Special

por Rogério Miguez

Are there wronged?

The theme is exciting, as the notions of duty and right, fundamental bases for the establishment of justice, have been discussed throughout our evolutionary process, this with regard to this part of Universal Humanity.

Due to our still incipient understanding of divine principles, and despite the continued effort to learn the concepts of duty and right, some still believe that there are injustices. They believe that they were reached by evils and that they did not deserve to have been affected. Yes, they truly believe they are wronged!

However, when we recall one of the Creator's necessary attributes - perfect justice and mercy -, among so many other perfections characterizing the Divinity, we could shorten our simple analysis on the subject and already answer, with categorical certainty: No, there are no wronged, there could not be! Because, if there were wronged - if we could point out any Spirit, incarnated or disincarnated that was going through an unfair situation - we would have to conclude that God would also be unfair in the way He controls His own Creation. He would be allowing, from time to time, that one of his beloved children was harmed, or even suffered any harm, without merit, and, consequently, suffering unjustly. Furthermore, we would be forced to accept that their eternal and immutable wise laws would not be able to prevent the alleged injustices, making them also faulty, incomplete, powerless laws to prevent these “incomprehensible” situations.

How could Perfect Justice allow any injustice, however small?

However, despite this simple and straightforward reasoning in our point of view this could serve as a basis to appease the afflicted hearts by supposing that God may be, eventually, unjust. Nothing would be more gratifying and motivating than to reflect a little on any topic to better understand it and, through a fair understanding of the matter, bring lasting peace to conscience.

Thus, we can start our reflections by remembering that the popularization of the first notions of justice on Earth, happened, according to some historians, around 1500 BC, brought by a Spirit of high evolution when he was here - Moses -, the author of Torah, the set of the five fundamental books of the Hebrew faith. However, before him, our History says that some proposals on justice, such as the maxim of a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye, were already part of an ancient code of laws, elaborated in Mesopotamia, in the kingdom of Babylon, called the Code of Hammurabi (18th century BC).

The revelation of the Law of Talion to Humanity was of fundamental importance. It aimed to prevent those still raw people from committing atrocities in compensation for possible losses, when there was any friction in social relations. The logic was simple. At the time, it was customary to charge a debt in an amount greater than the damage suffered, out of pure revenge - and some still do so in the 21st century. However, applying the Law of Talion, that is, authorizing the collection of equal to the loss suffered, and nothing else, greatly diminished the possible violence between the litigants. By the way, this Law still exists, contrary to those who believe that it has since its emergence in biblical times, and recorded by Allan Kardec in the 19th century in several works, such as:

Jesus said, “Whoever killed with the sword will die by the sword.” Do these words not enshrine the penalty of Talion? Therefore, the death imposed on the murderer does not constitute the application of that penalty.

"Caution! You are mistaken about these words, as about many others. The penalty of retribution is the justice of God; He applies it. All of you suffer this penalty at every moment, as you are punished for what you have sinned, in this lifetime or in another. [...] 1

Those interested in reading a little more about the principle of Talion can find other considerations on the subject in the text entitled The 21st century has arrived. Is the law of Talion finally gone2

However, let us leave this particular modality of divine justice. Since the application of justice, in general, has always interested us closely, we believe that it is due to the divine spark, engraved in our spiritual essence, from the beginning of the individualization process of this principle, giving us the embryonic sense of morals and ethics, driving us, as a result, to the pursuit of conquest of the many virtues.

However, along our evolutionary journey, through personal choices and behaviors, without any divine determination, many injustices thus understood have been committed, considering that many of us choose the evolutionary path distanced from the divine postulates, others do not. The first, acting contrary to divine laws, caused different harm to themselves and to others and, eventually, were unfair in the interactions among the many societies of which they were already part.

It should be emphasized: we can act unfairly; however, the person affected by our unjust conducts can never say that he was wronged. Moreover, for what reason?

In addition to what was previously mentioned about the Creator's perfect justice and mercy, there is another necessary attribute of God - omniscience - also fundamental to understanding the subject. We could define it as absolute, total knowledge, infinite knowledge about all things, that is, God is aware of everything that happens in the world of the living, in any realm, about all of Nature. This being also one of the essential characteristics of the Father, it is not understood how He could, knowing everything, allow one of his children to suffer any injustice.

