A Spiritualistic View – Josie K. Folsom, 12/26/1901

Republished from our predecessor publication Lucifer the Light Bearer

The following paragraphs, from a little book entitled Godism, give what seems to be a spiritualistic explanation of
the origin of woman’s enslavement. Whatever may be thought of the spiritualistic hypothesis in general, it must be
conceded that many of its leading teachers are doing much to destroy the old theological myths and traditions which,
in all the past, have held the minds and bodies of mankind in bondage.

“Your kings and priests on that side [the earth plane] became the Gods on this side, and like Abraham and Lot in the
fabled story, they divided the land between them. Finally, a mighty spirit—one who had drunk of the life force of thousands
of women, and had grown wonderfully magnetic—became intoxicated with the flavor of his own power, and conceived
the idea of universal dominion; so he called his courtiers around him—those who made it a business to flatter him to
gain their own ends—and laid the idea before them. He pointed out abuses that existed in the domain of some of his
compeers, and urged the welfare of this, your material plane of life, as one of the reasons for consolidated power; used
all possible argument to induce them to join with him in the attempt to subdue the whole earth; and there is where your
one-God idea came from. “This spirit had learned that power—strong magnetic attraction and executive ability—always
went with a strong sex life; and regarding man as superior, he looked upon women as especially made to gratify man
and bear children. This for the common people, the rank and file of humanity; and the first step toward the dominion
sought was to formulate a sex morality that would keep women in subjection, and make it her highest honor to be faithful
to her husband. This, as we say, for the masses. But those in power, those who were needed to fill positions of command,
were not held to this kind of morality. Kings, bishops, popes, rich men who could support them, could have as many victims,
could drink up the life and soul of as many women as they pleased. “We mean it: ‘the life and soul,’ the very identity of
women have been absorbed by men, making them stronger, while their victims have passed out into spirit life.

The marriage law, as it exists in your sphere today, is a part of your individual Godism, and gives women no identity. But
humanity has grown in spite of this dwarfing method. The only way to keep people subject is to keep them ignorant. Hence
the effort to confine the knowledge of life’s finer forces, of the sciences, and all that tends to elevate the race; hence the
effort to confine these things to the few. ‘The tree of knowledge of good and evil’ is, and has been, forbidden fruit, and we
here say to woman: that which has been counted your shame shall yet be your highest glory. Eat; we say eat! and continue
to eat of the fruit of this tree! Eat and give to your children, for knowledge is power. “Humanity has grown in spite of this
Godism that has hung over it like the pall of night. Man thinks, questions, even when buried in dungeons, stretched on
the rack, burned at the stake, passing through the thousand forms of torture that have been meted out by those who
claimed that the end justified the means. That end—consolidated power, with ‘kings and priests unto God forever’ as
the promised heritage of obedience. In spite of all this, there has been a slow, steady growth, even till reason and science
are today disputing the idea of there being a God, or a throne for one to sit upon. Light from the spirit world has penetrated
a few brains within the earth sphere; and by that light they are gathering the material for the fire which is to consume
Godism, both root and branch. For ages the spirit world to which you have had access has been ruled by this self
-appointed God and his priesthood, and those who dared to question, either upon the earth plane or in the spirit life,
have been martyred, set aside, kept back; and finally the priesthood took charge of the avenues of communication
between this and your sphere, and declared that all outside intercourse was of the devil, and worthy of death. “Think
of the millions called witches who have been sacrificed upon the altar of Godism! And mostly women; because, being
more susceptible to spirit influence, and of the tender mother-heart sphere, the dreadful walls of terror erected to keep
the surging hosts of progress from unseating God were in danger of being broken down if she got hold of the lines of
power. Oh! if we could make women see what we see, how they would rally to the support of every outspoken,
determined woman. Fashion, man’s idea of womanhood, the line he has laid down for her to go by—all this would
be laid aside, and the pressure that now rests upon such workers would be divided.”