Spiritism (term)

The term "Spiritism" (French: Spiritisme) emerged as a neologism created by the French educator Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail (known as Allan Kardec) to specifically name the body of ideas systematized by him in "The Spirits' Book" (1857).^[1][2][3][4] Due to the existence of several commonalities, the terms "Spiritism" and "Spiritualism" have often been inappropriately used as synonyms.

The terms "Kardecist" and "Kardecism" are incorrect because the suffix "'ism'" implies ownership or creation. Since the Doctrine was organized (codified) by Allan Kardec, he is not the creator or founder of Spiritism (spirit+ism), but the codifier. Spiritism is universal, just like the spirits, so these terms are incorrect when referring to the Spiritist Doctrine. Those who follow the Spiritist Doctrine are called "Spiritists" and their practice is called "Spiritism".^[5] Therefore, those who follow the teachings codified by Allan Kardec in the Fundamental works are simply called "Spiritists," without the addition of "Kardecist" or "Kardecism."

These expressions arose from the need of some to distinguish "Spiritism" (as originally defined by Kardec) from Afro-Brazilian cults like Umbanda. The latter, discriminated against and persecuted at various times in recent Brazilian history, began to self-identify as "Spiritists" (at one point with the support of the Brazilian Spiritist Federation),^[6] in an attempt to legitimize and consolidate this religious movement due to the proximity of certain concepts and practices in these doctrines. However, more orthodox followers of Kardec did not like to see their practice associated with Afro-Brazilian cults, leading to the term "Kardecist Spiritist" to distinguish them from those who came to be called "Umbanda Spiritists." This is completely incorrect because a Spiritist is someone who follows the Spiritist codification, which does not apply to Umbanda, which has its own doctrine.

Meanings of the term[edit]

Spiritism[edit]

The term is most commonly employed in relation to Spiritism (also known as Spiritist Doctrine or popularly as Kardecism), a set of principles and laws codified by Allan Kardec in the mid-19th century.^[7] It refers to a doctrine that deals with the "nature, origin, and destiny of Spirits, as well as their relations with the corporeal world and the moral consequences that arise from it."^[8] It is based on the manifestations and teachings of Spirits.^[9] The Spiritist Codification is systematized in the following works published by the French educator Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail, under the pseudonym Allan Kardec: The Spirits' Book (1857), The Mediums' Book (1861), The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864), Heaven and Hell (1865), and The Genesis According to Spiritism (1868).^[10] Spiritism is also understood as a doctrine with scientific, philosophical, and religious aspects aimed at the moral improvement of humankind, believing in the possibility of communication with spirits through mediums.^[11] Therefore, it is a branch of spiritualism with its own characteristics and identity. As a result, all followers of Spiritism are spiritualists, but not all spiritualists are Spiritists.

Spiritualism[edit]

Various philosophical and/or religious doctrines that have as their basic foundation the affirmation of the existence of the spirit (or soul) as the primary element of reality,^[12] as well as its autonomy, independence, and primacy over matter,^[13] referring to doctrines that are contrary to materialism and have existed for thousands of years.

Modern Spiritualism[edit]

In the United States, the United Kingdom, and other English-speaking countries, the term "spiritism" has commonly been used synonymously with Modern Spiritualism.

During the 19th century, before the advent of Spiritist Doctrine, a variety of manifestations of incorporeal entities spread throughout the world. According to modern spiritualists, such psychic phenomena are as old as mankind itself.^[14] However, the growing media attention to psychic phenomena in that century, especially in Europe and the United States, drew the interest of numerous investigators of the time, leading to this movement becoming known as "Modern Spiritualism." Spiritism is closely related to this movement because it attracted the attention of various researchers, among whom the French educator Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail stood out. His attempt was to systematize the practices of modern spiritualism into a consistent philosophical system, as the movement was disorganized.^[15] However, it is necessary to highlight some points regarding the significance. Spiritism emerged in 1857 with the publication of The Spirits' Book and represents a codified and structured doctrine. Modern Spiritualism does not have a specific date of origin since it is a movement, and various individuals are considered its founders.^{[16][17][18][19]} In the United States, since its early appearance, Spiritism has more commonly been referred to as synonymous with Modern Spiritualism.^[20]

Modern Anglo-Saxon Spiritualism[edit]

In the English-speaking world, there is also a well-known distinction between what is commonly referred to as "Latin Spiritism" and "Anglo-Saxon Spiritism" (the latter being particularly composed of the English and American populations).