We can also remember another divine principle that unquestionably ensures that there is no chance, 3 in fact, all Spiritists should be fully convinced of this reality, well, if nothing happens unforeseen, it is not conceivable that a Spirit is affected by an evil that does not necessarily have to face. The agent of this evil can exist, acquiring a debt, and must, without a shadow of a doubt, pay it off with the Divine Law, by pain or by the continued exercise of love, but we can never imagine that the one receiving the harm would be suffering unjustly. So, once again, we ask “And for what other reason?”

In addition to the justifications raised above, due to the law of cause and deed, so well explained by Allan Kardec. This other divine principle clarifies that all events in life are the result of pre-established conditions in whatever field of action. That is, what happens to us is the result, invariable, of a set of attitudes we took in the past of the present existence, added to another group of behaviors practiced in other existences – cause and effect.

Additionally, we could consider that if we have chosen a test to test our virtues and, as a result of these tests, previously selected, we are expected to be "wrongful" by society, this apparent evil that we will receive is not truly an injustice, as I am desiring and, in fact, I hope it happens, as agreed before reincarnating. In this way, I can verify in practice the achievement of my alleged virtues, those that I suppose I have, such as patience, tolerance, submission, among others necessary that will allow me to accept resignedly the so-called “injustices” of the world.

Injustice has something of unpredictability, that is, if it existed, the Spirit should not suffer the harm that was inflicted on it, a situation that, once again, does not find support in the omnipotence of the Creator, another characteristic attribute of the Divinity. He could not allow evils without justification or reasons having absolute power over everything and everyone.

So, how are the agents of the so-called injustices? Those who committed the unseemly, cruel, inhumane acts?

We emphasize, once again: they will have to face the consequences of their actions, because no one will cover themselves with the harmful results of their acts, even acting as instruments of God's own law. It is not possible to attribute to God the responsibility for our actions, this will never happen, we are always responsible for what we do.

It is for this reason that Jesus guided:

Woe to the world because of scandals; because it is necessary that scandals come, but woe to the man for whom scandal comes4

Going back in the past for two thousand years, we could ask if the executioners of Christ were previously appointed to commit injustices.

In no way, as there can be no mission for evil, it would be absurd to believe in this possibility:

Have the Spirits who seek to induce us to evil and thus test our firmness in goodness receive a mission to do so? Moreover, if it is a mission they fulfill. Will they have any responsibility for it?

No Spirit receives the mission to do evil. When he does, it is of his own free will and therefore he suffers the consequences. God may permit him to do it to test you, but He does not command it, and it is up to you to repel him.” 5 (Our bold)

Judas, nor any of those who inflicted suffering on Christ, much less those who martyred the thousands of Christians in the arenas, were marked to err, since it would be another nonsense to believe that the Perfect Goodness could force or force certain Spirits, also His children , to commit malicious acts against other children, their brothers. Those who rebelled against Christ did so on their own accord, without any desirability of evil, evidently, bearing the consequences of the results obtained.

Additionally, it is also worth reflecting: could we act unfairly against ourselves, for example, when remorse and repentance visit us and we do not give ourselves self-forgiveness because of thoughtless attitudes committed against others, or even against ourselves. In this case, the Spirit would be victim and executioner of itself. It could wrong by itself.

In short: there are unjust, without a shadow of a doubt, as a large part of this Humanity still behaves in a way contrary to doing to others what they would like them to do to themselves, however, in any case, there can be no wrongdoers.

In relation to the case of possible self-injustice, we leave the reader to reflect on this question.

 

References:

1 KARDEC, Allan. The Book of SpiritsTrans. Evandro Noleto Bezerra. 4th ed. Print: 9, Brasilia: FEB, 2020. q. 764.

2 Reformer. The 21st century has arrived. Is the law of Talion finally gone? April 2013.

3 NOTE: We suggest that the reader consult the questions 8, 37, 386, 388, 525a, 536 and 663 in The Book of Spirits.

4 KARDEC, Allan. The Gospel According to SpiritismTrans. Evandro Noleto Bezerra. 2nd. ed. 1. Print Brasilia: FEB, 2013. Chap. VIII. Item 11.

5 KARDEC, Allan. The Book of SpiritsTrans. Evandro Noleto Bezerra. 4th ed. 9. Print Brasilia: FEB, 2020. q. 470.


 

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

 
 

     
     

O Consolador
 Revista Semanal de Divulgação Espírita