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Protestant Reformation and Spiritism (Part
2 - Final) |
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Persecution was not limited to the Protestants, as it
extended to Jews, Muslims, artists, thinkers and
scientists, that is, to anyone who was able to publicly
contest the ideas of the Church.
The importance of the Protestant Reformation and its
political and religious impacts
The Protestant Reformation had a significant impact on
History, tracing the new political, economic, and
religious paths of Humanity. The Church, until then, had
a controlling role in politics, economics, science and
arts. The Pope was a religious and political figure and
opined in several decisions. After the great Reformation
the power of the Church declined among European
monarchies. There was a strengthening of the social and
economic principles of the bourgeoisie, which were then
sustained by the approval of profit, an issue that was
fought before by the Church.
In the religious field the reform of Luther gave rise to
other aspects of Christianity. The Catholic Church, at
the time, divided space only with the Orthodox Church,
which had its greater dominions in the Eastern region.
With the advent of Protestantism the Lutheran, Anglican,
Presbyterian and Baptist Churches were born, and
multiplied and branched into other denominations. Today
Protestants account for 40% of Christians worldwide.
Protestant Reformation and Spiritism
Spiritists understand that the Protestant Reformation
was a preparation for the arrival of the Spiritist
Doctrine, the Promised Comforter. Just as Christ came to
fulfill the Law professed by Moses, the Spiritist
Doctrine did not come to disprove the teachings of the
Master, but to develop, complete and explain them
without allegories.
The Reformation and the movements that followed came
into the world with the special mission of digging out
the “word” of the Gospels [...] so that, after their
task, the promised Comforter, through the voice of
Christian Spiritism, could teach men the "Divine Spirit"
of all the lessons of Jesus. (XAVIER, F.C. The
Comforter, by the Spirit Emmanuel, Question 295).
The Spirit Humberto de Campos through the mediumship of
Chico Xavier, in a message published by the magazine
Reformador” in the September 1978 issue, says that the
Spirit of Jan Huss (1369-1415), one of the most
important pre-reformers, received instructions of Jesus
before returning to the physical plane like Allan Kardec
(1804-1869), to codify the Spiritist Doctrine.
"You will not be the bearer of new inventions, you will
not dwell on the problem of material comfort to
civilization, nor receive the stewardship of money or
temporal authority, but I place in your hands the
sublime task of raising hearts and consciences. It is
necessary to establish provisions that support the
faith, preserving the religious treasures of the
creature. I entrust to you the sublime task of
relighting the lamps of hope in the heart of humanity.
The Gospel of Love remains occult in the game of vicious
men's ambitions! .... Go, my friend. You will open new
paths to the sacred aspiration of souls, unveiling the
heavy curtain of shadows that has been absorbing the
human mind. In the restoration of truth, however, do not
expect the laurels of the world or the understanding of
your contemporaries".
[...]
(Jesus addressing Himself to Jan Huss on the spiritual
plane, before Huss reincarnated as Allan Kardec, as the
Spirit of Humberto de Campos tell us in a message
published by the magazine “Reformador” in September
1978).
Drawing a parallel between the two personalities, we
find several similarities that reaffirm the Doctrine of
Reincarnation. Jan Huss was a reformer of the language
of his country, as lexicographer emeritus, translator of
the Czech language. Allan Kardec, as well as a talented
educator, was also a translator of books for different
languages. Huss saw some of his works being burned by
the Church in a public square, just as Kardec had 300
copies of Spiritist works burned in an act known as the
Act of Faith of Barcelona. Also, note that there
was an exact period of 500 years between the dates of
Huss's birth and that of Kardec's disincarnating.
Therefore, we are convinced that the same Spirit, at
different times, was committed to the Doctrine of
Christ, first working in defense of the New Testament
and later in the edification of the revival
Christianity, through the codification of the Spiritist
Doctrine, which leads us to believe that the Protestant
Reformation was necessary for the emergence of Spiritism.
