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Книга «Бытие, чудеса и предчувствие согласно спиритизму» ( La Genèse, les Miracles et les Preditions selon le Spiritisme на французском языке) была последней книгой, опубликованной (1868 г.) Алланом Кардеком незадолго до его смерти. Он пытается примирить науку и религию и развивает ряд важных научных и философских тем, связывающих их со спиритизмом.

Содержание [ править ]

Книга Бытия содержит различные статьи о сотворении вселенной , формировании мира , происхождении духов и роли божественного вмешательства в порядок природы .

Он разделен на три части, каждая из которых, по-видимому, не связана с другими:

  • Бытие согласно спиритизму (12 глав)
  • Чудеса по спиритизму (3 главы)
  • Предсказания согласно спиритизму (2 главы)

Последняя глава («Время близко») не имеет отношения ни к одной из трех частей.

Бытие [ править ]

Первая и самая длинная часть пытается примирить религиозную традицию о сотворении мира с недавними научными открытиями, касающимися Вселенной и происхождения жизни .

Персонаж спиритического откровения [ править ]

Kardec утверждает , что спиритизм является «третьим откровения», первые из которых , что от Бога к Моисею и второй, пришествие Христа ). Эта первая глава представляет собой тщательную рационализацию теории спиритизма и попытку оправдать ее перед лицом резкой критики:

«Они обвиняют его [спиритизм] в связи с магией и колдовством; но забывают, что астрономия имеет астрологию в качестве старшей сестры, не слишком удаленной от нас» (№19).

Бог [ править ]

Спиритический взгляд на Бога .

Добро и зло [ править ]

Добро и зло считаются неотъемлемой частью человеческой природы, потому что они оба являются проявлением нашего стремления к совершенству. «Хорошие» вещи возникают из-за использования интеллекта, а «плохие» - из-за преобладания инстинкта .

Роль науки в Книге Бытия [ править ]

Утверждает, что научный прогресс - это, в конечном счете, человеческая попытка понять Бога и что конфликт между религией и наукой существует потому, что большинство религий подчинились воле власти, в то время как наука слепа к духовности человека. Утверждает гармонию науки и религии.

Древние и современные взгляды на мир [ править ]

Объясняет, что (неправильные) представления о мире возникли из-за нехватки информации, доступной человеку в прошлом, и что по мере развития науки наше мировоззрение будет кардинально меняться под влиянием этого.

Общая уранография [ править ]

An essay, attributed to the spirit of Galileo and signed by "C.F." (probably Camille Flammarion) presents a description of the universe as understood at the time. Contains some interesting insights which were either original or very novel:

  • that there are regions in space that are empty of stars (the space between the galaxies, which is called "deserts of space"),
  • that countless of other planets existed beyond our solar system,
  • that the Milky Way was only one of many other galaxies,
  • that most planets, if not all, were inhabited;
  • that planets are not immutable, but change over long periods of time and eventually disappear.

General Geological Sketch of the Earth[edit]

Attempts to reconcile the then recent science of geology with legends from the Bible and from other ancient peoples. Accepts the flood as fact and ignores ice ages, attributing phenomena that are now known to have been caused by the later as evidences of the former.

Theories on the formation of the Earth[edit]

Challenges, debunks or doubts many other oddball theories that circulated among occultists of the time. An entire section is dedicated to explain that the Earth does not have a "soul".

Revolutions of the Globe[edit]

Describes cataclysms that affected life overall, failing to mention any that were not already known at the time.

Genesis of Life[edit]

Describes how life on Earth could have formed. This chapter is particularly sore for Spiritists because it actually accepts spontaneous generation as fact: a phenomenon that took place every day (which was according to mainstream scientific thinking of that time, only to be displaced decades later by the work of Louis Pasteur).

Genesis of Spirits[edit]

Explains how spirits were (and are) created and to what purpose.

Moses' Genesis[edit]

Explains why the tale of the creation found in the Book of Genesis is contradicted by science.

