What do we do in life beyond the grave? This is a question that many ask themselves. Furthermore, another: “if there are no spiritual colonies, then what exists after death? It can’t be anything.”
Allan Kardec, in the Spiritist Magazine of May 1862, on the occasion of Mr. Sanson's death, says a beautiful prayer, from which we extract the following excerpt:
You no longer have the veil that hides, from our eyes, the splendors of the future life; From now on, you will be able to contemplate new wonders, while we are still immersed in darkness. You will travel through space and visit the worlds with complete freedom, while we crawl painfully on Earth, where our material body holds us back, similar to a heavy burden for us. The horizon of infinity will unfold before you, and in the presence of so much grandeur you will understand the vanity of our earthly desires, our worldly ambitions and the futile joys that men delight in.
Death is, among men, nothing more than a material separation of a few moments. From the place of exile, where the will of God still holds us back, as well as the duties we have to fulfill in this world, we will follow you, by thought, until the moment when we will be allowed to reunite with you, as you were reunited with those who preceded you.
If we cannot come with you, you can come close to us. Come therefore among those who love you and whom you have loved; support them in the trials of life; watch over those who are dear to you; Protect them according to your power, and soften their lamentations by the thought that you are happier now, and the consoling certainty of one day being reunited with you in a better world.
KARDEC, Allan. Spiritist Magazine of May 1862
Certainly, life after death does not take place in an empty space, since nothing, nothing is. The big issue is that our mentality is taken from a materialization of the world of Spirits, promoted above all by the unreflective admission of the ideas of the Spirit of André Luiz, presented in Nosso Lar and others.
Go back to the previous excerpt and pay attention to the ideas reverberated by Kardec in this simple and touching prayer: “[…] you will be able to contemplate new wonders, while we are still immersed in darkness”; “You will travel through space and visit the worlds with complete freedom, while we crawl painfully on Earth”; "O horizon of infinity will unfold before you, and in the presence of so much grandeur you understand the vanity of our earthly desires, of our worldly ambitions, and of the futile joys in which men delight.”
Far from what they seek to do, there is no inherent relationship between André Luiz's ideas and Spiritist Science, about a fantastic after-death world, where even a flying bus, Spirits who are already relatively calm, past the disturbance phase, would have what to take. Charity is a moral duty and does not await reward. The Spirit disconnected from materialism serves Creation, acting in Infinite Space, contributing to the execution of Natural Laws, whether in Nature, or by learning and helping, in contact with other Spirits, incarnate and disembodied.
Before the excerpt above, Kardec says the following:
“You left the gross envelope, subject to vicissitudes and death, and you kept only the ethereal, imperishable and imperishable envelope. inaccessible to suffering. If you no longer live by the body, you live from the life of the Spirits, and this life is free from the miseries that afflict Humanity.”
Pain, hunger, cold, heat, thirst, fear, tiredness? Only for Spirits attached to materiality, who create these false sensations, that they cannot supply, around you. This statement is very important, and comes not from Kardec, but from the superior Spirits themselves:
970. What do the sufferings of inferior Spirits consist of?
“They are as varied as the causes that determined them, and proportional to the degree of inferiority, as enjoyments are to that of superiority. They can be summed up like this: envying what they lack to be happy and not getting it; seeing happiness and not being able to achieve it; grief, jealousy, anger, hopelessness about what prevents them from being happy; remorse, indefinable moral anxiety. They desire all pleasures and cannot satisfy them: this is what tortures them.”
KARDEC, Allan. The Spirits' Book.
Therefore, the idea of a “Spiritual Colony”, created by Superior Spirits, to satisfy the false needs of attached, inferior Spirits, not only goes against common sense, but also the Spiritist Doctrine itself!
Let us remember, finally, that we can find, in Kardec's works, other examples of Spirits who, freed from matter, demonstrate the tasks of the post-death, acting in the good, for the detached Spirits:
Countess Paula, presented in Heaven and Hell, covered in recent article.
The Lady Schwabenhauss, in the Spiritist Magazine of September 1858.
The articles The Genius of Flowers and Questions about the genius of flowers, in the Spiritist Magazine of March 1860.
The article O Anjo das Crianças, in the Spiritist Magazine of April 1860.
This is what we can present so far and, still based on Genesis, we can conclude that there is sufficient evidence of the falsity of the systematized ideas about “Spiritual Colonies”, where selfishness and the idea of charity out of interest would be perpetuated. We remind you that we have already carried out a more extensive study on the materiality of beyond the grave, which you can find by clicking on here.
Has Allan Kardec's book Genesis really been adulterated?
A few days ago, the channel Grupo Espírita Educare published a video very well produced, by the way, with great care and an aesthetic appearance to be envied. This video, entitled "WAS THE BOOK "THE GENESIS" REALLY ADULTERATED?", provides, despite so much care, half-baked information, leaving out details that are so indispensable for the legitimate discussion of the case about Allan Kardec's ultimate work.
In the video, they quote the following passage from a psychograph to Kardec, about the changes he wanted to make to Genesis:
"Allow me to give you some personal advice about your work Genesis. I think, like you, that it should undergo certain modifications that will make it more valuable from a methodical point of view; [...] this revision is a serious job, and I ask you not to wait too long before carrying it out."
There is, however, something substantial in the passage they omitted (in the ellipsis in brackets) which, not by chance, leads the viewer to the wrong conclusion: the communicating Spirit's repeated recommendation that Kardec should not change anything about the Doctrine and the ideas that were appearing for the first time:
Advice on Genesis
February 22, 1868. Medium M. Desliens.
Allow me to give you some personal advice about your book Genesis. I think that, as you do, it should undergo a rearrangement that will make it gain value in methodical terms; but I would also advise you to review certain comparisons in the first chapters, which, without being inaccurate, can be ambiguous, and which can be used against you in the finishing of words. I don't want to point them out in any particular way, but by carefully analyzing the second and third chapters, they will certainly surprise you. We'll take care of your research. It's only a matter of detail, no doubt, but details sometimes have their importance; that's why I thought it useful to draw your attention to this side.
Question. In the reprint we're going to do, I'd like to add a few things, without increasing the volume. Do you think there are parts that could be removed without inconvenience?
Answer. My opinion is that there is absolutely nothing to take away as doctrine; everything is useful and satisfactory in every respect; but I also believe that you could, without inconvenience, further condense certain ideas that don't need development to be understood, having already been outlined elsewhere; in your reorganization work, you will easily achieve this.
We should leave intact all the theories that appear for the first time in the public eye; don't remove anything as ideas, I repeat, but just cut out, here and there, developments that add nothing to clarity
You will be more concise, no doubt, but just as understandable, and it is the ground thus gained that you may have to add new and urgent elements. It's a serious job for this revision, and I urge you not to wait too late to do it, it's better to be prepared ahead of time than if I had to wait after you. Above all, don't rush it. Despite the apparent contradiction of my words, you undoubtedly understand me. Start working promptly, but don't stay too long. Take your time; your ideas will be clearer and your body will be less fatigued.
You can download the original content of this letter by clicking on here.
Did Kardec go against the Spirit's wise advice?
Now, the adulteration of Genesis produced exactly that: it removed important passages that compromise understanding, leaving out doctrinal ideas and leading the reader to an understanding that is sometimes contrary to the previous version - the same thing they did with the adulteration of Heaven and Hell.
He quotes Henri Netto, in the article “In search of doubt: where is the truth?”:
The "new" texts, even if they appear to be true (because the intelligent hands that handled the editions posthumously picked out texts contained in the issues of the "Revue Spirite" (published from January 1858 to April 1869 by Kardec himself), sought the "appearance of truth" when put together with the others, with no basis in any of Kardec's publications. There are absurd passages that contradict not only other theses presented and reinforced by Kardec throughout his coherent and sequential literary production, but also the doctrinal body itself (principles and foundations). The biggest of these, without a shadow of a doubt, was to create a doubt, which didn't exist in the original version (first to fourth editions of "Genesis"), about the physical, material nature of Jesus' body. In this sense, the elimination of item 67 from Chapter XV of the aforementioned work, and the renumbering of item 68 as if it were 67, hides the logical assessment (albeit in terms of suppositions) about the fate of Yeshua's body envelope after his burial. What would be Kardec's reason, after repelling the docetist thesis ("fluidic body" of Jesus), and affirming his human nature, for suppressing his judicious considerations on the subject?
He also quotes Paulo Henrique de Figueiredo in “Autonomia”:
There is an initial question from Allan Kardec, which is quite objective:
Question. In the reprint we're going to do, I'd like to add a few things, without increasing the volume. Do you think there are parts that could be removed without inconvenience?
