The false “Allan Kardec”, the FEB and unification under Ismael

Under the title "INSTRUCTIONS FROM ALLAN KARDEC TO THE SPIRITISTS OF BRAZIL," in the book "Prayer According to the Gospel," we find a communication from a Spirit who presents himself, within the Sayão group—a Roustainguist group that took over the FEB (Brazilian Spiritist Federation) and diverted the Brazilian Spiritist Movement—under the name of Allan Kardec. Let us analyze this communication, making observations and proposing questions that could have put this mystifying Spirit in his place:

Instructions from Allan Kardec to the Spiritists of Brazil

I — EXHORTATION TO STUDY, CHARITY, AND UNIFICATION

Peace and love be with you.
May we once again, united by the bonds of brotherhood, study this doctrine of peace and love, of justice and hope, thanks to which we will find the narrow gate of future salvation—the indefinite and immortal joy for our humble souls.

Before addressing the points that constitute the objective of my statement, I must ask all of you who are listening to me—all of you spiritualists to whom I speak at this moment—to forgive me if, by chance, in the expression of my thoughts, you find something that offends you, some thorn that might wound the sensitivity of your heart.

The fulfillment of duty compels us to use frank, even blunt, language. That is why each of us has an individual and collective responsibility, and to uphold it, we resort to all means available to us, often without considering the limitations of our intelligence, which prevent us from expressing what we feel without frequently hurting the hearts of friends, for whom we only wish peace, love, and the sweetness of charity.

Certain that you will hear my plea; certain that, in speaking to spiritualists, I am speaking to a group of men full of benevolence, I have begun my small work, whose sole purpose is to release myself from serious commitments I have made to our Creator and Father!

Always compassionate and good, turning his merciful eyes to humanity enslaved by the errors and passions of the world, God makes the words of Christ a truth, and sends the Comforter—the Spirit of Truth—to speak openly of messianic revelation to that same forgotten Humanity, He who was led through the streets of bitterness, under the weight of the iniquities and ingratitude of men!

The way Jesus is spoken of is entirely devotional, emotional, without any trace of Kardec's careful terminology. Kardec constantly distinguishes the historical Christ-man from the function of "model and guide," analyzes moral teachings, and avoids this type of dramatic and sentimental portrayal as an argument. Here, Jesus is used as an affective trigger to legitimize the discourse that follows.

Spiritism was NEVER messianic, as it is a science, built using the methodology always explained by Kardec, with the collaboration of thousands of people spread throughout the world. The term "messianic" was how the task was viewed. mystic by Jean-Baptiste Roustaing. Kardec says, in "Spiritism in its Simplest Expression":

“"The first revelation was personified in Moses, the second in Christ, The third one does not have it in any individual.. The first two were individual., the third press conference; There you go. essential character of great importance. It is collective in the sense that it is not made or given as a privilege to any one person: consequently, no one can claim to be its exclusive prophet.; It was spread simultaneously across the Earth to millions of people of all ages and conditions, from the lowest to the highest on the scale, according to this prediction recorded by the author of the Acts of the Apostles: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17-18). It did not originate from any special cult, in order to one day serve as a connecting point for all.

As the centuries passed and the human spirit developed intellectually, God, in his wisdom, deemed that the time had come to invite mankind to meditate on the Gospel—a precious book of divine truths—which until then had been obscured by its literal meaning, due to the deficiency of human perception in understanding it spiritually.

Everywhere light has been shed; the promised Comforter has been revealed to Humanity, and peoples—according to their moral and intellectual preparedness—have received important missions aimed at accelerating the triumphant march of the Good News!

All were called: the Comforter did not fail to appear in any corner of the Earth in the name of that God of mercy, who does not desire the death of the sinner—nor the extermination of the ungrateful—but rather wishes to see them redeemed from the excesses of the flesh, from the obsession of instincts.

Therefore, this piece of land, which you call Brazil, was also given the Revelation of the Revelation, ...by establishing, before incarnating, commitments to your Spirits from which you have not yet been released. And forgive me for saying so: you have indeed delayed the fulfillment of these commitments and of serious duties, driven by feelings that are not appropriate to scrutinize now.

