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.

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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

Paulo Henrique de Figueiredo – 28 and 29 Oct 2023

• Every revelation of truth faces hatred, betrayal, contempt and falsehood
• Prophecy of the Spirit of Truth
• Spiritism will be the lever of the moral revolution
• Spiritism develops the idea of Jesus
• The true mentality and the false idea
• Passive obedience and blind faith
• The truth about evil and punishment
• Dominion through lies and violence
• the truth that sets free
• The double concept of good and evil
• The evil in civilizations
• The intellectual-moral evolution of the spirit
• The understanding of evil and the choice of good
• The imperfections and the moral suffering
• the false idea
• The false idea in the spiritual world
• 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

The belief in punishment, even within Spiritism (or the Spiritist Movement) and the belief in nothingness lead man into two very complicated situations. Let's see:

When you believe in nothingness, you focus on enjoying the present at any cost. This is what Kardec shows us in Heaven and Hell (FEAL):

Is there anything more desperate than the idea of absolute destruction? Sacred affections, intelligence, progress, knowledge laboriously acquired, all would be undone, all would be lost! What is the need for the effort to become better, to repress passions, to enrich our spirit, if we are not to reap any fruit from it, especially given the idea that tomorrow, perhaps, it will no longer serve us for anything? If that were so, man's lot would be a hundred times worse than that of the savage, who lives entirely in the present, in the satisfaction of his material appetites, without aspirations for the future. A secret intuition tells us that this is not possible.

By believing in nothingness, man inevitably focuses his thoughts on the present life. In fact, there would be no need to worry about a future from which nothing is expected. This exclusive concern with the present naturally leads you to think about yourself before everything else; It is, therefore, the most powerful stimulus to selfishness. The unbeliever is coherent when he reaches the conclusion: “Let us enjoy while we are here, let us enjoy as much as possible, because after us, everything will be over; let us enjoy quickly, because we don’t know how long it will last”, as well as this other one, much more serious for society: “Let us enjoy, no matter at whose expense; every man for himself; Happiness, down here, is the most cunning.” If religious scruple restricts the actions of some, what restraint will there be for those who believe in nothing? For these, human law only reaches fools, and that is why they dedicate their talent to ways of dodging it. If there is a harmful and anti-social doctrine, it is certainly that of neantism ((Doctrine of nothingness, nihilism)), because it breaks the true bonds of solidarity and fraternity, the foundation of social relations.”

KARDEC, Allan. Heaven and Hell, Editora FEAL.

Something diametrically opposed to the nihilistic thinking glorified by Nietzsche:

The discovery of Christian morality is an unparalleled event, a true catastrophe. The sacred pretext of making humanity better appears as the cunning to exhaust life itself, to make it anemic. The concept of the afterlife was invented to devalue the only world that exists - to strip our earthly reality of all purpose, all reason, all purpose! The concept of the soul, of the spirit, and finally of the immortal soul, was invented to despise the body. Finally - and this is the most terrible thing - in the concept of the good man, one sides with everything that is weak, sick, a failure, everything that is passive in itself, everything that must perish - the law of natural selection is contradicted, and an ideal is made out of the opposition to the haughty and successful man, the man who says yes, the man who guarantees and is certain of the future - this now becomes the bad man... And all of this was believed to be moral.

NIETZSCHE, 2008, p. 99-100

On the other hand, when man believes in the idea of the fall through sin or in human life as a way of “paying debts”; in other words: when he believes in the idea of divine punishment, he becomes unable to proactively deal with his problems. A woman who, for example, lives with a bad partner, who attacks her, physically or morally, may believe (and many tell her this) that she is living a “recovery” from past lives. He must, therefore, submit to inhumane conditions, in order, as they say, to “pay off his debts”.

This way of thinking is often taught from a child's earliest days, when they are subjected to punishment instead of being encouraged to develop their own rational autonomy. We've already dealt with this in the article "Punishment irritates and imposes. Don't educate for reason.“

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The fanaticism of credulity creates unbelievers, because it answers nothing. It takes the individual out of control of their responsibility: if they do evil, it's the devil's fault; if they do good, it's divine grace.

The fanaticism of unbelief, on the other hand, goes in the same direction and produces the same thing as the first: the individual, whether he does evil or good, is because of his DNA.

Both turn people into automatons who are left with nothing but worldly pleasures and the prospect of nothingness or eternal damnation. The middle way, in its rational excellence, is Rational Spiritualism and Spiritism (in its origin). See this study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCD2_iAQySw.

