Spiritism facts for kids
Spiritism is a set of ideas and beliefs taught by a French teacher named Allan Kardec. He wrote several important books about it. Spiritism suggests that we can learn about the world and ourselves by combining science, philosophy, and religion.
Kardec's main goal was to help people understand life, death, and the spiritual world. He believed that humans have the power to make the world better. He also thought it was important to think critically about religious ideas. This helps people avoid believing things without proof. It also helps them avoid thinking that only material things matter.
Contents
What Is Spiritism?
Spiritism is a way of understanding life that combines different types of knowledge. It looks at the world through the eyes of science, philosophy, and religion. This helps people get a full picture of reality.
Allan Kardec's Main Books
Allan Kardec wrote two very important books that explain Spiritism:
- The Spirits' Book: This book explains the main ideas of Spiritism. It talks about big topics like God, spirits, the universe, and how humans fit into it all. It also covers ideas about society, culture, good behavior, and faith.
- The Mediums' Book: This book goes into detail about how the spiritual world works. It explains how people called "mediums" can communicate with spirits. It also describes the skills mediums can develop.
Key Ideas of Spiritism
Spiritism has a few core beliefs:
- It encourages talking about and connecting science, philosophy, and religion. This helps us understand the world more completely.
- It suggests looking at religious ideas with a critical eye. This means checking facts and experiences to tell what is real from what is just imagination. This way, people can be spiritual without being too strict or only believing in physical things.
- It teaches that humans have the power and responsibility to act. We can create and change the world around us for the better.
Spiritism and Spiritualism
Spiritism is similar to another set of beliefs called spiritualism. However, Allan Kardec said they were different. Kardec's books were based on what he saw during special meetings called séances. During these meetings, he believed he saw things that were caused by spirits.
The famous writer Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about Spiritism in his book History of Spiritualism. He explained that Spiritism is a type of Spiritualism. Because of this, many books and ideas from Spiritualism are also accepted in Spiritism. This includes the works of scientists like Sir William Crookes and Oliver Lodge.
Images for kids
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Allan Kardec, portrait from L'Illustration, 10 March 1869
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Fox sisters, left to right: Margaret, Kate, Leah
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Luis Francisco Benítez de Lugo y Benítez de Lugo (1837-1876). Spanish nobleman, pioneer of spiritism in Spain.
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Monument to Chico Xavier in Chico Xavier Square, Pedro Leopoldo City.
See also
In Spanish: Espiritismo para niños
