divorce.

The practical outworking of the Woodhull and Claflin morality has affected our church. Instead of being a sacred covenant, marriage sometimes becomes a temporary alliance. The divorce rate climbs. Children are left to single-parent homes. Some members give themselves permission to sin on the basis that God loves us so much He doesn't care even if we make an intentional, premeditated "mistake." Despite all the marriage classes and counseling available today, the Adventist home is in jeopardy.

Feminism has gone far beyond even the most blatant imaginings of Victoria Woodhull and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Whereas Elizabeth Cady Stanton took the first steps in breaking down male-female distinctions in dress by donning (for a while) the bloomer costume,³⁷ and Victoria Woodhull broke down the reserve in speaking openly about sexuality, gender issues hadn't even been dreamed of.

Today, as we are beginning to see the full implications of gender, perhaps we can better understand the reason for God's distinctions in roles and dress.³⁸ Note how the United Nations agency in charge of research on women is seeking to recast gender. Their statement below shows how a person is not necessarily born with a specific gender; gender develops socially, politically, or economically:

"Gender is a concept that refers to a system of roles and relationships between women and men that are determined not by biology but the social, political, and economic context. One's biological sex is a natural given; gender is constructed. . . . Gender can be seen as the `process by which individuals who are born into biological categories of male or female become the social categories of women and men through the acquisition of locally defined attributes of masculinity and femininity.'" ³⁹

We still often believe the term "gender" is the same as what used to be "sex" on a demographic form. Not so, the feminists tell us. Gender includes far more than "male" and "female." One radical feminist calls for a "reversion of an unobstructed pansexuality." ⁴⁰ Such can include male and female, but also homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender.⁴¹

"Young women openly enter into intimate relationships with both genders that are more than just experiments. They resist being described as straight or gay--or even bisexual, which some think suggests promiscuity and one-night stands. Instead they use words like fluid and omnisexual." ⁴²

"`Family,' too, has been redefined so the term `could refer to two roommates.'"⁴³

Is the feminist movement something Adventists want to be identified with, or did Mrs. White have a reason for saying that any who feel called to join it might as well leave the church?