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We recommend the following study to everyone:

We would love to create a network with other groups, of all languagesaround the world. If you are part of a Spiritism study group or know of a group, please help us with this initiative, by registering through our form.

Help form this important chain, please.

The following article, dealing with the principle of the non-retrogradation of the Spirit and eliminating the idea of reincarnation as a punishment, was obtained from the article “On the principle of the non-retrogradation of the Spirit”, from the Spiritist Magazine of June 1863. It contradicts what was included in the adulteration of Heaven and Hell, as we demonstrated “The strongest evidence of tampering with Allan Kardec's Heaven and Hell“.

Since questions have been raised several times about the principle of the non-retrogression of spirits, a principle that has been interpreted differently, we will try to resolve them. Spiritism wants to be clear to everyone and not leave its future followers any reason to argue about words, so all points susceptible to interpretation will be elucidated successively.

Spirits do not retrograde, in the sense that they lose nothing of the progress they have made. They may remain momentarily stationary, but they cannot become evil from being good, nor ignorant from being wise. This is the general principle, which only applies to the moral state and not to the material situation, which from good can become bad, if the Spirit has deserved it.

Let's make a comparison. Suppose a man of the world, educated, but guilty of a crime that leads him to Wales. Certainly there is for him a great decline as a social position and as a material well-being. Appreciation and consideration were followed by contempt and abjection. Meanwhile, he has lost nothing in terms of the development of intelligence. He will take his faculties, his talents, his knowledge to prison. He is a fallen man, and this is how fallen spirits must be understood. God can therefore, after a certain time of trial, withdraw from a world where they have not advanced morally, those who have not known him, who have rebelled against his laws, ordering them to atone for their errors and their hardening in a lower world, among even less advanced beings. There they will be as they were before, morally and intellectually, but in an infinitely more painful condition, by the very nature of the globe, and above all by the environment in which they are. In a word, you will be in the position of a civilized man forced to live among the savages, or a polite man condemned to the society of the forced. They have lost their position and their advantages, but have not regressed to the primitive state. From adults, they didn't become children. This is what you mean by regression. Al no have taken advantage of their time, it is up to them to start again. In his goodness, God does not want to leave them more time among the good, whose peace disturb, and therefore sends them to live among men whose mission will be to make them progress teaching them what they know. Through this work they will be able to advance and regenerate themselves, atoning for past faults, like the slave who saves little by little to buy a day of his freedom. But, like the slave, many only save money instead of accumulating virtues, the only ones that can pay for their ransom.

This has so far been the situation on our Earth, a world of atonement and trials, where the Adamic race, an intelligent race, was exiled among the inferior primitive races that inhabited it before it. That is why there is so much bitterness here, bitterness that is far from being felt to the same degree by savage peoples.

There is certainly a retrogression of the Spirit in the sense that it slows down its progress, but not from the point of view of its acquisitions, because of which and the development of its intelligence, its social degradation is more painful. This is why the man of the world suffers more in an abject environment than someone who has always lived in the mud.

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.

Incarnation is therefore a necessity for the Spirit who, in carrying out its providential mission, works for its own advancement through the activity and intelligence it must develop in order to provide for its life and well-being.

But incarnation becomes a punishment when, having not done what it should, the Spirit is forced to start again and multiplies its painful corporeal existences through its own fault. A student only graduates after having passed all the classes. Are these classes a punishment? No. They are a necessity, an indispensable condition for their progress. But if, due to laziness, you are forced to repeat them, then it is a punishment. Passing some of them is a merit. What is certain, therefore, is that incarnation on Earth is a punishment for many who inhabit it, because they could have avoided it, whereas they may have doubled, tripled, centupled it, through their own fault, thus delaying their entry into better worlds. What is wrong is to admit, in principle, the incarnation as a punishment.

Another question that is often discussed is this: Since the Spirit was created simple and ignorant, with the freedom to do good or evil, wouldn't it have a moral fall when it takes the wrong path, considering that it ends up doing evil that it didn't do before?

This proposition is no more tenable than the previous one. There is only a fall when passing from a relatively good state to a worse one. Now, created simple and ignorant, the Spirit is, in its origin, in a state of moral and intellectual nullity, like the child that has just been born. If it hasn't done evil, it hasn't done good either; it is neither happy nor unhappy; it acts without conscience and without responsibility. Since it has nothing, it can lose nothing and cannot retrograde. Its responsibility only begins when its free will develops. Its primitive state is therefore not one of intelligent, reasoned innocence. Consequently, the evil it does later on, by breaking God's laws and abusing the faculties it has been given, is not a return from good to evil, but the consequence of the bad path it entered on.

