Should we publish everything that the Spirits say?

Paulo Degering R Jr
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“The Sorrows of Young Werther” is an epistolary novel by Goethe, from 1774, in which its protagonist, a young man from the high German aristocracy, exchanges correspondence with a friend named William, telling about his travels and everyday experiences (see introductory paragraph of the article), until meeting the beautiful Charlotte.

Although both Werther and Charlotte are, in fact, living a love story, the boy cannot be completely reciprocated by his beloved, as she is married to another man. Werther, in turn, sees no other way out and puts an end to his life, shooting himself in the head. The moment of his suicide is one of the most moving episodes in the book and, considered by many, in the history of literature.

The realistic and disturbing tone of the novel caused a real commotion among the young people of the time, who, attracted by the passionate and depressive spirit of their respective protagonist, decided to follow the same path, putting an end to their own lives. There were a large number of suicides related to the reading of Goethe's little-great novel, quickly becoming a cursed work for the church. In psychoanalysis, a term called the Werther Effect was created, in reference to the character and characterized by his suicidal phenomenology.

And what does this story have to do with spirits? Why, everything! Goethe was a personality of an incarnate Spirit – a spirit that, incidentally, later showed himself to be very sorry for the ideas thrown to unsuspecting minds, when, in 1859, evoked by Kardec, he responds thus, as presented in the Spiritist Magazine of that year:

12. ─ What do you think of Werther?

─ Now I disapprove of the outcome.

13. ─ Wouldn't this work have done a lot of harm, exalting passions?

─ It did, and it caused misfortunes.

14. ─ It was the cause of many suicides. Are you responsible for that?

─ Since there was an evil influence spread over me, that's exactly why I still suffer and regret it.

We are responsible for what we say and, if we cannot be fully responsible for the actions that others take as a result of our own - since it is the autonomy and will of the other to choose between acting in this or that way - we are, at least, largely responsible for inducing other minds into the errors of imperfections that often get in the way of ourselves.

Therefore, we follow this brief reflection, presenting, in full, an article by Allan Kardec, in the Spiritist Magazine of November 1859 – “Should we publish everything that the Spirits say”?

This question was addressed to us by one of our correspondents.

We answer it as follows:

Would it be good to publish everything that men say and think?
Anyone who has a notion of Spiritism, however superficial, knows that the invisible world is made up of all those who left the visible envelope on Earth. But putting off the carnal man, not all, for that very reason, put on the robe of angels. There are, therefore, Spirits of all degrees of knowledge and ignorance, of morality and immorality. Here is what we must not lose sight of. Let us not forget that among Spirits, as on Earth, there are frivolous, inattentive and playful beings; false sages, vain and proud of incomplete knowledge; hypocrites, malevolents and, what would seem inexplicable to us, if we somehow didn't know the physiology of this world, there are sensuals, villains and debauchees who crawl in the mud. Alongside these, as on Earth, there are good, human, benevolent, enlightened beings endowed with sublime virtues. As, however, our world is neither in the first nor in the last position, although it is closer to the last than to the first, it follows that the world of spirits encompasses beings more intellectually and morally advanced than our more enlightened men, and others who are in an inferior position to that of the lowest men.

Since these beings have a patent means of communicating with men and of expressing their thoughts by intelligible signs, their communications must effectively reflect their feelings, their qualities or their vices.

According to the character and elevation of the Spirits, communications may be frivolous, trivial, gross and even obscene, or marked by intellectual elevation, wisdom and sublimity. They reveal themselves by their own language. Hence the need not to blindly accept everything that comes from the occult world, and to subject everything to severe control. With the communications of certain spirits, in the same way as with the speeches of certain men, one could make a very unedifying collection. We have before our eyes a small English work, published in America, which is proof of this. It can be said that a lady would not recommend it for reading to her daughter. Therefore, we do not recommend it to our readers.

There are people who find this funny and amusing. Let them delight in intimacy, but keep it to themselves. What is even less conceivable is that they should boast of obtaining unseemly communications. This is always an indication of sympathies that cannot be a reason for vanity, especially when these communications are spontaneous and persistent, as happens to certain people. This absolutely does not allow us to make a hasty judgment of their present morality, for we know people afflicted with this kind of obsession, to which their character in no way lends itself. However, like all effects, this one too must have a cause, and if we do not find it in present existence, we must look for it in previous experience. If this cause is not within us, it is outside of us. However, there is always a reason why we are in this situation, even if that reason is just a weakness of character. The cause is known, it is up to us to make it
cease.

In addition to these frankly bad communications, which shock any slightly delicate ear, there are others that are simply trivial or ridiculous. Will there be any inconvenience in publishing them? If they are publicized for what they are worth, there will be only a lesser evil. If they are studied as a study of the genre, with the necessary precautions and with the necessary comments and restrictions, they may even be instructive, insofar as they contribute to getting to know the spiritist world in all its nuances. With prudence and skill, anything can be said. The evil is in presenting as serious things that shock common sense, reason or conveniences. In this case, the danger is greater than you think.

