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Philosophy is the search
for truth, not its
possession, as Jaspers,
a contemporary German
philosopher, said,
concluding that: “to do
philosophy is to be on
the way; Questions in
philosophy are more
essential than answers,
and each answer becomes
a new question.
Ask, ask and ask!... Is
not that what Kardec
did?!... And isn't that
what the Superior
Spirits1 advise?
In order to enter safely
the borders and
intricacies of the
Spiritist Christian
Philosophy, let us
follow the lucid
clarification of the
confrere Victor Leonardo
da Silva, which we took
from the "Spiritist
Journal", an organ of
dissemination of the
Spiritist Federation of
the State of Sao Paulo,
edition of the month of
November/ 2000:
“(...) since ancient
times, the human being
has always tried to
explain the phenomena of
Nature through
non-natural causes. He
used his meager
knowledge combined with
magical thinking. This
led to the creation of
myths to explain natural
phenomena such as rain,
thunder, earthquake,
wind, etc...
Around the 5th century
BC, Greece had several
colonies in Asia Minor
(present-day Turkey). In
these cities, there were
people from different
cultures, such as
Greeks, Jews,
Babylonians, Egyptians,
Medes, Persians... The
Greek thinkers, who
lived there, noticed
that, for the same
phenomenon, there were
different explanations,
depending on the
culture. They then
concluded that such
explanations, to be
true, had to be based on
“natural” elements. This
reasoning led them to
abandon myths and
understand reality
through causes produced
by Nature.
There should be a
primitive “arché”
principle originating
all things. The first
thinker was Thales, from
the city of Miletus, who
attributed the cause of
everything to water.
Others appeared who
pointed to fire, earth
and air as the cause.
Empedocles and Aristotle
adopted these four
elements together. There
were others who
idealized a theoretical
“arché” such as
the “homoeomerias”,
the “apeiron” and
the atom.
During the middle Ages,
Christianity, which had
received religious
influence from Judaism,
had to adapt to Greek
philosophy to establish
itself in the
Greco-Roman world. St.
Augustine added
Patristics to these two
doctrines as philosophy,
for they feel that,
since they have a
religious influence,
they do not explain
reality solely by
natural causes. This “explanation
of reality” is a
worldview [Cosmo vision
or Weltanschauung]. As a
worldview, it is
plausible to accept the
idea of a creator God.
Therefore, they are
accepted by the
majority, who is not
materialistic, as
philosophies.
Spiritism would be the
third Christian
philosophy. It would
have been revealed in
order to give a new
worldview to humanity
that would prepare to
enter the regeneration
phase. Usually "The
Book of Spirits" is
pointed out as the
philosophical content in
the Codification made by
Allan Kardec. In fact,
the entire Codification
has its philosophical
aspects. The first part
of this book, which is
extended in the book “The
Genesis”, presents
the Spiritist
Metaphysics, the
Theodicy, the
Philosophical
Anthropology and
Cosmology.
The second part,
deepened in “The Book
of Mediums”, exposes
again the Philosophical
Anthropology and
Spiritist Cosmology. The
third part, detailed in
“The Gospel According
to Spiritism”,
provides notions of the
philosophical position
of Spiritism on Ethics,
Theory of Knowledge,
Spiritist Philosophy of
Education, Philosophy of
Law, Economic
Philosophy, Social
Philosophy, and
Philosophy of History.
The fourth part, which
talks about future pains
and enjoyments, being
developed in the book “Heaven
and Hell”, addresses
characteristics of the
Spiritist Theodicy.
The Spiritist
Codification has a vast
philosophical content
that can very well be
used by this humanity
with no faith and
hope...
Traditional Christians
claim that Spiritism is
not a Christian doctrine
because it does not
accept trinitarianism
(incomprehensible and
illogical theory
originating in India and
introduced by the Church
Fathers into
Christianity in which it
is believed that God is
made up of three persons
called the “Holy
Trinity” : Father Son
and Holy Spirit). Let us
remember that
trinitarianism is
foreign to both Greek
philosophy and Judaism,
the doctrines that
founded Christianity.
Trinitarianism was
introduced in Greece
during the Hellenistic
phase by the
neo-Platonic philosopher
Ammonius Sacas, who had
lived in India for
fifteen years from where
he brought this concept.
