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Word Gems 

exploring self-realization, sacred personhood, and full humanity

Jonathan Beecher

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Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from Chapter Six of No One's Dead:

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The July 18, 1940, edition of the British periodical Light published a letter
by the Swedish politician and minister Baron Erik Palmstierna, titled
“Suppression of the Report Foreseen.” Palmstierna served as Minister
for Naval Affairs during World War I, and was influential in maintaining
Swedish neutrality at that time. He blamed Germany and Russia for
the outbreak of the war in what he called “The Madhouse of Europe.”
Having been influenced by his mother’s Christian beliefs, he appears
to have taken a keen interest in psychical research and religion, as is
evidenced by his books: Horizons of Immortality: A Quest for Reality
(1937), and The World’s Crisis and Faiths (1942).

His letter read: “Sir,—At a meeting on June 25th, 1938, we had
discussed the report of the Archbishop’s Committee on Spiritualism,
which I was informed had been finally drafted and was to be submitted
to Lambeth Palace [home of the Archbiship]. Then the following uncalled-for message arrived:

‘The Church will not have the courage to reveal to the world what they
really feel and think about communications with us. Many of them
have visions, but lack courage and are filled with self-consciousness.’

“We answered that a valuable report on such a vital subject could
not be suppressed, after all; but another message intimated that it was
doubtful that the Church authorities would be willing to make it public.”

The report Palmstierna referred to was a report on Spiritualism
commissioned in 1937 by Cosmo Lang, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
In the wake of World War I, which two decades earlier had claimed
almost 900,000 British lives, and with another global war looming, death
was at the forefront of people’s minds. For tens of thousands of families
grieving lost loved ones, the assurances of church leaders and clergy to
have faith wasn’t enough. People wanted evidence that life continued
after death, and for some, Spiritualism provided that evidence.

Home circles were becoming popular. By one estimate, there were 20,000
across the country. Meanwhile, church attendance was in decline.
In 1936, Francis Underhill, the Dean of Rochester, asked Lang to
commission a report to look into Spiritualism. Lang was aware of its
growing popularity and had previously commented that Christian clergy
and lay people alike were “dabbling in Spiritualism.”

Underhill had been researching the subject and confessed in a letter to Lang that he had attended “sittings with several mediums in which the late Archbishop Randall Davidson and his parents came through.”

By January 1937, Lang had invited a thirteen-person committee
to complete the task. The mission was “To investigate the subject of
communications with discarnate spirits and the claims of Spiritualism
in relation to the Christian faith.” Three declined, and one, Evelyn—
Francis Underhill’s cousin—dropped out after the first meeting.

Evelyn Underhill, a noted author on Christian mysticism, expressed
her thoughts in her resignation letter: “The material so far circulated
is, of course, the sort of thing we have been familiar with for many
years. Reading it I am struck once more with the utterly sub-Christian,
anthropocentric, hopelessly unsupernatural character of the Spiritualist
outlook. It is all about man, his survival, prospects, etc., hardly at all
about God …”

The remaining committee members, who were sworn to secrecy,
included Francis Underhill as chairman; a bishop; a master of the
Temple; a secretary; a professor of Christian religion at Oxford
University; a psychologist; and an attorney.

There were high expectations from Spiritualists and Christians
alike. For the Spiritualists, the report would be a vindication of their
claims that communication with those on the other side of the veil was
a fact, while for some Christians, if it were true, Spiritualism provided
evidence that their faith was not in vain.

For the next two years, the committee members conducted research
that included conversing with mediums, consulting representatives of
Spiritualist organizations, and attending séances, with each member
required to attend at least one.

In January 1939, the report was delivered to Lang. Subsequently, it
was circulated to Anglican bishops, marked “private and confidential.”

Eighteen months went by, and Lambeth Palace—the official residence of
the Archbishop of Canterbury—was silent on the matter. Then, in July
1940, Lang assembled a group of forty-one bishops to decide whether
the report should be released to the public. After very little debate the
bishops announced:

“In respect of practical guidance to Christian people on a subject
fraught with grave dangers, the report does not seem to be so clear as
to make its publication desirable.”

In 1942, the publisher Psychic Press, no doubt sensing the frustration
of its readers, published a booklet titled The Silence of Dr Lang, which
criticized Lang’s decision to withhold the report. It included a letter
written in 1940 by the editor of Psychic News to Dr. Underhill which
read:

“It is now being freely stated that the reason for the report not
being published is due to the fact that it presents Spiritualism in a
favorable light. The suggestion is also being made that the report is
deliberately suppressed for this reason.”

Underhill defended the Church’s position, saying: “The report of the
Archbishop’s Committee on Spiritualism, of which I was chairman,
was presented to the archbishops and diocesan bishops of England
some months ago. … The report itself disclosed much difference of
opinion, and it was consequently felt that there was need of further
careful investigation into the subject. On that account it was decided
that the report should not be made public.”

Frank Hawken, secretary of the Marylebone Spiritualist Association,
echoed the opinion of many Spiritualists, stating, “I am confident that
the report would have appeared if it had been adverse.”

A leading Churchman commented to Spiritualist author Arthur
Findlay, “Spiritualism has won a great victory. The fact that the bishops
had turned down the findings of their own committee meant that the
committee decided in favor of Spiritualism, and the bishops were afraid
to make the findings known.”

“The Nazis suppress any news which is not favorable to their creed,”
replied Findlay, in a robust statement. “So do the Anglican bishops.
That is why they will not publish the findings of their own committee
on Spiritualism. It was stupid of them ever to set up a committee, but
dictators always do stupid things. Doubtless they thought that the
report would be adverse, and that they would kill, once and for all, this
ever-recurring menace to their creeds and doctrines.”

The media broke the story and the Daily Sketch quoting Psychic News
reported: “Hundreds of clergymen, waiting for a lead, are disappointed
by the decision. Spiritualists are jubilant. They believe that suppression
of the report is clear evidence that the war against Spiritualism has
crumbled in the face of facts. They will press for immediate publication
of the report.”

Some thought the validation by the committee would
strengthen Church congregations and criticized Lambeth Palace for its
failure to make the report public. One contributor in the book wrote,
“Now, a Church of England committee has come out on the side of the
angels. It finds proof of Survival. Yet what happens? Shsh! says Lambeth
Palace. Put it away! Don’t publish it! Investigate, investigate, investigate!
But we won’t tell the public!

“Meanwhile all the churches are facing the problem of dwindling
attendances, a drifting away from religion, as Dr. Lang called it. If Dr.
Lang wanted the public to drift back to religion, then there was no
surer means of persuading them than through the issue of the hitherto
suppressed report.

“Fifteen thousand Anglican clergymen, bewildered by Dr. Lang’s
decision, know that mourners desert the Church because it cannot give
them comfort in the hour of sorrow. The world to-day wants proof, not
creeds nor theories.”

“Religion attracts, but the churches repel.”

“Who said that?”

“Dr. Cosmo Gordon Lang, believe it or not!”

“Who was in control of the Church?”

“Dr. Cosmo Gordon Lang.”

The Silence of Dr Lang didn’t result in the release of the report, but
nine years later, part of it was leaked to A. W. Austen, the editor of
Psychic News. It was revealed that the majority of the committee had a
favorable opinion of Spiritualism, and he had been sent the “Majority
Report.” ...

Despite the publication by Psychic News, Lambeth Palace and
successive archbishops kept the report pigeon-holed for forty years
until 1979, when it was published in full by The Churches Fellowship
for Psychical and Spiritual Studies. The report included the statements
of nine witnesses who gave testimonies on their experiences with
Spiritualism...