To begin with, such publications have the inconvenience of misleading people who are not in a position to examine them and discern what is true and what is false, especially in a matter as new as Spiritism. Secondly, they are weapons provided to opponents, who do not miss the opportunity to draw arguments against the high morality of spiritist teaching from this fact, because, once again, the evil lies in seriously presenting notoriously absurd things. Some may even see a desecration in the ridiculous role we give to certain justly venerated characters, to whom we attribute language unworthy of them. People who have studied spirit science in depth know what attitude should be adopted in such cases. They know that mocking spirits do not have the slightest scruple to adorn themselves with respectable names, but they also know that these spirits only abuse those who like to be abused and who do not know or do not want to destroy their tricks by the means of control already known. The public, who is ignorant of this, sees only one thing: an absurdity offered to their admiration as if it were a serious thing, and because of this they say to themselves that if all Spiritualists are like this, they do not despise the epithet with which they were bestowed. Without the slightest doubt, such a judgment is hasty. You rightly accuse its authors of levity and say to them: study the matter and do not examine only one side of the medal. There are, however, so many people who judge a priori, without bothering to raise a straw, especially when there is no good will, that it is necessary to avoid everything that might give them grounds for censure, considering that if ill will joins If they give in to malevolence, which is all too common, they will be delighted to find something to criticize.

Later, when Spiritism is popularized, better known and understood by the masses, such publications will have no more influence than a book of scientific heresies would have today. Until then, circumspection would never be too much, because there are communications that can essentially harm the cause they want to defend, on a much larger scale than the rude attacks and injuries of certain adversaries. If some were made for that purpose, they would not be less successful. The mistake of some authors is to write about a subject before having delved into it sufficiently, thus giving rise to a reasoned critique. They complain about the reckless judgment of their antagonists, not paying attention to the fact that they are often the ones who reveal their weak point. Moreover, in spite of all precautions, it would be presumptuous to assume that they are safe from all criticism, at first because it is impossible to please everyone; then, because there are those who laugh at everything, even the most serious things, some because of their condition, others because of their character. They laugh a lot about religion. It is not surprising, therefore, that they laughed at the spirits, whom they do not know. If only these jokes were witty, there would be compensation. Unfortunately, they generally don't shine for their finesse, for their good taste, or for their urbanity, much less for their logic. Let us, therefore, do the best we can, bringing reason and convenience to our side, and in this way we will also bring mockers to our side.

These considerations will be easily understood by all, but there is one no less important, as it concerns the very nature of spiritist communications, and for this reason we must not omit it. Spirits go where they find sympathy and where they know they will be heard.. Gross and inconvenient communications, or simply false, absurd and ridiculous, can only emanate from inferior spirits.

Simple common sense indicates it. These spirits do what men do who see themselves complacently listened to. They attach themselves to those who admire their follies and often seize and dominate them to the point of fascination and subjugation.

The importance given to their communications by advertising attracts, excites and encourages them. The only true way to drive them away is to prove to them that we are not deceived, ruthlessly rejecting, as apocryphal and suspect, everything that is not rational; everything that belies the superiority attributed to the Spirit who manifests himself and whose name he uses. So when he sees that he's wasting his time, he walks away.

We believe that we have satisfactorily answered our correspondent's question about the convenience and opportunity of certain spiritist publications. To publish without examination, or without correction, everything that comes from this source, would, in our opinion, show a lack of discernment.. This, at least, is our personal opinion, which we submit to the appreciation of those who, disinterested in the matter, can judge impartially, putting aside any individual consideration. Like everyone else, we have the right to say our way of thinking about the science that is the object of our studies, and to treat it in our own way, not intending to impose our ideas on anyone, nor to present them as laws. . Those who share our way of seeing it because they believe, as we do, to be with the truth. The future will show who is wrong and who is right.

If we are responsible for our actions, we are no less responsible for propagating false or harmful ideas, resulting from the thinking of others, through an ostensible lack of care and study. We are dealing with Spiritism, and this matter is serious. Let us not do less, in this matter, than what is necessary, which is to study it without ceasing, in all its context, never giving as final affirmations what we have not found concluded in the doctrinal theses. We always remember that Allan Kardec himself left several issues open, due to the impossibility of advancing on them at that time, but we urge that this not be a reason to lightly accept any later communication as a complement to these matters, because, without the knowledge and the necessary methodology, we would make the mistake of not observing everything that Kardec pointed out in the text above, a summary of years of study in the face of Spiritism.

It is also our opinion that “to publish without examination, or without correction, everything that comes from this source, would, in our opinion, show little discernment”! Goethe made the decision to publish something that was the product of his mind – and, most likely, of other spiritual minds, who induced him to such ideas. What if these same minds, or Goethe's own Spirit, communicated to us a novel of such content, through mediumistic ways? Should we just publish it?

Note that, in no way, this Group is critical of the medium. After all, it is the tool for exchanging ideas. The problem that stands out here is with regard to the analysis of these communications and the use that is made of them and, therefore, the reader can imagine how much we regret the various publications of supposed psychographed letters or even books that, indiscriminately, favor the dissemination and the inculcation of false ideas connected with the dogmas of the fall into sin, divine punishment, attachment to material things even in the spiritual world, etc.

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