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. Is divorce contrary to the natural law established by God?
B. What is most important: our earthly or our spiritual life?
C. How does the Spiritist Doctrine regard "earthly life"?
D. What did Jesus mean when He said, "I came not to bring peace but division"?
Reading text
292. "The tree that gives bad fruit is not good, and the tree that gives good fruit is not bad, because every tree is known by the fruit it gives. You cannot reap figs in thorns, or bunches of grapes in briars. A good man brings forth good things from the good treasure he has in his heart, and the bad man brings forth evil things from the evil treasure he has in his heart, because a man's mouth speaks according to what fills his heart." (Luke, Chapter VI, vv. 43-45.) (Chapter XXI, section 1.)
293. "Beware of false prophets who come to you covered in sheep skins and inside they are like rapacious wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. Can we reap grapes on thorns or figs in the briars? Thus, a good tree produces good fruit and every bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot offer bad fruit and, in the same way, a bad tree cannot offer good fruit. Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. "(Matthew, Chapter VII, vv. 15-20.) (Chapter XXI, section 2.)
294. In an evangelical sense, the word prophet has a more extensive meaning. It is used to address all who are sent by God with the mission of enlightening men and to reveal the hidden things and the mysteries of the spiritual life. Therefore, a man can be a prophet without predicting. The idea that the prophet could predict the future was common among the Jews at the time of the advent of Christ. That is why, when they took him to the presence of Caiaphas, the scribes and elders spat in his face, punched and slapped him, saying, "Christ, now prophesy and say who hit you." (Chapter XXI, section 4.)
295. The fact of doing what some people consider miracles is not a sign of a divine mission, since miracles can result from knowledge acquired by anyone, and they can be caused by special organic faculties too, which both the worthy and the unworthy man can possess. We can recognize a true prophet by characters more serious and by his moral. (Chapter XXI, section 5.)
296. If a man says he is invested with the divine power, he shall reveal signs of a high nature mission. He shall possess, in the highest degree, Christian virtues such as charity, love, forgiveness, and the kindness that harmonizes our hearts. To support his words he will practice good deeds. Then one can say that indeed God sent this man. However, do not believe in sweet words, do not trust the scribes and the Pharisees who pray in public squares, dressed in long robes. Do not trust those who claim to have a monopoly on truth. (Chapter XXI, section 8, Louis)
297. Keep away from everything that shows an atom of pride, in the same way you keep a distance from a contagious leprosy, which destroys everything it touches. Remember that each creature brings on his forehead, but mostly on his deeds, the sign of his greatness or his inferiority. (Chapter XXI, section 8, Louis)
298. False prophets are not only among the embodied. You also find them, and in a far greater number, among proud spirits that, pretending love and charity, sow disunity and retard the work of humanity's emancipation. They influence the psychics through which they work to accept absurd systems, which are then put in practice. (Chapter XXI, section 10, Erastus.)
299. They spread the yeast of antagonism between the groups, driving them to isolation, and looking at each other with hostility. This alone would be enough to unmask them because, by so doing, they are the first to deny strongly their purposes. Therefore, blind are the men, who fall into such a crude mystification. (Chapter XXI, section 10, Erastus.)
300. Reject, with no compliance, all the spirits who present themselves as exclusive advisors, preaching separation and insulation. Most of them are vain and poor spirits, who seek to impose themselves upon weak and credulous men, lavishing them with excessive praise, to charm them, and thus master them. (Chapter XXI, section 10, Erastus.)
301. Be assured, also, that when the truth must be revealed to men, it is, so to speak, instantly communicated to all serious groups that have honest psychics too, and not to this or that, excluding all others. No psychic is perfect, if it is obsessed. There is manifest obsession when only one psychic receives communication from a certain Spirit, as higher as it tries to put himself. (Chapter XXI, section 10, Erastus.)
302. What comes from God is immutable. Everything that is a consequence of man's work is subject to change. The laws of nature are the same at all times and in all countries. Human laws change according to the times, places and progress of intelligence. In a marriage, what can be considered as divine order is the union of the sexes. It is through this union that the beings that die are replaced. However, the conditions that rule this union are so human, that we cannot find two countries where the laws regarding this matter are the same. (Chapter XXII, section 2.)
Answers to the proposed questions
A. Is divorce contrary to the natural law established by God?
No. Divorce is a human law, and its object is to separate in a legal manner what is already separated in fact. It is not contrary to the law of God, because it only amends what men have made and it is only applicable in the cases where the divine law was not taken into account - the law of love. However, not even Jesus blessed the indissolubility of marriage, since, as we have already seen, he admitted divorce in cases of adultery. (The Gospel According to Spiritism, Chapter XXII, section 5.)
B. What is most important: our earthly or our spiritual life?
Spiritual life is the true life, it is the normal life of the Spirit and, therefore, much more important than our earthly existence. (Ibid, Chapter XXIII, sections 6 and 8.)
C. How does the Spiritist Doctrine regard "earthly life"?
The earthly existence, although important to the progress of the Spirit, is temporary and fleeting. The role we play in a corporeal existence ends with the death of the body. It is, therefore, in the spiritual world that true life elapses, and in the spiritual world, masks are not possible. (Ibid, Chapter XXIII, section 8.)
D. What did Jesus mean when He said, "I came not to bring peace but division"?
Is it possible that Jesus, the personification of sweetness and goodness, said, "I came not to bring peace, but a sword; I came to separate father from son, husband from wife, I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and I haste for it to light up"?
Are not these words in flagrant contradiction to his teachings?
No, there is no contradiction in these words, which give, in fact, testimony of His wisdom. When Jesus says: "Do not believe that I have come to bring peace, but rather division," what He meant was, "Do not believe that my doctrine shall be established peacefully; it will cause bloody battles, using my name as a pretext because men shall not understand me, or shall not want to understand me. Brothers, divided by their respective beliefs, shall draw the sword against each other and division shall reign within the same family, whose members do not share the same belief. I have come to cast fire upon the earth to expunge it of the errors and prejudices, the same way one sets fire to a field to destroy the weeds, and I hurry for the fire to turn on so that the purification is faster because the triumphant truth shall appear from the conflict.
Peace will come after the war. Universal fraternity shall succeed to the hatred between parties. The enlightenment of faith shall follow the darkness of fanaticism. Then, when the field is ready, I will send the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, which will restore all things, that is, making known the true meaning of my words, which the more enlightened men will finally understand, putting an end to the fratricidal conflict that separates the children of the same God. Finally, tired of a useless fight, that only causes desolation and disruption in the bosom of families, men shall recognize where their true interests are with regard to this world and the other. They shall see where their friends and enemies of their tranquility are. All then shall be under one banner: charity and things will be restored on Earth, according to the truth and the principles I have taught you. "(Ibid, Chapter XXIII, sections 9, 10, 11 and 16.)
