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Leonardo
Marmo
Moreira |
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Roustaing and
Ubaldi: a
strange union
of schismatic
forces |
The Roustaing
movement is the
greatest plague,
a "thorn in the
flesh" of the
Brazilian
Spiritist
movement.
Roustaing work
is considered a
mystification,
and it is
literally a very
difficult weed
to be pulled out
from the
Spiritist
groups. The main
book is "The
Four Gospels",
the author of
which is the
French lawyer
J.B. Roustaing.
The Ubaldi
movement grew
around the work
of Pietro Ubaldi,
a psychic and
Italian writer
who came to live
in Brazil and
became know
within the
Brazilian
Spiritualist
groups,
including the
Spiritist
movement.
Oddly, Roustaing
and Ubaldi's
dissidents have
made an effort
to become
unified in a
kind of single
schismatic
process, which
can be found in
some Brazilian
regions.
The Ubaldi's
movement would
be, in some
respects, a new
edition of
Roustaing's
work. In fact,
it is a work
without the
support of the
"Universality of
Education of the
Spirits." Ubaldi
and Roustaing
defend the
existence of the
"Spiritual
Fall," implying
that
reincarnation
would be a kind
of "Divine
Punishment", a
priori
unnecessary, if
the spiritual
being fulfilled
its evolution
and behavior
"targets"
appropriately.
We emphasize
that this is
precisely the
major point of
disagreement
between
Roustaing and
Kardec. Thus,
the attempted
union between
Roustaing and
Ubaldi is
supported by a
clearly opposite
concept to the
Codification.
In fact, Ubaldi,
as a kind of
"redesigned
Roustaing", also
attracted many
spiritualists in
Brazil, becoming
one more source
of disturbance
in our Spiritist
movement too.
The work of J.B.
Roustaing
predates Pietro
Ubaldi's
- In this
context, at one
point,
Roustaing's
followers saw
that Ubaldi
would be the
hope of a
salvation. This
due to the fact
that the
nonsense
divulged by
Roustaing became
more known, more
studied and
discussed than
Ubaldi's, since
Roustaing's anti
doctrinal works
had more
supporters in
the Brazilian
Spiritist
movement than
the books of the
Italian writer.
Moreover, the
work of
Roustaing was
published first,
and, it is
contemporary to
Allan Kardec. It
caused famous
doctrinal
clashes in
France itself,
where Gabriel
Delanne was one
of the authors
who fought to
save the
Kardecian bases
from being
misinterpreted.
Therefore, it is
a fact that at
that time
Roustaing's work
was more known
than Ubaldi's.
Thus, the
obvious
inconsistencies
of Roustaing's
work were
thoroughly
explained in the
light of the
Spiritist
Codification by
renowned
Spiritists, such
as J. Herculano
Pires, Julio
Abreu Filho,
Luciano Costa,
Tourinho
Nazarene, among
others. There
was no such a
study regarding
Ubaldi's work.
To consider
Ubaldi's ideas
as a new point
of view would be
to furnish a new
impulse to the
schism already
existing in the
Spiritist
movement since
the nineteenth
century. This
would be an
attempt to give
support to
Roustaing's anti
Spiritist
theses, because
his followers
were not able to
defend the weak
arguments
contained in his
"mater work."
Indeed, what
Roustaing's
followers have
mostly done is
to try and link,
often in an
undue manner,
the name of
renowned
Spiritists in
the past to
Roustaing, since
they have not
been able to
effectively
present solid
arguments to
defend "The Four
Gospels".
In the
evaluation of a
message, its
content is the
most important
- Allan Kardec
recommends and
makes it clear
that the content
of the message
is always a
priority in
terms of
evaluation.
Secondly, the
moral character
of the medium
that delivered
the message,
and, finally,
the name of the
spiritual
author. Instead
of analyzing the
moral character
of the medium,
we should
analyze the
moral character
of the embodied
writer, when the
work is not a
psychic
production.
Similarly, we
should also
analyze the name
of the spiritual
author and the
name of the
illustrious
confreres who
supported or
support, for any
reason, works
clearly contrary
to the Encoding,
since all
individuals, as
much
distinguished
and respectable
as their
contributions
may be, they may
eventually
commit some
error sometime.
A person's
personal
opinion, as much
as the bearer of
the idea is
known as someone
honest and
reliable, is not
necessarily the
truth.
Anyway, by
simulating this
fusion between
schismatic
works,
Roustaing's
followers could
influence a good
number of
Ubaldi's
followers, who
would eventually
leave Roustaing,
or even become
against him,
since the works,
however
containing
converging
points, they
also show
significant
differences.
In fact,
Roustaing's
followers have a
need to sustain
the
inconsistencies
of his work in
other authors to
confirm his
opinions, even
if such ideas
are frontally
opposed to Allan
Kardec.
Moreover, it was
stated that the
work "The Four
Gospels" by J.B.
Roustaing would
be continued,
and strengthened
and ratified by
a subsequent
work. This
project never
turned up,
neither through
the medium
Emilie Collignon,
nor by Roustaing
or any of his
followers.
Ubaldi and
Roustaing defend
the thesis of
the Spiritual
Fall
- Obviously, the
fact that there
was no
subsequent work
created a
serious problem
for Roustaing's
followers
because how
could the
"Revelation of
Revelation"
state a
continuity that
did not occur
effectively.