The Miracles[edit]

The second part explains what a miracle is and discusses under which conditions it should happen.

Character of a Miracle[edit]

After describing what a miracle should be (both according to the popular conception and the theology of Christianity, Kardec argues (with the Spirits on his side) that such a thing does not and cannot exist:

"...considering that God does not do anything for fancy, we are inclined to the following opinion: As miracles are not necessary for the glory of God, nothing in the Universe ever goes against the laws of nature. God does not work miracles because, as His laws are perfect, He has no reason to derogate or suspend them. If facts are found that we cannot understand, it is just because we are in want of the knowledge necessary to understand them."

Regarding miraculous cures, Kardec wisely states that these, if frequent enough, would have been a hindrance to the development of mankind. If people could be miraculously cured man would not pursue knowledge. Therefore, as man is steadily progressing towards more and more knowledge, Kardec infers that these miracles are rare indeed (as they are not affecting the march of scientific progress). This reasoning is used as an explanation for the observed scarcity of true miracles. Finally, Kardec argues that most people claiming to work miraculous cures are charlatans.

The Fluids[edit]

According to contemporary science, there was a third nature, besides matter and energy, that was both immaterial, undetectable and capable of acting upon both matter and energy; as energy is capable of acting on matter and matter, of affecting energy. Such third kind was the basis for most religious theories and this theory was the bond that still allowed science and religion to have some common ground. In this chapter, Kardec explains "fluids" according to Spiritism and uses them to explain how spiritual phenomena worked.

Miracles of the Gospels[edit]

Why and how did Jesus work wonders. This chapter states that most of the "miracles" narrated by the Gospels were either natural phenomena or manifestations of spirits.

The Predictions[edit]

The third and shortest part deals with the possibility of foretelling the future, its possible consequences for mankind, and why God would allow it to happen.

Theory of Prescience[edit]

What is and what is the purpose of.

Predictions in the Gospels[edit]

This chapter looks quite sketchy, merely presenting the predictions picked from the gospels without much elaboration on their purpose or interpretation.

The Time Is at Hand[edit]

The final chapter, one of the last things Kardec published in life, is in itself a prophecy about the future of Spiritism, containing the following claims:

  • The world was going to suffer the most dramatic change it ever experienced, and that this change would not be a cataclysm but the complete disruption of the beliefs of man, prompting the establishment of a new faith, capable of harmonizing with science, to prevent science "alone" from leading mankind to madness.
  • The changes would affect the world as a whole and blur the borders between nations and peoples.
  • The crisis would lead to great advancement of mankind, eliminating most causes of suffering and turning our planet into a higher type of world (most Spiritists believe our world is one of punishment for morally debased, but intelligent spirits).
  • The crisis will prompt a redefinition of many keystones of man's political organizations in terms of ethics.
  • After the crisis, or as a consequence of it, man will be bodily different from its current shape.
  • After the crisis there will not be any organized religions left, people will be all either free-thinkers or theists and most will believe the central tenets of Spiritism.
  • We won't be able to detect the changes while they happen because they will be deep, but slow, and will take centuries to fully develop. Future generations will look unto us as an era of permanent turmoil, but not all of us will live realizing this.
  • Most of the push for the change will not come from scientific improvement, but from moral progress.

Overall Merit[edit]

The book suggests a large amount of research effort on the part of Kardec and is generally considered the best written of his books, despite being dated in a number of places, especially where it accepts as final truth the established scientific knowledge of its time.

Spiritists tend to regard The Genesis as the most complex of Kardec's works, and the one most demanding from the reader. Its popularity is a matter of dispute, as some publishers do not include it in their catalogs.

See also[edit]

  • The Book on Mediums
  • The Gospel According to Spiritism
  • Heaven and Hell
  • Spiritism
  • The Spirits Book
  • Uranography

References[edit]

External links[edit]

  • The Genesis According to Spiritism by Allan Kardec (PDF file, use Adobe Reader)