Allan Kardec-THE Spirit's Book_ The Principles of Spiritist Doctrine (1989)

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ALLAN KARDEC
his entrance into a better world; for be himself will ask to be allowed to come back to the
earth, in order to complete the life that he has cut short in pursuit of a mistaken idea. The
sanctuary of the good is never opened by a fault, no matter what may have been its motive."
951. Is not the sacrifice of one's life meritorious when it is made in order to save the lives of
others, or to be useful to them?
"Incurred for such an end, it is sublime ; but such a voluntary sacrifice of life is not suicide. It
is the useless sacrifice that is displeasing to God, and also that which is tarnished by pride. A
sacrifice is only meritorious when disinterested; if accomplished in view of a selfish end, its
value is proportionally lessened in the sight of God."
Every sacrifice of our interest or enjoyment made for the sake of others is supremely meritorious in the
sight of God for it is the fulfilling of the law of charity. Life being. of all earthly possessions, the one to
which men attach the greatest value, he who renounces it for the good of his fellow-creatures does not
commit a crime he accomplishes a sacrifice. But, before accomplishing it, he should consider whether his
life might not be more useful than his death.
952. Does he commit suicide who falls a victim to the excessive indulgence of passions which
he knows will hasten his death, but which habit has converted into physical necessities that
lie is unable to control?
"He commits moral suicide. Do you not see that a man, in such a case, is trebly guilty? For he
is guilty of a want of firmness, of the sin of bestiality, and of forgetfulness of God."
- Is such a man more or less guilty than he who kills himself from despair?
"He is more guilty, because he has had time to reflect on the suicidal nature of the course he
was pursuing. In the case of him who commits suicide on the spur of the moment, there is
sometimes a degree of bewilderment not unallied to madness. The former will be punished
much more severely than the latter; for the retributive penalties of crime are always
proportioned to the consciousness of wrong-doing that accompanied its commission.
953. Is it wrong on the part of him who finds himself exposed to some terrible and inevitable
death to shorten his sufferings by killing himself?
"It is always wrong not to await the moment of dissolution appointed by God. Besides, how
can a man tell whether the end