This brings us to another question. Could Nero, for example, while incarnated as Nero, have committed more evil than in his previous incarnation? To this we answer "yes", which does not imply that in the existence in which he had done less evil he would have been better. To begin with, evil can change form without being a greater or lesser evil. Nero's position as emperor, having put him in the spotlight, allowed his actions to be noticed more. In an obscure existence, he may have committed equally reprehensible acts, albeit on a smaller scale, which went unnoticed. As a ruler, he could have ordered the burning of a city. As an ordinary person, he could burn down a house and cause his family to perish. An ordinary murderer who kills a few travelers to dispossess them, if he were on the throne, would be a bloodthirsty tyrant, doing on a large scale what his position only allows him to do on a small scale.

Looking at the question from another point of view, we can say that a man can do more evil in one existence than in the previous one, show vices that he didn't have, without this implying moral degeneration. It is often the occasions that are lacking to do evil. When the principle exists in a latent state, the occasion comes and the bad instincts are revealed.

Ordinary life offers us numerous examples of this: A man who was thought to be good suddenly reveals vices that no one suspected, and which cause admiration. It's simply because he knew how to conceal it, or because a cause provoked the development of a bad germ. It is quite certain that those in whom good feelings are strongly rooted do not even have the thought of evil. When such a thought exists, the germ exists. Often all that is missing is the execution.

Then, as we said, evil, even in different forms, is still evil. The same vicious principle can be the source of many different acts stemming from the same cause. Pride, for example, can cause a great number of faults to be committed, to which one is exposed as long as the radical principle is not extirpated. A person can therefore have faults in one life which he would not have shown in another, and which are nothing more than the various consequences of the same vicious principle.

For us, Nero is a monster because he committed atrocities. But is it believable that these perfidious, hypocritical men, real vipers who sow the poison of slander, despoil families through cunning and abuse of trust, who cover their misdeeds with the mask of virtue in order to reach their ends more safely and receive praise when they only deserve execration, is it believable, we said, that they are better than Nero? Certainly not. Being reincarnated in a Nero would not be a regression for them, but an opportunity to show themselves in a new light. In this condition, they will display the vices they used to hide. They will dare to do by force what they used to do by cunning - that's all the difference. But this new trial will only make their punishment more terrible if, instead of taking advantage of the means given to them to make amends, they use them for evil. However, every existence, no matter how bad, is an opportunity for the Spirit to progress. It develops its intelligence and acquires experience and knowledge that will later help it to progress morally.

Allan Kardec still has a very important role in Spiritism. Let's see:

“It requires our reflection so that we can increasingly understand more and better the role that Spiritist Philosophy plays in our days and how we will interpret its postulates and proposals in light of the reality presented to us by the times in which we live, accompanied by technological progress and advancement. intellectual and moral that characterize this century.

Since the founding of Spiritism, with the publication of “The Book of Spirits” on April 18, 1857, and as a clear expression of the logical and rational thought of its systematizer, it has been recorded that: “Spiritism is, at the same time, a science of observation and a philosophical doctrine. As a practical science, it consists of the relationships that can be established with the Spirits; as a philosophical doctrine, it encompasses all the moral consequences that arise from such relationships.”

In this way, supported by the experience developed by Allan Kardec in the classification, evaluation and characterization of the mediumistic phenomenon as the main axis and effective means to develop and specify the spiritualist principles and theoretical bases, the Spiritist Philosophy is established as a Doctrine of scientific, philosophical and moral character.

The systematic and continuous publication of his basic and complementary works allowed the dissemination of spiritist teaching to increase; in them we read: “The strength of Spiritism resides in its philosophy, in the appeal it makes to reason and common sense”; “Spiritism, under penalty of suicide, cannot close the doors to any progress”; “Spiritism, advancing with progress, will never be surpassed, because if new discoveries demonstrate that it is wrong at some point, it will change at that point and if a new truth reveals itself, it will accept it.”