Here there is a direct and unequivocal reference to Roustaing's Gospels, and not to spiritist science:“The Spirits of the Lord come to bring to mankind the new revelation, which you may call, as we have already told you, "revelation of the revelation," and, through it, to enlighten and develop intelligences, to purify hearts in the crucible of science, charity, and love.”(Roustaing, OQE)

There is another doctrinal deviation here: the idea of a privileged national mission (“this piece of land… was also given the Revelation of the Revelation,” embodying special “commitments”). Kardec admits that peoples can have historical missions, but always with great prudence, without investing any country with a sacred role. The use of “Revelation of the Revelation” + Brazil is the ideological matrix of the entire myth subsequently reinforced in Brazil, Heart of the World, Homeland of the Gospel. It is a nationalist spiritualism that is not based on Kardecian methodology, but is functional in building a center of religious power in Brazil.

Ismael, your Guide, taking on the responsibility of leading you to the great temple of love and human fraternity, raised his banner, inscribed upon it — God, Christ, and Charity. Strong in dedication, animated by the mercy of God, which never fails the workers, his holy and evangelical voice echoed in all hearts, seeking to draw them into a single group where, united, they would have the strength of lions and the gentleness of doves; where, united, they could confront the full weight of human iniquities; where, bound by a single sentiment — that of love — they could worship the Father in Spirit and Truth; where the great wall of faith would rise, against which all the weapons of the enemies of Light would break; where, finally, a great dike could be formed against the tempestuous wave of passions, crimes, and vices that overwhelm all of Humanity!

In Kardec's philosophy, unity is... doctrinal and methodological, never organic and institutional under a single center. He explicitly rejects the idea of a "spiritualist pope" and centralized leadership. The discourse here is different: everyone should converge towards... a unique grouping, under the banner of Ishmael. It is the proposal for unification through submission to a “sacred” pole, precisely the path that Kardec rejects:

“"It is therefore better to have in a city one hundred groups of ten to twenty followers, in which none claims supremacy over the others, than a single society that unites them all. This fragmentation can in no way harm the unity of principles, provided that the banner is one and all are directed towards the same end" – Kardec, VE

This group was formed; Ishmael's voice was felt in hearts. But, like seeds sown on rocky ground, they did not find good soil for their roots, and when that good angel—that Messenger of God—thought he had within him friends and brothers capable of helping him in his great, holy, and good task, the seeds withered in the fire of passions, becoming embedded in the rock, despite the dew of divine mercy constantly bathing them for their revitalization.

There, where humility should have pitched its tent, pride erected its stronghold; there, where love should have risen, sublime and splendid, right up to Christ, indifference dug furrows, justice was called injustice, and brotherhood—dissension!

But should the gratitude and goodwill of others be sacrificed because of the ingratitude of some?

Should the humility of the disciple, perfectly aware of his duties, be sacrificed because of the pride of those who have already proclaimed themselves masters in their ignorance? No!

Thus, when the enemies of Light — when the spirit of darkness I considered the flag of Ishmael, symbol of, to be shattered. divine trinity; when the wicked voice already resounded in Space, glorifying the kingdom of darkness And cursing the name of the Martyr of Calvary, he took up his banner and had a small tent erected bearing the name — Fraternity!

A strongly mystical and even esoteric language, crowned with ideas contrary to Spiritism, with strong religious conceptions, contrary to what is shown in Heaven and Hell (Editora Mundo Maior – unadulterated edition).

Here, a narrative typical of a sectarian group is constructed:

1. There is a divine plan (Ishmael's flag).
2. He “almost” fails because of the men.
3. The “enemies of the Light” rejoice.
4. God/Ishmael intervenes and founds a new "chosen nucleus" (the so-called Brotherhood).

The psychological effect is clear: to legitimize a specific institution (the "Fraternity" group) as only faithful guardian of the divine plan, ...the "faithful remnant" surrounded by darkness. This is completely foreign to the way Kardec deals with societies and groups: he always relativizes, warns against local fascination, and subjects any group to the scrutiny of the whole of Spirits and reason, never sacralizing it.

This was, without a doubt, the point to which all the scattered forces should converge—all those who did not receive the seed of the pebble.

Certain that chance is a meaningless word, and witnesses to the events that led to the raising of this tent, all spiritualists had a sacred duty to come here and gather—to hear the sacred word from the good Guide Ishmael — The only one who directs the propaganda of the Doctrine in this part of the planet and the only one who has the responsibility for its progress and development..

