Recently the magazine “Reformador” # 2150-A, May 2008, published the following note: From the meeting of the Federal Attorney General, in the state of Bahia, and some Spiritist publishers, in special FEB, due to the representation driven to this organ, requesting providences in the sense of prohibiting the books by Kardec which contained, in the view of the applicant, texts full of prejudice, which resulted the signing of a Term of Adjustment of Conduct. According to it, the publishers would have to insert explanatory notes in the books in question, avoiding any misinterpretation about the aforementioned texts. The  texts  are found, mainly, in the book

“Posthumous Works”: The Black can be beautiful for the black, as a cat is beautiful to a cat; but it is not beautiful in the absolute sense, because of its traces, its thick lips accuse the materiality of the instincts; they may as well express the violent passions, but would not be able to afford the delicate nuances of feelings of a fine spirit. And in the Spiritist Magazine of the year 1862: Thus, in the physical organization, the blacks will always be the same; as Spirits, they are undoubtedly an inferior race, it means, primitive. They are like kids who can be barely taught.

It is a shame that such adjustment has taken more than 150 years and its application had been forced by Justice. Soon it will be the scientists, or even more, any regular student of the Elementary School, who before the scientific mistakes contained in the Spiritist compilation, will be able to do the same and require another term of conduct, this time, obeying the laws and the current technology.

Is it lack of warning? Certainly not. The first and most important ones were given by Kardec himself: To make sure of unity in the future, a condition is indispensable, it is that all the parts of the Doctrine be determined precise and clearly, with no doubts; for that we did in such a way that our writing cannot afford any misinterpretation, and we hope it will always be like this.

The Spiritist doctrine cannot be immobilized or
it can die

Kardec was clear and emphatic as he approached the subject: The character of the doctrine must be essentially progressive. It cannot be immobilized or it can die. If another Law is discovered, it should be linked to; it must not close the door to any progress, assimilating all the fair ideas, whatever order they might be, physical or metaphysical ones, it shall never be surpassed, and this is one of the main guarantees of its perpetuity.

The program of the Doctrine shall not be, then, invariable but with the past principles to the state of confirmed truths; for all the others, it shall not admit, as it has always been, but to the name of hypotheses, until its confirmation. If it is shown there is a mistake somewhere, it shall be modified then.

To Kardec and Spiritist of common sense, we, as incarnated Spirits, are supposed to update, dig in and enhance the Compilation; in whatever it needs adjustments, once this is a never-ending process. Logically we should count on the support and inspiration of the good Spirits in our researches, but expect from them ready and conclusive answers without the effort of the search, never.

But why do some Spiritist people consider the Doctrine to be untouchable, in which nothing can be added nor removed? Because they forget that Spiritism is, first of all, science.

For those who consider Spiritism an exclusive divine revelation brought to men through the Spirits of High Degree in 1857, it is no wonder to suppose that the Doctrine is a diamond that had previously been cut, it means, a ready jewel. If all that was said came out directly from God’s mouth, He could not be mistaken whatsoever. But for those who consider that Kardec was a co-author, that a fair share of what was written is a product of his own researches, condensed, remodeled, studied and enhanced with his own thinking, the plot changes the scenery.

For those who are reasonable enough to observe that the messages came from mediums and they could make mistakes or introduce their ideas, consciously and unconsciously, giving them another interpretation to the facts, we have a different scenario.

For those who recall that in that time there were no mediums educated according to the Spiritist rules, once they were yet to be made; that the basket, of the slow and badly-elaborated writing, could be misunderstood, the certainty of mediumistic transmission with no interferences is impossible.

For those who admit that the Doctrine was coordinated under the orders of the Spirits of High Degree, but interpret “High Degree” when compared to us, earthly inhabitants, and not of the Highest Degree, pure Spirits, the need to be updated seems obvious. 

Not only the Spirits of High Degree contributed for the elaboration of the Doctrine

For those who recall that Kardec started his studies about the table-turning in 1855, and in less than two years the first edition of “The Spirits’ Book” was coming out, it means, admitting that during this period of time is impossible to any human being to completely understand such a complex subject as the one he was researching, there is a stone in the middle of the way or a but in the middle of the text.

Let’s go deeper in this subject. Not only the Spirits of High Degree contributed for the elaboration of the Doctrine, but of all degrees, as it is stated in one of his important books, “Heaven and Hell”, barely read and studied. In its pages, it is found a set of testimonials of Spirits in a good condition, sufferers, suicides, sorry criminals and ignorant Spirits, all describing their spiritual conditions, used as teachings and warnings for the learners of the Doctrine.

When we realize that Spiritism, Doctrine of proved excellence is more condensation, organization, selection rather than revelation, everything that it gathers, had already been existing before and revealed in other religions and philosophies, mainly among the ones pre-Jesus, we are touched by a certain dose of humility.

This humility Kardec advised in the interpretation and updating of the truths, because these are in constant changing. Some people might think that this is pretension, an act of pride and arrogance, to change, modify, or rewrite “The Spirits’ Book”. He who wrote the book is the only one who can change it. What I want to say is that the book be scientifically updated through footers, explanations at the end of the book, or whatever other way, as long as it can be updated.

My worry is about the scientific mistakes shown in the Compilation and no one says: in the time it was written that was the general consensus. Now science has proved otherwise!