Kardec criticizing the ideas of a Spirit: what we are not doing.

Brief article: In the July 1860 issue of the Spiritist Review, Kardec presents the article "Of Animals," in which a spirit, presenting himself as the spirit of Charlet, the painter, begins to discuss the subject at hand. Up to a point, everything seems to make sense; however, near the end, and especially in the ninth paragraph, the spirit apparently "loses a screw" and begins to spout nonsense. Charlet claims that the development of ferocity in animals is the fault of humans, when they fall into sin, at the moment Cain kills Abel (sic!), which would have set a bad example that, through human magnetism, which dominates the animal, causes ferocity to emerge within it (sic!).

It seemed absurd for Kardec to publish this article… But then the impatient reader is surprised by the subsequent article, “Critical Examination (of Charlet’s Dissertations on Animals)”, where, paragraph by paragraph, Kardec goes on to question the Spirit about his understanding of certain points. After all, Kardec addresses the infamous ninth paragraph, saying:

In this passage Charlet seems to have been carried away by his imagination, for the picture he paints of the animal's moral degradation is more fantastic than scientific.

[…]

What does Charlet think of these reflections?

─ I can only approve them. I was a painter, not a man of letters or a scientist.. So, from time to time I let myself be carried away by the pleasure, new to me, of writing beautiful sentences, even to the detriment of the truth. But what you say is very fair and inspired […]. However, I agree that I was wrong. I acted recklessly, and This proves to you the extent to which you must control the communications you receive.

The depth of this lesson is easily understood on its own. However, it can be supplemented by item 247 of The Mediums' Book:

247. Spirits given to systems are generally scribblers, so they seek out mediums who write easily and whom they try to make docile and, above all, enthusiastic instruments, fascinating them. They are almost always verbose, very wordy, seeking to compensate for quality with quantity. They delight in dictating to their interpreters voluminous, indigestible writings [...]. Truly superior spirits are sparing with words; they say a lot in a few sentences. It follows that such prodigious fecundity should always be suspect.

One can never be too circumspect when publishing such writings. The utopias and eccentricities that sometimes abound in them and shock common sense produce a regrettable impression on people still new to the doctrine, giving them a false idea of Spiritism, without even considering that they are weapons used by its enemies to ridicule it. Among such publications, there are some that, without being bad or stemming from an obsession, can be considered imprudent. untimely, or unlucky.

Therefore, we highlight the importance of passing on ALL spiritual communications, no matter why mediums came, through the sieve of reason, never failing to question points that seem to contradict reason or common sense. The superior Spirits don't mind it. On the contrary: they recommend that this be done, because, having nothing to fear, they know that those who fear such control are systematic and, above all, mystifying Spirits, who will end up moving away from the group where their mystifications fool no one. This is an excellent way to keep the group, including the mediums, free from fascinating and deceiving Spirits.

By not having accomplished this task, the Spiritist Movement blindly accepted serious mystifications, such as those in Brazil, Heart of the World, Homeland of the Gospel, or the imaginations of André Luiz, in Nosso Lar — a case that would most likely be similar to the one presented above.