New Tactics by the Adversaries of Spiritism.
Never has a philosophical doctrine of modern times caused as much emotion as Spiritism. Never has anyone of them been attacked as fiercely as Spiritism has. That is an evident proof that its vitality and more profound roots than the others have been acknowledged, since nobody takes a pickaxe to remove a little grass. Far from being scared by this, the Spiritists must rejoice for it is the demonstration of the importance and truthfulness of the doctrine. If it were just an ephemeral idea and without consistency, like a fly, it would not be attacked so viciously; if it were false it would be attacked with solid arguments that would have already been successful against it. Nonetheless, since none of the opposing arguments could have it stopped, it means that nobody found a hole on its armor. However, there has been no lack of will or talent from the part of the antagonists.
In this vast tournament of ideas where the past fights the future and whose battle field is the whole world, the grand jury is public opinion. It hears the pros and cons; it judges the means of attack and defense and comes out in favor of the one that provides the best reasons. If one of the two champions employs disloyal weapons, he is condemned in anticipation. Well, would there be more disloyal weapons than lies, calumny and treason? When someone reaches out to such means it is a self-proclamation of defeat by logic, and any cause that is reduced to such expedient is a lost cause; it will not be a man or a few men that will pronounce the sentence: it will be humanity, that the force of things and the conscience of good drag to what is more just and rational.
Observe in the history of the world if a single great and true idea has not always succeeded against anything that was tried to stop it. Spiritism shows us something new with that respect: it is the speed of propagation, second to none. That is speed is so significant that the adversaries were stunned; they attack with the blind rage of the combatant that lose their coolness and are hurt by their own weapons.
The struggle, however, is far from reaching its end. Much to the contrary, one needs to wait until it acquires greater proportions and another character. It would be very unusual and incompatible with the current state of humanity that a doctrine that carries the embryo of the whole regeneration would establish itself peacefully in a few years. Once more, let us not regret that. The tougher the fight the more brilliant the triumph. Nobody doubts that Spiritism grew out of the opposition that was brought upon it. Let that opposition exhaust its resources. It will grow even further when its weakness is revealed to everyone. The battle field of the recently born Christianity was restricted whereas that of Spiritism spreads all over the face of Earth. Christianity could not be muffled by the waves of blood; it grew through its martyrs, as did people’s freedom, because it was the truth. Spiritism, that is Christianity adequate to the development of intelligence, and free from the abuse, will grow in the same way under persecution, because it is also the truth.
Brute force is knowingly powerless against the Spiritist idea, even in countries where it is freely applied. Experience is there to demonstrate it. When the idea is compressed in one point it resurges all over the place. A general compression would lead to an explosion. Our adversaries, however, have not resigned. While waiting they appeal to another tactic, that is the quiet maneuvers.
They have tried many times and will try again to compromise the doctrine by leading it through a dangerous or ridiculous path to have it discredited. Today, spreading subliminal division and sparks of disagreement they expect to cast doubt and uncertainty in the minds, lead to true or simulated discouragement and provoke disturbance among the followers. But those that would act like that are not confess adversaries. Spiritism that has so many common points with Christianity must also has its own Judas so that it will also have the glory of coming out victorious of that trial. Money sometimes is the argument that replaces logic. Haven’t we seen a woman confessing having been paid 50 francs to simulate madness after having attended a single Spiritist session?
That is why and not without reason that we published an article about the false brothers, in the Spiritist Review, March 1863. The article did not please everybody and more than one wanted us to see more clearly and that we had the eyes of others opened, shaking our hand as a sign of approval as if we were the victims. Never mind! Our duty is to forewarn the sincere Spiritists against the traps that are set up to them. As for those that have alienated us and to whom those principles were too rigorous, with respect to this point as to several others, their sympathy was only superficial and not from the bottom of their heart, and we have no reason to waste our time with them. We have to deal with things that are much more important than their good or bad will towards us. The present is volatile and tomorrow it will no longer exist. To us, it is nothing. The future is everything to us and it is for the future that we work. We know that the true sympathies will follow us and those that serve any material interest or self-love do not deserve that name.
Anyone that places their point of view outside the narrow sphere of the present is no longer disturbed by the petty intrigues that agitate around. That is what we strive to do and it is what we advise to do those that want peace in this world. (The Gospel According to Spiritism, chap. II, item 5).
Like all new ideas, the Spiritist idea could not go without being exploited by people that never had any success in anything given their bad conduct or incompetence and are looking for something new, in hopes of finding a more productive and easier mine. If the success does not correspond to their expectations, they do not accept responsibility but attribute the lack of success to the idea that is then declared bad. These persons only utilize the name Spiritists. We saw such maneuvers better than anyone else, being the target of such exploitations many times, exploitations that we never wanted to support and for that did not grant us many friends.
