Gleyson Nunes de
Assis:
“Our main task
is to
disseminate
Spiritism and to
put into
practice
everything we
have learned”
Our fellow
Spiritist from
the Brazilian
state of Rio de
Janeiro talks
about his work
on pro-life
campaigns and
other issues
|
Gleyson Nunes de
Assis (photo),
president of the
Spiritist Centre
Casa da
Preservação da
Vida
(Life-Saving
Home) in the
city of Rio de
Janeiro, talks
in this
interview about
the Spiritist
Movement and
other issues
concerning the
Teachings
codified by
Allan Kardec.
Gleyson is a
member of the
Executive Board
of the Spiritist
Council of Rio
de Janeiro,
|
known by its
Portuguese
acronym, CEERJ: |
How did
Spiritism get
into your life
and what is its
importance for
you in this
incarnation?
It all began
when I was nine
years old. A
neighbour gave
my mother a copy
of The Gospel
According to
Spiritism,
by Allan Kardec.
I saved that
moment in my
mind, especially
the image of the
man on the
cover, Kardec.
Ten years later,
my then
girlfriend – now
my wife – began
talking to me
about Spiritism
and the
Spiritist Centre
she attended.
She mentioned
the book and the
memories of that
old book came up
to my mind. I
found it all
dusty in an old
family trunk and
began studying
Spiritism in
order to find
the answers to
my questions
concerning our
life in this
world.
Tells us about
your work in the
Spiritist
Movement now.
I will be 35 in
February 2015. I
am the president
of the Spiritist
Centre Casa de
Preservação da
Vida and member
of the Spiritist
Council of Rio
de Janeiro and I
have a number of
other
administrative
jobs within the
Spritist
Movement. But
the main job for
me is the
opportunity of
working on
behalf of Jesus
and of carrying
out a tough
daily battle to
change the old
man, full of
vices, into a
new regenerated
man. I will
achieve that one
day.
Tell us a bit
about the
Spiritist Centre
Casa de
Preservação da
Vida and its
standing on
pro-life
issues.
The founders of
this Group had
opened a
bookshop,
Ibirajara, in
the Ilha do
Governador area
of Rio de
Janeiro in 1990,
not far the
International
Airport. Their
plan was to open
an orphanage in
the near future.
In 1991, a
Spiritist public
speaker, Nércio
Antonio Alves,
was invited to
give a talk on
the first
anniversary of
the Group. He
suggested that
instead of
opening an
orphanage the
Group’s founders
should set up an
organisation to
give support to
pregnant women,
especially
single moms, who
might be
considering
abortion (–
illegal in
Brazil). That is
how the Campaign
in Defence of
Life began. The
Spiritist Centre
was founded in
1993. In 2000,
we opened our
new, expanded
premises.
Life is a
blessing and an
opportunity that
has been
dismissed and
destroyed by so
many. What can
Spiritists do to
deal with issues
such as
abortion, death
penalty,
euthanasia and
suicide?
The best course
of action when
facing extreme
acts of
ignorance,
selfishness and
pride such as
those mentioned
by you is to
focus on
Christian
morality and
reason. Life
must be seen as
a great
opportunity for
the Spirit to
improve and to
continue
progressing at
each new
incarnation.
That is why God
allows us to
enjoy “life and
life in
abundance”. In
the 21 key books
of Spiritism we
find the
intellectual and
moral resources
to help us
understand the
value and
importance of
life.
On the classic
Spiritist book
written by the
Spirit, Humberto
de Campos,
through the
mediumship of
Chico Xavier in
1938, it is
explained that
“Brazil is the
heart of the
world and the
land of the
Gospel”. But we
have seen
shocking
incidents of
violence in
Brazil in recent
years, including
cases of
lynching that
got public
support in the
social networks.
What can
Spiritism do to
help Brazil
achieve its
Spiritual
destiny?
That book has
inspired all of
us. We are all
citizens of the
world but we
were born in
Brazil. However,
Spiritism
explains that we
are individuals
and that our
Spiritual
development is
also an
individual and
gradual process.
Free will is a
key part of the
process. Hence,
the land of that
will put
Christian values
into practice
and where a
society based on
intellectual and
moral principles
will flourish
will become a
reality only
when incarnate
and discarnate
Spirits are able
to break away
from their lower
habits and begin
living for love.
That is the path
Christ has been
inviting us to
follow every
single day.
You have also
campaigned for
people to read
all the works of
Kardec. Tell us
about that.
The 21 core
works of
Spiritism are
not as widely
studied among
Spiritists as
they should be.
The least
studied part of
Kardec’s work is
the Spiritist
Magazine. The
reasons are
many, including
geographical and
historic factors
and problems
with translation
and printing.
But one of our
main objectives
is indeed to
disseminate
Spiritism and,
bearing that in
mind, all
Spiritist
Centres should
study in depth
the 21 works of
Allan Kardec.
Is Kardec out of
date? Are the
books he wrote,
the Codification
of Spiritism,
sacred? How do
you answer that
using the
principle of
reasoned faith?
The more I study
with fellow
Spiritists at
the Centre where
I work as a
volunteer the
more I realise
that Allan
Kardec is always
up to date and
profound. That
is because he
codified the
Third Revelation
from God,
announced by
Jesus Christ as
the Promised
Consoler. If we
go back to look
into the origin
of profane and
sacred, we will
find out that
profane was
described as
everything
linked to vices,
to pride and
human
selfishness,
while sacred was
everything that
came our should
come from God.
Therefore the 21
key books of
Spiritism,
codified by
Allan Kardec,
are sacred in
the sense that
they come from
God.
As a young
Spiritist
leader, could
you leave a
message for our
brothers and
sisters engaged
in the Spiritist
Movement?
We need to
understand that
our main task is
to disseminate
Spiritism and,
with all our
physical, mental
and moral
forces, put into
practice all
that we study in
Spiritism,
having Jesus
Christ as our
model and guide.
The official
titles we have
in the Spirist
Movement are no
more than jobs
we accept as a
result of our
involvement and
commitment with
the unified
Spiritist
Movement. My
message is:
study hard,
carry out your
inner reform,
work hard and
seek peace.
Note from the
editor:
To find out more
about the
Instituição
Espírita Casa de
Preservação da
Vida click on
http://www.preservacaodavida.org/.