Questions about the Spiritist Doctrine
What is Spiritism?
It is the set of principles and laws revealed by the Superior Spirits, contained in the works of Allan Kardec that constitute the Spiritist Codification: The Spirits’ Book, The Mediums’ Book, The Gospel According to Spiritism, Heaven and Hell and Genesis. “Spiritism is a science that deals with the nature, origin and destiny of Spirits, as well as their relations with the corporeal world.” Allan Kardec (What is Spiritism – Preamble) “Spiritism accomplishes what Jesus said about the promised Comforter: knowledge of things, making man know where he comes from, where he is going and why he is on Earth; it attracts him to the true principles of God’s law and consoles him through faith and hope.” Allan Kardec (The Gospel According to Spiritism – chap. VI – 4)
What is mediumship?
Mediumship, which allows Spirits to communicate with people, is a faculty that many people are born with, regardless of their religion or the doctrinal guidelines they follow. But be careful: Spiritist mediumship is only practiced based on the principles of the Spiritist Doctrine and within Christian morality. Therefore, under no circumstances may the medium charge money, demand or accept any form of reward (gifts, gifts, favors, etc.) for their mediumship activities.
What are Spirits?
Spirits are the intelligent beings of creation. They constitute the world of Spirits, which preexists and survives everything. Spirits are created simple and ignorant. They evolve intellectually and morally, passing from a lower order to a higher one, until they reach perfection, where they enjoy unalterable happiness. Spirits preserve their individuality before, during and after each incarnation.
What does Spiritism tell us about Jesus?
Jesus is the guide and model for all Humanity. And the Doctrine that he taught and exemplified is the purest expression of the Law of God. The morality of Christ, contained in the Gospel, is the roadmap for the safe evolution of all men, and its practice is the solution to all human problems and the goal to be achieved by Humanity.
Where do disembodied Spirits live and what do they do?
In addition to the physical world, the home of incarnate Spirits, who are human beings, there is the spiritual world, the home of disincarnate Spirits. They study, work and carry out various activities in the spiritual world.
Does Spiritism have belief in God among its principles?
Yes. Spiritism explains that God is the supreme intelligence, the first cause of all things. He is eternal, immutable, immaterial, unique, omnipotent, sovereignly just and good. The Universe is God's creation. It includes all rational and irrational beings, animate and inanimate, material and immaterial. All the laws of Nature are divine laws, since God is their author. They include both physical and moral laws.
Does Spiritism have, among its principles, the existence of life in other worlds?
Yes. The Spiritist Doctrine clarifies that in the Universe there are other inhabited worlds, with beings of different degrees of evolution: equal, more evolved and less evolved than men.
Do Spirits know all things?
Spirits are the souls of men who have already lost their physical bodies. As we observe in incarnate Humanity, the knowledge they have corresponds to their level of moral and intellectual advancement. Death is a passage to spiritual life and does not give moral values or intelligence to those who do not have them.
Can Spirits reincarnate in animal bodies?
No. Spirits are always evolving. In their multiple corporeal existences they may stagnate, but they never regress. The speed of their intellectual and moral progress depends on the efforts they make to reach perfection.
Is Spiritism the same as Umbanda or Candomblé?
No. Spiritism is a doctrine that emerged in France in 1857. Candomblé (of African origin) and Umbanda (originating in Brazil) are spiritualist doctrines.
Are all Spirits equal?
No. Spirits belong to different orders, according to the degree of perfection they have reached: Pure Spirits, who have reached maximum perfection; Good Spirits, in whom the desire for good predominates; Imperfect Spirits, characterized by ignorance, the desire for evil and inferior passions.
Is it only through Spiritism that one can have contact with Spirits?
No. The relationships between Spirits and people are constant and have always existed. Good Spirits attract us to goodness, sustain us in life's trials and help us to endure them with courage and resignation. Imperfect Spirits lead us into error.
O que é lei de causa e efeito?
É uma lei criada por Deus e que dispõe que o homem tem o livre-arbítrio para agir, mas responde pelas conseqüências de suas ações. O que fazemos de mal e de bem retornará para nós nessa mesma vida ou em existência posteriores. A vida futura reserva aos homens penas e gozos compatíveis com o procedimento de respeito ou não à Lei de Deus.
What is prayer, according to Spiritism?
Prayer is an act of worship to God. It is part of the natural law and is the result of an innate feeling in man, just as the idea of the existence of the Creator is innate. Prayer makes man better. He who prays with fervor and confidence becomes stronger against the temptations of evil and God sends him good Spirits to assist him. This is a help that is never refused, when asked for sincerely.
Does Spiritism reveal something new?
Yes. Spiritism reveals new and more in-depth concepts about God, the Universe, Humans, Spirits and the Laws that govern life. It also reveals who we are, where we come from, where we are going, what the purpose of our existence is and the reason for pain and suffering.
How does Spiritism relate to other religions?
Spiritism respects all religions and doctrines, values all efforts to practice goodness and works for brotherhood and peace among all peoples and all men, regardless of their race, color, nationality, belief, cultural or social level. It recognizes that “the truly good man is the one who complies with the law of justice, love and charity, in its greatest purity”.