The clear expression of Kardecist thought in these lines presents us with an Evolutionary Doctrine, placing us before an open, dynamic, rational, coherent and, above all, practical Philosophy. It encourages us, as followers, to embrace a proposal of free thought and humanism, in which, through continuous study and deep understanding, the result of long reflections and conscious and serious experiments, we are led to the clear and logical identification of our be like immortal Spirits. We are linked to the reincarnation present in this world as a result of countless evolutionary journeys that we have already experienced and that constitute our current situation. We are Spirits who are conscious and responsible for this entire spiritual collection of successes and mistakes, achievements and failures that we have experienced and which are essential for our evolution, progress and deeper understanding of our true spiritual situation.

Thus, we find in the Kardecist exhortations, which form the basis and starting point of Spiritist Philosophy, an excellent guide, an experimental and rational plan that can greatly facilitate our vision and conscious understanding of the great Universal Truths.

However, to preserve and update the understanding of the “Kardecian Legacy”, it is necessary to contextualize each of its concepts, points of view and fundamental ideas. These principles derive from the scientific, philosophical and ethical foundations that characterized the second half of the 19th century in France.

The set of spiritist teachings, as well as the precise exposition of their principles and foundations, maintains their indisputable relevance in the face of technological advances, scientific discoveries and proposals for humanist and solidary integration of philosophies and religions. However, some thoughts, procedures and conceptions found in spiritist works also reflect the personal vision and points of view expressed by its founder and by the disembodied Spirits who advised him in his work. These aspects need to be valued, analyzed, compared and contextualized, following the exhortation of Spiritism itself, for the benefit of the Spiritist Doctrine itself. This ensures that it continues to be the clear, logical and rational expression of the principles and postulates that are based on the objective and real manifestation of Natural Laws, which regulate the functioning of the Universe and the stability of our individualities.

It is the duty of every Spiritist scholar, of every adherent committed to the fidelity and preservation of Spiritist Philosophy, to adopt an open, dialectical stance, free from dogmas and prejudices, away from sectarian positions and parallel radical movements in their thoughts and conceptions. This allows the study, promotion and dissemination of spiritist doctrines as they were manifested in their foundational works, but in accordance with the necessary evolution and conceptual updating and in the expressive language of the Doctrine, which current times demand. In this way, the Doctrine is free from ambiguities and harmful interpretations that could affect its adequate interpretation and its indispensable dissemination.

The thought of the founder of Spiritism must be exposed exactly as it was expressed, reflected, studied, analyzed, valued and adapted to current times, as, given the undeniable relevance of this thought, it requires a more in-depth study and assimilation on the part of Spiritist followers. It should be considered as a guide for the introduction to the knowledge of Spiritist Science, seeking deeper insights, but never as the expression of definitive truths or unquestionable revelations.

The guarantee for the preservation of Spiritist Thought for new generations is in our hands and largely depends on the attitude that each one of us takes towards it, with individual responsibility.

Walter Pérez

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The text above was submitted by Walter Pérez, from the group CEEAK — Centro de Estudios Espiritas Allan Kardec — from Cuba. We can add nothing to it. It contains the clarity transmitted by Kardec's rational and scientific thinking and attitude, responsible for the birth of the Spiritist Doctrine and necessary for its development. We could just highlight that the title of “founder” of Spiritism belongs to the part of the Spiritist science developed “on this side”, but it would not fit to Spiritism as a science of Nature, which exists from eternity and encompasses everything we can understand.

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.”

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 ((Although she may have had past connections with these Spirits and, feeling indebted for something, chose to help them in this life, it is not about “paying off” something, but rather learning by helping.)) or Furthermore, these children were born in that environment to pay off their debts. They forget or are unaware that the Spirit also 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.

Muitos adeptos do movimento espírita utilizam o termo “kardecismo” ou “kardecista” para se referirem à sua “religião” ou “crença”. Em apenas uma frase, já temos três erros, com os quais podemos começar.

spiritism is science

Firstly, it is important to highlight that Spiritism is a science. As such, it is one. It could have branches of study areas, such as Physics, Quantum Physics, Mechanics, Optics, etc. But Physics is one, just as Spiritism is one. Talking about “kardecism” would be like stopping talking about Physics to talking about Newtonism or Einsteinism, which would be a mistake, since Newton and Einstein were researchers who, using the scientific method, studied Physics and generated their ideas. scientific theories. Allan Kardec did the same.

To say “kardecism” is to give a personality to spiritist science, reducing it to the expression of Kardec’s ideas, which is false. Kardec was the researcher responsible for centralizing the studies, yes, and it is his works that form the Spiritist Doctrine as it is known. But it is necessary to remember that his works are the result of collective and collaborative work. Kardec never gave himself the right to dominate the truth.