Several conceptions contrary to Spiritism. There is no sacred word when it comes to Spirits, no matter what name they present themselves by: there are ideas and conceptions that must be analyzed in the light of reason. Ismael is a mystifying Spirit – perhaps the very one who writes this message – and one of the most intelligent (and, for that very reason, one of the most dangerous to the unwary). Note the word "unique" (which directs the propaganda of the Doctrine in this part of the planet and which is responsible for its progress and development), which is so absurdly false, since Spirits do not act alone, much less those who incite humanity to good. This idea is just another way to keep believers in their word in obsessive fascination.

From a Kardecian Spiritist point of view, this paragraph is a Red flag of fascination.:

• “"Sacred Word" of a Spirit;
• This Spirit is the "sole" director of the propaganda and the spread of the doctrine in an entire region.

Kardec insists that:

• no Spirit It must be accepted blindly;
• the truth results from a gathering of many Spirits, mediums, and independent centers, confronted by reason;
• any spirit that claims to privilege, exclusivity, absolute mission, unquestionable authority should be immediately put under suspicion (this is linked to descriptions of mystification and fascination in The Mediums' Book).

Here the text calls for exactly the opposite: critical renunciation in favor of the "sacred word" of a "single guide".

But, unfortunately, my friends, you have not yet been able to grasp the great significance of the word — Fraternity!

It's not a term, it's a fact; it's not an empty word, it's a feeling, without which you will always find yourselves too weak for this struggle that you yourselves cannot measure, such is its extraordinary magnitude!

Ishmael has his Temple, and upon it his banner — God, Christ, and Charity! Ishmael has his little tent, where he seeks to gather all his brothers — all those who have heard his word and accepted it as true: and it is called Fraternity!

Another anti-Spiritist point (in the Kardecian sense):

1. In Kardec's work, there is no such thing as “"Temple of a Spirit"”. The "temples" he acknowledges are, at most, those of conscience and moral practice. For him, the Spiritist institution is... school, laboratory, study group, not a sanctuary consecrated to a Guide.
2. The triad "God, Christ, and Charity" on a temple banner resembles a confessional motto, not a doctrinal concept. In Kardec's philosophy, charity is a natural consequence of understanding the law of justice, love, and charity; here it becomes a slogan on a sect's banner.

I ask you: Do you belong to the Fraternity? Do you work towards the construction of this Temple whose motto is: God, Christ, and Charity?

How, and in what way?

My friends! I may be unfair to you in what I am about to say: your work, done entirely according to—not the Doctrine—but according to what exclusively interests your feelings, cannot bear good fruit. This work, without regime, without discipline, can only, according to the doctrine you have embraced, bring thorns that tear your souls, poignant pains to your Spirits, because, by distorting the principles on which it rests, you give constant and fatal entry to that which, finding you divided by selfishness, pride, and vanity, will easily overwhelm you with the full weight of its iniquity.

It's almost comical, given the level of hypocrisy of this Spirit. If these words were applied to all those who do not study Spiritism where it truly exists – in Kardec's works – they would be absolutely justified… But this Spirit knows the ground he treads on well, which causes the central idea to be reversed as he speaks of himself.

However, would the same thing happen if you were united? Do you believe in the efficiency of a large army led by several generals, each with their own system, their own method of operation, and with divergent points of view? Never! Under those conditions you will only find defeat, because—note well—what you cannot do with the Gospel: unite yourselves for the love of good, your enemies do, uniting themselves for the love of evil!

They do not follow diverse guidelines, nor do they pursue diverse objectives; everything converges on the Spiritist Doctrine — Revelation of the Revelation — which does not suit them and which they need to destroy, for which they employ all their intelligence, all their love of evil, submitting themselves to a single direction!

New reference ridiculous to Roustaing's work. The pattern here is of millennialist victimhoodThe doctrine (actually, the Roustaingist reading under Ismael) is a "Revelation of the Revelation" persecuted by "enemies of the Light" who unite "out of love for evil." This type of Manichean dichotomy is foreign to Kardec, who has a much more nuanced view of Spirits and men. He does not speak of "enemies of Spiritism" organized in a single evil front; he speaks of ignorance, interests, bad influences, but always recommending calm, patience, discernment—never this climate of cosmic war around a specific temple.

