- THE SPIRITS’ BOOK - THE MEDIUMS’ BOOK - THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SPIRITISM - HEAVEN AND HELL - THE GENESIS

"WITHOUT CHARITY THERE IS NO SALVATION"
Charity:  benevolence for every one, indulgence for the
 imperfections of others, forgiveness of injuries. (SB, 886)

International Spiritist Council

THE SPIRITIST MOVEMENT

“Spirits assure us that the time appointed by Providence for a universal manifestation of their existence has now come; and that their mission, as the ministers of God and the instruments of His will, is to inaugurate, through the instructions they are charged to convey to us, a new era of regeneration for the human race.”   Allan Kardec (The Spirits’ Book – Prolegomena)  

What It Is

• The Spiritist Movement is the cluster of activities whose objective is the study, dissemination, and practice of the Spiritist Doctrine, as contained in the basic works of Allan Kardec, placing it within the reach and at the service of all Humanity.
  

• The activities which compose the Spiritist Movement are carried out by individuals, jointly or on their own, and by Spiritist Institutions.
  

• The Spiritist Institutions consist of:
  
  • Spiritist Groups, Centers, or Societies, which develop general activities related to the study, dissemination, and practice of the Spiritist Doctrine. They may be small, medium, or large in size;
  • Federations, which develop activities aimed at the union of the Spiritist Institutions and the unification of the Spiritist Movement;
  • Specialized Entities, which develop specific Spiritist activities, such as those devoted to social assistance and doctrinal dissemination; and
  • Study Groups of Spiritism, basically concentrating on the initial study of the Spiritist Doctrine.

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SPIRITIST GROUPS, CENTERS, OR SOCIETIES

“These Groups, corresponding together, visiting each other, and transmitting to one another the results arrived at by each, may, even now, form the nucleus of the great spiritist family which will one day rally to itself all opinions, and unite all men in the common brotherhood of Christian charity.” Allan Kardec (The Mediums’ Book – Chapt. XXIX – Item 334)
 
What They Are
 
The Spiritist Groups, Centers, or Societies are:  

• Nucleuses of study, fraternity, prayer, and activities practiced within the Spiritist principles;
  

• Schools of spiritual and moral education, operating according to the Spiritist Doctrine;
  

• Posts of fraternal assistance open to everyone in search for guidance, enlightenment, help, or consolation;
  

• Workshops which provide participants opportunities to exercise their inner growth through the practice of the Gospel in their activities;
  

• Places where the children, the youth, the adults, and the elderly have the opportunity to socialize, study, and perform activities together to unite the family under the guidance of Spiritism;
  

• Retreats of peace which offer participants opportunities for spiritual renewal and fraternal union through the practice of the maxim “Love one another”;
  

• Nucleuses characterized by the simplicity typical of the first congregations of the nascent Christianity; by the practice of charity; and by the total absence of images, symbols, rituals, or other exterior manifestations; and
  

• Institutions that represent the fundamental units of the Spiritist Movement.

Their Objectives
 
The objectives of the Spiritist Groups, Centers, or Societies are:  

• To promote the study, dissemination, and practice of the Spiritist Doctrine, while tending to individuals who:
  
  • seek enlightenment, guidance, and help for their spiritual, moral, and material problems;
  • wish to get acquainted with and study the Spiritist Doctrine;
  • wish to work, collaborate, and serve in any field of action the Spiritist practice has to offer.

Their Basic Activities

The basic activities of the Spiritist Groups, Centers, or Societies are:

• To conduct meetings for the study of the Spiritist Doctrine, in a programmed, methodical, and systematic form, open to individuals of all ages and every cultural and social standing, and aimed at enabling a deep and wide-ranging knowledge of Spiritism in all of its aspects.
  

• To conduct meetings for the explanation of the Gospel according to the Spiritist Doctrine, the practice of passes (laying on of hands), and to extend fraternal assistance through dialogue to those who approach the Spiritist Centers in search of enlightenment, guidance, help, and spiritual and moral assistance.
  

• To conduct meetings for the study, education, and practice of mediumship based on Spiritist principles and objectives, thereby enlightening, guiding, and preparing individuals for mediumship activities.
  

• To conduct meetings for the Spiritist evangelization of children and the youth, in a programmed, methodical, and systematic form, thereby assisting, enlightening, and guiding them within the teachings of the Spiritist Doctrine.
  

• To carry out the work of dissemination of the Spiritist Doctrine through all modes of social communication compatible with the Spiritist principles, such as lectures, conferences, books, newspapers, magazines, bulletins, pamphlets, hand-outs, radio, TV, posters, audio and video tapes.
  

• To carry out Spiritist assistance activities for the needy by helping them with their most pressing needs, and by enlightening them with the moral teachings of the Gospel according to the Spiritist Doctrine.
  

• To encourage and offer guidelines to individuals who attend their meetings toward implanting and maintaining the “Gospel at Home” practice, as sustenance for the spiritual harmonization of their families.
  

• To participate in activities aimed at the union of Spiritists and Spiritist Institutions as well as the unification of the Spiritist Movement by joining their efforts together; summing up their experiences; providing mutual help and support; improving Spiritist activities in general; and strengthening the actions of the Spiritists.
  

• To perform the administrative tasks necessary to their regular operation in accordance with their organizational structure and in compliance with all applicable local legislation.

