Spiritism was a word coined by French educator Allan Kardec in the1850
's, as the name of a science and religious philosophy which deals with
the description of the interaction of the material world and the
spiritual world, and in addition, its moral and philosophical
implications. This information was revealed by superior spirits
transmitted by way of persons endowed with the faculty of mediumship to
the members of Kardec's Society and to others. The material was
catalogued and compiled into several books and published by Allan
Kardec. The information contained in these books are from morally and
intellectually superior spirits who were permitted by the Creator to
provide this information in a more scientific and logical way than done
in the past, which before was accomplished by way of allegory or
symbolism, because mankind had intellectually and spiritually matured
enough to receive them. Also, science also had to advance to a certain
level as well. Logic and reason are now the order of the day, not
superstition.
As a science, it studies and describes the realities dealing with the
mechanics of the interaction of the material and spiritual worlds, and
the universal laws involved. It explains the reality of what Life is,
because it describes our true natures and the true nature of the
universe. It explains the process of life and death.
As a philosophy, it describes the purpose of Life, explains the
apparent inequities of life and the cause of human suffering, and it
provides for a moral code which explains what proper
conduct should be and why.
Its religious aspect supports the fact there exists a Supreme
Intelligence, which was the First Cause and Creator, of all things in
existence. Also, that the practice of Love, in all its aspects, is the
only way to full understanding of the Creator.
The principles of the Spiritist Doctrine have been used by those
who have accepted these principles for a period of more than 150 years
and they have withstood the test of time, up unto the present, this
being the year2003 . Those who would study these principles should have
an open mind, study them, and accept only what your reason finds
acceptable. You should reject anything that goes against it. This is
all we ask. I believe that Spiritism offers a logical and satisfying
answer for the purpose of Life.
Spiritism is especially for those who cannot accept, or fully embrace,
some or all, of the basic tenets of Christianity, Judaism, or Islam.
Hopefully, you may find more logical and less superstitious answers to
the purpose of Life, more support while undergoing suffering, and
comfort regarding the knowledge it brings regarding the surety of life
after death. Spiritism offers a person more than just "things happen
because it is God's Will" and we cannot know what that is… and, it
offers an alternative to the only two current choices of the afterlife,
heaven or hell, …and that alternative is soul evolution.