In the century XVI in the Age of Reason, of anthropocentrism, the materialist rhetoric gains strength due to the social, political, economic and religious changes that were happening in Europe.

Faith is quenched at its own source; the religious ideal has disappeared. At that moment, the only concrete reality is matter in motion, which, given its richness, is capable of producing certain surprising effects that we call psychic or mental.

Strictly speaking, Christianity in force and accepted by most men did not have adequate answers to the ills of civilization.

Currently, after two millennia of historical fermentation, of the painful maturation of man, of criminal deformations of the Christian message, would it be possible, after all, to restore the fundamental teachings in their primitive purity?

In The Gospel According to Spiritism Kardec and the Superior Spirits reveal Spiritism to be "The Comforter Promised by Jesus", "The Spirit of Truth", the "Paraclete", according to the Gospel of John. "If you love me, keep my commandments; and I will ask my Father and He will send you another Comforter, so that he may remain with you forever: - The Spirit of Truth, which the world cannot receive, because it does not see him and absolutely does not know him. However, as for you, you will know him, for he will remain with you and be in you. - But the Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, whom my Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and he will remind you of all that I have said to you.” (1)

If, therefore, the Spirit of Truth had to come later to teach all things, it is because the Christ had not taught everything at the time. If he came to remember what Christ had said, we would have forgotten or misunderstood him.

According to His assertion, His teachings were incomplete, since it announced the coming of the one who should complete them. Thus, if Christ could not develop his teaching in a complete way, it is because men lacked knowledge that they could only acquire with time, and without which they could not understand it; things that might seem counterintuitive in the prevailing state of knowledge at the time.

Kardec also recalls that Spiritism comes at the right time to fulfill the promise of Christ: the Spirit of Truth presides over its establishment, reminding men of the observance of the law; teaching all things, making them understand what Christ had said in parables.

Christ said, "Hear those who have ears to hear"; Spiritism comes to open eyes and ears, because it speaks without figures or allegories; lifts the veil intentionally left over certain mysteries; finally comes to bring supreme consolation to the disinherited of the Earth and to all those who suffer, giving a just cause and a useful purpose to all pain.

Spiritism gives him an unshakable faith in the future. And the poignant doubt no longer takes hold of his soul; making him see things from above, the importance of earthly vicissitudes is lost in the vastness and splendid horizon that embraces it, and the prospect of happiness that awaits him gives him the patience, resignation and courage to go to the end of the path.(2)

Some brothers claim that there are many consoling doctrines. Why would only Spiritism be consoling?

We ask, do other doctrines offer man the tools [reincarnation, exchange with disincarnates, plurality of inhabited worlds, etc.] that Spiritism presents?

Certainly not! Even because the Spiritist Doctrine is not a set of ideas, said by a thinker or by any group. It is the manifestation of the Spirit of Truth, which made it using the system of universality, precisely so that personal or group opinions would not jeopardize the future of the liberating message.

The Third Revelation [or Promised Comforter] is based on the opinion of a group of intelligences [Spirits], who manifested themselves in more than a thousand spiritist groups throughout the world, at the time of the Codification.(3)

These intelligences established the moral and philosophical principles of the Spiritist Doctrine that cannot be changed by the will of this or that discordant thinker. This is the reason why it constitutes a Revelation and not a common doctrine, coming to be modified or interpreted like the human philosophies of all times.

If not, let us see, The Book of Spirits is considered by many scholars as the most advanced work of Philosophy that has news, dealing with subjects that touch all branches of knowledge: God, the soul, man and his immortality, divine justice , reincarnation, the plurality of inhabited worlds, etc.

With him, the "age of the Spirit and reasoned Faith" begins no more blind faith! The Spirit Bezerra de Menezes said: "The Book of Spirits, if it is studied lovingly, detained and systematically, for a hundred years, will not be totally penetrated".(4) Contemporary Christians say that communication with the spirits is not possible, because it was prohibited by Moses (5), therefore, it would be about demons (6) who try to deceive men. However, why could only evil spirits communicate with us? Would not the good spirits have that right?

