ARTICLE

"...BUT THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE"
Andrei Melnikov

1) The large difference between the human knowledge and that of the high developed spirits that descended to us from other plans in order to bring the truth naturally prevents us from the  complete understanding of the spirit values. Our knowledge defines the width of the channel through which the heavenly wisdom reaches us:  "The spirits who have dictated the book which bears their name have proved their wisdom by restricting their teachings, as regards to the principle of the things, within limits that God had established; leaving to presumptuous spirits, with their theorizings, the responsibility of premature and erroneous statements, specious, but hollow, which will one day disappear in the light of reason, similarly so many products of the  human brain. The spirits have only given us such information as is necessary to enable us to comprehend the future which awaits us, and thus to encourage us to the well-doing."  (Paragraph 51, The Medium's Book, Part First, Chapter IV).

However, our knowledge usually grows wider and deeper in the course of time; what we did not understand and even rejected before can become a well-established fact nowadays. Spiritism is not an exception of this rule as it refers to the knowledge that humanity has got and does depend on its level. In the light of the above-mentionned passage, it would be very useful and even necessary to revise the basics of the Spirit Doctrine.

2) As a demonstration of this point we have chosen the following extract from The Medium's Book:

XXIX.
"The perpetual and incessant creation of worlds is, for God, a perpetual pleasure, because He incessantly sees His rays become each day more luminous in happiness. Number does not exist for God any more than time. This is why, for Him, hundreds or millions are neither more nor less, in His sight, one than the other. He is a father whose happiness is formed of the collective happiness of His children; and, at each second of the creation, He finds a new happiness coming and melting into the general happiness. There is neither stoppage nor suspension in this perpetual movement, this great, incessant happiness, which renders fertile the earth and the heavens. As regards the earth, you know only a very small fraction of it, and you have brothers who live under latitudes that man has not yet been able to penetrate. What signify the terrifying heat and the mortal cold which stay the efforts of the boldest? Do you believe, in your simplicity, that there is the limit of your world, when, with your small means, you can advance no further? You fancy you can measure your planet exactly, do you? Do not believe it. There are upon your planet more places that you are ignorant of than places that you know. But, since it is useless to propagate any further all your evil institutions, all your bad laws, actions, and lives, there is a limit which stops you here and there, and which will stop you until you are able to transport thither the good seed which your free will shall have made. No; you do not know this world which you call the earth. You will see, in your present existence, a great beginning of proofs of this communication. The hour is about to strike when there will be another discovery besides the last that has been already made, and that will enlarge the circle of your known earth; and when the press everywhere sings this Hosanna in all tongues, you, poor children who love God and seek His way, you will have known all about it, before the very people who will give their name to the new land."
"Vincent of Paul."

Kardec's Remark. - In point of style, this communication, with its inaccuracies, redundancies, and eccentric terms of expression, is evidently very faulty; but these faults alone would prove nothing against its authenticity, because such imperfections might arise from the incapacity of the medium, as we have already shown. What the communicating spirit gives, is the idea; and therefore, when the author of this message tells us that there exist on our planet more places that we are ignorant of than places that are known, and that a new continent is about to be discovered, he gives indisputable proof of his ignorance. Certain tracts of land, as yet undiscovered, may very probably exist beyond the ice-barriers around the poles; but to say that those tracts are inhabited, and that God has hidden them from us in order that we may not transport evil institutions thither, shows the folly of the spirit who could seek to palm off suds absurdities on mortal listeners. Contrast the foregoing with the following, obtained in the same group and signed with the same name, but presenting as evident marks of authenticity as the foregoing presents of substitution." ( The Medium's Book, Part Second, Chapter XXXI, Apocryphal Communications, XXIX.) However, the Russian spiritist-philosopher Pavel Geleva, who edited The Spirit's Book and The medium's Book in 1993 in Russia doubted Kardec's argumentation in his commentary to this extract: "Perhaps Kardec is wrong here accusing the spirit of ignorance. Most probably the spirit predicted the discovery of the Antarctic Continent that geographers knew nothing about at that time. Besides one can see here a hint to more serious things. It is not evident for us that this  message is false."

Agreeing to Geleva's argumentation we want to point out that the expression "Number does not exist for God any more than time" seems to contain a hint to such things that should be taken at most seriously.

