10 episodes
Ghost Church by Jamie Loftus Cool Zone Media
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- Society & Culture
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4.6 • 586 Ratings
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In this limited series, Jamie Loftus investigates and interrogates American spiritualism, a century-old tradition of communing with the dead that takes place in camps full of mediums across the country. Who is drawn to these camps, how did the religion come together, and why are the tarot card readers and the seance-havers fighting? Ghost Church is a look at grief, religion, and loneliness, with on-site reporting and interviews with everyone from spiritualist psychics to Protestant pastors to a very lonely carnival employee.
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Introducing: Ghost Church by Jamie Loftus
Jamie Loftus investigates American spiritualism, a tradition of communing with the dead that takes place in camps full of mediums across the country.
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1: Not a Cult
American Spiritualism is a frequently invoked, rarely understood religion that hinges on speaking with spirit through mediums. In our first episode, Jamie Loftus puts your little baby brain at rest -- it's not a cult. But what is it?
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2: No Proof is Necessary, No Proof is Sufficient
This week, Jamie returns to Cassadaga for a Gala Day with one Reverend Doctor and one Reverend Doctor / Former Dojo Owner, then attends her first spiritualist church service, complete with a message from the spirit after hymns. Back in 1848, spiritualist's founding Fox sisters become stars overnight, immediately stoking skepticism and smothering press attention.
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3: The Tables Are Tipping
This week, Jamie goes to a table tipping class — a Spiritualist tradition that uses tables to connect people with their dead. Elsewhere in the past, the Fox sisters go on tour, where the skeptics put increasing pressure on the teenagers to meet their hype.
Further Reading:
Talking to the Dead, Barbara Weisberg
Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances by Lisa Morton
The Road to Seneca Falls by Judith Wellman
Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women by Susan Faludi
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4: Four Roads to Cassadaga
This week, Jamie passes the mic to four women of Cassadaga to tell their stories about how they came to American spiritualism -- from being raised by NASA scientists to a tragic loss.
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5: Apples, The Manipulator, and The Curse of Spiritualism
This week, Jamie visits a legendary Cassadaga medium and traces the story of spiritualism's Fox sisters to its end -- where the sisters abandoned the religion that had defined their lives.
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Customer Reviews
10/10 👻
I was really pleasantly surprised by this series. I came for some jokes & ghosts, but greatly appreciated the thoughtful analysis of race & inequity, as well as acknowledgement of POC cultures that have contributed so much to spiritualism. The spooky & woo-woo need more perspective like this.
Don’t miss this
This was a well-rounded, no holds barred exploration of spirituality. Jamie did her homework. She’s also a hoot to listen too as well - clever and witty and empathetic. Great podcast! Thanks, Jamie.
Excellent!
She is an excellent storyteller, I love hearing the history as well as the stories of the living Spiritualists mixed in. I’ve been adjacent to that community in the past and visited Cassadaga before, and I love hearing more about the place. She seems genuinely curious about the people and subject matter. She’s very honest about her experience. Great podcast!