Revista Espírita 
Revue Spirite 
Caracter of the spiritual revelation 
Mensajero Espirita 
The Spiritist Messenger 
Free will vs. Proselytism
Spiritism conveys a message that greatly appeals to human beings in general. Its primary goal is to provide one with the necessary means of gathering knowledge about existential queries, and this will allow free will to take place in peoples' minds and hearts. The message comprised in the teachings of the Spiritist Doctrine is in absolute harmony with facts and tangible realities, and the progress of scientific knowledge. Indeed, this has been the case with the achievements of Psychical Research since the early beginning of the nineteenth century.
The end has come for times where dogma and blind faith exercised its sovereign power, a time when religious orthodoxy was able to maintain its supremacy through the practice of a cheap proselytism, to win the minds and the hearts of new adherents.
Leon Denis, one of the greatest disciples of Allan Kardec and the apostle by excellence of Spiritism in France, tells us about what mankind really needs in order to achieve progress in one of his books - Christianity and Spiritualism, by saying the following:
"What mankind needs now is no more a belief, a faith drawn from some particular system or religion, and inspired by texts which though worthy of respect, are of very doubtful authenticity, and in which truth and error are inextricably mixed. What is need is a belief founded on proofs, on facts, a certitude based on study and experience, from which will come an ideal of justice, a true understanding of destiny, an incentive to perfection, which will regenerate the nations and link together men of all races and all religions."
We are all seekers of Truth and beggars for happiness. These are the most common features that unite all of us in a great family, one under the mercy of a great and loving Father. So, reason tells us that we ought to be treated equally and that progress towards perfection and happiness will solely be achieved by our own efforts. In other words, we will reap what we sow. Consequently, the primary concern of the Superior Spirits who dictated the teachings of the Spiritist Doctrine, was to instill in us a compelling sense of the unavoidable principle of individual responsibility, the foremost remedy for our afflictions and the main cause which keeps postponing the happiness that we all seek. These evolved brothers from the spiritual spheres know better about what we need in order to achieve happiness, and they are not concerned about our religious affiliation, which do not really matter at all.
This is what Leon Denis tries to teach us, once more, in the following quotation from the same aforementioned work:
"Doubtless, the new spiritualism is not a religion; but it appears in the world holding a torch in its hand and its light shines afar and puts life into all religions. Modern Spiritualism is a belief founded on facts, on tangible realities, a belief which develops and progresses with mankind and can unite all beings, elevating them towards a higher and always higher conception of God, of destiny, and of duty. By it each of us will learn to commune with the supreme Author of all things, the Father of all, who is your God and our God, and of whom, since the beginning of time, all the minds that think and the hearts that love, have been in search."
* Leon Denis' book is currently being published by chapters on the Spiritist Messenger and you can check the chapters already published through this link: Chritisanity and Spiritualism.
Source: The Spiritist Messenger, 15th Year, Number 85, June 2007
The end has come for times where dogma and blind faith exercised its sovereign power, a time when religious orthodoxy was able to maintain its supremacy through the practice of a cheap proselytism, to win the minds and the hearts of new adherents.
Leon Denis, one of the greatest disciples of Allan Kardec and the apostle by excellence of Spiritism in France, tells us about what mankind really needs in order to achieve progress in one of his books - Christianity and Spiritualism, by saying the following:
"What mankind needs now is no more a belief, a faith drawn from some particular system or religion, and inspired by texts which though worthy of respect, are of very doubtful authenticity, and in which truth and error are inextricably mixed. What is need is a belief founded on proofs, on facts, a certitude based on study and experience, from which will come an ideal of justice, a true understanding of destiny, an incentive to perfection, which will regenerate the nations and link together men of all races and all religions."
We are all seekers of Truth and beggars for happiness. These are the most common features that unite all of us in a great family, one under the mercy of a great and loving Father. So, reason tells us that we ought to be treated equally and that progress towards perfection and happiness will solely be achieved by our own efforts. In other words, we will reap what we sow. Consequently, the primary concern of the Superior Spirits who dictated the teachings of the Spiritist Doctrine, was to instill in us a compelling sense of the unavoidable principle of individual responsibility, the foremost remedy for our afflictions and the main cause which keeps postponing the happiness that we all seek. These evolved brothers from the spiritual spheres know better about what we need in order to achieve happiness, and they are not concerned about our religious affiliation, which do not really matter at all.
This is what Leon Denis tries to teach us, once more, in the following quotation from the same aforementioned work:
"Doubtless, the new spiritualism is not a religion; but it appears in the world holding a torch in its hand and its light shines afar and puts life into all religions. Modern Spiritualism is a belief founded on facts, on tangible realities, a belief which develops and progresses with mankind and can unite all beings, elevating them towards a higher and always higher conception of God, of destiny, and of duty. By it each of us will learn to commune with the supreme Author of all things, the Father of all, who is your God and our God, and of whom, since the beginning of time, all the minds that think and the hearts that love, have been in search."
* Leon Denis' book is currently being published by chapters on the Spiritist Messenger and you can check the chapters already published through this link: Chritisanity and Spiritualism.
Source: The Spiritist Messenger, 15th Year, Number 85, June 2007