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WORK OF THE FEDERATIONS AND
OF UNIFICATION OF THE SPIRITIST MOVEMENT  

“Spiritism is a question of depth; to be bound by form would be a folly unworthy of the magnitude of the subject. Therefore, Centers which believe they fully understand true Spiritism should extend a helping hand to others, in fraternity, and so unite in order to combat the common enemies: incredulity and fanaticism.”
Allan Kardec (Posthumous Works – The Constitution of Spiritism – Item VI)

What It Is

• The work of the Federations and of unification of the Spiritist Movement serves to strengthen, facilitate, expand, and improve the efforts of the Spiritist Movement in its ultimate goal of promoting the study, dissemination, and practice of the Spiritist Doctrine.
  

• It derives from the fraternal, voluntary, conscientious, and operational union of Spiritists and Spiritist Institutions through the exchange of information and experiences, mutual help, and joint activities.
  

• It is fundamental to the strengthening, improvement, and growth of Spiritist Institutions, and for the correction of eventual deviations from proper doctrinal and administrative practices.

What It Does

• It promotes a continuous contact with the Spiritist Groups, Centers, or Societies, thereby promoting their union and integration while placing at their disposal suggestions, expertise, and supporting programs and materials needed for their activities.
  

• It conducts meetings, courses, fellowship gatherings, and other events directed at administrators and workers of Spiritist organizations to refresh and update doctrinal knowledge and administrative procedures aimed at improving and expanding the Spiritist Institutions’ activities, and to open up new areas of action and work.
  

• It organizes events directed at the general public for the dissemination of the Spiritist Doctrine, thus enabling Spiritism to be better known and better practiced.

How It Is Structured

• It is structured through the union of the Spiritist Groups, Centers, or Societies which, while preserving their autonomy and freedom of action, join forces and sum up experiences aimed at the continuous improvement and strengthening of their activities and the Spiritist Movement in general.
  

• By joining together, the Spiritist Groups, Centers, or Societies constitute the Federations and Entities of Unification of the Spiritist Movement at local, regional, state, or national level.
  

• AThe Federations and Entities of Unification of the Spiritist Movement at the national level constitute in turn the Entity of Unification of the Spiritist Movement at the international level: the International Spiritist Council.

Guidelines for the Work of the Federations and of Unification of the Spiritist Movement

• The work of the Federations and of unification of the Spiritist Movement, as well as that of the union of the Spiritists and the Spiritist Institutions, is based upon the principles of fraternity, solidarity, freedom, and responsibility as prescribed by the Spiritist Doctrine.
  

• It is characterized by offering assistance without demanding compensation; by helping without creating conditions; by instructing without imposing results; and by uniting without inhibiting initiatives, thereby preserving the values and distinctive characteristics of both individuals and institutions.
  

• The integration and participation of Spiritist Institutions in this work, which shall always be voluntary and conscientious, are carried out on the basis of equality without subordination, thus respecting and preserving the institutions’ independence, autonomy, and freedom of action.
  

• The programs and supporting materials made available to the Spiritist Institutions are not obligatory. It is left to their own discretion to adopt them or not, partially or in their entirety, or to adapt them to their own needs and conveniences.
  

• In all activities the methodical, deep, and constant study of the works of Allan Kardec, which constitute the Spiritist Codification, should be always encouraged while underscoring the basis on which the Doctrine is established.
  

• All work and activities have as their highest objective the placing with simplicity and clarity of the Spiritist Doctrine’s consoling and guiding message within the reach and at the service of everyone through study, prayer, and other joint activities.
  

• Work of Federations as well as activities of unification of the Spiritist Movement must always preserve the participants’ inherent right to think, create, and act, as professed and praised by the Spiritist Doctrine, with the understanding, however, that each and every activity must be in accord with the works of the Codification by Allan Kardec.

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OBSERVATIONS

1. The Regulations of the International Spiritist Council state that:

• The International Spiritist Council (ISC) is an organization resulting from the union, on a world-wide level, of the organizations representing national Spiritist Movements.
  

• The main purposes and objectives of the ISC are:
  
    I - To promote the fraternal union of the Spiritist Institutions of all countries and the Unification of the International Spiritist Movement.
   
   II - To promote the study and dissemination of the Spiritist Doctrine in its three basic aspects: scientific, philosophical, and religious.
   
  III - To promote the practice of spiritual, moral, and material charity according to the Spiritist Doctrine.
  

• The purposes and objectives of the ISC are founded upon the Spiritist Doctrine codified by Allan Kardec, and on the works which, by following its guidelines, become complementary and subsidiary to the Codification.
  

• The programs and supporting materials offered by the ISC shall not be obligatory. It shall be left to the discretion of the Spiritist organizations of each country the decision to adopt them or not, partially or in their entirety, or to adapt them to their own needs or conveniences.
  

• The organizations affiliated to the ISC shall maintain their autonomy, independence, and freedom of action. Their affiliation with the ISC shall be based upon, and have as its objective, solidarity and fraternal union.

2.  The activities related in this document are proposed as suggestions. The Spiritist Institutions, at their discretion, may adopt them as their growth and development create the appropriate conditions, and at such a time as their administrators consider suitable.
 
3.  Spiritist activities shall always be carried out in a manner compatible with the social environment characteristics and in full compliance with local legislation.

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