Let us return to our subject. Spiritism, we repeat, still has to pass tough tests and it is there that God will recognize the true servants, by their courage, firmness and by their perseverance. Those that are shaken by fear or frustration are like those soldiers that only show courage in times of peace and that run away at the first shot. The greatest proof, however, will not be persecution but the conflict of ideas that will come and with which help they intend to break the phalanx of followers and the remarkable unity around the doctrine.
That conflict, although provoked out of ill-intention, may it come from men or bad Spirits, is nonetheless necessary and must bring momentary turmoil to some weak minds, and even if it causes transient disturbance to some, it will have as the definitive result the consolidation of the unity.
As in everything, one must not judge isolated points but look at the broad picture. It is useful that all ideas, even the most contradictories and eccentrics, may come out to day light; it leads to examination and judgement and if they are false, commonsense will a do them justice: they will forcibly fall before the decisive universal control, as have many others already. That was the great criterium that led to the current unity; that is what will conclude it because it is the crucible that must separate the good from the bad grain, and truth shall shine stronger when it is out, free from any attachment. Spiritism is still in ebullition; let then the foam come up to the surface and overflow and then depurate. Leave that to the adversaries the malevolent and puerile joy of blowing the fire to provoke such ebullition because they will unwillingly speed up its depuration and its triumph, and they themselves shall be burnt by their own fire. God wants everything to be useful to the cause, even what is done with the intention of harming it. Let us not forget that Spiritism is not complete. It has only planted the milestones, but to advance safely it must be done gradually, as the terrain is better prepared to receive it and consolidated enough to safely set foot there. The impatient ones that cannot wait the appropriate time compromise the harvest, as they do with the outcome of the battles.
There are certainly among the impatient ones those that are in good faith; they would like to see things moving even faster but they are like those creatures that believe to be able to advance time by advancing the clock. Others, not less sincere, are led by self-love to get there first; the sow before the season and only harvest aborted fruits. There are others, unfortunately, that push the car backwards, expecting to see it overturn.
It is understandable that certain individuals, that would like to have been the first ones, reproach us for having moved too fast; that others, for opposite reasons, censor us for moving slowly; but something that is less explainable, sometimes, is to see that double censorship carried out by the same individual, something that is not proof of much logic. If we are attacked for walking on the right or on the left that will not stop us and we will still move as we have done so far, following the guidelines traced to us, seeking the objective that we want to achieve at the end. We shall move forward or wait; we shall speed up our pace or delay it, according to the circumstances and not according to the opinion of this or that one.
Spiritism marches despite its numerous adversaries that were not capable of taking it down by force and now try to take it down by intelligence; they sneak in everywhere, with all kinds of masks and even in private gatherings, in hopes of spreading a rumor or a word that they many times have provoked and that they expect to exploit to their own benefit. Compromise Spiritism and make it ridiculous, that is the tactic that they believe will discredit it in the beginning for, later on, have a pretext to, if possible, stop its public exercise. That is the trap against which it is necessary to be vigilant because it is set up all around us and to which, unwillingly, follow hand in hand those that allow themselves to be led by the suggestion of deceiving and mystifying Spirits. The means of avoiding such maneuvers is to follow as close as possible the line of conduct traced by the doctrine; its moral teaching, its essential part, is unreachable; by practicing it one does not allow any unfounded criticism and the aggression becomes more hateful. Catching the Spiritists at fault and in contradiction would be a huge strike to its adversaries; just watch how much they do to accuse Spiritism of every aberration and eccentricity for which it could never be blamed. The doctrine is not ambiguous in any of its parts; it is clear, precise, categorical in the minimal details; it is only ignorance and ill-faith that can be mistaken about what the doctrine approves or condemn. It is therefore a duty of every devout and sincere Spiritist to repudiate and openly deauthorize, in their name, the abuse of any kind that may compromise the doctrine, so that it must not accept responsibility; going along with the abuse would be the same as being an accomplice and provide weapons to our adversaries.
Periods of transition are always difficult to go through. Spiritism is in that period; the more the followers are careful the less difficulties one will have to overcome it. We are at war; the enemy is out there, watching, ready to exploit the least misstep in their own benefit and ready to destroy everything if they can.
However, let us not raise suspicion hastily or lightheartedly and based on appearances that may be misleading. Moderation, in fact, is a duty of charity, even with respect to those that are against us. Nonetheless, sincerity will prevail, even in its mistakes, and falsehood can never simulate that because sooner or later they will show their face. God and the good Spirits allow it to be betrayed by its own actions. If a doubt crosses someone’s mind it must only be a reason for cautionary and civil attitude.
