PersecutionsTowards the end of 1864, a persecution was preached against Spiritism, in several towns in the South, and followed by some effects. Here is an extract from one of those sermons that was sent to us on the occasion, with all the indications necessary to verify its authenticity; you will appreciate our reservation in not citing places or people:
“Flee, Christians; flee these lost men, and these bad women who indulge in practices that the Church condemns! Do not have any dealings with these madmen and these mad women; abandon them to absolute isolation. Avoid them like dangerous people. Do not have them by your side, and drive them out of the holy place, whose access is banned to their unworthiness.
See these lost men and bad women who hide in the shadows, and who meet in secret to spread their vile doctrines; follow them with me to their lairs; Don’t they look like low-level conspirators taking pleasure in the darkness to form their infamous plots? They conspire audaciously, in fact, with the help of Satan, against our holy mother the Church that Jesus established to reign on Earth. What are they still doing, these ungodly men and shameless women? They blaspheme against God; they deny the sublime truths that for centuries have inspired the deepest respect in their ancestors; they adorn themselves with a false charity of which they only know the name, and they use it as a cloak to hide their ambition! They break into your homes like ravenous wolves to seduce your daughters and your wives and they want to destroy you all forever; but you will drive them out of your presence like evil beings! “You have understood, Christians! Who are those that I point out to your reprobation? They are the Spiritists! And why shouldn't I name them? It's time to push them back and curse their hellish doctrines!"
Sermons like this one were the order of the day at that time. If we unearth this document from our archives, after four years, it is to respond to the qualification of a dangerous party recently given to the Spiritists, by certain organs of the press. In the circumstance above, on which side was the aggression, the provocation, in a word, the spirit of party? Could we push the excitement any further, to the hatred of citizens against each other, to the division of families? Don’t such sermons recall those of the disastrous time when these same countries were bloodied by the wars of religion, where the father was armed against the son, and the son against the father? We don’t judge them from the point of view of evangelical charity, but from that of prudence. Is it really political to arouse fanatic passions in this way, in a country where the past is still so vivid, where the authority often has difficulty preventing conflicts? Is it safe to exhibit the sparks of discord there again? Would they, therefore, want to renew the crusade against the Albigenses and the war of Cevennes? If such sermons were preached against the Protestants, bloody reprisals would be inevitable. Today they are attacking Spiritism, for not having a legal existence yet, they believe everything is allowed against it.
Well! What has always been the attitude of the Spirits, in the presence of attacks to which they have been the object? That of calm and moderation. Shouldn’t they bless a doctrine whose power is great enough to curb turbulent and vindictive passions? Note, however, that the Spiritists don’t form a constituted body anywhere; that they are not regimented in congregations, obeying a commandment; that there is between them no obvious or secret affiliation; they are subjected quite simply and individually to the influence of a philosophical idea, and this idea, freely accepted by reason rather than imposed, suffices to modify their tendencies, because they are conscious of being with the truth. They see this idea growing constantly, infiltrating everywhere, gaining ground every day; they have faith in their future, because it is according to the principles of eternal justice, because it responds to social needs, and because it is identified with progress, the march of which is irresistible; that is why they are calm in the face of the attacks addressed to them; they would think they were giving proof of distrust in their strength if they supported it by violence and by material means. They laugh at these attacks, since their only result is to propagate it more quickly, attesting its importance.
But the attacks are not limited to the idea. Although the crusade against the Spiritists is no longer openly preached, as it was a few years ago, their adversaries have not become more benevolent or more tolerant; persecution against individuals is not less exercised when there is an occasion, not only in the freedom of their conscience, that is a sacred right, but even in their material interests. In the absence of good reason, the opponents of Spiritism still hope to overthrow it by calumny and oppression; they are undoubtedly mistaken, but in the meantime, there are some victims. However, we must not hide from ourselves that the struggle is not over; the followers must therefore arm themselves with resolution to walk firmly in the path that has been laid out for them.
It is not only in view of the present, but above all in anticipation of the future, that we have thought it convenient to reproduce the instruction below, to which we call the serious attention of the followers. Moreover, it is a denial given to those who seek to represent Spiritism as a dangerous party to the social order. May God wish that all parties only obey such inspirations, for peace would soon reign on Earth.
