619. Has God given to all men the means of knowing His law?
"All may know it, but not all understand it. Those who understand it best are they who seek after goodness. All, however, will one day understand it; for the destiny of progress must he accomplished."
(*) The justice of the various incarnations undergone by each human being is evident when seen in the light of the principle just enunciated; since, in each new existence, his intelligence is more developed, and he comprehends more clearly what is good and what is evil. If everything had to be accomplished by each man in a single existence, what would be the fate of the many millions of human beings who die every day in the brutishness of the savage state, or in the darkness of ignorance, without having had the possibility of obtaining enlightenment? (177-222) *(Remark by Allan Kardec)
620. Does a spirit, before his union with the body, comprehend the law of God more clearly than after his incarnation?
"He comprehends that law according to the degree of development at which he has arrived, and preserves the intuitive remembrance of it after being united with a body; but the evil instincts of man often cause him to forget it."
621. Where is the law of God inscribed?
"In the conscience."
- Since man carries the law of God in his conscience, where was the need of revealing it to him?
"He had forgotten and misunderstood it; God willed that it should be recalled to his memory."
622. Has God given to some men the mission of revealing His law?
"Yes, certainly. In every age there have been men who have received this mission; spirits of higher degree, who have incarnated themselves for the purpose of advancing human progress."
623. Have not those who have professed to instruct mankind sometimes made mistakes, and led them astray by false reasonings?
"Those who, not being inspired by God, have arrogated to themselves, through ambition, a mission which they had not received, may, undoubtedly, have led them into error; nevertheless, as, after all, they were men of genius, great truths are often to be found, even in the midst of the errors they taught."
624. What are the characteristics of the true prophet?
"The true prophet is an upright man who is inspired by God. He may be recognised both by his words and by his deeds. God does not employ the mouth of a liar to teach the truth."
625. What is the most perfect type that God has offered to man as his guide and model?
"Jesus."
(*) Jesus is the type of the moral perfection to which man may attain upon this earth. God offers Him to our thought as our most perfect model and the doctrine taught by Him is the purest expression of the divine law, because He was animated by the divine spirit, and was the purest being who has ever appeared upon the earth.
If some of those who have professed to instruct man in the law of God have sometimes led him astray by the inculcation of error, it is because they have allowed themselves to be swayed by sentiments of a too earthly nature, and because they have confounded the laws which regulate the conditions of the life of the soul with those which regulate the life of the body. Many pretended revealers have announced as divine laws what were only human laws, devised by them for serving their own passions and obtaining dominion over their fellow men. *(Remark by Allan Kardec)
Excerpted from Chapter I of the Third Book of "The Spirit's Book" - Allan Kardec
No comments:
Post a Comment