The great reformation was the origin of the resumption
of Christianity that was being distorted by the Catholic
representatives of the time, due to the depravity of
human nature. The Church used faith as an instrument of
domination and was able to commit atrocities in the name
of God to maintain its power. Understanding this
context, the pleiad of the Spirits of Light, under the
protection of Jesus, thought it necessary to divide
Christianity to ensure its expansion and later, through
Spiritism, bring back the main idea of the Christian
Doctrine, as in times of Jesus' disciples. Certainly, if
Christian philosophy remained only under the dominions
of the Roman church, Christian thought would be
compromised. Here, then, spirituality organized the
coming of missionaries to restore Christianity and
ensure its spread.
The invisible plane thus determines the coming into the
world of numerous missionaries with the aim of bringing
the renaissance of religion. Thus, in the sixteenth
century, the venerable figures of Luther, Calvin,
Erasmus, Melanchton and other notable figures of the
Reformation appear in Central Europe and the
Netherlands. XAVIER, F.C. On the way to light. By
the Spirit Emmanuel. Chapter 20.
Not only in the religious field, but also in science,
politics, and the arts (rebirth and enlightenment),
Spirits returned to the physical plane to bring new
ideas and change the distorted view of various subjects.
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), for example, was the
first to contradict the Church by stating that the Earth
was not the center of the Universe, a theory later
confirmed by Galileo Galilei (1564-1642).
The idea of reform was not only in Luther's mind, but
in the minds of thousands of heads, from which men would
come to support it. KARDEC, Allan. Spiritist Magazine.
Journal of psychological studies. Year of 1866,
August, p. 321
After the advent of Spiritism, why are there so many
religions?
The planet Earth is still a developing world and
therefore requires a variety of religious doctrines that
are compatible with the discernment capacity of its
followers. Each Spirit understands the Laws of God
according to its degree of evolution and that is why
there are still doctrinal divergences. Every religion
has its importance if it fulfills the goal of bringing
man to God. Those, who cause wars in the name of God or
religions, have not yet progressed to the point of
understanding that evil is the fruit of human nature.
When all men are convinced that God is the same for all;
that this God, sovereignly just and good, cannot want
anything unjust; that evil comes from men and not from
him, all will consider themselves children of the same
Father and reach out to each other. (Kardec, Allan,
the Genesis: Miracles and Predictions According to
Spiritism).
Leon Denis points out that "Spiritism is not the
religion of the future, but the future of all
religions." For there will come a time when all
doctrines will recognize the truths brought by the
Christian religion through the Spiritist Doctrine and
communion of the same idea, consolidating harmony and
fundamental peace for the universal good. In these
times, we will enjoy a happy world, where good will
prevail among men.
References:
XAVIER, Francisco Candido. On the way to Light:
History of Civilization in the Light of Spiritism,
by the Spirit Emmanuel, from August 17 to September 21,
1938. 33rd ed. Rio de Janeiro: FEB, 2006.
KARDEC, Allan.
The Genesis: miracles and predictions according
to Spiritism. Translated by Guillon Ribeiro from the
5th French ed. 48th ed. Rio de Janeiro: FEB,
2005.
SHEFFNER, Fernando.
From Reformation to counter-reformation. General
History Collection in documents. Sao Paulo: Current.
MARTINA, Giacomo: History of the Church: from
Luther to our days. V. 1: The Age of Reformation.
Sao Paulo: Loyola, 1997.
XAVIER, Francisco Candido. O Consolador (The
Comforter) by the Spirit Emmanuel. 26th ed. Rio de
Janeiro: FEB, 2006.
JOSTEIN, Gaarder. The Book of Religions. Jostein,
Gaarde; Hellern, Victor; Notaker, Henry. Translation:
Isa Mara Lando; Technical Review and Appendix: Flavio
Antonio Pierucci. Sao Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2000.
CHAUNU, Pierre. The age of the reforms
(1250-1550): The Protestant Reformation. Place in
History, v. 49-50, Editions 70, 1993.
KARDEC, Allan. Spiritist Magazine: journal of
psychological studies. Year 12, no. 9, pages
372-374, September 1869. Translation by Evandro Noleto
Bezerra. 3rd ed. Rio de Janeiro: FEB, 2009. Precursors
of Spiritism - Jan Huss.
XAVIER, Francisco C. Remembering Allan
Kardec. By the Spirit Humberto de Campos.
Reformer,
year 96, no. 1,794, pages 25 (293) -26 (294), September,
1978.
Translation:
Eleni
Frangatos - eleni.moreira@uol.com.br
