In defense of spiritist research: a critique of schisms

Paulo Degering R Jr
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It is time to recover Kardec.

A few days ago I got involved in a heated argument – behind the keyboards – that ended up making me angry and indignant. The reason? The issue of tampering (or not) in Kardec's two final works – Heaven and hell and The Genesis.

Here, the discussion itself as to whether these adulterations are a fact or not is not relevant. My criticism goes towards the rude and sarcastic position with which some of the “supporters” of non-adulteration behave, directly attacking the people and the work of the researchers who collected this very important information and who gave strength to the need to investigate the past, with the mere intention of taking any and all credit or even the desire to study them with the seriousness that, I argue, deserve.

It turns out that, if, for some (but not for me) the adulterations of the cited works are still a reason for doubt, on the other hand, there can be no doubt about the adulterations that the Movement suffered after Kardec, with the total loss of direction of the initial purposes of the Spiritist Society and its means of communication – this is very clear in The Legacy of Allan Kardec. It is an undeniable fact that Leymarie, for material interests, allowed Roustaing's thoughts to take the lead in the Doctrine, promoting anti-doctrinal ideals and disrespecting the immense and dedicated work of Kardec and his wife, Amélie Boudet, “the sweet Gabi”. The Spiritist Society of Paris, commanded by Leymarie, distanced itself from totally Kardec's purposes, letting this unfortunate gentleman succumb to the temptation of vanity and money. reached the point of kick out, from one of the apartments destined by Allan Kardec for charity purposes, an elderly couple, for simple delay in payments of the rent, when the same and the Society had large sums of possessions and money [Private, 2019]. Furthermore, put aside the plans for the continuity of the spiritist movement which, according to Kardec's project, should have the multiplication of study groups and spiritist "investigations", governed by the necessary methodology [ibidem] - well, how could those who that they would find themselves denied by her, wouldn't they?

It is also a fact that Spiritism, since its arrival on Brazilian soil, has been affected by this line of thought, finding shelter even in Bezerra de Menezes, one of the first presidents of the FEB, an institution that, until 2019, had, as a clause stony, the orientation of the study of the Four Gospels, by Roustaing.

It is also a fact that today's Spiritism is completely mischaracterized and distorted. The spiritist centers, which were once meetings of confessed spiritists, dedicated to the study of mediumistic communications and their moral and scientific effects, today reproduce Catholic churches, where the faithful attend the sermon (lecture), receive the blessing (pass), make a prayer and leave. Mediums, in search of help, are placed in long courses, which sometimes reach 7 years in duration, almost always with complicated booklets from the FEB, so that, at the end of that, if they are still minimally interested, they can be “initiated” in the mediumistic group. of the House. Honest mediums began to be persecuted for “animism”, while others are taken as oracles: everything they say, through mediumship or their own opinion, is taken as the ultimate expression of absolute truth and wisdom. And so, we started to hear, left and right, the most outrageous ideas, which, continuously, have promoted scandals and the distance of people who, in the most diverse conditions, feel motivated to enter a spiritist center in search of hear something different from what they say out there.

The moment is serious. We have arrived, once again, at a new critical point in society, with materialism thriving happily in the hearts of men. But, once again, the opposite movement begins to take shape, because, we know, it is necessary for man to know the apex of evil in order to return to seek the good and the beautiful. And that's what these works are about. There are those who criticize Figueiredo for defending autonomy over heteronomy, that is, for defending the essence of the teaching of the Spiritist Doctrine: everything depends on our will and our choices, and not on the blind acceptance of punishments and rewards. He was the first researcher IN THE WORLD to look for the original works of several philosophers and scientists, in order to give scientific and historical context to the birth of Spiritism, together with Magnetism, the sister science of Spiritism. Now, because I don't agree with your position - also based on evidence and evidence - that there was tampering in Heaven and Hell, should we then discard everything else?

When I said that “it is time to recover Kardec”, I am not referring only to the very important study of his works, which are the basis of the Spiritist Doctrine, but I am referring objectively to “recovering Kardec” in his example, in his person, always , by all accounts, so very nice and affable, but also so sensible and serious in the face of science studies. Kardec always recommended that, in order to criticize a certain subject, it was necessary to fully understand it, which is why, on several occasions, he failed to address in depth what he could not have given due attention to. When Kardec criticized Roustaing's Four Gospels, he only did so after to read all four volumes. And he, with the time he didn't have, did it because he realized that it was a work full of important ideas, even if inaccurate or even contrary to the consistent teaching of the Spirits. Kardec always did that. And what we see today is that many do not want to reproduce the steps of the expert researcher. They cling to superficial issues and, with prejudice, stop delving into the content, going on to criticize or put such works into oblivion.

I want, before finishing, to say that I read The Legacy of Allan Kardec from beginning to end, with great attention and care. The facts presented there, regarding the tampering of A Genesis, from the 5th edition onwards, I repeat, are too objective, complete and complex for such an opinion to be only the result of an error of misinterpretation. At the very least – and this is my position – it opens up a very large margin to suspect that, there, there is a mix of contents that Kardec would really change or insert, combined with contents inserted by another party, with the clear purpose of changing what was already established doctrinally.

I don't want, anyway, to force anyone to believe in anything. That's why our media, unlike many out there, will always be open to comments and the exchange of ideas. But I want to leave you, dear reader, an invitation to read the following works, so that you can take your position according to your own reasoning:

  • The Legacy of Allan Kardec, by Simoni Privato
  • Neither Heaven nor Hell: The Laws of the Soul according to Spiritism – by Lucas Sampaio and Paulo Henrique de Figueiredo
  • Much Light, by Berthe Fropo (link to pdf on here).
  • Autonomy: the untold story of Spiritism – by Paulo Henrique de Figueiredo
  • About “The Genesis case” – article of my authorship.
  • Adulterations in Kardec's works and the "CSI of Spiritism" - article of my authorship
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