The struggle grows daily, for the will of God, initiating His creatures into the mysteries of the afterlife, becomes ever more evident. However, given your Spirits' precarious state in the face of the Doctrine, as I have just described, I ask: — With what element do they, your Spirits, rely on in the daunting task they are about to undertake, filled with responsibility?

In what corner of the Earth does the great tabernacle already stand where you will raise your thoughts; in what corner of the Earth have you built the great wall against which the weapons of your adversaries will be broken?

Is it possible that, like the five foolish virgins, you have completely lost sight of your peace? Should you count on the others, who do not sleep and who anxiously await the coming of their Lord?

But if that is so, how can we make use of the lessons that are constantly given to you in order to make your vigilance a truth and your prayer a holiness?

If that's the case, where are the fruits of that fruitful daily labor of your friends from beyond the grave?

Have your archives, filled with communications, perhaps rotted away, eaten away by moths—touched by mold?

Where, I ask again, is the security of your faith, the stability of your belief, if, having a single doctrine for strong and unwavering support, you subdivide it, multiply it according to the whims of your individualities, without considering the collective that could give you strength, if you constituted a homogeneous element, perfectly prepared by those in charge of revelation?

But where is the advantage of subdivisions? Where is the real interest for the Doctrine and its development, in the dispersion you make of your great whole, thus already giving a terrible example to the uninitiated, since you preach fraternity and yet divide yourselves, full of dissension?

Where are the advantages of such a course of action? Are they in the diversity of names you give to the groups? Why is that? Is it because this or that group has received a greater gift from the divine patrimony? Is it because it suits the propaganda you are promoting?

Here, he is merely paving the way, with despicable ideas, so that he may later come up with the solution to the "division".

But for propaganda, we need its building blocks. I ask: — where is the school for mediums? Does it exist?

Do those men who are willing to study the mysteries of the Creator with you, preparing their Spirits for the resurgence of the afterlife, perhaps find in you disciplined instruments—mediums perfectly aware of the important role they play in the human family and filled with that seriousness which gives an idea of the greatness of our Doctrine?

Or is your propaganda limited solely to talking about Spiritism? Or are your individual and collective duties and responsibilities limited to making a fool of those who observe you, judging you to be crazy and visionaries?

My friends! I know how painful all this is that I tell you, for each of my thoughts is a pain that deeply affects my spirit. I know that your consciences perfectly feel the full weight of the truths I expose to you. But, as I told you at the beginning: — we have responsibilities and commitments undertaken, from which we seek to free ourselves by all means at our disposal!

If my mission on Earth is not yet complete; if I still deserve from the Lord the grace to come and clarify the doctrine that was revealed to me there, giving you new knowledge compatible with the development of your intelligences; if I see that each passing day of your existence—illuminated by the sublime light of revelation, without you producing work worthy of the grace granted to you—is a cause of scandal for your own consciences; I must use this blunt language of a friend, so that you, truly aware of your duties as Christians and Spiritists, may unite in a great fraternal group, where—strengthened by mutual support and the protection of the good—you may face the extraordinary work that you must accomplish for the emancipation of your Spirits, work that will undoubtedly cause a great revolution in Humanity, not only in the areas of Science and Religion, but also in customs!

I tell you once and for all, my friends: — Your work, your labors cannot remain within the narrow confines of goodwill and propaganda, without the elementary means indicated by the simplest reason.

It is completely irrelevant to refer you to the words of Jesus Christ when he said that—light was not made to be put under a bushel. It is irrelevant and has no application, because you do not possess your own light!

Create light through your efforts; illuminate your whole being with the sweet clarity of virtues; discipline yourselves through good morals in the Temple of Ishmael, a temple where God is worshipped, Christ is venerated, and Charity is cultivated. Then, yes; distribute the light, it belongs to you!

The phrase means, in practice:

• You only have genuine "light" if you Disciplinary within the Temple of Ishmael.
• Outside of his work, his job "causes intoxication to the eye," yields "bitter" fruits, etc.

It is a mechanism of controlThe criterion for the authenticity of doctrine (reason, universality, method) is shifted to the criterion of belonging to the “right” temple”. This is a denial of the principle of the universality of Spiritist revelation.

