Mary and religion

[Donna McCreary]

Yesterday, I typed the notes from my last research visit to Springfield including notes from a letter written to Charles Reeves after the death of his wife Hester in 1862. Mary's language was filled with words of comfort, grief, God, and the life hereafter. In a different thread, I mentioned Mary's religious teachings in the Presbyterian church.
What do we really know about Mary's faith and how did it influence her thoughts on spiritualism?
I have always thought that the Civil War era in general was a time of religious awakening and that spiritualism was popular because of a strong belief in life after death. Today, some Christian faiths teach not to communication with the death. Does anyone know the religious thought on spiritualism during the 19th century? Did churchs support it, or condem it?

[L Verge]

I won't see her for a couple of days, but Joan Chaconas, a staff member at Surratt House, has done quite a bit of study on Spiritualism and gives talk on it. She doesn't promote it, just teaches the history of it. I'll check with her on what the churches' approach to the movement was.

I have to say that you are quite right about modern faiths shunning the thoughts of communicating with the dead. When we sent out publicity for Joan's first lecture on the subject (held at the museum), we received a stinging rebuke from one local pastor. We were afraid that his congregation might picket the program, but my letter of explanation ahead of time appeared to have quieted his concerns. I just explained that it was a history lesson - not and indoctrination.

[Donna McCreary]

I am scrolling through the old threads looking for information about Mary and her faith. Here, I find that in 2012, I was just beginning to search for information. Here I am eleven years later, still searching for answers.

In addition to a discussion about spiritualism, I am interested in finding how her Presbyterian faith influenced her personality. In an email written to Dr. Cornelius back in 2020, I included this thought: "The Presbyterian Church is a Reformed church, and Mary's childhood was shaped by that theology. I believe Mary clung to her Presbyterian roots throughout her life. Her letters often are scrutinized for their tidbits of spiritualism, but I also see sprinklings of Reformed theology in her words."

The Presbyterian Church has always been one of peace and justice. They championed equality (to a degree) for women. The women of this faith were the first ones to establish a formal, organized, women's group which supported missions for women and children. During the early 19th century, ministers stood in the pulpits and told the men in their congregations to educate their daughters in the same manner they educated their sons.

I have to wonder if Robert Smith Todd educated all of his daughters because he heard it from the pulpit. Did Mary's mother, or step-mother, or grandmother, participate in the women's groups in Lexington? We know Mary was part of a sewing circle in Springfield and she supported charities in Washington DC. I would like to think that her involvement stemmed from a faith-based belief and not from a need for political notoriety.