Spiritism for kids

1. WHAT’S INFLUENCE?
Social influence
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Social influence occurs when an individual's thoughts, feelings or
actions are affected by other people. Social influence takes many
forms and can be seen in conformity, socialization, peer pressure,
obedience, leadership, persuasion, sales, and marketing. In 1958,
Harvard psychologist, Herbert Kelman identified three broad
varieties of social influence.[1]
Compliance is when people appear to agree with others, but
actually keep their dissenting opinions private.
Identification is when people are influenced by someone who is
liked and respected, such as a famous celebrity or a favorite uncle.
Internalization is when people accept a belief or behavior and agree
both publicly and privately.

2. Positive or Negative?

3. The Influence of Spiritual World
Occult Influence of Spirits on Our Thoughts and Actions
459. Do spirits influence our thoughts and our actions?
"Their influence upon them is greater than you suppose, for it is very often
they who direct both."
460. Have we some thoughts that originate with ourselves, and others that
are suggested to us?
"Your soul is a spirit who thinks. You must have observed that many
thoughts, and frequently very opposite ones, come into your mind in
reference to the same subject, and at the same time. In such cases, some of
them are your own, and some are ours. This is the cause of your
uncertainties, because you have thus in your mind two ideas that are
opposed to each other."
461. How can we distinguish between the thoughts which are our own and
those which are suggested to us?
"When a thought is suggested, it is like a voice speaking to you. Your own
thoughts are generally those which first occur to you. In point of fact, this
distinction is not of much practical importance for you, and it is often better
for you not to be able to make it. Man's action is thus left in greater freedom.
If he decides for the right road, he does so more spontaneously; if he takes
the wrong one, he is more distinctly responsible for his mistake."

4. 462. Do men of intelligence and
genius always draw their ideas from
their own minds?
"Their ideas sometimes come from their own spirit; but they are
often suggested to them by other spirits who judge them to be
capable of understanding them, and worthy of transmitting them.
When they do not find the required ideas in themselves, they
make an unconscious appeal for inspiration; a sort of evocation
that they make without being aware of what they are doing.“
If it were useful for us to be able to distinguish clearly between our
own thoughts and those which are suggested to us, God would
have given us the means of doing so, as he has given us that of
distinguishing between day and night. When a matter has been
left by Providence in a state of vagueness, it has been left so
because it is better for us.

5. Why does God permit spirits to
incite us to evil?
466.
"Imperfect spirits are used by Providence as instruments for
trying men's faith and constancy in well-doing. You, being a
spirit, must advance in the knowledge of the infinite. It is for this
end that you are made to pass through the trials of evil in order
to attain to goodness. Our mission is to lead you into the right
road. When you are acted upon by evil influences, it is because
you attract evil spirits to you by your evil desires, for evil spirits
always come to aid you in doing the evil you desire to do; they
can only help you to do wrong when you give way to evil
desires. If you are inclined to commit murder, you will have
about you a swarm of spirits who will keep this inclination alive
in you; but you will also have others about you who will try to
influence you for good, which restores the balance, and leaves
you of your decision."
It is thus that God leaves to our conscience the choice or the
road we decide to follow, and the liberty of yielding to one or
other of the opposing influences that act upon us.

6. By what means can we neutralize
the influence of evil spirits?

7. By what means can we neutralize
the influence of evil spirits?
469
"By doing only what is right, and putting all your trust in God,
you repel the influence of inferior spirits, and prevent them
from obtaining power over you. Take care not to listen to the
suggestions of spirits who inspire you with evil thoughts, stir
up discord among you, and excite in you evil passions.
Distrust especially those who flatter your pride, for, in so
doing, they attack you on your weakest side. This is why
Jesus makes you say in the Lord's Prayer, 'Let us not
succumb to temptation, but deliver us from evil.'"

8. 515. What is to be thought of those persons who seem to attach
themselves to certain individuals in order to urge them on to their
injury, or to guide them on the right road?
"Some persons do, in fact, exercise over others a species of
fascination which seems irresistible. When this influence is used
for evil, it is to be attributed to evil spirits, who make use of evil
men in order the more effectually to subjugate their victim. God
may permit this in order to try you."

9. Influence of Spirits in our Lives
525. Do spirits exercise an influence over the events of our lives?
"Assuredly they do; since they give you advice."
-- Do they exercise this influence in any other way than by means
of the thoughts they suggest to us, that is to say, have they any
direct action on the course of earthly events?
"Yes; but their action never oversteps the laws of nature."
We erroneously imagine that the action of spirits can only be
manifested by extraordinary phenomena we would have spirits
come to our aid by means of miracles, and we imagine them to be
always armed with a sort of magic wand. Such is not the case; all
that is done through their help being accomplished by natural
means, their intervention usually takes place without our being
aware of it. Thus, for instance, they bring about the meeting of
two persons who seem to have been brought together by chance
they suggest to the mind of some one the idea of going in a
particular direction. They call your attention to some special
point, if the action on your part thus led up to by their suggestion,
unperceived by you, will bring about the result they seek to
obtain. In this way, each man supposes himself to be obeying
only his own impulse, and thus always preserves the freedom of
his will.

10. Best Practices

11. I am responsible for my choices.
“We all take different paths in life, but no
matter where we go, we take a little of each
other everywhere.”

12. Influence
“Be around the people you want to be
like, because you will be like the people you
are around.”
Sean Reichle
Source: http://www.kardecian.org/mocidade-espirita.html