“and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.” – Paul (Tito, 2:8)

 “The highest charity one can practice towards the Spiritist Doctrine is its own dissemination” - Emmanuel

Ethics or morals constitute the so called “philosophy of how to act”, of an imminently practical nature, and aims at advancing the pure and simple good from man, according to the concept developed by Jacques Maritain (GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY, AGIR PUBLISHER, RIO DE JANEIRO, 1953, PAGE 151). Within this general idea, this philosophy much appeals to man, from the particular aspect of man’s goodness or perfection, in face of his capacity to exercise free-will.

Works prepared and produced by free will only interest ethics in as much as they show themselves as revealing agents of one’s “acting”, understood as the “free use of our faculties”(page 151). Hence the reason why it is said that Ethics is the Practical Philosophy par excellence. 

Moral rules are not imposed on man coercively; contrary to what has been verified in the scope of Law. The sanctions due to breaches of moral rules present themselves as an inevitable effect of the reaction of each one in face of provoked evil, being irrelevant to the fact of mundane justice having any stand in relation to these breaches. 

In relation to breaches, the recommendation of Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians is entirely pertinent: “Everything is permissible for me—but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me—but I will not be mastered by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12).

From this passage one can perceive the great distance that still exists between the fields of morality and of right, which the Romans had already made known in the famous aphorism: “Non omne quod licet honestum est” (Not everything that is permitted is honest). 

Not always that which Man’s law allows is adequate to the higher proposals of Spiritism 

All human activities are subjected to the two legal commands: the ethical and the juridical. Situations which are found explicitly laid out by so called Codes of Ethics – aimed specifically at professionals of certain areas – are to do more with Law than with Ethics itself, because they take care to establish rules that regulate the exercise of the profession and to define the infractions carried out by these professional, imposing due sanctions on them. Some are of such a degree of gravity that they become the subject of penal-juridical treatment, as example of what went on until last April, when the Superior Federal Tribunal, in an arguable decision at the very least, revoked the so called Law of Free Press (Law 5250/67), through the questionable argument that it injured the principles of true democracy.  

This, however, does not imply an absolute power which secures for professionals of the press a frivolous, ample and total right of being ignorant of the simplest principles of ethics and common sense which must rule them, subjecting them, obviously, to the foreseen sanctions of the Penal Code, and which aim at protecting the honour of others. 

Such considerations are applicable to everyone who works in the media, be it as professionals, or be it simply as causal collaborators. Those who are found in some way engaged with the dissemination of the spirits’ Doctrine cannot escape these laws and that includes who have a big responsibility bestowed upon them. While these are enough for those who dedicate themselves to communication in general, the adaptation of their actions to general lawfulness, without any large worry with its aspect, is not enough to the spiritist communicator. Paul’s warning must be the be the guiding rule in all one’s activities, reminding oneself that the attitude allowed by man’s laws is not always conveniently adequate for Spiritism' higher purposes. 

The spiritist means of communication cannot be reduced to the condition of an arena of personal conflicts 

Polemics of philosophic scope, which have already become common place in some bodies of the spiritist press, and that today gain strength and undue reach through the internet, violently affront the postulates of true ethics. They bring no benefit to Spiritism and, as actions which reveal the “acting” of their authors; they demonstrate that their authors remain stationary in that situation mentioned by Kardec in THE MEDIUMS’ BOOK, when he referred to very little comprehension, by a great number of followers, of the true essence of the Doctrine, indispensable to the creation of a “strong link” which binds all its workers (op. cit. item 334, page 430).. 

This, however, does not mean the prohibition or censorship of serious discussions in respect of some modern subjects which cannot be ignored or omitted by spiritists, as the case, for example, of the question related to live embryo research, to abortion, to euthanasia and to the official recognition of so called loving gay marriages, which, in our view, are entirely incompatible with Spiritism. 

The above mentioned polemics end up following the natural path of all episodes of this nature, by becoming instruments of reciprocal aggressions. On the other hand, they do not succeed in hiding the fact that they lend themselves much more to the undesirable overflow of pride and vanity of their participants than to the dissemination of Spiritism. 

The means of spiritist communication cannot be reduced to the condition of an arena of personal conflicts, even if such cares are masked with a posture of intransigent defence of Kardec’s postulates. Those who act in this way, notwithstanding the good intention which moves them, forget that the Codifier always recommended tolerance in face of divergent opinions and concepts.   His motto – work, tolerance, solidarity – is found to be present in all his actions and pronouncements, amongst those contained in the Constitution of Spiritism, one deserves special highlight, to quote verbatim: “ If I am right, everyone will end up thinking as I do; if I am wrong, I will end up thinking as others do”(POSTHUMOUS WORKS, PAGE 349) 

To create, nourish and foment disputes of a philosophic content constitutes a disservice to the Doctrine

Therefore the conscious utilisation of resources that technology offers is up to everyone who finds themselves engaged with Spiritist Social Communication, in order to place Spiritism at the service of the whole of humanity, as a doctrine of consolation and hope. The employment of these resources, though good intention, to create, nourish or foment disputes of philosophic contents, implies an undisguised disservice to the Doctrine, making public that which should remain limited to the inner circles of the spiritist institutions. 

The divergences which perchance exist amongst its followers must be resolved through dialogue and comprehension. Before Paul’s incongruities, of the misplaced pretensions of John and Andre, of the incredibility of Thomas or of Judas’ treachery, Jesus neither used weapons of retaliation, nor argued with them, nor boasted publicly of their shortcomings. In his sermons – which were the available means to him of communicating with the mass - he never make public these procedures and attitudes, even though he had corrected their authors with severity, as in the episode in which Peter demonstrated his non-conformism and incomprehension before the Master’s mission -” Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."(Matthew, 16:30) 

The biggest challenge in the area of Spiritist Social Communication is related to the imperious requirement of making sure that common sense is present in all of its activities. In its specific case, ethics and common sense are identified and hence some parameters within which its actions must be developed. 

Although scandal is many times necessary, those responsible will suffer its consequences

Disseminate without causing polemic. 

Keep loyal to the philosophic principles, without allowing this to become a pretext for personal disputes. 

Recognise, in the ennobling task of taking Spiritism to the reach of a greater number of people, an opportunity of personal redemption and not a favour which one renders to the recipient of the information. 

Never omit that, no matter how much one has of philosophic knowledge, nobody can, in face of very same spiritual destitution of the whole humanity, sport oneself in the condition of Master.  

Never allow oneself to get carried away by sensationalism; by anxiety over being the first one to report news , by reporting news at first hand, since in regards to this Kardec was incisive in affirming: “ If it is right that the utopia of vespers often becomes the truth of the following day, we must allow the following day to realise the utopia of the vespers of the previous day, however, we must not obstruct the Doctrine with principles which can be considered fanciful and cause positive men to repel it”.(The Constitution of Spiritism, POSTHUMOUS WORKS, page 348). 

Finally, always have in mind that, although scandal is often necessary, the person responsible for its cause is not free from serious consequences due to the inexorable law of cause and effect.