This prediction
of a
"definitive"
work, coupled
with the slow
and gradual
decay of the
dissemination of
Roustaing's work
within the
Brazilian
Spiritist
movement, led
some of its
leaders to elect
the work of
Pietro Ubaldi,
as the
continuation of
"The Four
Gospels". In
fact, both
defend the
anti-Kardecian
thesis of the
Spiritual Fall.
Moreover, this
association is
very weird,
because Ubaldi,
like Roustaing,
was very vain.
It is even
possible that
Ubaldi exceeded
Roustaing in
terms of vanity,
because he never
considered
himself a
Spiritist, nor
was he attached
to the Spiritst
movement, and
always wanted to
create his own
movement.
However, this
egocentric
position has a
certain
consistency,
since he never
said he was
something, which
he was not,
i.e., he never
claimed to be a
follower of the
Spiritist
Doctrine. On the
contrary, he
always
maintained
serious
criticism
regarding the
Doctrine.
Anyway, Ubaldi's
attitude was not
so contradictory
compared to
Roustaing's, who
considered "The
Four Gospels" as
a Spiritist
work, although
he strongly went
against several
basic principles
of the Encoding.
On the other
hand, it is
significant the
fact that
Roustaing's
followers chose
the work of an
author who never
considered
himself a
Spiritist to
complement and
develop the work
of Roustaing.
Moreover, if J.B.
Roustaing's work
"The Four
Gospels" was
really a
Spiritist work,
would it not be
natural to
suppose that its
continuation and
respective
development
would be
consolidated by
a well-known
author and a
true Spiritist?
Ubaldi did not
become
acquainted with
Roustaing's work
- Pietro
Ubaldi's choice,
or option,
occurs precisely
because the
interconnection
between the
contents of the
works of known
Spiritist
authors such as
Andre Luiz,
Joanna de
Angelis,
Philomeno Manoel
de Miranda,
among others,
becomes almost
impossible when
considering J.B.
Roustaing's
ideas in his
book "The Four
Gospels".
Moreover, Ubaldi
never considered
himself a
defender of
Roustaing's
ideas, and what
is more
relevant,
according to
some
biographers, is
that he did not
even become
aware of
Roustaing's
work. Now, it is
not logical that
the great
promoter and
developer of an
"advanced course
of Spiritism",
as stated by
some of
Roustaing's
followers, did
not know the
work of his
predecessor.
This fact, by
itself, already
shows how this
link between
them did not
exist.
This
interconnection
was forged, in a
certain undue
manner, by
Roustaing's
followers in an
eager attempt to
revive proposals
that have no
doctrinal
support within
Spiritism.
Therefore, the
fallacies based
on Roustaing's
work remind us
of a real
patchwork of
information and
subterfuge, very
much similar to
the
inconsistencies
of Catholicism.
Anyway, assuming
the unlikely
possibility that
both works
complement each
other, it would
surprise us that
the Superior
Spirituality is
so chaotic,
because being
Ubaldi a priori
so important for
the development
and validation
of the theses
contained in
"Revelation of
Revelation," he
did not, in his
85 years of age,
ever had the
slightest
contact with The
Four Gospels".
Were our
spiritual
mentors so lost
that they did
not make it
possible for the
"Great
Continuer" to
become aware of
his
"precursor's"
work? Let us
remember that,
at first, Pietro
Ubaldi would
have been the
bearer of an
ostensive
mediumship,
which would be
one more
opportunity for
the author to be
inspired and
become aware of
such an
important work
for the
development of
his own mission.
And this did not
happen.
Those who do not
accept Roustaing
cannot be
considered
Spiritists.
On the other
hand, we may
assume that
Ubaldi was
inspired to know
the work of
Roustaing, but
rejected doing
so according to
his free will.
In this case, we
would then
question the
reason for such
a procedure.
Would Ubaldi
reject "the
Revelation of
Revelation" on
the grounds that
it was not so
revealing as
well? In this
case, who would
be mistaken?
Ubaldi or
Roustaing? Or
both? The Truth
is one, but the
distorted views
of this truth
are many. This
makes it
perfectly
possible that
two misguided
authors mutually
disagree between
themselves with
their points of
view.
Roustaing and/or
his "Spiritual
Advisors" repeat
until exhaustion
that the works
to take into
consideration
are "The Four
Gospels",
"Revelation of
Revelation" or
"The New
Revelation", and
"Christian
Spiritism", as
well." To top it
off, Roustaing's
fanatic
followers in our
country stated
categorically
that Roustaing's
work is "an
advanced course
of Spiritism,"
emphasizing that
"whoever does
not accept
Roustaing cannot
be considered a
Spiritist". Now,
does this mean
then that Leon
Denis, Gabriel
Delanne and
Camille
Flammarion and
many others
cannot be
considered
Spiritists? And
what is worse,
does this apply
to Allan Kardec
too? Therefore,
can he not be
considered a
Spiritist too?
After all, none
of them accepted
Roustaing's
work.
The
interconnection
between the
content of the
works produced
by spiritual
authors, and
embodied authors
too, in a
combined study
is in no way an
objectionable
attitude.
However, when
two schismatic
groups, who
consider
themselves
Spiritists,
become unified
to maintain and
promote ideas
that hinder the
doctrinal
development of
our movement,
then this
becomes a
serious matter,
which calls into
question their
spiritual
responsibility.
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