In other words, it was Allan Kardec's initiative to make a change to his work, but which one? He wanted to add a few more things! Not take away. And he wanted to do this without increasing the volume of the book. The reason for your question to Demeure is to find out whether it would be possible to do this, according to the Spirit's vision. And the answer is quite objective and decisive. He answered, through the medium, while Kardec wrote it down:
Answer. My opinion is that there is absolutely nothing to take away as doctrine; everything is useful and satisfactory in every respect; but I also believe that you could, without inconvenience, further condense certain ideas that don't need development to be understood, having already been outlined elsewhere; in your reorganization work, you will easily achieve this.
Take anything away? Nothing about the Doctrine. Demeure was quite clear, but he went on to detail his proposal:
– We should leave intact all the theories that appear for the first time in the public eye; don't remove anything as ideas, I repeat, but just cut out, here and there, developments that add nothing to clarity. You'll be more concise, no doubt, but just as understandable, and it's on the ground thus acquired that you may have to add new and urgent elements.
This is definitely not what we find in the adulterated version of the 1872 work! There were hundreds of deletions. Words, phrases, paragraphs and even entire sections were removed, some of which altered the meaning of the rest of the text. Suffice it to say that the theory about the progressive conquest of free will, after the Spirit has developed self-awareness over hundreds of lives, was removed after being carefully elaborated by Kardec over many years in the Spiritist Review and finally presented in Genesis. Before, instinct dominated alone, but intelligence begins to develop, and little by little instinct weakens, so Kardec originally wrote: "With rational intelligence, free will is born, which man uses at will: then only, for him, does responsibility for his actions begin" (KARDEC, [1868] 2018, p. 100). This important passage, fundamental to Spiritist Moral Theory, was deliberately removed, against Kardec's wishes and the recommendations of the Spirits, a fact that we have now verified! In the pages of this book we detail several of these infamous and criminal forgeries.
FIGUEIREDO, Paulo Henrique de. Autonomy: the untold story of Spiritism. FEAL publisher.
Not only that, there is an extensive piece of research produced by Marco Milani, demonstrating the fact that the adulteration removed several important doctrinal ideas, as well as adding some exquisite ones, compromising the understanding of the work as a whole and in detail:
As can be seen, various doctrinal ideas have been removed, even though the recommendation of the Spirit, who communicated to Kardec on the subject of the new edition, was not to remove anything related to these issues.
They don't want dialog to get to the truth, but imposition
When Leymarie created the book Obras Póstumas, he inserted into it the psychography presented earlier, but adulterated, removing precisely the Spirit's advice so that nothing concerning the Doctrine would be removed. All to give credit to his version, the fifth edition of Genesis was actually produced by Allan Kardec. Now, in the video mentioned above, the Grupo Espírita Educare channel does the same, but it doesn't stop there.
For Leymarie, the facts and the discussion about them didn't matter. In order to maintain his version of events, he sought to dominate the truth with various subterfuges. He tried to take control of Spiritist opinion and hid anything that might contradict his ideas. This is also how those who contradict the facts of the adulteration act with the "siren song", as Marcelo Henrique would say. That's how they finally hid my comments on that video from the public:
It's no coincidence that my comments don't appear to anyone else, as I was hidden on the channel. Apparently, they do not wish to discuss the facts and evidence, which they say are “summarily declassified”.
We can see, therefore, that the animated play is just another attempt to lead the public to the conclusion they want, even if they have to omit important information and make shallow statements. For our part, after encouraging the reader to study The Legacy of Allan Kardec, by Simoni Privato (link below), we can only hope that everyone comes to their own conclusions, in the face of the facts and evidence, of which there is plenty, despite the fallacy of the Spiritism CSI group that all the opposing arguments have been overturned (sic).
Live: Adulterated Genesis – doctrinal analysis of changes between editions
The strongest evidence of tampering with Allan Kardec's Heaven and Hell
They are undisputed legal facts at tampering of A Gênesis and O Céu e o Inferno, for the mere reason that editions were released, with changes, after the death of the author and without legal deposit – this is what at least four specialized legal operators say: Simoni Private, Julio Nogueira, Lucas Sampaio and Marcelo Henrique. That cool fact it is above of any consideration and, because of this, spiritist federations from other countries, respecting the law, returned to the third edition of the work. Unfortunately, the Brazilian Spiritist Federation, having a lot to recapitulate when taking this attitude (since the original text of A Gênesis contradicts a multitude of errors that populate most of the publications edited and printed by it) still resists these facts, basing itself in layman arguments on copyright matters.
In addition to the legal fact and the necessary respect for the law, through the study we have just identified another piece of evidence, perhaps the most decisive of all, of the adulteration of Heaven and Hell, the work of Allan Kardec, precisely in the part that expressed the doctrinal philosophy in its clearest and purest face.
In The Spirits' Book, Kardec deals with the issue of spirits who have always chosen the path of good (we also dealt with this in the article "Intimate Reform and Spiritism“:
There are spirits who have always chosen the path of good
121. Why do some Spirits follow the path of good and others the path of evil?
“Don’t they have free will? God did not create evil spirits; He created them simple and ignorant, that is, having as much aptitude for good as for evil. Those who are evil became so of their own free will.”
133. The Spirits who From the beginning they followed the path of good?
“All are created simple and ignorant and are instructed in the struggles and tribulations of bodily life. God, who is just, could not make some happy, without toil and work, therefore without merit.”
The) - But, then, what is the use of spirits to have followed the path of good, if this does not exempt them from the sufferings of bodily life?
"They reach the end faster. Furthermore, the afflictions of life are often the consequence of the imperfection of the Spirit. The fewer imperfections, the less torment. He who is not envious, nor jealous, nor avaricious, nor ambitious, will not suffer the tortures that originate from these defects.”
The Spirits' Book. Emphasis added.
Confirmed by the Spirits, there are those who have always chosen the path of goodness, which does not free them from the need to incarnate for their development. Thus, they have nothing to atone for, since atonement is the conscious choice of tests and opportunities that help them to let go of imperfections they have consciously acquired (remembering that merely making a mistake is not acquiring imperfections, as long as the mistake is overcome through learning. What generates imperfections is the conscious repetition of the mistake).
Furthermore, it is only logical that those who have overcome an acquired imperfection through atonement have nothing more to atone for, except if they develop new imperfections. Even so, they may need to be born on a planet like Earth, simply because their current needs demand it or because they choose to incarnate on a mission. Jesus Christ himself is the ultimate example of the latter, and even though he was a pure Spirit, he still faced the vicissitudes of matter without having anything to atone for. Look where admitting these false ideas leads: to the dogma of Spirits created apart and who have never actually been among us (a dogma supported by Roustaing)!
Strong evidence of tampering with Heaven and Hell
And here we come to the proof of the adulteration of Heaven and Hell, which, in the edition released after Kardec's death, introduced two items in chapter VIII (which became chapter VII):
9th — Every fault committed, every evil done, is a debt contracted that must be paid; If it is not so in one existence, it will be so in the next or subsequent ones, because all existences are in solidarity with each other. Whoever pays it off in the present existence will not have to pay a second time.
10 - The Spirit suffers the penalty of its imperfections, whether in the spirit world or in the corporeal world. All the miseries, all the vicissitudes we endure in corporeal life are the result of our imperfections, expiations of faults committed, whether in the present existence or in previous ones.
Heaven and Hell, fourth edition. FEB. My emphasis.
These two items, I repeat, did not exist in the third edition of the work, released and printed by Kardec during his lifetime. To admit that Kardec included these items in that edition, especially item 10, would be to admit that Kardec contradicted everything he had developed up to that point.
To support this false idea, the following paragraphs were removed in the adulteration, in chapter IX (formerly chapter X):
In the first stages of their existence, spirits are subject to material incarnation, which is necessary for their development, until they have reached a certain level. The number of incarnations is indeterminate and is subordinate to the speed of progress, which occurs in direct proportion to the work and good will of the spirit, who always acts according to their free will. Those who, due to their carelessness, negligence, obstinacy or bad will, remain in the lower classes for longer, suffer the consequences, and the habit of evil makes it difficult for them to get out of this state. One day, however, they get tired of this painful existence and the suffering that comes with it. Then, when they compare their situation to that of the good spirits, they realize that their interest lies in doing good and they try to improve themselves, but they do so of their own free will, without being forced to do so. They are subject to the law of progress because of their ability to progress, but they don't do it against their will. God constantly provides them with the means to progress, but they are free to take advantage of them or not. If progress were obligatory, spirits would have no merit, and God wants everyone to have the merit of their works, privileging no one with the first place, a position granted to all, but which they achieve only through their own efforts. The highest angels earned their position by traveling the same route as everyone else. Everyone, from the top to the bottom, has belonged or still belongs to humanity.
