Microfilm, Mediums, and Mormons! Oh My!

What is Spiritualism?

This.

Spiritualism begins with a belief in all of us having spirits and that there is an afterlife, but it extends to the belief that we can communicate with those beyond the grave through Mediums, Clairvoyants, Psychics, Ouija Boards, and other stuff. Spiritualists studied and analyzed this communication thinking it could be documented and measured scientifically. It seems to be a religion quite absent of faith; these men and women were always on a hunt for truth that could be proven temporally. It grew in popularity in the early 20th century, but died out quickly.

Why would I write a paper about it? Because I could. And I needed a topic for my Honors Thesis somehow based on Sherlock Holmes or his ingenious creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

I am Vengeance! I Am The Night! I Am Teancum!

Sometimes when you read the Book of Mormon, you discover fun things. Like Batman.

Okay, let's set the scene. We have the good guys, namely the Nephite army led by Captain Moroni, Helaman leading the band of Strippling Warriors, and Pahoran acting as Chief Judge over all the land of the Nephites. Over the last several years, they have fought the Lamanites in a bloody and ferocious war. Even worse, a group of Nephite dissenters, led by a man named Amalekiah, continually rile them up and incite hatred towards their former bretheren. The battles go on, the Lamanites taking one city, the Nephites decimating them and taking back their land, then the Lamanites take whole swath of cities. And the battles go on.

And sometimes you buy cereal because it has the Justice League on it.

For more details, read Alma 45-62

One of the great captains of the Nephite armies is Teancum. He is so skilled and decisive that when the Lamanites know a city is protected by him, they do not dare attack it. Teancum does not like the war and bloodshed the Lamanites have forced him into, but he stands firmly for the values set forth by the Title of Liberty. He will protect his country, his religion, his family, and sometimes he goes out of his way to do so. After one battle in Alma 51, he and a servant sneak over to the Lamanites' camp and seek out their leader, Amalekiah.

"And it came to pass that when the night had come, Teancum and his servant stole forth and went out by night, and went into the camp of Amalickiah; and behold, sleep had overpowered them because of their much fatigue, which was caused by the labors and heat of the day.

"And it came to pass that Teancum stole privily into the tent of the king, and put a javelin to his heart; and he did cause the death of the king immediately that he did not awake his servants." (Alma 51:33-34)