Reading Assignment:
- SB Part Two: Chapter X – Occupations and Missions of Spirits
Discussion Questions:
- Is this chapter concerned with incarnate spirits, discarnate spirits, or both?
- The Spirits Book was written before environmentalism was widely recognized to be of supreme importance. Q559 and Q540 point to the preciousness of all life. How do you perceive the teachings of spirits in relationship to current environmental issues?
- Do you have a sense that you have a mission?
- Are some spirits lazy? What are the consequences of laziness for a spirit?
- Distinguish between “mission” and “occupation”.
- A turning point in the life of Frances Perkins[1], the first woman to serve in the U.S. Cabinet, was witnessing the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, one of the deadliest fires in American history, killing almost 150 garment workers, most of them women. After witnessing this horrific scene, Frances Perkins felt “summoned” to a life of service. Discuss in the light of Spiritism.
- Does having a mission mean that one is called to do great deeds? Give an example of an important mission that is not a “great deed”.
- Conquerors may be regarded as doing great deeds. Does Spiritism view such achievement as carrying out a divine mission?
- Give an example of a spirit with a mission, either from your own experience or from reading.
[1] The Road to Character by David Brooks, pp. 16 – 24.