And it belongs to you, because it is a sacred product of your own effort, a brilliant achievement of your Spirit — engaged in the sublime struggles of Truth.

Outside of these terms, you may produce works that intoxicate the eye, but never works that speak sincerely to the heart. You may produce strong emotions, which is why many gladly indulge in the worship of the marvelous; however, they will never leave the gentle impressions of Truth vibrating the strings of divine love in the great human heart.

Outside of this orthodox convention, it is possible that plants may grow in your groups, but it is also quite possible that their fruits will be quite bitter, quite poisonous, determining, contrary to what should happen, the moral death of your Spirit — the destruction, from the very foundation, of your Temple of work!

If the Gospel does not truly become a shield in your spirits, who will be able to help you, since Revelation tends to absorb all consciences, emancipating your century? If the Gospel in your hands only serves as profane books, which delight the soul and enchant the mind, who will be able to help you at the moment of this planetary revolution that is already being felt, which will give dominion of the Earth to the good, prepared for its development, which will cause the transmigration of the obsessed and hardened to the world that is proper to them?

Kardec does indeed speak of Earth's transition from a world of expiation to a world of regeneration, and of the migration of refractory Spirits to less advanced worlds. But:

1. He avoids all apocalyptic tone From "imminent planetary revolution" to frighten.
2. He doesn't tie This process does not belong to any "temple" or "movement" directed by a particular Spirit.
3. He insists that everything is done according to general laws, without miracles, without privilege, without clergy.

Here, the same general idea (transition, migration) is appropriate as rhetorical device of urgency Serving the Temple of Ishmael: if you don't align yourself with the Brotherhood, with this "extraordinary work," you risk being among the "transmigrated.".

What will become of you—who will be able to help you—if the lamp of your spirit lacks the element of light with which you can see the unexpected arrival of Christ, bearing witness to the value of the good and the moral weakness of the wicked and the ungrateful?

If you have been called to the wedding feast of the Son of your King, why do your spirits not take on the garments worthy of the banquet, exchanging with us the toast of love and charity for the fellowship of Christ with his people?

If everything is ready, if only the guests are missing, why do you give up your place to the lame and crippled who, though last, will be first at the abundant table of divine charity?

The evangelical parable is used in a way exclusivist and invertedThose who don't enter the "tent" lose their place; the "lame and crippled" (those outside) will occupy it. The subtext is: Don't lose the privilege. of being in the “right” group (Fraternity under Ismael). In Kardec, the same parable serves to show that the “first” (privileged, instructed, orthodox) can be the last, but always in a moral sense, never institutional (“entering the temple of such a guide”).

Have these points from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, despite the Revelation, not yet provoked your meditation?

This echo that reverberates throughout the atmosphere of your planet, saying — The times have come! — is it a mockery from God's messengers, intended to terrify your spirits?

Is it possible for us to prepare for the times to come, living amidst dissension and struggle, as if we did not constitute a single family, guided by a single doctrine to govern our actions and feelings?

Is it possible for us to prepare for the times to come by constantly highlighting scandal, presenting ourselves to men as ambitious individuals who do not hesitate to seize even divine things for the pleasure of the flesh and the satisfaction of worldly passions?

But it would simply be an obsession of the Spirit—to pretend to be freed from one's commitments and to enter the kingdom of God covered in these human passions and miseries!

This would be tantamount to not believing in the very thing you claim to believe in; it would be mocking your Creator who, while not demanding sacrifice from you, asks that you not turn His house of prayer into a den of thieves!

My friends! Without charity there is no salvation — without brotherhood there can be no unity.

Unite, therefore, through brotherhood, under the watchful eye of good Ishmael, O Lord, your Guide and Protector. Save yourselves through Charity, distributing good everywhere, indiscriminately, without hidden thoughts, to those who ask you for at least a moral testimony of your faith, which may compel them to respect in you the well-intentioned and truly Christian individual.

The sentence encapsulates the ideological core of the text:

1. The union is not only based on principles (as Kardec proposes), but “under scrutiny”"From a Guide, with a capital G.".
2. This Guide is "yours," national/regional.
3. The figure of “"Protector"” It is centralized and personalistic.

