The religious period of the Spiritism

 

The religious period of the Spiritism

 

Marco Milani

 

Text published in the Digital Magazine Candeia Espírita, issue 27, Dec/2023, p.6-7

 

In the December 1863 edition of the Revue Spirite, Allan Kardec pointed out six periods that would mark the evolutionary march of Spiritism. Beginning with the curiosity aroused by physical phenomena, the development of Spiritist ideas in society would pass through the philosophical, struggle, religious, intermediate, and finally, the period of social regeneration.

 

From an optimistic perspective, Kardec believed that by the dawn of the 20th century, Spiritism would already be fully disseminated worldwide to such an extent that it would effectively promote solidarity and brotherhood among individuals, directly influencing the improvement of social interactions.

 

However, Kardec's optimism did not materialize within the predicted timeframe. This doesn't imply that the development of Spiritist ideas hasn't continued its course. It's merely that the terrestrial chronological notion wasn't accurately expressed.

 

In fact, when Kardec passed away in 1869, Spiritism was in the period of struggle, and even today, it can be situated in that same period [1]. The transition to the subsequent period, therefore, depends on overcoming elements contrary to the spread of Spiritist ideas in their essence and entirety.

 

The fourth period requires a contextual understanding of how Kardec himself characterized Spiritism and juxtaposed it with the adopted concepts of religion.

 

As a personal premise, Kardec cherished objectivity and clarity, guided by logical thinking. In this regard, any prediction about the evolution of Spiritism would mirror what he and the Spirits indicated as a natural consequence of the advancement of doctrinal ideas without any manifestation of logical inconsistency. Thus, when he termed the fourth period as religious, he obviously did not refer to the traditional concept of religion, which he vehemently denied having any resemblance to Spiritism.

 

As elucidated in his speech given at the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies on November 1st, 1868, and published in the December 1868 edition of the Revue Spirite, Spiritism can be understood as a religion exclusively in the philosophical sense, strengthening the bonds of fraternity and communion of thoughts, based on the laws of nature.

 

In that same speech, Kardec rejected the classification of Spiritism as a religion from the typically accepted perspective linked to worship practices and all others already manifested in established religions.

 

Hence, one should not associate Kardec's denomination of the religious period with the traditional perspective but rather with the philosophical view of a bond uniting its adherents around the same doctrinal ideal and the promotion of charity as a common practice.

 

Currently, the popular concept of religion remains tied to worship and outward practices, which distorts the understanding of the fourth period foreseen by Kardec if considered in this manner.

 

For reflection: a logical contradiction is a situation where two statements or propositions oppose each other in such a way that both cannot be true simultaneously in the same context. Logically speaking, the relationship between two declarations that are mutually exclusive cannot coexist due to their direct incompatibility. As Spiritism is a religion in the philosophical sense, not in the traditional sense, it commits a logical contradiction for those who suppose that the religious period proposed by Kardec is linked to the traditional concept of religion.

 

In summary, the religious period will be recognized as such when marked by affectionate bonds among its adherents, by reasoned faith that strengthens its doctrinal unity, and by the practice of charity in its essence [2].

 

[1] See the article "The Period of Struggle of Spiritism," authored by me, published in the Revista Dirigente Espírita, issue 197, Sept/Oct 2023, p. 18-19. Link: https://usesp.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/reDE-197.pdf

[2] See question 886 in The Spirits' Book.