EPISODE #1141 THE CHARLES DICKENS' CONSPIRACY Richard welcomes a filmmaker and researcher who delves into groundbreaking findings that suggest Charles Dickens plagiarized the idea for A Christmas Carol from Mathew Franklin Whittier, the lesser-known younger brother of poet John Greenleaf Whittier. After uncovering a past-life connection to Whittier, the researcher reveals how A Christmas Carol was originally a spiritualist story co-written by Mathew and his wife, Abby, before Dickens rewrote it into the iconic ghost story. Through meticulous research, they provide compelling evidence that Dickens borrowed heavily from Mathew's work, offering a new perspective on this beloved holiday classic. GUEST: Stephen Sakellarios has studied reincarnation for over 50 years, beginning with the teachings of Eastern Mysticism at age 19. He focused on death and dying while obtaining a master's degree in counseling, in 1982. In 1997, he began work on an independent documentary entitled "In Another Life: Reincarnation in America," which was released in 2003, and is still distributed to universities through Films Media Group. Two years later, in 2005, he discovered a possible past life as his own, as an obscure 19th-century author named Mathew Franklin Whittier. The following year, he recorded in his public blog the feeling that Mathew might have had something to do with the writing of "A Christmas Carol." In 2009 he began researching that question in earnest, and after 15 years of delving into primary sources, he is convinced that Dickens plagiarized that story from Mathew and his wife, Abby, in 1842, after which he hastily commercialized it in time for Christmas of 1843, to make desperately-needed cash. Stephen has sought to prove that Charles Dickens could not possibly have written the original version of "A Christmas Carol," and at the same time, to prove that Mathew and Abby Whittier were plausibly the real authors. PAPER: Evidence That “A Christmas Carol” Was Originally Written by Mathew Franklin Whittier and Abby Poyen Whittier, Rather Than by Charles Dickens WEBSITE: https://www.reincarnationproof.com BOOKS: Mathew Franklin Whittier in his Own Words Loving Abby in Truth and Spirit DOCUMENTARY: In Another Life: Reincarnation in America Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://strangeplanet.supportingcast.fm/