Independent Spiritism.

— A letter written to us some time ago spoke of the plan to give a periodical publication the title Journal of Independent Spiritism. Since this is the corollary of Spiritism without the Spirits, we shall obviously try to place the question on its true ground.

First of all, what is independent Spiritism? Independent of what? Another letter states it clearly: it is Spiritism freed not only from the tutelage of the Spirits, but from all direction or personal supremacy, from all subordination to the instructions of a leader whose opinion cannot make law, considering that he is not infallible.

This is the easiest thing in the world: it exists in fact, since Spiritism, proclaiming absolute freedom of conscience, admits no constraint in matters of belief, nor has it ever denied anyone the right to believe in his own way in matters of Spiritism, as in anything else. From this point of view, we ourselves find ourselves perfectly independent and wish to take advantage of this independence. If there is subordination, it is therefore entirely voluntary; moreover, it is not subordination to a man, but to an idea, which is adopted because it suits, which survives the man if it is just, which falls with him or before him if it is false.

To free ourselves from the ideas of others, it is necessary that we have ideas of our own; naturally one tries to make these prevail, otherwise we would keep them to ourselves; we proclaim them, sustain them, defend them, because we believe them to be the expression of truth; because we admit good faith, and not the sole desire to overthrow what exists. The aim is to bring together the greatest possible number of partisans; and he who admits no leader makes himself the leader of a sect, seeking to subordinate others to his own ideas. He who says, for example: “We must no longer receive instructions from the Spirits,” does he not emit an absolute principle? Does he not exert pressure on those who want them, turning them away from receiving them? If he founds a meeting on this basis, he must exclude the partisans of communications, because, if the latter constituted the majority, they would make it law. If he admits them and refuses to comply with their wishes, he infringes upon the freedom they have to claim it. Let him inscribe in his program: “Here the floor is not given to the Spirits,” and then those who wish to hear them will conform to the rule and will not present themselves. We have always said that an essential condition of every Spiritist meeting is homogeneity, without which there will be dissension. Whoever founds one on the basis of rejecting communications would be within his right; if he admits there only those who think as he does, he does well, but he has no right to say that, because he does not want it, no one else should want it. He is certainly free to act as he understands; but, if he wants freedom for himself, he must want it for others; since he defends his ideas and criticizes those of others, if he is consistent with himself, he must not find it bad that others defend theirs and criticize his.

Generally many forget that, above the authority of man, there is another, from which whoever makes himself the representative of an idea cannot escape: that of everyone. General opinion is the supreme jurisdiction, which sanctions or overthrows the edifice of systems; no one can free himself from the subordination it imposes. This law is no less omnipotent in Spiritism. Whoever wounds the sentiment of the majority and abandons it must expect to be abandoned by it. Therein lies the cause of the failure of certain theories and certain publications, abstraction made of the intrinsic merit of the latter, about which one is sometimes under illusion.

It must not be lost from view that Spiritism is not submitted to an individual, nor to a few individuals, nor to a circle, nor even to a city, but that its representatives are throughout the whole world and that among them there is a dominant opinion deeply believed; to judge oneself strong against all, because one has the support of one’s group, is to expose oneself to great disappointments.

— There are two parts in Spiritism: that of the material facts and that of their moral consequences. The first is necessary as proof of the existence of the Spirits, so that it was with it that the Spirits began; the second, derived from it, is the only one that can lead to the transformation of Humanity through individual betterment. Betterment is, therefore, the essential aim of Spiritism. It is toward this that every serious Spiritist must tend. Having deduced these consequences from the instructions of the Spirits, we defined the duties that this belief imposes; the first of these we inscribed on the banner of Spiritism: Outside charity there is no salvation, a maxim acclaimed, at its appearance, as the light of the future, and which soon went round the world, becoming the bond of union of all those who see in Spiritism something more than a material fact. Everywhere it was welcomed as the symbol of universal fraternity, as a pledge of security in social relations, as the dawn of a new era, in which hatreds and dissensions must be extinguished. Its importance is so well understood that its fruits are already being gathered; among those who have taken it as a rule of conduct, there reign sympathy and confidence, which make the charm of social life. In every Spiritist of heart one sees a brother whom one is happy to meet, because one knows that he who practices charity can neither do nor wish evil. Was it, then, by our private authority that we promulgated this maxim? And even if we had done so, who could find it bad? No; it derives from the teaching of the Spirits, and they themselves gathered it from those of Christ, where it is written in full, as the cornerstone of the Christian edifice, but where it remained buried for eighteen centuries. The egoism of men was not disposed to draw it out of oblivion and make it explicit, because it would have been to pronounce their own condemnation; they preferred to seek their own salvation in the more convenient and less disagreeable practices. And yet, everyone had read and re-read the Gospel and, with very few exceptions, no one had seen this great truth relegated to the background. Now, behold, through the teaching of the Spirits, it has suddenly become known and understood by all. How many other truths does the Gospel enclose, and which will arise in their time! (The Gospel According to Spiritism, chapter XV).

