It is common
to find
among those
who believe
in Spiritism,
those who
are most
exalted with
the culture,
knowledge
and
intellectuality
that the
doctrinal
study
provides.
Probably, about 20 years
ago, the “Spiritist
discussion lists”
appeared, rehearsing the
first social networks,
from the exchange of
e-mails in specific
debate groups, bringing
together people from
different parts of the
country and the world.
In the beginning, it was
a very interesting
exchange of experiences.
We even had the
opportunity to meet,
call, talk and even
receive from Professor
Carlos de Brito
Imbassahy a copy of the
work written by his
father in 1955, The
Evolution.
With their frank
position, austere at
times, those Spiritists
with “lukewarm”
knowledge, a mixture of
religiosity and
syncretism, were
“dinned” for their
elegance, knowledge and
eloquence in the
doctrinal debate.
It was admirable the way
in which Professor
Carlos de Brito
Imbassahy conducted his
thinking as a Physicist,
in the face of doctrinal
knowledge. The
scientific rigor and
intellectual autonomy
caused strangeness and
even criticism of his
style, due to the
independence, fidelity
and objectivity with
which he carried out his
doctrinal reflections.
Upon meeting him,
however, rare were those
who did not perceive the
sweetness in his heart
and the patience in the
face of the follies of
those Spiritists who
tried to demonstrate
some scientific
knowledge just by
reading novels or works
of high carat, applying
them out of context.
Sensitive to what was
best in the production
of the Spiritist
movement, like every
human being, he had his
preferences. He did not
give up the works of
Allan Kardec. It was his
favorite. As much as
people encouraged his
opinion about Chico
Xavier and other
strongholds of the
Spiritist movement, he
positioned himself
objectively, even
directly, and turned his
attention to the work of
Allan Kardec.
Anyone who lived with
Professor Imbassahy at
that time was presented
with a translation of
the book The Genesis – the
miracles and predictions
according to Spiritism.
Until today we have the
files in “Ms Word©” that
were kindly given to the
participants of that
list. That same
translation later served
as the basis for FEAL’s
edition.
His fidelity to the
scientific thinking of
Allan Kardec passed
through knowledge and
understanding of the
Gospel of Jesus. Yes,
Professor Imbassahy also
knew the Gospel and
spoke openly very little
about it, even more so
when the audience was
heterogeneous. Doctor
Carlos Imbassahy
(father) was one of the
greatest spiritist
polemicists we have ever
had in Brazil. He
dedicated the Body
and Spirit (Corpo e
Espírito), published
by Lake, 1946 (if I am
not mistaken) to
Professor Imbassahy, his
only son, speaking,
among other things, of
the wealth of the
Gospel, however not the
Gospel “kidnapped” by
men in exchange for
power, but the Gospel of
Christ.
The nostalgia for the
Imbassahy increased that
day when we came across
a note whose authorship,
unfortunately, we did
not record, about the
importance of the
scientific method. The
note is academic, but it
serves doctrinal
thinking. The sentence
was recorded by a pen
and goes like this: “the
methodology of
scientific research is
concerned with the
construction processes
of rigorous knowledge.
The way in which a
conclusion is reached
regarding the
investigated phenomenon
is, in this (scientific)
area, as important as
the knowledge itself”.
When reading this note,
Professor Imbassahy's
memory became more
vivid, due to his rigor,
style, controversies,
but security and
conviction in the face
of the construction of
Spiritist thought.
These lists encouraged
the capture of the
thought of another great
Spiritist thinker who
dominated the Spiritist
philosophy in order to
be nicknamed by the
Spirit Emmanuel as the
“meter that best
measured Kardec”,
Professor Herculano
Pires.
While Spiritist
bookstores in Minas
Gerais, at that time,
only sold the
productions of the
Federation, the internet
brought us closer to the
thought of a “rebel” in
the eyes of that
institution. We
remember, as if it were
today: the first time at
a study meeting that we
took to reflection the
approach of the work O
Espírito e o Tempo,
considered one of the
best Spiritist works of
the 20th century, by
professor Herculano
Pires. Very discreetly,
as customary in the
State of Minas. We were
informed that the “cited
author was not well
regarded because he was
a critical of the
Federation”.