Men are therefore more or less advanced incarnate spirits, and spirits are the souls of men who have left their material shell. Spiritual life is the normal life of the spirit. The body is nothing more than a temporary garment, appropriate to the functions it must perform on Earth, just as a warrior puts on his armor and chain mail for the moment of combat, then takes them off after the battle, only to put them on again when the time comes for a new fight. Corporeal life is the battle that spirits must face in order to advance, so they put on this armor which is both an instrument of action and an embarrassment.
When they incarnate, spirits bring with them their inherent qualities. Imperfect spirits therefore make up imperfect people; those who are more advanced, good, intelligent, educated, are instinctively good, intelligent people who can easily acquire new knowledge. In the same way, when people die, they provide the spirit world with good or bad, advanced or backward spirits. The corporeal world and the spiritual world thus constantly supply each other.
Among the evil spirits there are those who have all the perversity of demons, to whom we can perfectly apply the image we have of the latter. When they are incarnate, they are perverse and cunning men who delight in evil, seemingly created for the misfortune of all those who are drawn into their intimacy, and of whom it can be said - without it being offensive - that they are demons incarnate.
Having reached a certain degree of purification, spirits are given missions compatible with their advancement, thus performing all the functions attributed to angels of different orders. As God has always created, there have always been enough spirits to meet all the needs of the government of the Universe. A single species of intelligent beings, subject to the law of progress, is therefore sufficient for everything. This unity in creation, together with the idea that everyone has the same common origin, the same path to follow, and that they all rise by their own merit, corresponds much better to God's justice than the creation of different species, more or less favored by natural gifts, equivalent to privileges.
Heaven and Hell – Editora FEAL
More evidence of the original idea
Below are some more excerpts from Kardec's work that show the true understanding of the subject (incarnation is not exclusively the result of atonement):
According to a system that is somewhat specious at first glance, spirits were not created to incarnate and incarnation would only be the result of their lack. Such a system is undermined by the mere fact that if no spirit had failed, there would be no human beings on Earth or on other worlds. Now, since man's presence is necessary for the material improvement of the worlds; since he contributes by his intelligence and activity to the general work, he is one of the essential cogs in Creation. God could not subordinate the accomplishment of this part of his work to the eventual fall of his creatures, unless he counted on an ever-sufficient number of guilty people to provide laborers for the worlds created and yet to be created. Common sense rejects such an idea.
KARDEC. Spiritist Review - 1863 > June > On the principle of the non-retrogradation of the Spirit. Emphases added.
In this article, in this passage, Kardec is evidently firmly refuting the same idea conveyed in Roustaing's Four Gospels (which would only be released in 1865), that incarnation would only take place for atonement, that is, when the Spirit is "guilty":
The idea of incarnation as punishment, we said, is an idea totally linked to Roustaing's dogmas:
N. 59. Which is what we should think of the opinion that goes like this: "In the same way that, for the Spirit in a state of formation, materialization in the mineral and vegetable kingdoms and in the intermediate species, and likewise incarnation in the animal kingdom and in the intermediate species, is a necessity and not a punishment resulting from a fault committed, so, too, for the formed Spirit, which already has independent intelligence, awareness of its faculties, awareness and freedom of its actions, free will and is in a state of innocence and ignorance, incarnation, first in primitive lands, then in the lower and higher worlds, until it has reached perfection, is a necessity and not a punishment"?
"No, human incarnation is not a necessity, it's a punishment, we've already said that. And punishment cannot precede guilt."
The Spirit is not humanized, we have already explained this, before the first lack subjected it to human incarnation. Only then is he prepared, as we have already shown, to suffer the consequences.
ROUSTAING, Jean B. Four Gospels, Tome I, item 59
It's easy to see the similarity between this idea and the one introduced in the 4th edition of Heaven and Hell: that incarnation only takes place when the Spirit is guilty of a previous error.
Let's continue with the evidence of Kardec's original idea and the Doctrine:
132. What is the purpose of the incarnation of spirits?
"God imposes the incarnation on them in order to bring them to perfection. For some, it is an atonement; for others, it is a mission. But in order to reach this perfection, they have to suffer all the vicissitudes of bodily existence: that's the atonement [...].
The Book of Spirits
For some, it's atonement; for others, it's a mission. "In order to achieve this perfection, they have to suffer all the vicissitudes of bodily existence: that is what the atonement is," in other words, the atonement, treated in the religious world as a process of remission of sins by divine punishment, here, for Spiritism, is just the process of learning and development of the Spirit.
However, fatality is not an empty word. It exists in the position man occupies on Earth and in the functions he performs there, as a result of the kind of life his Spirit has chosen as a test, atonement or mission. He fatally suffers all the vicissitudes of this existence and all the good or bad tendencies that are inherent to it.
The Book of Spirits
The Spirit suffers the vicissitudes of the existence chosen by the Spirit, as a test, atonement or mission.
Is incarnation a punishment and are only guilty spirits subject to it?
Spirits' passage through corporeal life is necessary so that they can fulfill, through material action, the designs that God has entrusted to them. It is necessary for their own sake, since the activity they are obliged to carry out helps them to develop their intelligence. Being sovereignly just, God has to distribute everything equally to all his children; that's why he has established for everyone the same starting point, the same aptitude, the same obligations to fulfill and the same freedom to proceed. Any privilege would be a preference, an injustice. But incarnation is only a temporary state for all spirits. It is a task that God imposes on them when they begin life, as their first experience of the use they will make of their free will. Those who perform this task with zeal quickly and less painfully pass through the first stages of initiation and enjoy the fruits of their labors sooner. On the other hand, those who misuse the freedom that God has given them slow down their progress and, no matter how obstinate they are, they can prolong the need for reincarnation indefinitely, in which case it becomes a punishment. - St. Louis (Paris, 1859)
KARDEC. The Gospel according to Spiritism > Chapter IV - No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again > Instructions from the Spirits. > Necessities of incarnation. > 25. Our emphasis.
Of course, the Spirits show that incarnation is necessary for everyone, so that while they develop, they play their part in Creation.
Examples of immediate punishment are less rare than you might think. If we were to go back to the source of all the vicissitudes of life, we would almost always see the natural consequence of some fault committed. Man receives terrible lessons at every moment, which unfortunately he makes very little use of.
The Spiritist Review, 1864
Almost always the sources of all the vicissitudes of life go back to the natural consequence of some fault committed.
[The good man] Knows that all the vicissitudes of life, all the pain, all the disappointments, are trials or atonements, and accepts them without murmuring.
The Gospel According to Spiritism
All the vicissitudes of life are trials or atonements. Trial: everything that helps us learn, all of life's difficulties. Atonement: certain types of trials, chosen to exercise detachment from an acquired imperfection.
"The disciples' question 'Is this man's sin the cause of his being born blind' indicates an intuition of a previous existence. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense, because the sin that would be the cause of a birth defect would have to have been committed before birth and, consequently, in a previous existence. If Jesus had seen a false idea there, he would have said: "How could this man have sinned before he was among us?" Instead, he told them that if the man is blind, it doesn't mean that he has sinned, but in order for God's power to shine in him; it's like saying that he should be the instrument of a manifestation of God's power. If this was not an atonement for the past, it was a test that should serve his progress, because God, who is just, could not impose suffering on him without compensation."
KARDEC, Allan. The Genesis. 4th edition. “Blind from Birth”. Emphasis added.
In this passage, where Kardec deals with Jesus' healing of blindness, he makes the following observation: "If this was not an atonement for the past, it is proof that it should serve your progress". This means that for him, and in accordance with Spiritism, vicissitudes are not only an atonement, but also a learning tool. This passage even appears in the 5th edition of Genesis (the adulterated edition), and Kardec cannot have contradicted himself in his ideas in each of his works. This is not the Kardec we know.
Reason for adulteration
Anyone who is seriously investigating the subject, and who has also investigated the adulteration of Genesis, will notice something in common between the two adulterations: the principle of the dogma of incarnation as the result of punishment for sin - a strongly limiting and imprisoning dogma, echoed by Roustaing and taught by the mystifying spirits who communicated with him through the medium Emilie Collignon. Contra a sua teoria, existe um simples detalhe: Jesus.
Jesus, the most evolved Spirit ever to incarnate among us, had nothing to "pay", since he was a pure Spirit. How can this problem be solved? By saying that Jesus didn't incarnate, but was in fact an agenere, that is, a materialized Spirit, who simply deceived us throughout his trajectory.