— Inscribing on the frontispiece of Spiritism the supreme law of Christ, we opened the path of Christian Spiritism; we have, therefore, grounds to develop its principles, as well as the characteristics of the true Spiritist from this point of view. n Let others be able to do better than we; we will not go against it, because we have never said: “Outside us there is no truth.” Our instructions, then, are for those who find them good; they are accepted freely and without constraint; we trace a route and whoever wishes follows it; we give counsel to those who ask it of us, and not to those who judge they do not need it; we give orders to no one, for we have no qualifications for that.

As for supremacy, it is wholly moral and resides in the adherence of those who share our way of seeing; we are not invested, even by them, with any official power; we neither solicit nor claim any privilege; we confer upon ourselves no title, and the only one we would take with the partisans of our ideas is that of brother in belief. If they consider us their leader, it is owing to the position given us by our works, and not by virtue of any decision whatsoever. Our position is that which any one of us could have taken before us; our right, that which everyone has to work as he understands and to run the risk of the judgment of the public.

From what burdensome authority do those who want independent Spiritism intend to free themselves, since there is no constituted power nor hierarchy barring the door to anyone whatsoever, and considering that we have no jurisdiction over them and that, if it pleases them to depart from our route, no one will be able to constrain them to enter it? Have we ever passed ourselves off as prophet or messiah? Would they take seriously the titles of high priest, of sovereign pontiff, even of pope, with which criticism has delighted in gratifying us? Not only have we never taken them, but the Spiritists have never given them to us. — Is it from the ascendancy of our writings? The field is open to them, as to us, to captivate the sympathy of the public. If there is pressure, it does not come from us, but from general opinion, which puts its veto upon what does not suit it and because it itself undergoes the ascendancy of the general teaching of the Spirits. It is, therefore, to the latter that, in the final analysis, the state of things must be attributed, and that is perhaps what makes them no longer wish to listen to them. — Is it from the instructions we give? But no one is forced to submit to them. — Should they complain of our censure? We have never cited anyone, except to praise, and our instructions are given in general form, as the development of our principles, for the use of all. If, moreover, they are bad, if our theories are false, in what can this overshadow them? The ridicule, if there is ridicule, will be for us. Do they take the interests of Spiritism so seriously that they fear to see them imperiled in our hands? — Are we too absolute in our ideas? Are we a hardhead with whom nothing can be done? Ah! my God! each one has his little defects; we have that of not thinking now white, now black; we have a line drawn and we will not deviate from it to please anyone whatsoever. It is likely that we shall be thus until the end.

— Is it our fortune that they envy? Where are our castles, our equipages, and our lackeys? [cf. Thus is history written!] Certainly, if we had the fortune attributed to us, it would not be while sleeping that it would have come, and many people pile up millions in a less rough labor. – What, then, do we do with the money we earn? As we ask account of no one, we have to give account to no one; what is certain is that it does not serve for our pleasures. As for employing it to pay agents and spies, we return the calumny to its source. We have to occupy ourselves with more important things than knowing what this one or that one does. If they do well, they need fear no investigation; if they do badly, that is their affair. If there are those who covet our position, is it in the interest of Spiritism or in their own? Let them take it, then, with all its charges, and they will probably not find it as agreeable a sinecure as they suppose. If they think we steer the boat badly, who prevented them from taking the helm before us? and who prevents them still today? — Do they complain of our intrigues to make partisans? We wait for them to come to us, for we go to seek no one; we do not even run after those who leave us, because we know that they cannot hamper the march of things; their personality fades before the whole. On the other hand, we are not presumptuous enough to believe that it is for our person that they attach themselves to us; evidently it is for the idea of which we are the representative. It is, therefore, to this idea that we report the testimonies of sympathy that they are good enough to give us.

— In sum, independent Spiritism would be in our eyes an absurdity, because independence exists in fact and in right and there is no discipline imposed upon anyone. The field of exploration is open to all; the supreme judge of the tournament is the public; the palm is for whoever knows how to conquer it. So much the worse for those who fall before reaching the goal.

To speak of these divergent opinions which, in the final analysis, are reduced to a few individualities, and nowhere form a body, will it not be, some persons will perhaps say, to attach too much importance to this, to alarm the adepts by making them believe in schisms more profound than they really are? is it not, also, to furnish weapons to the enemies of Spiritism?

It is precisely to forestall these inconveniences that we speak of it. A clear and categorical explanation, which reduces the question to its just value, is more apt to reassure than to frighten the adepts; they know how to proceed and find therein arguments for the reply. As for the adversaries, they have already exploited the fact many times, and it is because they have exaggerated its scope that it is useful to show how the thing works. For a fuller answer, we refer the reader to the article in the Review of October 1865.

[1]

[The supreme law of Christ is love of God and of neighbor, which confirms the maxim “Outside charity there is no salvation.” See: “The great commandment”

(Saint Matthew, chapter 22, vv. 34 to 40). See also the lesson of Emmanuel:

Gospel and Spiritism. K. J.]