Kardec accepts the idea of individual and collective guardian spirits, but Never transforms them into regulatory authority Regarding doctrine: Protection is intimate, moral, and silent; it does not translate into exclusive revelations, banners, temples bearing the name of the Spirit, nor into a monopoly of direction.

Regarding the propaganda you seek to carry out, solely to attract a greater number of followers to your fold, I will say—if the easiest means you have found are the healing of your obsessed brothers, home visits, and the expansion of fluids—then you have a modest task for your meditation and study.

And, reading and understanding, call upon me whenever you wish to hear my word, and I will come to clarify the points you find doubtful—I will come, in new terms if necessary, to show you that this aspect which seems easy for the propagation of the Doctrine—is the greatest obstacle thrown in your path—it is the stone placed at the wheels of your triumphant chariot—it will ultimately be the cause of your disastrous fall, if you do not know how to guide yourselves with the discernment required of those who engage in such a great cause.

Typical closing of a spirit that proposes itself as permanent oracle. In terms of Spiritist criticism:

• A psychological dependence is created between the medium/group and this communicator.
• Discouraged universal control (confront communications, seek other independent sources) because “he” is always available to clarify.

In the Kardecian method, a serious Spirit:

• It encourages methodical doubt;
• It encourages rational examination and comparison;
• It avoids positioning itself as the sole source of information.

Here the opposite occurs.

May God grant that the spiritualists to whom I speak, those men who have been given the grace to know in spirit and truth the Doctrine of Christ, have the goodwill to understand me—the goodwill to see in my words only the interest of the love I dedicate to them.

Allan Kardec

The entire text shifts Spiritism away from philosophical-moral science of collective revelation for a messianic religious system centered on:

• a national guide appointed (Ishmael),
• a specific temple/flag/motto,
• an institutional group (“Fraternity”) presented as the elected core.

Several passages illustrate exactly what Kardec describes as signs of mystification and fascinationA spirit that declares itself unique, that demands obedience, that sacralizes its own word, that places itself at the center of revelation in a region of the planet.

Points that are partially true (need for study, discipline, seriousness in mediumship, danger of dispersion) are used as hook to legitimize the sectarian solution: centralization under Ishmael and under the "Brotherhood".

The rhetoric is strongly religious, emotional, with millenarian traits, in contrast to Kardec's rational, analytical, and methodical style. Even when addressing themes dear to Spiritism (planetary transition, migration of Spirits, importance of the Gospel), it does so within a specific framework. confessional, no scientific-philosophical.

The book in question – Prayer According to the Gospel, attributed to the spirit of Allan Kardec – ends as follows:

The House of Ishmael
The Brazilian Spiritist Federation is a civil society. religious, educational, cultural and philanthropic, endowed with legal personality and recognized as a Federal, State (RJ) and Federal District (DF) Public Utility, according to the following decrees: nº 47.695/1960, nº 4.765/1934 and nº 7.399/1983, respectively.

Its purpose and objectives are:
– the theoretical and practical study of Spiritism;
– the observance and dissemination of its teachings;
– the practice of spiritual, moral and material charity;
– and, finally, the integration of the Spiritist Societies of Brazil into its organization.

It is the responsibility of its National Federative Council to develop, expand, and coordinate the plans of the Federative Organization, aiming to achieve complete harmony of thought, as well as unity of program and action.

The Brazilian [non-]Spiritist Federation, in an incredibly hypocritical manner, still proudly displays the title of "House of Ishmael." Truly, this mystifying Spirit has made its home in this "Vatican" of the Brazilian [non-]Spiritist Movement. It declares itself a religious civil society, causing a deviation from the purpose of Spiritism and, with great hypocrisy, claims to observe the dissemination of its teachings, while in practice it has spent the last few years... 130 years gradually contradicting them. The reason for this article, incidentally, is due to the recent publication of a video on the FEB Editora account, spreading the false idea that the communication analyzed above was from Kardec, inciting unification, a project pursued by the Brazilian Spiritualist Vatican (aka FEB) since approximately 1890 (as we have already demonstrated in...). article about the deviations of the FEB).

It is up to all True Spiritists defend the truth about Spiritism and demonstrate it. all These deviations – the attempt to replace the Promised Comforter with a religious, dogmatic, ridiculous, and anti-doctrinal version!