The point is that, in Heaven and Hell, the doctrinal ideas that showed incarnation as necessary for everyone, good and bad, were removed, and the idea that everything we go through is the result of atonement for mistakes in past lives was added (item 10, chapter 7, Penal Code of the Future Life); in the adulteration of Genesis, not by chance, item 67 of chapter XV was removed and, as Henri Netto demonstrates,
[…] the renumbering of item 68 as if it were item 67 hides the logical assessment (albeit in terms of suppositions) of the fate of Yeshua's bodily envelope after his burial. What would be Kardec's reason, after repelling the docetist thesis ("fluidic body" of Jesus), and affirming his human nature, for suppressing his judicious considerations on the subject?
In other words: in Genesis, in order to support the adulterations of Heaven and Hell, the idea that demonstrates, by unequivocal example, that incarnation is not just for atonement (adding here that atonement is the conscious act of choosing trials with the aim of returning to goodness, for those Spirits who, in the minority, chose to be attached to error and thus developed imperfections) was attacked. A doctrinal idea has been removed, even though the recommendation of the Spirit who communicated to Kardec on the subject of the new edition was not to remove anything related to doctrinal ideas.
Conclusion
Either Kardec made this change, or he didn't make this change. If he made this change himself, then he contradicted his entire previous understanding and, furthermore, he demonstrates an altered state of mental health, since he contradicted this idea in A Gênese, including in its fifth edition, as we demonstrated above.
Now, knowing that Kardec makes his understanding very clear that incarnation cannot be the exclusive result of atonement, and knowing his state of sound mental health up until the day of his death, we can only come to one conclusion: this work has been tampered with.
The change is very clear: "All the miseries, all the vicissitudes that we endure in corporeal life are the result of our imperfections, expiations of faults committed." This is clearly Roustaing's idea. This is clearly Roustaing's idea, and the essence of this chapter has been lost with the alteration, in order to implement the same dogmas that this gentleman accepted and defended:
"No, human incarnation is not a necessity, it's a punishment, we've already said that. And punishment cannot precede guilt."
ROUSTAING, Jean B. Four Gospels, Tome I, item 59
Many will say that item 16 of chapter VII of Heaven and Hell (the adulterated version) contains the same principle removed from the original item 8:
16 - Repentance is the first step towards perfection; but it alone is not enough; atonement and reparation are still needed.
Repentance, atonement and reparation are the three conditions necessary to erase the traces of a fault and its consequences.
El arrepentimiento suaviza el dolor de la expiación, dando esperanza y preparando el camino para la rehabilitación; pero sólo la reparación puede anular el efecto destruyendo la causa; el perdón sería una gracia, no una anulación.
However, we ask: what do repentance, atonement and reparation become, when subjected to the ideas inserted by adulteration, if not the fulfillment of a sentence or a punishment? What does error, part of learning, become if not a condemnation? And, looking at it from this angle, we ask: the individual who is led to think this way, how does he act towards life? Does he or she act austerely, trying to overcome the mistake, or, believing himself or herself condemned, does he or she submit to inaction or, worse, slip into even more mistakes? What about your neighbor, who is suffering the vicissitudes of life? Do you see in them a brother or sister who needs our support, a being capable of overcoming their difficulties through learning, or do you see in them another condemned person, about whom nothing can be done, since they are serving their sentence? Finally: does all this lead to a state of cooperation, in search of progress, or does it lead to materialism and selfishness?
These are questions that everyone has to ask themselves, in possession of the knowledge that, for me, took three years to clarify and establish. Maybe, with all this, I can help to shorten that time for you.
Enemies of good strive to delay it
It is very clear that the most important chapter of Heaven and Hell, precisely the one that contained the essence of the doctrinal philosophy, was deliberately adulterated. The ideas originally established were completely remodeled according to dogmas linked to the idea of the fall through sin, delaying the development of Spiritism on the face of the Earth by more than 150 years. Enough. Now it's time to recover and study. We recommend reading our Recommended Works.
The efforts of those who try to master the truth are linked to old-world conceptions. They are spirits who are still incapable of understanding the essence of Spiritism and who, consciously or not, are fighting against its ideas of autonomy and freedom. As Kardec would say, let time take care of them.
They claim to have summarily proved that there was no tampering and thus refuted all evidence to the contrary. I therefore ask these individuals to explain this illogical and contradictory alteration to the whole doctrine.
How priests act
For Leymarie, the facts and the discussion about them did not matter. To maintain his version, he aimed to dominate the truth with various subterfuges. He tried to take control of spiritualist opinion and hid everything he could testify against his ideas. Those who contradict the facts of adulteration with a “siren song”, as Marcelo Henrique would say, also act in this way.
A few days ago, I commented on the video “Was the Book of Genesis really tampered with?”, published on the Grupo Espírita Revelare channel, on YouTube:
It's no coincidence that my comments don't appear to anyone else, as I'm hidden on the channel.
Allan Kardec and the moral revolution of humanity
The following article contains content kindly made available by Centro Espírita Nosso Lar – Casas André Luiz, and corresponds to the event recently held by Paulo Henrique de Figueiredo on the highlighted topic.
The presentation can be easily downloaded through from this link and can also be heard on Podcast, the audio of which we provide below.
The following are the topics of the lecture, which can be checked in the presentation provided and in the audio exposed above.
ENCOUNTER WITH SPIRITIST CULTURE – Allan Kardec and the moral revolution of humanity
Passages suppressed in the adulteration of Genesis
Double principle of good and evil
Zoroaster and the Zoroastrian
The original text of Zoroaster: the true mentality
The deviation from the original teachings of Zoroaster: the false mentality
Moses and the one God
Jehovah and Satan
Jesus and the true mentality
The adulteration of Heaven and Hell
The incarnation is a necessity
Careful analysis of mediumistic communications and psychographics
Kardec, in the article “Exams of the mediumistic communications that they send us”, from the Spiritist Magazine of May 1863, demonstrates the care and seriousness that the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies had with the mediumistic communications that were sent to it. It is a true lesson in seriousness regarding spiritual science, which is why we reproduce it in full:…
“Many communications were sent to us by different groups, already asking for advice and judgment on their trends, already, like a few, in the hope of publication in Magazine. They were all sent to us with the right to dispose of them as we saw fit for the good of the cause. We have examined and classified them, and do not be surprised at the impossibility of publishing them all, when you know that in addition to those already published, there are more than three thousand and six hundred which, by themselves, would have absorbed five years complete from the Magazine, not counting a certain number of more or less voluminous manuscripts that we will talk about later. The summary of this exam will provide us with a topic for some reflections, which everyone can benefit from.
Among them we find some notoriously bad, in substance and in form, evidently the product of ignorant, obsessive or mystifying Spirits who swear by the more or less pompous names with which they sign them. Publishing them would have been giving weapons to critics. A noteworthy circumstance is that almost all communications in this category emanate from isolated individuals and not from groups. Only fascination could lead them to be taken seriously, and prevent them from seeing the ridiculous side. As we know, isolation favors fascination, while meetings find control in the plurality of opinions.
We recognize, however, with pleasure, that communications of this nature form, in the mass, a small minority. Most of the others contain good thoughts and excellent advice, but do not deny that they are all good for publication, for the reasons we will explain.
Good Spirits teach more or less the same thing everywhere, because everywhere there are the same vices to reform and the same virtues to preach, and this is one of the distinctive characteristics of Spiritism, as generally the difference is only in the greater or minor correction and elegance of style.
To appreciate communications aimed at advertising, you cannot analyze them from your point of view, but from the public's point of view. We understand the satisfaction one experiences when obtaining something good, especially when starting out, but beyond the fact that certain people may have illusions regarding intrinsic merit, one does not think that there are hundreds of other places where similar things can be obtained, and what is of powerful individual interest can be banality for the masses.
Furthermore, it is necessary to consider that over some time now communications have acquired, in all aspects, proportions and qualities that leave far behind those obtained a few years ago. What was admired then appears pale and mean next to what is obtained today. In most really serious centers, the teaching of Spirits grew with the understanding of Spiritism. Considering that more or less identical instructions are received everywhere, its publication may be of interest only on condition that it presents special qualities, both in form and instructive scope. It would therefore be an illusion to believe that every message must find numerous and enthusiastic readers. In the past, the smallest spiritist conversation was new and attracted attention. Today, when spiritists and mediums are countless, what was a rarity is an almost banal and habitual fact, and which has been distanced by the breadth and reach of current communications, just as school duties are by the work of adults.
