The Revue Spirite of 1863

Part 8

We continue in this issue the study of the Revue Spirite corresponding to the year of 1863. The condensed text of the mentioned volume will hereby be presented in sixteen parts, based on the translation of Julio Abreu Filho and published by EDICEL.

Issues for discussion 

A. What to do regarding our opponents’ attacks?
B. Should we hastily publish anything that comes from the Spirits?
C. Is the Spirit’s embodiment a requirement or just a punishment?

Text for reading

72. From the city of Midi, one of the correspondents of the Revuementions how the crusade against Spiritism was being conducted. In one of the city groups - where the pros and cons regarding Spiritism were being discussed - one of them present said that the Encoder did not mention in his Revue all the distress and mockery he had gone through. And he said that in September last year, at a meeting of about thirty people, at Mr. Kardec's, the Spirits “pampered” all those present by hitting each one of them. (Page 150)

73. Answering the letter, Kardec formally denied the alleged episode and added that in September 1862 he was traveling in the French countryside, and left Paris at the end of August to October, 20. (Pages 150 and 151)
74. On the subject, Kardec warns that no one should think that the war against Spiritism had reached its apogee. That is, something heavier and coarser would still come. Due to this, the Encoder said: I) the true Spiritists, faced with the attacks received should be distinguished by moderation, leaving the opponents with the sad privilege of their injuries. II) It is the duty of every good Spiritist to enlighten those who seek him in good faith, but it is useless to argue with opponents of bad faith or preconceived ideas. III) Personal questions are erased before the greatness of the purpose and the whole of the irresistible movement that operates in ideas. It does not matter, therefore, that this or that one is against Spiritism, when it is known that no one has the power to prevent the realization of the facts. IV) It is necessary to continue sowing the idea, spreading it by sweetness and persuasion and leaving our opponents the monopoly of violence and roughness which is only used when the person is not strong enough by the reasoning. (Pages 152 and 153)

75. Focusing on the large number of psychic communications sent to him from the whole world, Kardec used the numbers to show that not every message of spiritual origin deserves to be conveyed by the press. He says that in 3,600 messages received there were more than 3,000 of irreproachable morals and excellent as an issue, but only 300 (ten percent of them) would serve to be published, of which only 100 would present undisputed merit. The analysis of the Encoder leads to an obvious conclusion: one should not publish in an unreasonable manner everything that comes from the Spirits, if we are to achieve the goal we are proposing. (Pages 153-155)

76. The same reasoning applies to the works of the embodied: of 30 articles he has examined, no more than six (twenty per cent) could be published. "In the invisible world as well as on Earth, there is a large number of writers", says Kardec, "but good ones are rare". His conclusion is that all precautions are too few to avoid regrettable publications. In such cases, adds the Encoder, it is better to wrongdoing, based on excess of prudence, thus preserving the interests of the cause. (Pages 155 and 156)

77. Viennois (Spirit) explains, answering Kardec, the reason why there are unbelieving Spirits in the spiritual world. It is that death does not change suddenly the opinions of those who depart: their unbelief usually accompanies them. (Pages 156 and 157)

78. The case of materialistic Spirits in the spiritual world is explained by Erastus, who recalls that all bodies, solid or fluid, belong to the material substance. Those who in life only admit a principle in Nature - matter, often do not realize, after death, this single, absolute principle, as they are blind to spiritual things. (Page 158)

79. June’s issue opens with an article by Kardec entitled "About the principle of the Spirit’s non-retrogress". The Spiritist thesis is elaborated with clearness in the sense that the Spirits do not retrogress, and they lose nothing of the progress they have already reached. They may be momentarily stationary, but if they are good, they will not become evil, and the same is true regarding wisdom. What can be modified is the material situation, the social or economic condition of existence. (Pages 163)

80. Kardec also analyzes in the same article the thesis that Spirits were not created to incarnate. Incarnation would only be the result of their faults. Spiritism says the contrary, i.e., that incarnation is a necessity for the progress of the Spirit and the very planet in which he lives. Another interesting point commented by Kardec is the situation of the Spirit in its origin. If he was created simple and ignorant, if he searched for the path of evil, would there not be in this case retrogression? Kardec says no, because there is only a fall from a relatively good state to a worse one, which is not the case, because since the Spirit is created simple and ignorant, it is in a state of moral and intellectual nullity like the child who is just born (Pages 164 to 166)

81. The Revue brings an article with Kardec's refutation to attacks on Spiritism contained in a brochure signed by the Rev. Father Nampon of the Society of Jesus. Elaborated on the basis of two sermons given by the priest in the Church of Saint John the Baptist in the presence of the Cardinal Archbishop of Lyon, the brochure does not bring anything new, but is full of errors committed deliberately by its author when mentioning certain passages of Kardec’s works. (Pages 167 to 173)(Continues on next issue)

Answers to the proposed issues

A. What to do regarding our opponents’ attacks?
The true Spiritists, faced with the attacks, should be distinguished by moderation, leaving the opponents the sad privilege of insults. It is the duty of every good Spiritist to enlighten those who seek him in good faith, but it is useless to argue with opponents of bad faith or preconceived ideas. It does not matter, therefore, that this or that one is against Spiritism, when it is known that no one has the power to prevent the realization of the facts. (Revue Spirite, 1863, pages 152 and 153.)

B. Should we hastily publish anything that comes from the Spirits?
No. Focusing on the large number of psychic communications sent to him from all sides, Kardec used the numbers to show that not every message of spiritual origin deserves to be conveyed by the press. He says that in 3,600 messages received there were more than 3,000 of irreproachable morals and excellent as an issue, but only 300 (ten percent of them) would serve to be published, of which only 100 presented undisputed merit. The analysis of the Encoder leads to an obvious conclusion: one should not publish in an unreasonable manner everything that comes from the Spirits, if we are to achieve the goal we are proposing. (Ibid, pages 153-155).

C. Is the Spirit’s embodiment a requirement or just a punishment?

According to Spiritism, incarnation is a necessity for the progress of the Spirit and the very planet in which it lives. It has nothing to do with penalty or punishment due to a fault, as some believe. This conception of punishment is one of the central points of Roustaing's work, colliding in this point with the Spiritist Doctrine.) (Ibid, pages 164 to 166.)

Translation:

Eleni Frangatos - eleni.moreira@uol.com.br