The Spirits' Book

Allan Kardec

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People who say that Spiritism is threatening to invade the world only confirm its power by making such a statement. An opinion that is not based on both reason and proven facts cannot become universal. Therefore, if Spiritism takes root everywhere and converts every member of society including the educated class, it is clear then that it is founded in truth. As such, all the efforts of its detractors are in vain. In actuality, the ridicule thrown at it by those attempting to stop it seems only to have given it new life. This fully justifies the reassurance that is given constantly by the spirits, who have repeatedly said: “Do not be discouraged by the opposition. Whatever they do against you will turn to your advantage, and your most bitter rivals will serve you in spite of themselves. The hostility harbored by individuals is no match for God’s will.”


Through Spiritism, human beings enter a new phase, that of moral progress which is the inevitable consequence of this belief. The rapid spread of Spiritist ideas should be no surprise, due to the profound satisfaction they give to those who accept them as more than just a futile pastime. People desire happiness above all things, so it is not surprising that they would willingly embrace ideas that make them happy.


The development of these ideas has three distinct phases. The first is that of curiosity, caused by the strangeness of the phenomena produced; the second, that of reasoning and philosophy; the third, that of application and consequences. The period of curiosity has already passed. When satisfied, the mind often immediately drops a subject for another, which does not apply to subjects that spur serious thought and that appeal to reason. The second period has already begun, and the third will naturally follow. The progress of Spiritism has been particularly rapid since its essential nature and scope have been more accurately understood, and because it touches our most sensitive quality, the desire to be happy. This is the reason behind its wide acceptance, the secret of the strength that makes it triumph. It causes those who understand it to be happy while they await the extension of its influence to reach the masses. How many individuals are there who despite never having witnessed any of the physical phenomena of spirit manifestations, say to themselves, “Aside from these phenomena, there is the philosophy, which explains what no other theory or belief system has ever explained. That philosophy offers me, through arguments based on reason, a rational solution to problems that are of the most vital importance to my future. It gives me tranquility, security and confidence, while delivering me from the torment of uncertainty. In comparison with this, the question of the physical phenomena is of secondary importance.”


For people who attack it, do you have the means to fight Spiritism successfully? Offer something better in its place, and find a more philosophic solution to all the problems it solves. Give people another certainty that makes them even happier. You must understand the meaning of the word certainty, because people only accept what appears to be logical as certain. You must not be satisfied with simply saying that something is not so, which is much too easy to do. Rather than just deny it, you must provide facts, showing that what we assert is not so, has never been, and cannot be.


In addition, you must show what you have to offer in its place. You must prove that Spiritism does not make people better, and consequently happier, by promoting the practice of the purest evangelical morality. A morality that is praised so much yet practiced so little. When you have done this, you will have earned the right to attack it. Spiritism is strong because it is based on religion itself: God, the soul, and the rewards and atonements of the future. It shows those rewards and atonements as the natural consequences of material life and in the picture it presents of the future, there is nothing that even the most logical mind can discover to be contrary to reason. What compensation can those who deny the future offer for the suffering of the present life? They base their teachings on skepticism, while Spiritism is based on trust in God. Spiritism invites everyone to happiness, hope and true solidarity, the alternative is a future in which one is reduced to nothing, with only selfishness to serve as consolation. Spiritism explains everything, and you explain nothing. It proves by facts, while your assertions are groundless. How do you expect the world to be divided between these two doctrines?


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