Moreover, the so-called angels, who revealed the prophecies, are they not spirits as well. On the other hand, Jesus also said, "it is necessary to be born again". (7) (Emphasis added) Assuming that God is infinitely Good and Just, why would there be so many children with innate disabilities? '

Because of the sins of the fathers', they will say, but would it be fair for God to "punish" an innocent child because of his parents' mistakes? Recognizing that in God's statutes there is no room for unfairness; we can only conclude that this child is not as innocent as is supposed, since he certainly made many mistakes in his previous existence.

Furthermore, we do not conceive these tragedies as punishment or punishment, but as an opportunity for correction for the future benefit of the individual himself. Moreover, what about extraordinary gifted children or child geniuses?

One of two, either a whimsical Creator will be admitted, who favored these souls, or else, inevitably, these intelligences far above average are the result of the vast store of knowledge accumulated in the past life, manifesting in childhood the talent that they bring from the past.

There are also those who want to separate the scientific, philosophical and religious part of the Doctrine in the spiritist groups, and Chico Xavier, commenting on the subject, recalled, "The Spiritist Doctrine is science, philosophy and religion. If we take religion away, what remains? (...) there is a body without a heart, if we remove science there is a body without a head and if we remove philosophy there is a body without limbs.(8)

Therefore, let us not forget that the Comforter has three aspects: Scientific, Philosophical and Religious. As science proves through logic and experimentation. As philosophy operates the work of reasoning in search of knowledge and wisdom. As religion elucidates and clarifies, seeking to elevate souls, connecting people to each other and to God, building and illuminating feelings, promoting intimate reform.

What we try to demonstrate here, in general lines, is that the Doctrine of the Spirits is the Third Revelation, by way of complementing the two previous ones, because if the First, with Moses, brought the notion of Justice to barbarism and the Second, with Jesus Christ, brought the notion of Excellence Love to the still rude people. It came to bring to man the consoling notion of Duty, as promised by the Master when he said, "Many things I still have to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit (10), whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and will remind you of everything I have told you. (11) 

Bibliographic references:

1-John, chap. XIV, vv. 15:16: 17:26

2- Kardec, Allan. The Gospel According to Spiritism, RJ: Ed FEB 1999. Chap. SAW.

3- Could a single man be capable of formulating by himself all the scientific and philosophical concepts of the Spiritist Doctrine? As remarkable as Kardec's genius was, we believe that this would not be possible. In truth, the Superior Spirits took the New Revelation from one pole to the other, manifesting itself in all parts of the globe, without granting anyone the exclusive privilege of hearing their words. It is in this universality of doctrinal precepts that Spiritism's impregnable strength lies and also the cause of its so rapid propagation.

4- Reformer of January 1974, page 30, ed. FEB

5- Deuteronomy says there should never be among you anyone who consults diviners, who observes dreams and omens, who uses malefices, sorceries, enchantments, or who consults those who have the pythonic spirit and give themselves to practices of divination by interrogating the dead. The Lord abhors all these things and will destroy, at your entrance, the nations that commit such crimes."(Chap. XVIII vv. 10, 11 and 12.)".

6- The word "Satan" in Greek means adversary. Diabolos, in Latin, means opponent. The word demon (daimon), in its Greek etymology means human spirits or souls, later being understood as evil spirits. So much so that some authors from the dawn of Christianity used the expression "evil demons", and one of them was Saint Justin, martyred in 165 AD, and who wrote the Work "Apology of the Christian Religion".

7- John, chap. III vs 1:12.

8- "Interviews with Chico Xavier", available online on 03/27/2005

9- John, chap., XVI, vs 12.

10- When Jesus prophesied the coming of the Comforter, he was referring to the Good Spirit; he did not use the expression Holy Spirit at all which was certainly an alteration in the translations. Today we know that the expression Espirito Santo (Holy Spirit) symbolizes the Spirits who work at the service of God and already at that time involved the disciples of Jesus, on the feast of Pentecost, causing the outbreak of the mediumistic faculty, leading them to speak in different languages to foreigners of the world. location (xenoglossy)

11- John, chap., XIV, vs 25.