At the beginning of the
Christian era, there
were two opposing
currents: the one led by
Bishop Arius [Arianism],
which admitted one and
only God; and that of
the Neoplatonists
[trinitarianism], which
also admitted the only
God, but triune. When
Constantine decided to
adopt Christianity as
the official religion of
his empire, aiming at
the political end of
avoiding its
fragmentation, he
provoked the Council of
Nicaea, in 325, and
resolved this quarrel
inclining to the
Neoplatonic position,
since many of his nobles
upon which he was
politically dependent,
espoused such a
doctrine. Therefore, we
affirm that, in order to
be a Christian, there is
no obligation to be a
trinitarian. Throughout
Allan Kardec's work
there is constant
reference to
Christianity and
recommendations to
follow it. The existence
of the book “The
Gospel According to
Spiritism”, which
interprets the parables
and the good news, is
sufficient proof of its
fidelity to the
teachings of Christ, who
is the most perfect and
singular Model and Guide
that ever existed. What
we do not accept is that
other Christian groups
judge only their
interpretations as
authentic. Thus, we can
affirm, without a shadow
of a doubt, that
Spiritism is the Third
Christian Philosophy
that came to complete
and explain the two
previous ones”.
It is not difficult to
conclude that if today
there is Catholicism and
not Arianism, this is
due solely and
exclusively to
Constantine and his
political maneuvers
aimed at strengthening
and unifying his
empire...
Let us end with the wise
words of Vianna de
Carvalho (Spirit):
“(...) the search for
truth has been endless,
laborious, complex...
Like a phoenix, the
truth rises from the
ashes where it seems to
have been consumed,
presenting itself more
vigorous and brilliant
with each rebirth, in
the incessant attempt to
stay in the world.
That is what happened
with Allan Kardec when
he presented Spiritism -
in a synthesis of
science - that proves
immortality,
reincarnation, the
elusive life before the
cradle and after the
grave. He presented this
as a philosophy that
solves the enigmas that
disturb the minds and
behavior of beings.
However, as a religion
devoid of formulas,
mysticism, rituals,
giving rise to the
identification of man
with his reality in
permanent connection
with his Creator.
At the time of
investigations into the
micro and macrocosm, of
the unfolding of
scientific doctrines,
Spiritism relies on them
for the confirmation of
its doctrinal
postulates. Starting
from the fact, which
explains itself, it
exposes contents of
optimistic philosophy
that give meaning to
earthly existence, in
the harmonious whole of
life. It goes back to
Biology, Anthropology,
Embryogenesis, Nuclear
Physics and psychic
doctrines. It
complements them with
its clarifications,
which constitute the
causality of events,
contributing with
enriched sociological
values, capable of
modifying the
constitution and
structure of the human
collectivity.
Based on the morals of
Christ, as well as those
of His predecessors,
especially Socrates and
Plato, it becomes the
cosmic religion of Love,
which shelters all
sentient beings, uniting
them before the Divine
and Unique Paternity.
Hovering, rational and
demonstrable, in the
tumultuous skies of the
century of
enlightenment, it
reaches the present,
increasingly clear and
vigorous, in the face of
the growing achievements
of scientific research
in various areas, which
demonstrate and confirm
its legitimacy.
Man with his space
bolides seeks to study
the stars of the stellar
archipelago that
surrounds us. Meanwhile,
Spiritism - confirming
the Abodes
of the Father's House,
according to Jesus'
lucid and happy saying
on the plurality of
inhabited worlds -
maintains the certainty
of transcendentally of
life, not only in the
shadows of the blessed
terrestrial planet, but
also in other spheres
that gravitate towards
the Cosmos, singing
hymns of praise to the
Creator of the Universe.
Thus, the truth slowly
revealed in fragments,
through the centuries,
by the various
Spiritualist Doctrines,
in Spiritism splendor
and triumph, singing the
glory of God and
inviting the human
spirit to growth, to
liberation, to
fullness”.
_________________________
-
KARDEC, Allan. The Book
of Spirits. 88th edition.
Rio [de Janeiro]: FEB,
2006, issues 833 and
837.
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