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Jáder Sampaio (photo)
was born in the
Brazilian city
of Belo
Horizonte, in
the state of
Minas Gerais. He
comes from a
Spiritist home
and got engaged
in the Spiritist
Movement as a
teenager. He is
a university
lecturer at the
Universidade
Federal de Minas
Gerais and the
author of dozens
of books – some
focusing on his
area of
expertise,
Psychology,
others on
Spiritism. He
also has a blog
of questions and
answers on
Spiritism,
Espiritismo
Comentado. Jader
translated
recently the
book “Dialogue
with the
Sceptics” by
Alfred Russel
Wallace. In this
interview, he
talks about many
issues that
concern the
Doctrine and the
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Spiritist
Movement:
What is your
view on the
increasing
number of
research on
Spiritism in
Brazilian
universities? |
There is indeed
a marked growth
in the presence
of Spiritism in
Brazilian
academic
institutions.
There were 171
Master and PhD
theses on
Spiritism in
Brazilian
universities
between 1989 and
2009, and I
expect an
increase in that
trend. The main
themes
researched are
health,
Spiritist
institutions,
Spiritist
personalities
and how
religions are
depicted in
literature.
There is also an
interesting
feature: the
researchers
aren’t
necessarily
Spiritists. They
in many cases
simply perceived
a gap in the
areas of
knowledge and
research.
The young
university
student and the
Gospel of Jesus:
what would say
about that
relationship?
The society we
live in is less
and less
Christian, less
and less
Catholic in
Brazil,
especially among
the educated
segments of
society. Half a
century ago,
great segments
of the Brazilian
population, in
rural areas and
cities, attended
regularly the
church,
religious
ceremonies,
looked for
Spiritist
evangelisation.
Christianity had
a higher profile
in the media and
was part of the
debate. When I
did my degree in
Psychology in
the 1980s I
barely had the
opportunity of
studying the
work of the
Christian
philosophers.
There was plenty
of time spent in
the classrooms,
though, to
existencialists,
naturalists and
scepticists. I
once asked a
question a one
of me lecturers,
a Catholic
priest and
well-known
sociologist,
about Saint Paul
and he thought I
was joking. Now
the term
Judeo-Christian
is used to tag
anything or
anyone as
conservative and
backwards. We
must bear in
mind that
Christianity
brings a great
positive
message, which
was of course
distorted by
many Christian
institutions
along the
centuries.
Christ spoke of
women, slaves,
servants and the
poor workers as
equals, as
people with
rights, in an
era when those
people were seen
as mere objects
for trade and to
be disposed of.
I believe
academic
institutions
should reassess
their views on
Christian
philosophy, but
it is very hard
to change
preconceived
ideas. A vast
number of our
young people end
up seduced by
modern
utilitarianism,
by consumerism,
individualism,
sensuality,
which they
perceive as a
great
advancement in
individual
rights.
Christianity in
academia is like
an underground
movement, as
though it had
never left the
catacombs and we
still lived in
Ancient Rome.
Do you think
there should be
less of a
division between
faith and reason
in universities?
Academic centres
should study
their themes
without taking
materialism and
scepticism as a
giving, as
absolute values.
If faith brings
real change to
people’s health,
for example,
that should be
investigated and
research, so we
can all
understand it
and benefit from
it. If
spirituality has
an impact on
human relations,
why ignore it as
a research
subject?
What is in your
view the
importance of
Spiritist
Centres for
their
communities?
For many
deprived
communities, the
Spiritist Centre
is much more
than a place to
gather every
week, learn
about the
Doctrine and
receive healing;
it offers an
alternative
live, away from
crime, and
provides
education and
even leisure.
I’ve seen
mothers who
bring their
children so they
can get some
moral, religious
education of any
type, even if
they are not
Spiritists.
Allan Kardec
worried about
the society he
lived in, his
community. He
didn’t live
away, isolated,
dealing only
with the
Spiritual World.
He was a
volunteer, who
taught those who
didn’t have
access to
education in the
Paris of his
time. And he
often published
guidance from
the Spiritual
Benefactors
stressing that
we should be
generous and
display
solidarity, as
in the famous
message by the
Spirit Cáritas.
The charity work
in Spiritist
Centres is very
important and
has saved many
lives. We now
have new
problems and
challenges in
Brazilian
cities. Drug
trafficking is
taking many
young people
away from the
right path in
their
communities.
There is a new
generation of
children who
were already
born and have
lived in the
street, sleeping
rough. We have
environmental
problems,
teenage
pregnancy, and
changes in the
family set up
with new roles
for men and
women. These are
bigger
challenges for
the Spiritist
Movement.
You published
recently a
translation of
the book
Dialogue with
the Sceptics,
by Alfred Russel
Wallace, the
famous British
naturalist. What
was his
contribution to
Spiritism?
Wallace was a
bold
intellectual,
who didn’t worry
about going
against the tide
in his days, and
he ended up
paying a high
price for his
audacity. He
made researches
with mediums and
didn’t refrain
from telling
what he found
out, that they
were genuine.
After publishing
The
Scientific
Aspect of the
Supernatural,
he realised that
the English
scientific
community was
moved by
prejudice in its
refusal to study
the phenomena.
He then selected
a number of
sceptical,
naturalist and
materialist
scientists and
exposed the
contradictions
in their
thinking. I
thought it very
important to
publish this
book in
Portuguese, as
it brings
something new,
away from the
ordinary, and
should spark
curiosity in
today’s
researches.
Alfred Russel
Wallace was a
pioneer, but
never met
Kardec. They
spoke different
languages,
English and
French, and
there was and
still remains a
cultural
distance, a
certain
attitude,
between Britain
and France. It
was only towards
the end of the
XIX century,
with Léon Denis,
Conan Doyle and
others that the
Spiritist from
both sides of
the channel
began to get
together and
exchange ideas.
There was a
slight time gap
as well. Kardec
initiated his
studies in 1853
and
disincarnated in
1869. Wallace
began his
studies on the
phenomena in
1862 and
published his
first book in
1866.
We have talked
about Spiritism
getting into
academia. How
should Spiritist
Centres, on
their part, do
in order to get
prepared for
that?
We should go
back to our
ancestors, the
French, the
English, the
Italians, who
were willing to
study and
publish what was
going on in
academic
institutions.
The volume of
knowledge
available now is
much bigger, and
we need to be
more humble and
look for advice
for the
specialist
associations
that are being
set up (Spiritist
doctors,
Spiritist
lawyers etc.)
Those groups
need to carry
out research and
studies relying
on up to date
bibliography and
strict
methodology, to
be published not
only on the
specialised
press, but also
on the national
and
international
media.
Your last
thoughts…
We’re going
through an era
with plenty of
change and
transformations.
I wish from the
bottom of my
heart that
Spiritist
leaders are able
to act with
reason and
wisdom, keeping
what needs to be
kept, but
changing what
must be changed
as our times
evolve.
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