We have before us the collection of a newspaper published at the beginning of the demonstrations, under the title of La Table Parlante, characteristic title of the time. It is said that the newspaper had 1,500 to 1,800 subscribers, an enormous figure for that time. It contained a lot of small family conversations and mediumistic facts that then had the enormous attraction of curiosity. Then we look in vain for something to reproduce in our Magazine. Whatever we had chosen, today it would be childish, of no interest. If this newspaper had not disappeared, due to circumstances that are irrelevant, it could only have lived with the condition of following the progress of Science, and if it reappeared now under the same conditions, it would not have fifty subscribers. Spiritists are immensely more numerous than then, it is true, but they are more enlightened and want more substantial teachings.
If communications emanated from a single center, readers would undoubtedly multiply due to the number of followers, but we must not lose sight of the fact that the sources that produce them number in the thousands, and that everywhere they are Once superior things are obtained, there can be no interest in what is weak and mediocre.
What we say is not to discourage publications. Far from it. But to show the need for rigorous choice, condition sine qua non of success. By elevating their teachings, the Spirits made them more difficult and even demanding for us. Local publications can be immensely useful, under a double aspect, that of spreading the teaching given in private to the masses, and then of showing the agreement that exists in this teaching on various points. We will always applaud this, and we will encourage you every time they are done under good conditions.
To begin with, it is worth discarding everything that, being of private interest, is of interest only to those who are interested in it, and then, everything that is vulgar in style and ideas, or puerile in subject matter.
A thing may be excellent in itself and very good for personal instruction, but what must be delivered to the public requires special conditions. Unfortunately, man is inclined to assume that whatever pleases him must please others. The most skillful can make a mistake. The essential thing is to make as little mistakes as possible. There are Spirits who take pleasure in feeding this illusion in certain mediums, so it would never be too much to recommend them not to trust their own judgment. This is where groups are useful, due to the multiplicity of opinions that can be collected. Anyone who, in this case, would reject the opinion of the majority, considering himself more enlightened than everyone else, would clearly prove the bad influence under which he finds himself.
Applying these principles of eclecticism to the communications sent to us, we will say that out of 3,600, there are more than 3,000 who are of irreproachable morality, and excellent as a background, but that of that number there are not 300 for publicity, and only one hundred of unquestionable merit. Considering that these communications came from many different points, we infer that the proportion must be more or less general. From this we can judge the need not to recklessly publish everything that comes from the Spirits, if we want to achieve the objective we propose, both from a material point of view and from the moral effect and the opinion that indifferent people may have about Spiritism.
It remains for us to say a few words about the manuscripts or impressive works that they sent us, among which, out of thirty, we found five or six of real value.
In the invisible world, as on Earth, there is no shortage of writers, but good ones are rare. Such a Spirit is able to dictate good isolated communication; to give excellent private advice, but is incapable of complete work that can stand an examination, whatever his intentions. On the other hand, the name with which he takes pleasure in disguising himself is not a guarantee. The louder the name, the more obliging. Now, it is easier to take a name than to justify it. This is why, alongside some good thoughts, there are sometimes eccentric ideas and the less equivocal traces of the most profound ignorance. It is in these types of mediumistic works that we have noticed more signs of obsession, of which one of the most frequent is the injunction on the part of the Spirit to have them printed, and more than one mistakenly thinks that such a recommendation is enough to find a publisher interested in the business. .
It is especially in such a case that a scrupulous examination becomes necessary, if we do not want to expose ourselves to learning at our own expense. Furthermore, it is the best way to ward off presumptuous and pseudo-wise Spirits, who invariably withdraw when they do not find docile instruments to make them accept their words as articles of faith. The intrusion of these Spirits into communications is ─ and this is a known fact ─ Spiritism's greatest obstacle. There are few precautions to avoid regrettable publications. In such cases, it is better to err on the side of caution, in the interests of the cause.
In short, by publishing communications worthy of interest, you do a useful thing. By publishing those that are weak, insignificant or bad, you do more harm than good.
A no less important consideration is that of opportunity. There are some whose publication is untimely, and therefore harmful. Each thing must come in its own time. Several of them addressed to us are in this case and, although very good, should be postponed. As for the others, they will find their place according to the circumstances and their objective.”
Charity and Spiritism:
When you want to do good, action is undoubtedly essential, without forgetting that what really counts is the intention. Not because God is writing down intentions, but because it is what counts for the individual's learning or attachment. But we cannot forget that the ideal is to know what to do, so as not to do it wrong. Let's talk about Charity and Spiritism.
Speaking of the Spiritist Movement, we unfortunately have the practice of some who place themselves in judgment. On the one hand, some who limit themselves to accumulating knowledge for themselves criticize those who focus on practice. On the other hand, some, who limit themselves to action, unwilling to seek knowledge, they judge those who seek knowledge, as if knowledge were not useful. I'm here to show you that both extremes are wrong.
Hell is full of good intentions
There is a popular saying that says: “hell is paved with good intentions”. This means: wanting to do good, but not knowing what to do, one can produce evil. It is clear, of course, that there is no condemnation except by one's own conscience and that the individual who makes a mistake in wanting to do good will feel much less moral suffering than one who makes a mistake in wanting to do evil. But the fact that I highlight is that, to do good, the ideal is to know what you are doing, and that is why understanding Spiritism is so important for the real understanding of what charity is.
Some time ago, a group of young people got together to fulfill a friend's dream: jumping from bungee jump, which consists of attaching yourself to ropes and jumping from a high place. They got the ropes, tied their friend, who then jumped off a cliff, only to fall to the ground and die. The problem? They didn't know the science of what they were doing and didn't calculate the size of the rope well. I think about the guilt that each of them must carry even today.
Accumulating knowledge without doing anything
There are also individuals who focus on accumulating knowledge. But they apply this knowledge neither to themselves nor to the good of others: they only keep it for themselves, so that, whenever possible, they can prove that they know more than others. It is the height of pride and selfishness, but, one day, this knowledge will be useful for you to act when you regret your mistakes.
Report: elderly, poor and with eight children to look after
As a personal story, I can tell you about a spiritist center that I attended for many years. For as long as I can remember, the practice there has been focused on good, but according to the ideas that shape the current spiritist movement, as if it were a religion: attend the weekly “spiritist house” meeting, listen to the lecture, take a pass and leave . Once a month there is a mediumistic meeting to assist suffering Spirits. Outside of there, we don't talk about Spiritism, much less practice it. The Center is empty, because there is no greater interest. With much effort and overcoming enormous difficulties, the participants of the house promote a monthly event to deliver basic food baskets to families in need. And that's it. These families do not participate in household activities and do not know the real beauty of Spiritism. Leaving there, they go to other institutions and churches to look for more necessary items.
Once, when I happened to be present on that food basket delivery day, we noticed a lady who had been there for over two years. She was extremely sad. His situation: at almost 70 years old, he lost two of his children in different accidents. These children left her with a total of eight children, who she tried to support by collecting rubbish and counting on some help she got from here and there.
Disgusted with God
That day, this lady was desperate and angry with God. I couldn't accept this situation. He asked himself: “What God is this that allows such things?” Noticing this, my mother and I started talking to her especially. We managed to make her understand that these things happen, as part of the tests. What maybe whether it was something previously chosen or not, but, in any case, she was playing such an important role in the lives of these children, teaching them the example of love, dedication and, above all, giving them such important moral values. I told him: “these Spirits will be very grateful for your efforts”, which brought a new sparkle to his eyes.
Furthermore, we organized ourselves in different ways and obtained various donations, including mattresses, as the children slept on the floor.
From that day on, we saw a new energy dominate your Spirit. A new determination to face these difficulties dominated his being. She put aside her revolt, because something clear and simple met her reasoning.
The real face of Spiritism
This “something”, clear and simple, is Spiritism in its essence. Not this “spiritualism” with a small “e”, removed from Kardec's scientific studies and trapped by the most diverse errors born from the blind acceptance of the Spirits' opinions, almost always in mediumistic romances. No: the spiritism, philosophical doctrine, developed by the scientific method. “Spiritism is not a work that marches in the shadows. He is known; its principles are formulated clearly, precisely and without ambiguity” (Revista Espírita, March 1863).
Others could wrongly say that this lady would be “paying off” debts from past lives, which is fake ((Ainda que ela possa ter tido ligações passadas com esses Espíritos e que, sentindo-se em débito por algo, tenha escolhido ajudá-los nesta vida, não se trata de “quitar” algo, mas sim de aprender auxiliando.)) ou, ainda, que essas crianças nasceram naquele meio para quitar suas dívidas. Esquecem-se ou desconhecem que o Espírito também choose such situations for learning, and not just for expiations (the choices of Spirits who seek to detach themselves from an acquired imperfection). Furthermore, they do not reflect on what such words can do to an already disturbed mind.