Many years passed when
we read, in one of the
Federation's “work
books”, a quote from a
work by Herculano Pires.
For the inattentive
reader, it was more of a
reference. For those who
know a little about the
history of the Spiritist
movement, it was,
perhaps, the “wandering
of new times”.
Although it is
recognized in the speech
of many speakers, in the
pen of many writers, the
importance of scientific
thinking, in practice,
in the empiricism
necessary for the
learning that transforms
the mind and heart of
the individual, the
Spiritist movement
continues to make the
same mistakes as in the
past.
It relies more on the
eloquence of mediums and
writers than on the
validation of the
thought used by Allan
Kardec to understand the
influence of the Spirits
in our lives and vice
versa. A classic example
is reincarnation. They
prefer to defend the
idea that so-and-so is
the reincarnation of
so-and-so, with
interviews without
methodological rigor,
without content
analysis, or
triangulation to
reinforce comprehension
and understanding,
without submitting the
reliability of
mathematical techniques,
which do not cover the
entire framework of the
existing knowledge.
However, as in the
thought brought up, “the
way a conclusion is
reached...” is relevant.
This does not diminish
anyone's efforts, on the
contrary, it exalts the
importance of analyzing
effects and phenomena
with more knowledge on
the subject and,
therefore, with more
possibilities of
approximate
interpretation of what
the Spirits try to
convey.
With this fragility in
doctrinal knowledge, the
discussions became
innocuous, the strength
of the Spiritist ideal
weakened, the rigor of
scientific thinking
replaced to meet a
“fragile current
situation”, of extremely
sensitive, suffering
people, with narrow
knowledge, dogmatic
thinking, obtuse,
accustomed more to the
phenomena than the
understanding of what
the phenomenon is
carrying.
Spiritist science is the
“process of construction
of rigorous knowledge”.
The process allows us
understand, with more
security, the scope of
that thought. In this
sense, it could be said
that the Gospel presents
scientific elements,
since the understanding
of its teachings can be
built from the key used
by Allan Kardec, in the
introduction of The
Gospel According to
Spiritism, when he
divides the “materials
contained in in the
Gospels”. Prejudice
is harmful at these
times!
An advantage little
explored by Spiritists:
scientific thinking does
not require any academic
training from
Spiritists. Allan Kardec
has already paved the
way.
Observe the difference
between the construction
of Allan Kardec's
thought and the attempt
to validate someone's
reincarnation. What we
observe is an almost
desperate attempt to
find “information” that
validates the ideas that
each one has about being
or not the reincarnation
of a certain Spirit. As
much as the way of
writing is eloquent, it
is far from scientific.
The Spiritist needs,
deserves, ought to
revisit the way of
studying and
understanding Spiritism.
The process of building
knowledge, which made
the Imbassahy family
famous, as well as the
astute thinking of
Professor Herculano
Pires, is current and
deserves to be reflected
on, as it reserves a
doctrinal understanding
capable of sustaining
itself over time.
Thus, the leader helps
the medium in his
mediumistic forays, the
mediums develop more
security and this
becomes a fruitful work
of self-knowledge,
responsibility and
service to the neediest
neighbor. The worker,
task worker, volunteer
at the Spiritist center
needs to be, in addition
to being invited to the
study, convinced that
the study and exchange
in that Spiritist
center, using that “work
book” model of study,
will add something to
their baggage. However,
for this movement to be
built there is a need to
prepare the workers of
the Spiritist Centers,
starting with the
leaders, reviewing the
construction of their
thinking, the bases of
their trust. Without
this, the feeling that
invades him will be the
compass of his work and
the worker will run the
risk of being adrift of
an untimely change,
without building a
thought that points to
the superior designs of
the Spiritist Doctrine.