The other mistakes would be treating Spiritism as a religion, what is not true, or as belief, which would be to demote it from the level of science and transform it into mere belief. It is necessary to distinguish what is born from blind belief in what someone says, from the “belief” born from scientific reasoning. They are different things.

Spiritist Movement became religion

Unfortunately, it is important to highlight that what became the Spiritist Movement became beliefs and religion. For most modern spiritists, Kardec has the same weight as Jesus in religions linked to the Old Testament: his name is spoken of, to give credibility, but only the surface is known, preferring to stay with the distortions.

Conclusion

When asked about my religion, do not say that you are a spiritist, Kardecist, etc. If you have a religion, say your religion and say that, in addition, you study Spiritism. If you have no religion and study spiritist science, say: “I have no religion: I study spiritist science”.

O “Spirit Box” é um dispositivo muito comentado atualmente, sobre tudo por conta dos canais de “caça-fantasmas”. Até mesmo, with many mistakes, o “Canal Espírita” já abordou o assunto, conforme eu demostro in this video. But the subject is not new: for a long time, researchers in instrumental transcommunication (ICT) have said that they use electronic devices to communicate with Spirits. Allan Bispo describes the following curious fact:

We could say that the first case of a recorded paranormal voice took place in the experimental physics laboratory of the Catholic University of Milan, on September 17, 1952.

There, Fathers Gemelli and Ernetti carried out experiments with Gregorian chants to eliminate harmonics. At that time there were no recorders with tapes, only with wires. This thread broke frequently, so it was necessary to tie a very fine knot to avoid damaging the sound.

That day, the thread had just broken once again and Father Gemelli, upset, exclaimed: “oh, daddy, help me”, as he had been in the habit of saying for many years, since the death of his father.

Once the repair was done, they began to listen to the recorded material, however, instead of the expected Gregorian chant, they heard their father's voice in amazement: “of course I help you and I am always with you”.

BISPO, Allan. “Transcomunicação Instrumental”. Disponível em https://www.harmoniaespiritual.com.br/2011/09/transcomunicacao-instrumental.html. Accessed October 19, 2023.

Por esses e outros fatos, podemos constatar que a transcomunicação instrumental, mesmo através da “Spirit Box”, não é algo impossível. Na verdade, parece bastante factível. A questão, sempre, em se tratando de ciência, será saber analisar a tudo fria e metodologicamente, separando as coisas…

Interests

A grande dificuldade, sempre, será saber analisar e separar o que é verdadeiro, sério, daquilo que não é. O problema não é novo: na época de Kardec os charlatães já faziam uso dos mais diversos tipos de truques e artifícios para ganharem fama e, quase sempre, dinheiro. Por isso Kardec sempre recomendou o sangue-frio na análise desses supostos fenômenos, nunca aceitando nada apressadamente. Os artigos “A floresta de Dodona e a estátua de Memnon”, da Revista Espírita de fevereiro de 1858, “Fraudes espíritas”, de abril de 1859 e “O músculo que range”, de junho de 1859, são recomendados nesse sentido ((Todo o estudo da Revista Espírita é importante, é evidente)).

This problem, of the interests behind the supposed phenomena, is not restricted to communication through instruments alone. It also covers mediumistic communications, unfortunately. But, currently, a new (bad) contribution has added in this sense: the emergence of applications that, supposedly, allow communication with Spirits.

It is not in our position to say whether or not Spirits can interact through a cell phone application, simply because there is no methodological study on this. Since Spiritism is a science, this is clear: what is not developed by scientific methodology it cannot be admitted, nor summarily dismissed. But there is a relevant point: the Spirits do not interact directly on matter, that is, not without a medium of physical effects that allow them to obtain the animalized perispiritual fluid (ectoplasm) to carry out any action on matter. Having this medium at his disposal — often without the medium even knowing — the Spirit acts, so to speak, directly on the subject. Therefore, we can safely say that communication via objects (instrumental transcommunication) is just another option and, perhaps, the most limited of them.

be admitted, nor summarily dismissed. The point here is to point out the fact that, armed with such applications and false ideas, video channels on YouTube have become gigantic sources of profits and misinformation. Many of these channels, with hundreds of thousands of followers, generate monthly sums of thousands of dollars for their owners, who seem to find Spirits “trapped” in every abandoned property. Furthermore, we have the device and application market itself, which lives off the advertising carried out through these channels. It is a true pyramid of interests, where charity has no place.

