We begin today the methodical study of "The Mediums' Book" by Allan Kardec, the second of the works that make up the Pentateuch Kardecian, whose first edition was published in 1861. The answers to the questions suggested for discussion was the end of the text below.
Questions
A. The progress of Spiritualism happened from that moment?
B. To speak to someone about Spiritualism is a need to first base. What basis is this?
C. Spiritualism says that about the supernatural and the marvelous?
D. Which and how many classes are spiritualists?
Text for reading
1. The practice of Spiritualism is surrounded by many difficulties and is not always without drawbacks, that only a complete and serious study can avoid. (Introduction, p. 6)
2. Makes a bad impression on people ill-prepared novice or contact with experiments made lightly and without knowledge of the facts. Such experiences also have the disadvantage of providing a very false idea of the spirit world and lead to teasing, that's why unbelievers leave these meetings rarely converted and unwilling to see a serious side of Spiritualism. (Introduction, p. 6)
3. The doubt concerning the existence of spirits is the main cause of ignorance of their true nature. (L.M., item 1)
4. The idea of the existence of Spirit is based necessarily on the existence of an intelligent principle out of matter. We, therefore, as a starting point the existence, survival and individuality of the soul, which demonstrates the theoretical and dogmatic Spiritualism, and Spiritualism proves so patent. (Item 1)
5. If we admit the existence and uniqueness of the soul after death, we must also admit: 1 - it is a different kind of body, 2 - she enjoys a self-consciousness, because we attribute to it joy or sorrow. (Item 2)
6. The souls draw from their fortune or misfortune on themselves, their fate is subject to a moral state. The meeting of souls is a nice and good source of happiness. According to their degree of purification, penetrate and glimpsed things lurk in the grosser souls. Souls reach its highest level through their own efforts and after a series of tests, the angels are souls coming to the highest degree, that all may reach, while the demons are the souls of the wicked is not purified, but can reach like the others, the highest summit of perfection. (Item 2)
7. Those souls who inhabit the space are precisely what we call spirits, the spirits are nothing else than the souls of men stripped of its casing body. One can not therefore deny the existence of spirits without denying the existence of souls. (Item 2)
8. We find the phenomenon of spiritual manifestations patent proof of the existence and survival of the soul. (Item 3)
9. In humans there are three elements: the spirit, body and perispirit. The Spirit is the principal being, because that is the thinking being a survivor, the body is just an accessory, a jacket, a garment that leaves the Spirit, when it is worn, the perispirit is a semi-material envelope, which links the spirit and the body . By death the Spirit sheds the first envelope, but not the second. (Item 3)
10. The semi-material envelope, called perispirit, which takes the human form, for the Spirit is a vaporous fluid body which, although invisible to us in its normal state, has some properties of matter. (Item 3)
Answers to questions
A. The progress of Spiritualism happened from that moment?
Spiritualism has made great strides since its introduction, but the first had just entered the immense philosophical way, because it was appreciated by enlightened people. Today it is no longer a spectacle, is a doctrine which does not laugh over those who poked fun at turning tables. By striving to drive it and keep it in this area, we are convinced will win more supporters useful than causing the left and right manifestations of which could be abused. That we have to prove every day by the number of adherents achieved by simply reading the Book of Spirits. (The Mediums' Book, Introduction.)
B. To speak to someone about Spiritualism is a need to first base. What basis is this?
Before any discussion entabularmos spirit, it averiguemos us that if the party admits the existence of the soul and God. This is the basis of the entire building. If he responds negatively or evasively ("I do not know, I want it that way, but I'm not sure") to the questions: Do you believe in God? Do you believe have a soul? You believe in survival of the soul after death?, Would be totally useless to go further because such intent would be tantamount to demonstrate the properties of light to a blind man. Now the spiritual manifestations are nothing else but the effects of properties of the soul. If the individual does not admit the existence of this, we are wasting time, unless we use a different order of ideas. (L.M., item 4).
C. Spiritualism says that about the supernatural and the marvelous?
In the eyes of those who see the matter as the only power of nature, everything that can not be explained by the laws of the matter is wonderful or supernatural. For these wonderful is synonymous with superstition and supernatural is that which is contrary to the laws of nature. Spiritualism does not accept all the facts that are attributed to the marvelous and the supernatural. Far from it, demonstrates the inability of many of them and ridicule of certain beliefs that are, properly speaking, the effect of a superstition. All spiritualistic phenomena have in principle the existence of the soul, its survival to the body and its manifestations. These phenomena, based on a law of nature, have nothing wonderful or supernatural, in the ordinary sense of those words. The true facts are reputed supernatural only because who does not judge them so they know the cause. Determining the cause of them, Spiritism makes them penetrate to the domain of natural phenomena. (L.M., items 10, 13 and 14.)
D. Which and how many classes are spiritualists?
There are four main classes: first) Spiritualists experimenters, who simply believe in demonstrations and think that Spiritualism is a simple science of observation; second) imperfect spiritists, who also understand the philosophical doctrine of the moral and admire her elapses, but do not practice. The influence of Spiritualism on the character of them is negligible or zero, they do not change anything of their habits and keep the greed, pride, envy or jealousy that characterized earlier; third) the true spirit, or rather, the Christian spirit who are not content with admiring the moral spirit, but the practice, accepting them with all the consequences. Convinced that earthly existence is a transient event, working to take advantage of these short moments to walk the way of progress, striving to do good and punish their evil inclinations. Charity is, in all things, the rule of his conduct; fourth) the exalted spirit, who readily accept and without reflection all that comes from the spiritual plane. Exaggerated in their belief, they reveal a blind trust and the sometimes puerile things in the invisible world. They are less likely to convince, because they are very good Faith deceived by spirits is mystifying, either by people who exploit their credulity. (L.M., item 28.)
