We continue the methodical study of the Pentateuch Kardec, which focuses on the five major works of the spiritual doctrine, in the order they were first published by Allan Kardec, the Encoder of Spiritualism.
The answers to the questions presented, founded in the 2th edition published by FEB, based on translation of Anna Blackwell, are at the end of the text below.
Questions
A. What is worship and what form of worship that God prefers?
B. What is prayer and what is its purpose? Prayer makes the better man?
C. Considering that we can pray for others, including those who are already disembodied, prayer can change the nature of our evidence?
D. Whence originated the human sacrifices practiced by men with a view to please God?
E. The sacrifices of animals and people are pleasing to God?
Text for reading
365. Worship is the result of an innate feeling like the feeling of God's existence. The consciousness of his weakness leads man to bow down before him who can protect. (L.E., 650 and 652)
366. There has never been trained people atheists. Everyone understands that above all there is a Supreme Being. (L.E., 651)
367. The true worship is the heart. In all your actions, always remember that the Lord has his eye on you. The outward worship is, however, also useful, if not consist of an imitation. Those who are out of affectation and self-esteem, dismissing the proceeding with his apparent piety, give bad example and do not realize the harm that they cause. (L.E., 653 and 653 - "A")
368. Anyone who professes a religion, and practice self-interest and ambition, it is despicable in the eyes of God and men. The God can not please those who pretend to humble themselves before him simply to gain the applause of men. (L.E., 655)
369. Gathered by the communion of thoughts and feelings, men have more power to attract good spirits to you. The same happens when they meet to worship God. Do not think, however, that the particular worship is less valuable. (L.E., 656)
370. Who spends all his time in meditation and contemplation does nothing meritorious in the eyes of God, because he lives a personal life and useless, and God will demand an account of the good that has not made. (L.E., 657)
371. Prayer is always pleasing to God as dictated by the heart, for to him the intention is everything. He prefers the intimate prayer to prayer read, however beautiful it is, if read with the lips more than the heart. The prayer you like especially when done with faith, with earnestness and sincerity. The prayer of the vain man, proud and selfish play only when it means an act of sincere repentance and true humility. (L.E., 658)
372. Prayer can not redeem the faults. He who asks God for forgiveness of their sins only gets changed to proceed. Good deeds are the best prayer, because the actions speak louder than words. (L.E., 661)
373. We can pray effectively for others. The Spirit who now works for his willingness to do good and appeals to you, through prayer, good spirits, who associate the good they want to do. (L.E., 662)
374. It is helpful to pray for the dead and the suffering spirits. Prayer does not have the effect of changing the designs of God, but the soul for whom one prays experience relief, a refreshing, for having found that charitable souls pity their pain. Thus, we can shorten the sentence, if, for his part, he endorses the prayer with goodwill. The desire to improve themselves, awakened by the prayer, bringing to the suffering of the Holy Spirit will clarify that the best, give you comfort and hope. (L.E., 664 and 665)
375. You can pray to the good spirits, as the messengers of God and the executors of his will. Their power is, however, in connection with the superiority that they have achieved and always emanates from the Lord of all things, without whose permission nothing takes place. (L.E., 666)
376. The conception of the existence of one God led the development of human ideas. At first, everything seemed to go beyond the limits of intelligence was common to man, a deity. Anything not understood should be the work of a supernatural power. Hence the belief in many different powers as there were effects, was a step. At all times, however, there were learned men who will be impossible to understand the existence of these multiple powers to govern the world without an upward direction: this is the germ of the concept of one God. (L.E., 667)
377. The word was God, among the ancients, very broad sense. It was a generic qualification that was given to every being existing outside the conditions of humanity. Now, with them the spiritual manifestations revealed the existence of incorporeal beings, these beings gave the name of gods, as we currently give them to spirits. (L.E., 668)
378. People fanatics who promote the so-called holy wars are driven by evil spirits and their acts against the will of God, who loves each one tells his brother as himself. We strive to spread the doctrine of the Savior by persuasion and gentleness, not with fire and sword. (L.E., 671)
379. The prayer uttered from the heart is one hundred times more pleasing to God than all the offerings which ye do. (L.E., 672)
380. God always blesses those who do good. The best way to honor him is to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and afflicted. The man who sticks to the outside and not to the heart is a spirit of timid views. (L.E., 673)
Answers to questions
A. What is worship and what form of worship that God prefers?
In the spiritual sense, worship means raising the mind to God. The true worship of the heart, so God chooses those who worship him with all my heart, with sincerity, doing good and avoiding evil, those who think to honor him with ceremonies that do not make it better for his fellow men. Only the lips and the soul has no religion who profess to worship God, but that is jealous, envious and jealous, harsh and unforgiving toward others, or ambitious of the world's goods. (The Spirits' Book, questions 649, 650, 653, 654 and 657.)
B. What is prayer and what is its purpose? Prayer makes the better man?
Prayer is an act of worship. Praying to God is to think of it, is to approach it, is put yourself in communication with him. The three things we can offer us through prayer, praise, ask, thank you. Prayer makes the best man, because he prays with fervor and confidence grows stronger against evil temptations, and God sends the Good Spirits to assist you. (Ibid., questions 658 to 660 and 663.)
C. Considering that we can pray for others, including those who are already disembodied, prayer can change the nature of our evidence?
The evidence to which we submit are in the hands of God and there are some that have to be supported until the end, but God always takes into account the resignation. Prayer brings us together for the good spirits, and they give us the strength to bear them bravely, they seem less egregious.
With respect to persons for whom we pray, prayer does not have the effect of changing the designs of God, but the soul for whom one prays experience relief that greets you as a witness to the interest that inspires one who asks for it and also because the bastard one always feels refreshing when it finds that charitable souls pity their pain. On the other hand, by prayer, called upon the one who prays unhappy to repentance and a desire to do what it takes to be happy. In this sense is that if you can shorten the sentence, if, for his part, he endorses the prayer with goodwill. The desire to improve themselves, awakened by the prayer, bringing to the suffering of the Holy Spirit better, that will clarify, give you comfort and hope. Jesus prayed for the lost sheep, showing us so that we will be guilty if we do the same for those who most need our prayers. (Ibid., questions 662, 663 and 664.)
D. Whence originated the human sacrifices practiced by men with a view to please God?
There were two reasons that led men to the practice. The first is that the ancients did not understand God as the source of goodness, even as the moral sense in themselves are not thought developed. The second reason is that they believed would have an animated creature in the eyes of God, the more value than a material body or inanimate. That's why I began to immolate himself, initially, animals, and later men. In accordance with the false belief that they had, they thought that the value of sacrifice was proportionate to the victim. There was, therefore, the sense of cruelty that led to such practices, but the false idea that would please God acting that way. (Ibid., questions 669 and 670.)
E. The sacrifices of animals and people are pleasing to God?
No, never been. But God judges by the intent. Being ignorant men, they assumed was a natural act commendable practice sacrificing their fellows. In such cases, God paid attention only to the approach taken by this act and not. As they were gone better, the men came to recognize the error in that work, and finally abolished customs of these practices. (Ibid., questions 669 to 673.)