This division of the term Spiritism arose as a consequence of the number of people who started using the designation of "Spiritists," as there were disagreements regarding reincarnation within both groups.

Allan Kardec addresses this issue in the Revue Spirite of 1864, in the chapter "The American Spiritist School.":^[21]

Of all the principles of the doctrine, the one that encountered the most opposition in America - and by America, we mean exclusively the United States - was that of reincarnation. It can even be said that this is the only major divergence, with the others being more related to form than substance, and this is because the Spirits did not teach it there. Let us explain the reasons for this. The Spirits proceed with wisdom and prudence everywhere; to be accepted, they avoid clashing too abruptly with preconceived ideas. They will not suddenly tell a Muslim that Muhammad is an impostor. In the United States, the dogma of reincarnation would have collided with the deeply ingrained racial prejudices in that country; the essential thing was to make the fundamental principle of communication between the visible and invisible worlds accepted; the detailed questions would come in due course. Now, it is undeniable that this obstacle will eventually disappear, and one of the results of the civil war will be the gradual weakening of prejudices, a true anomaly in such a liberal nation. If, in general, the idea of reincarnation is still not accepted in the United States, it is accepted individually by some, if not as an absolute principle, at least with certain restrictions, which is already something. As for the Spirits, undoubtedly judging that the time is propitious, they begin to teach cautiously in certain places and straightforwardly in others. Once raised, the question will travel a long distance. Moreover, we have before us quite old communications obtained in that country, in which, although not formally expressed, the plurality of existences is the forced consequence of the principles emitted; there the idea sprouts. Therefore, there is no doubt that, in a short time, what is still called the American school will merge into the great unity that is being established everywhere.

Arthur Conan Doyle, who addressed the issue in his book "The History of Spiritualism - From Swedenborg to the Early 20th Century,"^[22] published in London in 1926, was Honorary President of the International Spiritualist Federation, President of the Spiritist Alliance of London, and President of the British College of Psychic Science in the 19th and 20th centuries. He was British and believed in reincarnation:

The doctrine of reincarnation led to a divergence between what was established as Latin Spiritism and Anglo-Saxon Spiritism. The latter, particularly the English and Americans, although accepting Spiritist Doctrine, did not admit the Reincarnation Principle, which prompted attacks and criticisms of Spiritism. Despite the resistance maintained in England and the United States against the Reincarnation Principle, Conan Doyle and other renowned American and English spiritualists accepted reincarnation.^[23]

Another example is illustrated by the V International Congress of Barcelona, 1934, which established that:

...Latin and Hindu Spiritists, represented by delegates from Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Spain, France, India, Mexico, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Colombia, Switzerland, and Venezuela, affirm reincarnation as a law of progressive life, according to Allan Kardec's phrase: 'To be born, die, be reborn yet again, and progress without cease,' and they accept it as a fact. Non-Latin Spiritists, represented in the Congress by delegates from England, Ireland, the Netherlands, and South Africa, consider that there is not sufficient evidence to establish the doctrine of reincarnation formulated by Kardec. Therefore, each school is free to proclaim its convictions regarding reincarnation.