False assumptions

Spirits preferably frequent the ruins

Due to lack of knowledge of Spiritism, the false idea is that suffering Spirits would be especially located in certain places, such as abandoned houses and cemeteries. This is false. As what is contained in The Book of Mediums in this regard is excellent in itself, I recommend reading the article “Haunted places“, do qual destaco o seguinte excerto:

4th. Is there any basis for the belief that Spirits preferably frequent ruins?

"None. Spirits go to such places, like everyone else. Men's imagination, awakened by the gloomy appearance of certain places, attributes to the presence of Spirits what is, almost always, a very natural effect. How many times has fear caused the shadow of a tree to be mistaken for a ghost and the cry of an animal, or the breath of the wind, for ghosts? Spirits like the presence of men; hence they prefer inhabited places to deserted places.”

This does not mean that there are no Spirits who remain attached to places, especially when it comes to their former homes. Sad reality, which causes suffering to the Spirit with attachment to materialistic ideas.

Only suffering spirits communicate

A fixed idea among “ghostbusters” is that only dark or suffering Spirits communicate. This is false. Inferior Spirits communicate through physical manifestations, but this does not mean that they are malicious or that their intentions are bad. Many times they just want to get attention or even thank you. The Revista Espírita is full of facts like these, one of them being the one told in the article “An old carter“, de dezembro de 1859.

Talking to suffering spirits causes obsession

This is another very false idea that reigns in the spiritist movement in general. What causes obsession is the free acceptance of the influence of another Spirit, incarnate or disembodied. As long as this influence is not allowed, by a greater moral force, it will not occur. We cannot, however, support the jokes and nonsense made through the evocations of Spirits, which can only attract frivolous or even malicious Spirits (who, once again, will only find room for influence if they find resonance in the ideas and actions of individuals ).

A strange fact is that one of the biggest factors in the installation of an obsession is the blind acceptance of what the Spirits say, something that most of the modern Spiritist Movement does. We have already discussed this in the article “Obsessed and Subdued: the dangers of Spiritism“.

One more fact: It is not the evocation that attracts the Spirits, but the thought.

Os Espíritos que se comunicam estão “presos” à Terra

Yet another oft-repeated idea, and false, é a de que os Espíritos precisem de “resgate” e que, se isso não acontecer, ficarão “presos” à Terra. Até mesmo um grande canal como o “Canal Espírita” divulga essa falsa ideia, baseada em opiniões. Como demonstra O Livro dos Médiuns (e a Doutrina Espírita inteira) os Espíritos se dirigem por intermédio de sua vontade. Pela vontade e por conta de pouca compreensão e de apegos, podem se ater a pessoas, situações ou lugares. Quando mais elevados e mais desprendidos das ideias materialistas — algo a que o Espiritismo favorece substancialmente — mais facilmente se desprendem da matéria.

It is a fact that a large part of the Spirits that leave matter, here on Earth, are still poorly developed Spirits who remain concerned and involved with worldly interests. But it's not like that for everyone. Again, the study of the Revista Espírita (1858 – 1869) proves this principle.

Summoning Spirits causes them to become Earthbound

This idea, repeated by Luiz Fernando, on Canal Espírita, also has no basis in Spiritism. In fact, it contradicts everything that years of serious research have demonstrated. Evoking Spirits (in a serious way and with good purposes) is useful and natural and, in the case of suffering Spirits, it helps them to reason and to detach themselves from matter. It is the opposite of what those who claim such things say.

Futility

In addition to uselessness and interests, we also have futility. In the same way that happened with the games with the compass and the moving glasses, the frivolous and futile evocation of Spirits can only attract frivolous and futile Spirits. Sometimes, an evil spirit seeks to play a trick or scare you. Other times, if there is resonance of ideas, you can find someone to obsess over.

Absence of usefulness

Assuming that some of these events are genuine communications and allowing for the possibility that they may occur, we need to ask what is the use of them, given that can only be performed by inferior Spirits? Now, it is a fact that these manifestations had their reason for being, in the past, in order to draw attention to spiritist facts, but would they be necessary today (except for very particular cases)? We ask: why not use mediums, which are much better and more complete tools for these communications?

It is also important to remember that Spirits cannot interact with matter directly, without the assistance of a medium, even if unconscious of it. This is evidenced in The Book of Mediums or guide for mediums and evokers > Second part — Spiritist manifestations > Chapter V — Spontaneous physical manifestations > Throwing objects. Thus, we reflect: since the medium is indispensable, wouldn't it be more logical to make them good tools, through study, instead of referring the Spirits to physical manifestations?