The point here is not to say that one does more than the other or that one is better than the other. The point is: the Spiritist Movement, without the knowledge of Spiritism, became lame, incomplete, incapable of giving the true face of the Promised Comforter. Without knowledge, charity becomes mere welfare. Who knows, if in that opportunity given by God, we hadn't paid attention to that lady or hadn't been in a position to say something better, she might have continued to be angry or become even more bitter, perhaps taking regrettable actions, shaken by our words?
Without charity there is no salvation
When Kardec stipulated this standard of Spiritism, “outside of charity there is no salvation”, she was creating a counterbalance to the phrase of the Catholic Church, which said that “outside the Church there is no salvation”. But not only that: he exactly defined the principle of charity through Spiritism, as a means of salvation, being one's own effort to do good or return to it.
What is charity for Spiritism? And the moral duty. It is action for good, which does not expect rewards. And doing good is wanting to be useful to others, helping and being helped, learning and teaching. Now, how can you be really useful without knowing what you are doing? We could, wishing to be useful, tie ropes to someone else's legs, to push them off a cliff, without measuring the size of that rope.
I have always highlighted, because I went through this myself, as that lady also went through and as many others also went through: in the most difficult moments of our lives, in the most overwhelming ones, our conscience seeks rational answers to what we go through. And faith, as Kardec said, when it cannot face reason, weakens. Many move away from religion and any spirituality when it happens.
I repeat what Kardec said about Spiritism: “its principles are formulated clearly, precisely and without ambiguity“. It was the knowledge of these principles, acquired only after thirty three years living in the Spiritist Movement, which allowed me to give clear, simple and rational words to that lady. It was this knowledge that allowed me to get out of depression, through long and uninterrupted work of study.
Conclusion
What I intend to demonstrate, finally, is that Spiritism is a scientific doctrine that gives us the knowledge to make much less mistakes, doing good with more assertiveness and transmitting fewer wrong ideas. Today, I look back and see countless examples of people who moved away from the Spiritist Movement due to the false ideas that dominate this environment, which became a religion like all others.
Warm up a being that is cold; give him food so he doesn't succumb to hunger; water to quench your thirst: all are necessary and urgent acts of charity. But what about helping you change your inner dispositions through understanding, something that Spiritism achieves with unparalleled clarity? What about welcoming him, listening to his complaints, his pain, and then giving him an idea of a philosophy that allows him to see life in another way, clear and rational, as well as simple? After all, many who are in these conditions lack the will, often precisely because they believe they are like this because of punishment.
The original idea of Spiritism is much clearer, rational and forgiving. It reflects the goodness of divine justice. Charity, according to Spiritism, is something simple and profound: it consists of doing good without expecting a return. Moving away from this knowledge has made us unhelpful or even harmful in our speech and actions, even when we aspire to do good.
Should we expose the enemies of Spiritism?
A question that always comes to my mind and I believe that comes to the minds of many is: what to do in the face of the enemies of Spiritism? Should we expose them or would doing so be uncharitable?
Many recommend that we continue on our way, doing our part, without even mentioning these individuals. Certainly, spending precious time just refuting or criticizing the enemies of the Spiritist Doctrine would be spending precious time in an endless war. No, I don't see that as useful. However, I think from another side: what about those who hear them?
Who are the enemies of Spiritism
Here it is necessary to make an important distinction: Spiritism has its declared enemies, but it also has them in its ranks. The first are those who openly criticize the Spiritist Doctrine and, almost always without even knowing what they are talking about, attack it from all sides. These are the any less dangerous. The second type of enemies are those who call themselves spiritists, study the surface of the Doctrine, but, voluntarily or not, attack it from within with the dissemination of the most false ideas, arising from the blind acceptance of spiritist communications. These are the most fearful enemies, and Spiritism has them among incarnate and discarnate people.
It will be very difficult and inadvisable to summarily judge the intentions of others. In some, they may be quite apparent and even declared; in others, they may even be good, but, as the individual is prone to pride and vanity, among other imperfections, they become null or even harmful due to the effects they produce. Even here, we have another problem, as these effects are often not directly noticeable, but are built up by a series of factors, over time, idea after idea, always originating from the blind acceptance of the isolated opinions of incarnated and disembodied Spirits.
A very simple way to see what I say, for the spiritualist who studies Kardec's works, is to do a search for “Spiritism” on YouTube and you will very easily find large channels that, claiming to speak of Spiritism, teach and support absurd and harmful ideas. to Spiritism, among some successes. Most of the time they are not enemies of Spiritism and even wish to do good, but, due to their resistance to studying the science they claim to embrace, they serve to disseminate ideas that are contrary to the Doctrine.. É assim que vemos canais como o “Root Spiritism“, por um tempo o maior canal brasileiro dito “espírita”, afirmando e ensinando, dentre outros erros, que os Espíritos encarnam apenas para expiações, que seriam, segundo ele diz, pagamentos de débitos — uma completa distorção doutrinária que leva a diversos efeitos negativos, como demonstrei in this article. Eduardo Sabbag, owner of this channel, recently made appearances on the channel House Prayer Platform, onde o principal “palestrante” afirma, supostamente mediunizado, que ele seria a reencarnação de Allan Kardec e em vários momentos se compara a Jesus, para então trazer temas ligados à ufologia e às ramatissista ideas, supported and disseminated especially by the medium Hercílio Maes. He also participated in the Spiritist Channel, by Luiz Fernando Amaral (who presents himself as a “teacher” on this channel) who, among some successes (when Kardec resumes) makes several mistakes, when starting from the blind acceptance of communications from Spirits, mainly given via novels.
All these mistakes would be easily avoided by studying the Revista Espírita and other works by Kardec.
Spirits linked to evil, enemies of Spiritism, use individuals who do not study spiritist science and who accept and publish everything, to hinder the advancement of this doctrine whose philosophy has the potential to transform the world. Due to the vanity of believing themselves full of wisdom because, invariably, they believe themselves to be surrounded only by Spirits of the highest evolution, they serve the purpose of mystifying Spirits.
So, what to do if they don't want to study? What can we do if they respond with resistance and brutality when we point out that something they disclose is not in accordance with Spiritism?
We certainly cannot force them to an understanding that they do not want to acquire, and it will be up to time and the punishment offered by their own consciences to pay for the harm they have done by diverting or delaying many with their ideas and their resistance to studying. Unfortunately, these people find, in digital media, a means of controlling their ideologies, simply by removing comments or blocking users who disagree with them.
They are great channels. They have hundreds of thousands of followers. There are certainly, among these, a large number of people who just want to believe and who do not make an effort to reason, perhaps even due to lack of knowledge (which they could be helping to reduce). But, sooner or later, their consciences will awaken and then they will start looking for answers.
I think the best we can do is produce material pointing to true doctrinal understanding. This way we can give people the chance to search for a certain subject, or even through these channels, to find content from spiritist science. Let us learn to demonstrate our errors, without falling into a greater error, which would be to take derogatory accusations to a personal level. We can disagree and point out the error in your ideas, like Kardec did, based on Spiritism for this, as Kardec recommends in the Spiritist Magazine of 1863:
“This is how the detractors of Spiritism proceed: through their slander they show the weaknesses of their own cause and discredit it, showing what regrettable extremes they are forced to resort to in order to support it. What weight can an opinion based on manifest errors have? One of two: either the errors are voluntary and then bad faith is seen; or they are involuntary and the author proves their inconsequentiality by speaking about what he does not know. In one case, as in the other, you lose your right to trust.
Spiritism is not a work that marches in the shadows. He is known; its principles are formulated clearly, precisely and without ambiguity. The slander could not, therefore, affect him. To convince her of imposture, just say: read and see. Without a doubt, it is useful to debunk it. But it must be done calmly, without bitterness or recrimination, limiting oneself to opposing, without superfluous words, what is to what is not. Leave the anger and insults to your adversaries, and keep to yourself the role of true strength: that of dignity and moderation.”
Spiritist Magazine, March 1863. Emphasis mine.
So, let's not waste time on personal attacks. Of course, these people will victimize themselves, aiming to manipulate their target audience. faithful. Let's not make the same mistake. Let us act like a good researcher, a good scientist, who discusses facts and evidence, and not about opinions, much less about the people who issue them. That's what Kardec has always done.
“You will have to fight not only against the proud, the selfish, the materialists and all those unfortunate people who are imbued with the spirit of the century, but also, and above all, against the mob of deceiving Spirits who, finding in your midst a rare gathering of mediums, as in this regard you are the most fortunate, will soon come to assault you, some with wisely combined dissertations, in which, thanks to pious tirades, they will insinuate the heresy or some dissolving principle; others with communications openly hostile to the teachings given by true missionaries of the Spirit of Truth. Oh! Believe me, do not be afraid to unmask the deceivers who, new Tartuffes, would introduce themselves among you under the guise of religion.”
