Existence of God

What it is: Spiritism affirms the existence of God as foundation of the universe and ultimate origin of moral and cosmic order.

How the tradition understands it: In the classical Kardecist formulation, God is defined as supreme intelligence and primary cause of all things. The tradition avoids rigid anthropomorphic descriptions and privileges philosophical and moral language.

Textual basis and context: The definition appears at the very beginning of The Spirits' Book and serves as the starting point of the doctrinal system.

Debates and variations: In general, the belief is presented theistically. There are, however, differences of language between more devotional and more rationalist authors.

Supportive

The Spirits’ Book, question 1

spiritism,kardec,the-spirits-book,god

Classic definition of God as supreme intelligence and first cause.

Reference: The Spirits’ Book, question 1.
Content: Kardec asks what God is and receives the well-known answer defining God as supreme intelligence and the first cause of all things.
Use in debate: It is the earliest and most cited formulation of Spiritism’s basic theology.

The Spirits’ Book, questions 13-16

spiritism,kardec,god,divine-attributes

Questions about divine attributes and the impossibility of fully grasping the essence of God.

Reference: The Spirits’ Book, questions 13 to 16.
Content: The passage deals with the attributes of God, divine eternity, immutability, and perfection, with emphasis on the limits of human understanding.
Use in debate: It serves to complement the doctrine’s initial theistic definition.