Furthermore, we must highlight that, apart from errors and charlatanism, there are genuine material phenomena of Spirits attached to materialistic ideas who, therefore, cannot find a better direction after leaving the body. Still here, it is noted that, due to the lack of knowledge of Spiritism, well-intentioned individuals, equipped with their “Spirit Box”, are no longer much more useful, as they do not know how to deal with this fact. They are based on current false ideas and add very little or nothing to help change that Spirit's thoughts.

Importance of Spiritism

Spiritism, as a scientific doctrine, is the result of years of serious and methodological research into the manifestations of Spirits. It is not something that someone has taken from their own ideas and said “I say it is so”. On the contrary: this study led, on several occasions, to individuals, including Kardec, being contradicted in their hypotheses.

For this reason, studying it is essential for anyone who wants to do good with fewer mistakes and practice healthy and useful communication with Spirits as it should be.

This article brings, in full, the chapter from The Book of Mediums that deals with haunted places. It is excellent and clear in itself, so that we do not find it necessary to make further comments.

The article in question was raised by the topic of Spirit Boxes, discussed in homonymous article is at recent video.

The Book of Mediums — Second part — Spiritist manifestations > Chapter IX — Haunted places

132. The spontaneous manifestations, which have occurred at all times, and the persistence of some Spirits in showing ostentatiously their presence in certain locations, constitute the source of origin of the belief in the existence of haunted places. The following answers were given to questions asked on this subject:

1st. Do Spirits attach themselves only to people, or also to things?

“It depends on their elevation. Some Spirits can become attached to earthly objects. The miserly, for example, who have hidden their treasures and who are not yet dematerialized enough, often persist in watching and guarding them.”

2nd. Do wandering Spirits ((A wandering Spirit is the Spirit between one life and another)) have favorite places?

“The principle is still the same here. Spirits who no longer feel attached to the Earth go wherever they have the opportunity to practice love. They are attracted more to people than to material objects. However, it may happen that some of them have, for a certain period of time, a preference for certain places. These, however, are always inferior Spirits.”

3rd. Does the attachment of Spirits to a location, being a sign of inferiority, also constitute proof of their being evil?

"Certainly not. A Spirit can be little advanced, without being bad. Isn’t the same observed among men?”

4th. Is there any basis for the belief that Spirits preferably frequent ruins?

"None. Spirits go to such places, like everyone else. Men's imagination, awakened by the gloomy appearance of certain places, attributes to the presence of Spirits what is, almost always, a very natural effect. How many times has fear caused the shadow of a tree to be mistaken for a ghost and the cry of an animal, or the breath of the wind, for ghosts? Spirits like the presence of men; hence they prefer inhabited places to deserted places.”

a) However, based on what we know about the diversity of characters among Spirits, we can infer the existence of misanthropic Spirits, who prefer solitude.

“That's why I didn't answer the question absolutely. He said they can come to deserted places, like everywhere. It is evident that, if some remain insulated, it is because they like it. This, however, does not constitute a reason for them to necessarily have a predilection for ruins. There are far greater numbers of them in cities and palaces than in the interior of the forests.”

5th. In general, popular beliefs contain a grain of truth. What was the origin of the belief in haunted places?

“The truth lies in the manifestation of Spirits, in which man has instinctively believed since all time. But, as I said above, the gloomy aspect of certain places hurts his imagination and this naturally leads him to place beings in those places that he considers supernatural. Furthermore, to entertain this superstitious belief, there are the poetic narratives and fantastic tales that comforted him in childhood.”

6th. Are there, for Spirits who usually meet, days and times when they prefer to do so?

"No. Days and hours are measures of time for the use of men and for corporeal life, of which Spirits feel no need and take no notice.”

7th Where did the idea that Spirits preferably come during the night come from?

“From the impression that silence and darkness produce on the imagination. All these beliefs are superstitions that the rational knowledge of Spiritism will destroy. The same goes for the days and hours that many believe are most favorable to them. It is certain that the influence of midnight never existed, except in the stories.”

a) Therefore, why do some Spirits announce their coming and their manifestations for certain specific days, such as Friday, for example?

“This is what Spirits do who take advantage of men's gullibility to have fun. For the same reason, there are those who call themselves the devil, or give themselves infernal names. Show them that you are not deceived and they will not come back.”