Spirit of Erastus, Spiritist Magazine of 1861. Emphasis mine.
Mediums: Spirits in debt?
Another idea that reigns in the Spiritist world: mediums would be indebted Spirits who are born to redeem debts from past lives.
I would like people who repeat these ideas to show where they appear in Allan Kardec's work. It will be a difficult task, as they will not find it. Mediumship is a choice, often aiming to lead the individual to the study of Spiritism, but many end up stumbling along the paths of vanity and pride and waste this opportunity.
We don't have much to say about this, because the idea is easily overcome. We just want to say that, to be a good medium, it is important to know how to deal well with this true science that allows us to communicate with Spirits. Allan Kardec's studies, organized by the Spirit of Truth, provided the basis for this science and were the only ones to approach, with scientific methodology, mediumistic phenomena. Don't leave this study aside if you want to be really useful.
Intimate reform and Spiritism
In the modern Spiritist Movement, considerably removed from Spiritism, there is an insistent, almost imposing idea of carrying out an intimate reform. The need to follow the Gospel, using, for this purpose, the well-known family reading meetings of the Gospel According to Spiritism, which almost always recommend randomly opening a book that should be studied like the other works of Allan Kardec.
I wouldn't be crazy enough to say that Jesus' moral reform and moral teachings aren't important. Quite the contrary: there are many, and also not few times in which Kardec or the Spirits speak of the important moral reform brought about by Spiritism, a Doctrine capable of, by reasoning, instigate human beings to better resolutions. No, that's not the problem.
What I want to highlight is that there is a false idea reigning in the Movement, among many others: that the Earth, being a planet of proofs and atonements, only receive Spirits in expiations, that is, Spirits with inclinations past. This is not true, as I will demonstrate below.
Evidences
Evidences are all the difficulties we face in life, and that are not always the result of our choices. We may, for example, live in a city where, at a certain point, a nearby dam bursts, causing a flood and taking our home or our lives. This is a test that we did not want, but that we will pass, because it is part of the laws of matter. We can also spend years being medicated with a medicine that causes us adverse effects and destroys our health. This is also proof, as would be the eruption of a dormant volcano, close to where we live. It's part.
Sometimes, however, we go through trials that result from our choices. Still here, sometimes the result is indirect or involuntary: we can choose to carry out an act that gives undesirable results, causing us a test.
But there are tests that are directly the result of our past choices, as Spirits. Regretful of a moral deviation, we choose a certain kind of tests and opportunities that will give us the chance to face and correct this deviation. Here the term “intimate Reform” would fit, according to the understanding of Spiritism. And here is the key to the problem: not everyone developed imperfections in the past, and not everyone, in the moment we live in, is experiencing expiations.
121. Why do some Spirits follow the path of good and others the path of evil?
“Don’t they have free will? God did not create evil spirits; He created them simple and ignorant, that is, having as much aptitude for good as for evil. Those who are evil became so of their own free will.”
The Book of Spirits
imperfections
Imperfection, according to what we can infer from the study of Spiritism, is everything that arises from the free exercise of will in the repetition of an error, creating an imperfection, which will require expiation.
We are all created simple and ignorant, all having the same opportunities to follow the path forward. Everyone on this path will make mistakes, because it is impossible not to make mistakes when we are ignorant. How many times do we make mistakes, trying to get it right? However, not everyone clings to mistakes, developing imperfections. Some learn from mistakes and quickly overcome them.
133. The Spirits who From the beginning they followed the path of good?
“All are created simple and ignorant and are instructed in the struggles and tribulations of bodily life. God, who is just, could not make some happy, without toil and work, therefore without merit.”
The) - But, then, what is the use of spirits to have followed the path of good, if this does not exempt them from the sufferings of bodily life?
"They reach the end faster. Furthermore, the afflictions of life are often the consequence of the imperfection of the Spirit. The fewer imperfections, the less torment. He who is not envious, nor jealous, nor avaricious, nor ambitious, will not suffer the tortures that originate from these defects.”
The Spirits' Book. Emphasis added.
Note that Kardec understood, questioned and was not denied: there are those who have always followed the path of good, which doesn't mean they didn't make mistakes, but just that they didn't stick to the mistake.
Do you doubt what I say? That's good, that means you're reasoning. But, to reason well, it is necessary to be based on something. I therefore suggest reading questions 114 to 127 of The Spirits' Book, in addition to this one. I'm not getting all this out of my head either, as I highlight here.
Spiritist Scale
Furthermore, note that the Spiritist Scale (100 to 113), which was just a classificatory outline proposed by Kardec, says the following about imperfect Spirits:
“101. General features. – Predominance of matter over spirit. Propensity for evil. Ignorance, pride, selfishness and all the passions that are consequent to them.”
Ignorance, certainly, since it is not possible to know the divine law, in reality, and still practice evil. That would be retrograding, which the Spirit does not do. But note that, along with this, there are pride, selfishness and all the passions that are consequent to them – imperfections developed by attachment to what satisfies materialistic desires.
Something else to highlight: note that Kardec classifies the first class as “First order – Pure Spirits”, and not as “Perfect Spirits”. Kardec does not address a “duality” between perfect and imperfect Spirits. And we saw, above, that a Spirit he can, apparently, occupy the second class from the beginning – and, if you disagree, please, let's talk.
Atonement
Atonement is something that is well defined in Heaven and Hell, in its unadulterated edition, found at Editora FEAL. Kardec defined, as a result of long years of study, that it is the free and conscious effort of the Spirit that honestly seeks to repair a detour it has taken:
8) The duration of the punishment is subject to the perfection of the guilty spirit. No sentence for a fixed time is pronounced against him. What God requires to put an end to suffering is repentance, atonement and reparation - in short: a serious, effective improvement, as well as a sincere return to good ((Didatically, we can interpret atonement as serious and effective improvement, and reparation as a sincere return to good. In item 23, Kardec defines repentance as 'a fact of man's free will'. In other words, the imperfect spirit first becomes aware and chooses to overcome its condition, then chooses the tests as atonement, aiming for your improvement, thus returning to good, achieving happiness by developing the faculties of your soul. (N. do E.) )).
The spirit is thus always the arbiter of its own destiny; he can prolong his sufferings by his hardening in evil, alleviate them or abbreviate them by his efforts to do good.
A sentence for any given period of time would have the double disadvantage of either continuing to affect the spirit that had been perfected, or ending while it was still in evil. God, who is just, punishes evil while it exists; and ends punishment when evil no longer exists.
Thus this expression is confirmed: I do not want the sinner to die, but for him to live, and I will accuse him UNTIL HE REPENTS ((If the wicked does penance for all the sins he has committed, if he keeps all my precepts and acts according to equity and justice, he will certainly live and not die - I will no longer remember the iniquities that he has committed; he will live in the works of righteousness that he has done - I want the death of the wicked, says the Lord God? And Do I not want him to be converted, to turn away from the evil path and live? (Ez, 18:21-23; 23:11.) (N. do A.) )).
We can easily verify, finally, that the Earth, as it is a world of trials and expiations, is neither a world of trials alone nor a world of expiations alone. It's from one and the other. Therefore, there are incarnated Spirits who chose expiations and others who did not. They are just going through tests, which are all the difficulties that offer us a chance to learn and advance.
Who are those, therefore, who undergo atonement? Can we point the finger and classify them? “This one is good, it’s just a test”; “ah, that one over there is evil, selfish, it’s an atonement”. I don't risk it. But, in fact, there is something logical to take away from here: an incarnated Spirit can be, right now, developing an imperfection, an attachment, something that I didn't have before. Perhaps, before, I was without attachments. It is not, therefore, atoning, but it will atone.
This is the function of a planet like ours: to provide, in contact with raw matter, the conditions for each person to hone.
A Spirit can be in the range of evolution in which the Earth gives it conditions for learning, without it having any moral regrets that it needs to face.
Intimate Reform or Moral Reform
Spiritism offers a strong subsidy, a strong lever for the moral reform of our world, which is in a regrettable situation, for sure. At the individual level, we need to ask ourselves: do we lack all of a reform? Or do we just need learning? This is a question that only each person, with their own conscience, can answer.
The fact is that it is necessary Careful by blindly adopting certain ideas. Believing that everyone born here is atoning for something, that everything we go through is an atonement and, even worse, that expiation is to pay past debts through a kind of punishment, leads us to negative results in the way we act towards life and others.
Negative results of belief in karma
Guilt and Self-censorship: Individuals who believe this may carry a burden of constant guilt, believing they are paying for past mistakes. This can lead to self-censorship and a life full of restrictions, afraid of making new mistakes.
