We hereby continue the methodical study of "The Gospel According to Spiritism" by Allan Kardec, the third of the works of the Kardecian Pentateuch. The first edition was published in April, 1864. The answers to the questions suggested for discussion are at the end of the text below.
Questions for discussion
A. Do we suffer consequences for a bad thought even though it is not realized?
B. What is the purpose of religion?
C. It is necessary that offence exists, but woe to that man by whom the offence comes. What does this mean?
D. Why does Jesus promise the earth to the meek, when he had recommended that mankind renounce to all riches of this world?
Reading text
124. Therefore, bow down your haughty brows, for God can cause you to fall at the exact moment when you most exalt yourselves. All men are equal on the divine scale of justice; only virtue marks the distinction in the eyes of God. (Chapter VII, section 11, Lacordaire)
125 Poor creature! You are a mother! Your children suffer! They are cold and hungry while you, bent under the burden of your cross, go out to humiliate yourself in order to bring them bread! Oh! I bow down before you! How saintly and noble you are, how great in my eyes! Pray and wait, because happiness still is not of this world. God will grant the Kingdom of Heaven to the poor and oppressed who have confidence in Him. (Chapter VII, section 11, Lacordaire)
126. All you who suffer injustice, be indulgent with the faults of your brothers and sisters, pondering that you are not exempt from guilt too. This is charity and also humility. If you suffer from slander, then bow down your head before this trial. What importance does the slander of this world have for you? (Chapter VII, section 11, Lacordaire)
127. My friends, my brothers and sisters, awaken! Let the voices of the Spirits echo in your hearts. Be generous and charitable without ostentation, that is to say, do good with humility. In a word, be a true Christian and you will possess the kingdom of truth. (Chapter VII, section 11, Lacordaire)
128. Intelligence holds great riches in future merits, provided it is well employed. If all men who possessed it, used it in conformity with God's wishes, then it would be easy for the Spirits to perform their task of helping mankind advance. (Chapter VII, section 13, Ferdinando)
129. And Jesus said "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matthew, Chapter 5, v. 8). Pureness of heart is inseparable from simplicity and humility. It excludes all ideas of selfishness and pride. This was why Jesus took infancy as the symbol of that purity. He said: "the Kingdom of Heaven are for those who resemble them" and "the one that does not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. (Chapter VIII, sections 1 to 3)
130. True pureness is not only in our behavior, but also in our thoughts. If you have a pure heart, you do not even think evil. Jesus wished to say that He condemned sin even in thoughts, because it is a sign of impurity. (Chapter VIII, section 6)
131. The Jews had scorned God's true commandments in order to cling to the practice of regulations which had been established by man. The same happened regarding the moral doctrine of Christ, which ended up in second place. As a consequence, many Christians, just like the ancient Jews, consider that salvation is better guaranteed by means of external practice rather than by moral practice. Jesus refers to these manmade additions to God's law when he said "Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up". (Chapter VIII, section 10)
132. In its most usual sense the word offence means any action which goes ostensibly against morality or decorum. The offence is not in the action itself so much as in the repercussion it may cause. (Chapter VIII, section 12)
133. In the evangelic sense, the word "offence" , used so repeatedly, is generalized. It becomes not only that which affects the conscience of another person, but also everything which is the result of vice and human imperfections, every bad reaction from one individual to another, with or without repercussion. In this case the offence is the effective result of bad morality. (Chapter VIII, section 12)
134. The expression: "If your hand be the cause of offence, cut it off". This is a very strong statement and it would be absurd for it to be taken in its literal sense. It should therefore be understood that each one must destroy within themselves everything that might cause offence, that is to say all evil, by rooting out every impure thought and every vicious tendency. (Chapter VIII, section 17)
Answers to the proposed questions
A. Do we suffer consequences for a bad thought even though it is not realized?
It depends. All evil thoughts result from the imperfection of the soul. But according to one's will power to purify himself, the evil thought becomes a tool for one's spiritual advancement when it is repelled with energy. This is an indication of an effort to extinguish fault and the person will not give in, even though the opportunity to practice it occurs. After resisting temptation to satisfy its evil desire, the soul feels stronger and more contented with its victory. On the contrary, the person who has made no good efforts will look for every opportunity to practice evil, and if this is not achieved, it will not be due to the exercise of his will power, but to lack of opportunity. This person then will be just as guilty as if it had actually committed an evil act and will thus suffer its consequences. (The Gospel According to Spiritism, Chapter VIII, sections 5 to 7.)
B. What is the purpose of religion?
The purpose of religion is to conduct Man towards God. Well, Man can only reach God through perfection. Therefore, religions which do not make Man any better, will never reach their purpose. All religions in which Man believes he may base himself to harm, are either false or have had its principles falsified. This applies to religions where form surpasses essence. To believe in the efficiency of external signs is null, if it does not prevent murder, adultery, robbery, causing of slander or damage in whatsoever form to whomsoever it may be. This type of religion never creates a Man of God, but only people who are superstitious, hypocrites and fanatics. (Ibid, Chapter VIII, section 10.)
C. It is necessary that offence exists, but woe to that man by whom the offence comes. What does this mean?
It is necessary that offences exist in the world, so said Jesus, because due to the many imperfections of those on Earth, humanity shows itself inclined to practice evil and also because bad trees only bring forth bad fruits. From these words then, we must understand that evil is the consequence of Man's imperfections and not that Man is obliged to practice evil. (Ibid, Chapter VIII, section 12 to 16.)
D. Why does Jesus promise the earth to the meek, when he had recommended that mankind renounce to all riches of this world?
While Man awaits for the riches of Heaven, he needs the riches of Earth to survive. Jesus' recommendation is that we must not give the latter more importance than to the former. His words also mean that the riches of Earth have been monopolized by those who are violent, to detriment of those who are meek and peaceful and whom often lack the basic, while others enjoy the superfluous. But this will no longer occur when the Earth, according to the law of progress, becomes a blissful world, due to the removal of the wicked. And this is, in its essence, the meaning of Jesus' promise. (Ibid, Chapter IX, sections 1 to 5.)