8th. Do spirits prefer to visit the tombs where their bodies rest?

“The body was a simple garment. In the same way that the prisoner feels no attraction for the chains that bind him, the Spirits feel no attraction for the envelope that made them suffer. The memory of the people who are dear to them is the only thing that has value for them.”

a) Are the prayers that are said for them at the tombs of their bodies more pleasant than any other?

“Prayer, you know, is an evocation that attracts the Spirits. The greater the action, the more fervent and sincere it is. Now, next to a venerated tomb, one is always more collected than elsewhere, and the conservation of cherished relics is a testimony of affection given to the Spirit and which never fails to touch him. What acts on the Spirit is always thought and not material objects. These objects exert more influence than on the Spirit on the one who prays, because they focus his attention.”

9th. In view of this, does it seem that belief in haunted places should not be considered absolutely false?

“We said that certain Spirits can feel attracted to material things. They can do so in certain places, where they seem to establish domicile, until the circumstances that made them seek out those places disappear.”

a) What circumstances might induce them to seek such places?

“The sympathy for some of the people who frequent them, or the desire to communicate with them. However, they do not always have laudable intentions. When they are bad spirits, they may intend to take revenge on people they have complaints about. Staying in a certain place can also be, for some, a punishment inflicted on them, especially if they have committed a crime there, so that they have it constantly before their eyes*.”

10th. Are places always haunted by their former inhabitants?

"Always no; — sometimes, because, if the former inhabitant of one of these places is a high Spirit, he will worry as little about his earthly home as he will about his body. The Spirits that haunt certain places often have no reason for doing so other than simple whim, unless they are attracted there by the sympathy that certain people inspire in them.”

a) Can they establish themselves in such a place with the aim of protecting a person, or their own family?

“Certainly, if they are good Spirits; however, in this case, they never manifest their presence through unpleasant means.”

11th. Is there anything real in the story of the White Lady?

“Mere tale, extracted from a thousand true facts.”

12th. Is it rational to fear places haunted by Spirits?

"No. The Spirits that frequent certain places, causing disorders in them, rather want to have fun at the expense of men's credulity and armchairs, than to harm them. In fact, you must remember that there are Spirits everywhere and that, wherever you are, you will have them by your side, even in the most peaceful rooms. Almost always, they only haunt certain houses, because they find an opportunity to manifest their presence there.”

13th. Will there be ways to expel them?

"There is; What they often do for this, however, attracts them, instead of pushing them away. The best way to expel bad Spirits is to attract good ones. Therefore, attract the good Spirits, doing all the good you can, and the bad ones will disappear, since good and evil are incompatible. Always be good and you will only have good Spirits with you.”

a) There are, however, very kind people who live with the mischief of evil Spirits. Why?

“If these people are really good, this perhaps happens as proof, to exercise their patience and encourage them to become even better. Be certain, however, that it is not those who continually talk about virtues who possess them the most. He who is possessed of real qualities almost always ignores them, or never speaks of them.”

14th. What should we think about the effectiveness of exorcisms to expel evil spirits from haunted places?

“Have you had the opportunity to verify the effectiveness of this process? Have you not seen, on the contrary, the troubles redouble in intensity, after the exorcism ceremonies? It's just that the Spirits that cause them enjoy being taken over by the devil.

“Also, those who do not present themselves with malevolent intentions can manifest their presence through noise and even by becoming visible, but they never commit disorder or nuisance. They are often suffering Spirits, whose suffering you can alleviate by praying for them. Other times, they are even benevolent Spirits, who want to prove that they are with you, or, rather, frivolous Spirits who play. As those who disturb the rest are almost always Spirits who are having fun, the best thing for those who find themselves persecuted to do is to laugh at what happens to them. Disturbers get tired, finding that they cannot be afraid or impatient.” (See chapter V above: On spontaneous manifestations.)

It follows from the explanations above that there are Spirits that attach themselves to certain places, preferring to remain there, without, however, having the need to manifest their presence through sensitive effects. Any place can be the obligatory or favorite home of a Spirit, however bad, without any manifestation ever taking place. Those who attach themselves to certain locations, or to certain material things, are never superior Spirits. However, even if they do not belong to this category, it may be that they are not bad and have no bad intentions. Often, they are even more useful than harmful commensals, because, as long as they are interested in people, they can protect them.

• See Revue spirite, from February 1860: “Story of a Damned Man”.