Discouragement: The belief that the current life is a punishment for past actions can discourage people from pursuing their goals and dreams, as they may believe they do not deserve success or happiness.
Lack of Empathy: The idea that the suffering of others is the result of karmic debts can lead to a lack of empathy and compassion for those in difficult situations. This can undermine solidarity and social support. Unfortunately, we see this lack of empathy constantly.
Negative resignation: People can become resigned to difficulties, passively accepting suffering as an inevitable destiny, instead of seeking solutions and improvements in their lives ((Resignation can be positive, when it represents the realistic acceptance of limitations after exhausting efforts to deal with a situation)).
Injustice: Belief in karma in this way can justify or perpetuate social and economic inequalities, as people may believe that those in privileged positions deserve it because of past actions ((The original understanding of karma ties into the idea that actions have its consequences. This emphasizes personal responsibility for actions and the implications they have.)).
In short, this belief can have negative effects on mental health, well-being and interpersonal relationships, in addition to contributing to the perpetuation of inequalities and injustices. It is important to remember that beliefs about karma vary greatly between different belief systems and cultures, and not everyone interprets karma in the same way.
Wonclusion
Perhaps many of us are in need of reforms, in the sense that we have strayed from the good because of this or that attachment and now we need to lead ourselves back to the good. But, how to change what you don't know?
There is no point in seeking an empty, baseless transformation, just trying to blindly follow other examples. It is necessary to understand what is done and why it is done. Hence the importance of Spiritism.
780. Does moral progress always accompany intellectual progress?
"It follows from this, but does not always follow it immediately.” (192–365.)
a) — How can intellectual progress engender moral progress?
"Making good and evil understandable. Since then, man can choose. The development of free will accompanies that of intelligence and increases the responsibility of actions.”
The Spirits' Book. Emphasis added.
Furthermore, the idea that we are all atoning for past deviations leads to external pressure to correct ourselves for things we don't even understand. This would be an artificial correction, which is not sustainable and takes us down a complicated path: if the change is not built on real understanding, in a progressive way, we impose ourselves a step bigger than our legs. When we try to take the leap and therefore fall, we believe that we are not strong enough, completely abandoning our attempts.
Unfortunately, many still add the false idea that this life would be the most important of all and that, if we do not correct ourselves, we would be doomed to be chaff, “exiles” from Planet Earth – another false idea, initially born from the book “ Capela Exiles”, which is not doctrinal.
Yes: everyone must observe themselves and try to correct themselves in what they understand they do wrong. But this is not done through pressure, nor by blindly following something. It is necessary to understand, and the change has to be made step by step. You don't build a building from top to bottom.
The path of good
The individual who seeks the path of good, looks at himself and analyzes himself. Judge yourself, observing mistakes and successes. Evaluate where you can improve and where you can correct, if you think there is something to correct. More than that: to pursue good, one must do good, and knowledge of Spiritism allows this process to be more successful, because true good is useful and, to be useful, it is necessary to know what is said and what what is done.
Many, due to lack of doctrinal knowledge (Kardec's works), are of little use. While they give bowls of soup, which momentarily satisfy the stomach's hunger (something important and venerable, of course), they do not satisfy the hunger for understanding and knowledge, which definitively elevates the Spirit to new heights and can even give him new perspectives for face that situation and get out of it.
Some, while delivering the bread, believe and say that the person who suffers from material ills is going through it because deserve. Yes, I've heard spiritualists say that. This is often the result of artificial intimate reform, which tends to look only at oneself, without seeking knowledge, forgetting that one must be truly useful to others.
The War between Israel and Palestine and Spiritism
There are elderly people, children and babies being murdered or captured by the terrorist group Hamas, currently generating a war between Israel and Palestine. And what will Spiritism say? Why does God allow such a thing? Would these people be paying off debts from past lives with this suffering?
Amazingly: there are judges on duty who want to say that the massacre of young people at the rave was related to divine punishment, for having a party, supposedly with drugs, in the “Holy Land”. A complete is evil nonsense!!
Once again we need to remember: to speak according to Spiritism, it is necessary to look for what exists developed by the necessary scientific method, something that, to this day, has been done just by Kardec. And here's a golden tip:
Se alguém disser falar do Espiritismo, mas diz que as vítimas de quaisquer calamidades ou crimes estão “pagando” por dívidas de vidas passadas, ou que é efeito do “karma“, or who are repaying debts from past lives, stop following them and go look for what spiritist science says. We are here stating, emphatically: this is not Spiritism! Spiritism can be found in the recommended works at the end of the text.
Spiritism does not talk about karma, nor about paying debts for incarnation
It is a never-ending struggle, and every time any critical event occurs that shakes the population, we have to return to the same subject, in the name of true Spiritism. Now there is war in Israel. Last year, it was the terrorist attacks to Brazilian schools. Before, a climate disaster or cataclysm like the one who undermined Petrópolis or the sad accident with the Chapecoense team. And frivolous individuals always appear, who have never studied Spiritism, saying truly absurd things that do not correspond to the Spiritist Doctrine or claiming to have received psychographs from the victims, stating that they were “evil soldiers who committed cruelty in the past” (sic! ).
We are obliged to do our part, remembering that we are alive in dense matter, subject to the laws of matter and also to the criminal decisions of other people, which never, ever, under any circumstances, serves to “redeem debts from past lives”!!
Apart from the tests imposed by the choices of others or by the force of nature, or even those that result from the present actions of the individual himself, there are also types of tests that the Spirit may have chosen to go through, but not to “pay” for anything:
The Spirit can choose trials simply to learn and progress.
You can also choose certain tests because you understand that you have overcome a certain imperfection, choosing then go through challenges and opportunities with a view to letting go of this imperfection, which makes you suffer.
Talking about the destructive scourges, we can apply part of the understanding to these events as well:
738.
The) - But both the good and the wicked man succumb to these scourges. Will this be fair?
“During life, man refers everything to his body; however, he thinks differently after death. Now, as we have said, the life of the body is very little. A century in your world is nothing more than a lightning in eternity. Therefore, nothing is the suffering of a few days or a few months, about which you complain so much. They represent teaching that is given to you and that will serve you in the future. Spirits, which pre-exist and survive everything, form the real world (85). These are the children of God and the object of all their solicitude. Bodies are mere disguises with which they appear in the world. On the occasion of great calamities that decimate men, the spectacle is similar to that of an army whose soldiers, during the war, had their uniforms damaged, torn, or lost. The general cares more about his soldiers than about their uniforms.”
B) - But that doesn't mean they are no longer victims of these scourges.
“If you considered life for what it is, and how little it represents in relation to infinity, you would give less importance to it. In another life, these victims will find ample compensation for their sufferings, if they know how to bear them without murmuring.”
We also recommend caution with these theories that are events related to the planetary transition, as they are theories that do not find support in Spiritism.
Let's return to Kardec. Is important. Enough opinions. Spiritism is a science! If more people were defending the Doctrine, others would have a better chance of finding good content, not content based on false ideas.
It is worth recalling what appears in The Spirits' Book about wars:
742. What drives man to war?
“The predominance of the animal nature over the spiritual nature and the overflow of passions. In the state of barbarism, peoples only know one right: that of the strongest. That is why, for such peoples, war is a normal state. As man progresses, war becomes less frequent, because he avoids its causes. And when it becomes necessary, he knows how to do it with humanity.”
743. From the face of the earth, will war ever disappear?
“Yes, when men understand justice and do the law of God. At that time, all peoples will be brothers.”
744. What did Providence aim at, making war necessary?
“Freedom and Progress.”
The) - If war must have the advent of freedom as its effect, how can it often aim and result in subjugation?
“Temporary subjugation, for press peoples, in order to make them progress more quickly.”
745. What is to be thought of him who stirs up war for his own benefit?
“This is the big culprit and many stocks will be necessary for him to atone for all the murders he has caused, as he will answer for all the men whose death he has caused to satisfy his ambition ((Which means: when this Spirit understands the evil he has caused, his conscience will accuse him of height to which your imperfections have reached. This is the reason for demanding many incarnations in atonement, choosing proofs that can help you to rescue yourself of their deviations. It doesn’t mean that he will have to reincarnate with each of his victims, even though most of them don’t get attached to the fact and follow their path of evolution (Our notes))).”
The Book of Spirits
Our condolences to the victims of this sad war between Israel and Palestine. Let us pray that these Spirits do not get attached to the evil of others and can move on. This is one of the best effects of Spiritism, which, unfortunately, they probably did not know about.
Curiosities
Kardec several times performed evocations of Spirits killed in wars, from simple soldiers to officers. We have, for example:
