Mary and religion

[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.