3) What can the statement "Number does not exist for God any more than time." actually mean? We try to explain this by the following way. The notion of number is tied with that of counting based on the idea of the discreteness of the infinite number multitude; numbers symbolize here limited pieces of the whole reality (that actually is infinite, see The Spirit's Book, Book First,  Chapter II, "Universal Space", N 35). Infinity (N) itself cannot be identified with any number as it violates arithmetical laws: the true equality N+1=N leads to the false equality 1=0. On the other hand, if one (1) is beyond infinity ( N) it only means either N is not the real infinity or 1 is inside N. It can mean that infinity rejects discreteness; it is the whole, united one ( 1). This statement has much to do with God; He is infinite, what makes us admit two points concerning the innermost nature of God:

a) He does not count things as we do (see the next statement of the spirit:"for Him, hundreds or millions are neither more nor less, in Hissight, one than the other.");

b) He is the indiscrete whole - if we imagine one beyond God it will refute the notion of God's infinity ( see the following saying of the same spirit: "He is a father whose happiness is formed of the collective happiness of His children").

4) You can consider these ideas to sound like a revival of pantheism: "15. What is to be thought of the opinion according to which all natural bodies, all the beings, all the globes of the universe, are parts of the Divinity, and constitute in their totality the Divinity itself; in other words, the Pantheistic theory?  "Man, not being able to make himself God, would fain make himself out to be, at least, a part of God." (The Spirit's Book, Book First, Chapter I, "Pantheism").

However, our conclusions have few to do with pantheism according to which our soul is just an impersonal drop in the ocean of the Divinity. What makes us believe so is obviously nothing but the Bible:  "so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." ( Romans 12:5); "If all were a single organ, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." ( Galatians 3:28).

But how can it be if it is not pantheism? What a thing does what our conscious cannot admit? According to Bible, this 'thing' is love that unites men into one unit: "and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder."" ( Matthew 19:5-6, see also Genesis 2:24)

And we will not to go too far if we say here that love is the main property of God: "Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. If any one says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen." ( 1 John 4:7-8, 10, 12, 20).

5) The idea of the divine universality an integral part of the world was also expressed by Leon Denis:

"We would not understand and realize mind without personifying it in certain being; however it is not just a being among and similar to others. It is the Father of all others, the very source of life. The personality in the highest meaning of the word is conscious, is conscience and namely in this sense God is a person or, better to say, an absolute personality but not a being that has its form and borders. God is infinite and cannot be individualized, i.e. separated from the whole world or exist independently... Without doubt the existence of God cannot be proved by direct and tangible way because God cannot  be percepted by our sensitive organs. " (A quotation from "Après la mort").

Thus we may conclude that God is not seen by us because we cannot percept infinity in its whole; the human mind can just imagine God as a being living somewhere on the heaven over the stars. However the only way to learn to see God is to learn to see infinity with no discrete delimitation, or, in the terms closer to our mind, to learn to love, where 'love' should be treated in its Christian, religious meaning rather than in its primary, sexual one. Thus if we love we broaden our perceptive capacity and it is the road to our purification:

"The kingdom of God is in the midst of you." ( Luke 17:21).

Whatever we believe, whatever we tend to learn we must to know that neither way leads us directly by itself:

"So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." ( 1 Corinthians 13:13)

QUESTIONS ABOUT WARS
In the "Spirits' Book"

742. What causes human beings to wage wars?

Ans.: "The dominance of the animal over the spiritual nature. In the primitive state humans are only capable of respecting the rights of the strong; consequently, war is the normal condition. But as you progress, you will realize how to avoid the causes of war, and  wars will become less frequent. And when a war does become unavoidable, you will at least wage it with a greater element of compassion than before. "

743. Will war ever disappear from Earth?

Ans.: "Yes. A time will come when all people will know the real meaning of justice and live with true fraternity. Then, in truth, they will all be brothers and sisters."

744. Why does Providence allow wars to take place?

Ans.: "It allows you to attain freedom and to progress."

745. If war results in freedom, how can you explain the fact that it usually leads to the oppression of conquered people?

Ans.: "Oppression is merely a temporary condition that forces a people to evolve faster."

745. What about those people who stir up war for their own benefit?

Ans.: "They bear an immense guilt and will require many lifetimes to redeem
themselves. They must answer for every person who died as the
result of their ambition."

See also questions 541-548, 584, 671. "The Spirits' Book" by A Kardec. Published by Allan Kardec Educational Society. Philadelphia.USA.

LOOKING FOR A BOOK

Hi,

My name is Pierre Halotier and I'm searching for the French book:

Au Coeur de L'humain
ISBN: 2-89074-840-5
        12345-96-0099989796

Someone from France told me about this book and your Web page. Hopefully you have the book. Thank you for your time.

Pierre (pierreh@yknet.yk.ca)

LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
Lolita

A very good friend of mine in Sao Paulo, Brazil introduced me to spiritism approx. 3 years ago. Prior to that,  I had never heard of Allan Kardec, nor his teachings. I guess the closest thing in my culture to spiritism was seances and the like. I am aware of many books and articles written in Portuguese, but not many in English. When I traveled to the USA recently, I searched for books written in English by Kardec, or in fact, anything to do with spiritism. My search was in vain. I count myself a bit luckier than other Australians though, since I am conversant of Portuguese, and am therefore able to inform myself of various topics and  discussions. In Australia there is very little to do with spiritism, and the only spiritist centre is found in Sydney. The centre began a publication last year, but unfortunately, due to lack of support, the spiritist mailing list is now defunct. I hope that with a strong campaign, more Australians will be enlightened to the doctrine of spiritism, and hence spiritist literature in the English idiom should become more abundant.

May God's love comfort us
LSS

QUESTION ABOUT MEETINGS
Gina

Would it be possible for me to find out if there is anything closer to me than the meetings in the (909) area here in Southern California?  I live in the South Bay, and that area is still about 2 hours away.  I would really appreciate any information you may give me...
Thank you!
Gina (golmeda@prodigy.net)

Dear friends,

We have found many people coming from Brazil to our meetings and complaining about the difficulty in founding our addresses. We send them to you for contact. This information is therefore valid to those who are visiting Canada and, at same time, would like to attend to our meetings.

Best Regards,

Grupo de Estudos Espíritas Joanna de Angelis,
396 Everton Drive - Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
L5R 1W5-Fone: (905)502 5374-Fax: (905)502 5376
E-mail: pauloml@interlog.com

Meeting Schedule:

Tuesday (7:30pm to 9:00pm) - Study of the Spiritist doctrine using the summary of lessons (ESDE) by FEB (in Portuguese)/ Gospel studies for children and teenagers. (in English)

Thursday (7:30pm to 9:00pm) - Study of "The Gospel According to Spiritism"  and  "The Spirit's Book"  (in English)

Sunday (7:30pm to 9:00pm) - Ith Introductory course on  the foundations of mediumship (in Portuguese)

DIRECTORY
President: Paulo Medeiros Lima;
Vice-president: Jacqueline S. Medeiros Lima;
Secretaries: (1th) Erson Goncalves  e  (2nd) Regina Filippov;
Treasurer: Paul Murphy;
Directory DIJ: Jeane Murphy;
Librarians: (1th) Ivete Matricardi  e  (2nd) Heloisa Tavares

The Grupo de Estudos Espiritas Joana de Angelis is a non-profit organization whose aim is the divulgence of the Spiritist doctrine in Canada.

In every being there is
an immaculate corner
so chaste, unexplored,
noiseless and deep...

In every creature there remains
a holly and ignored,
never penetrated world
awaiting so full of tenderness...

In the abyss of every soul there is
a cliff,
a place, an isle,
a paradise,
resort of wonder to be discovered...

In every heart there is
a space opened to the sunrise,
a wide field to be worked,
land of God,
a place of dream,
a retirement for the future...

In every life there exists
place to other lives,
such as in every happiness,
a gentle sadness
announcing anguish.

               ***

However, there is a place in me,
in the isle of my hidden feelings,
an awaiting abyss,
an ocean of happiness,
a cosmos of fantasy
to gift you my Lord!

Come, my beloved King and Lord,
dominate my apprehension,
and lead me through the road
of redemption.

And take this strange and solitary country,
reining over it with your heavenly lights,
and I will happily march forward in your service
until the end of my forces.

Come, my King,
to my recess
and render my life
a hymn of work
And for you an eternal
sing of love.