From Allan Kardec’s The Spirits’ Book
Human beings contain within themselves every faculty or ability in a rudimentary or latent state. These faculties develop according to the circumstances in which humans find themselves. The excessive development of some halts or offsets that of others. The over-stimulation of the material instincts extinguishes the moral sense, as the development of the moral sense gradually weakens animal faculties.
742. What drives human beings to war?
“The overpowering of the animal nature over the spiritual nature, and the fulfillment of their passions. In the barbaric state, humans only recognize the rights of the strongest. This makes war their normal condition. As men and women develop, war becomes less frequent because they avoid the causes that lead to it, and when it is inevitable, they wage it in a more humane manner.”
743. Will wars ever end on Earth?
“Yes, when human beings understand justice, and practice God’s law. Only then will all men and women be brothers and sisters.”
744. What is God’s purpose in making war necessary?
“Freedom and progress.”
a) If war brings us freedom, why does it often entail the slavery or oppression of the people attacked?
“This oppression is short-lived and serves to make the people grow tired of their enslavement, pushing them to advance more rapidly.”
745. What should we think of those who instigate war for their own profit?
“Such individuals are severely guilty, and suffer many physical lives to atone for all the deaths they caused. They will have to answer for every human being who has been killed to satisfy their ambition.”
746. Is murder a crime in God’s eyes?
“Yes and a serious one. When individuals take the life of their fellow human beings, they cut short an atonement or a mission that the victim was going through in their present incarnation and that is an atrocious act.”
747. Are all murders equally evil?
“God is fair. God judges the intention rather than just the deed.”
748. Does God excuse murder in legitimate cases of self-defense?
“Only absolute necessity can excuse it. If you can only save your own life by taking that of your attacker, you should do it.”
749. Are people accountable for the murders they commit during times of war?
“Not when they are forced to fight, but they are still accountable for the cruelties they commit, and will be rewarded for their mercy.”
750. Which is worse in God’s eyes: parricide or infanticide?
“They are equally horrific, because any crime is a crime.”
751. How can infanticide exist in intellectually advanced nations, and even be allowed by their laws?
“Intellectual development is not always accompanied by moral integrity. A superior spirit may advance in intelligence, and remain wicked. This is what happens when a spirit lives for a long time without improving.”
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