Paris, December 10th, 1864 – medium Mr. Delanne
“My children, these persecutions, like so many others, will fall and cannot be harmful to the cause of Spiritism; the good Spirits watch over the execution of the Lord's orders: you have nothing to fear; nonetheless, it is a warning to you to be on your guard and act with caution. It is a storm that breaks out, as you must expect to see many others breaking out, as we have announced to you; for you must not believe that your enemies will easily consider themselves beaten; no, they will struggle step by step until they are convinced of their helplessness. So, let them throw away their poison without worrying about what they may say, since you know very well that they can do nothing against the Doctrine that must succeed, despite it all; they feel that well, and that is what infuriates them and redoubles their rage.
It is to be expected that in the struggle they will make some victims, but this is the test by which the Lord will recognize the courage and perseverance of his true servants. What merit would you have in winning without difficulty? Like valiant soldiers, the wounded will be the most rewarded; and what glory for those who will emerge mutilated and covered with honorable scars from the battle! If an enemy people came to invade your country, wouldn't you sacrifice your possessions, your life for its independence? Thus, why would you complain about a few splashes that you get in a fight where you know the inevitable outcome, and where you are sure to win? Thank God therefore for having placed you in the first row, so that you are the first to collect the glorious palms that will be the prize for your devotion to the holy cause. Thank your persecutors who give you the opportunity to show your courage and gain more merit. Do not go after persecution, do not seek it; but if it comes, accept it as one of the trials of life, for it is one of them, and one of the most beneficial for your advancement, according to the way you endure it. It is with this trial as with all others: through your conduct, you can make it fruitful or fruitless for you.
Shame on those who have retreated and preferred Earth’s resting to the one that was prepared for them, for the Lord will take their sacrifices into account! He will say to them: “What are you asking for, you who have lost nothing, sacrificed nothing; who has not given up a night of your sleep, a piece of your table, nor have you left some of your clothes on the battlefield? What have you been doing during this time, while your brothers were facing danger? You stood aside to let the storm pass, and show yourself past the danger, while your brothers resolutely stepped into the struggle.
Think of the Christian martyrs! They did not have, like you do, the incessant communications of the invisible world to rekindle their faith, and yet they did not shy away from the sacrifice either of their life or of their possessions. Moreover, the time for those cruel trials has passed; the bloody sacrifices, the tortures, the pyres, will not be repeated; your trials are more moral than material; they will therefore be less painful, but will be nonetheless deserving, because everything is in proportion to its time. Today it is the Spirit that dominates; that is why the mind suffers more than the body. The predominance of the spiritual over the material trials is an indication of the advancement of the Spirit. Furthermore, you know that many of those who suffered for Christianity come to contribute to the crowning of the work, and these are the ones that support the struggle with most courage; thus, they add a palm to those they had already conquered.
What I am telling you, my friends, is not to encourage you to throw yourselves recklessly and hurriedly into the fray; no; I tell you the opposite: act with prudence and circumspection, even in the interest of the Doctrine, that would suffer from an ill-considered enthusiasm; but if a sacrifice is necessary, do it without complaining, and think that a temporal loss is nothing compared to the compensation that you will receive for it.
Don't worry about the future of the doctrine; among those who fight it today, more than one will be the defender tomorrow. The adversaries are agitated; at some point they will want to come together to strike a blow and overthrow the started edifice, but their efforts will be in vain, and division will reach their ranks. The times are approaching when events will favor the blossoming of what you sow. Consider the work you are doing, regardless of what they can say or do. Your enemies are doing all they can to push you beyond the bounds of moderation, so that they can give their aggression a pretext; their insults have no other purpose, but your indifference and your restraint confuse them; Therefore, continue to oppose violence with gentleness and charity; do good to those who want to do you harm, so that later they can distinguish the true from the false. You have a powerful weapon: that of reasoning; use it, but never defile it with insult, the supreme argument of those who have no good reason to give; finally, strive through the dignity of your conduct, to make the title of Spiritist respectful in you.
St. Louis