— Proceedings of the V International Congress of Barcelona (1934).[[#ref_The quote on Allan Kardec's tomb, located in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, is also found in his book - The Spirits Book - 'To be born, die, be reborn yet again, and progress without cease, such is the law' - Allan Kardec|^]]

However, in France, "Anglo-Saxon Spiritism" is commonly referred to as "Modern Anglo-Saxon Spiritualism" (in French: Spiritualisme Moderne Anglo-Saxon). This substitution finds support in reality since Spiritism was a term coined by Allan Kardec and based on five fundamental works in which the idea of reincarnation is present.^[24][25][26] While Modern Spiritualism specifies the set of mediumistic manifestations that spread in the 19th century, in some cases, with their own identity. This was the reason for the emergence of the designation Modern Anglo-Saxon Spiritualism.^[27] The compound word "Anglo-Saxon" was added to specify certain beliefs adopted by modern spiritualists from English-speaking countries.^[28]

Afro-Brazilian religions[edit]

In Brazil, the term "Spiritism" has historically been used as a designation by some houses and associations of Afro-Brazilian religions, and their members and attendees define themselves as "spiritists," particularly Umbanda, such as the current Congregação Espírita Umbandista do Brasil based in the state of Rio de Janeiro.^[29] The Umbandists, discriminated against and persecuted at various moments in the recent history of Brazil, began to self-identify as spiritists (at some point with the support of the Brazilian Spiritist Federation^[6]), in an attempt to legitimize and consolidate this religious movement, due to the existing proximity between certain concepts and practices of these doctrines. However, more orthodox followers of Kardec did not like to see their practice associated with Afro-Brazilian cults, thus giving rise to the term "Kardecist spiritist" to distinguish them from those who came to be called "Umbanda spiritists."

Even though it encompasses elements of Catholicism, African traditions, and occultism, Umbanda was constituted as a form of Spiritism. This is indicated by the first books that identified the new religion. Its mentors established the Espírita Federation of Umbanda in 1939, and in 1941 they held the First Brazilian Congress of Umbanda Spiritism.

— GIUMBELLI, Emerson. "Kardec in the Tropics". in Revista de História da Biblioteca Nacional, year 3, no. 33, June 2008, pp. 14-19.

During the Brazilian Empire, the 1824 Constitution expressly established that the official religion of the State was Catholicism.

In the last quarter of the 19th century, with the diffusion of spiritist ideas and practices in the country, clashes were recorded not only in the press, but also at the legal and police level, particularly in 1881, when a commission of personalities linked to the Brazilian Spiritist Federation met with the Chief of Police of the Court and subsequently with Emperor D. Pedro II, and after the Proclamation of the Brazilian Republic, now under the Penal Code of 1890, when Bezerra de Menezes wrote to the then President of the Republic, Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca, in defense of the rights and freedom of spiritists.

Other moments of tension would be registered during the Estado Novo period, particularly in 1937 and 1941, leading to a kind of syncretism in the practice of Afro-Brazilian cults under the name "Spiritism," as it had done with Catholicism during the colonial era.

Regarding Umbanda, which emerged in 1908 in the state of Rio de Janeiro, the position of the Brazilian Spiritist Federation throughout history was ambiguous:

Although Kardecist Spiritism had a preference for white spirits, in the 1920s it was not uncommon to find caboclos and pretos-velhos performing healings and other acts of kindness in spiritist centers.

— GIUMBELLI, Emerson. "Kardec in the Tropics". in Revista de História da Biblioteca Nacional, year 3, no. 33, June 2008, pp. 14-19.

For example, the decision of the Federative Council of the Brazilian Spiritist Federation, in October 1926, concluded:

The Federation, in theory, does not invalidate the manifestations of 'caboclos' or 'pretos,' although it does not adopt them as the most efficient work norm, (...) finding that the affiliated societies should proceed in the same way, since (...) such practices are, there is no denying it, Spiritism, but not the Spiritist Doctrine (...).

— "Opinion" of the Federative Council of FEB, in the supplement of Reformador, October 1926.

This stance changed in the 1940s, particularly with the recognition of Umbanda as a religion by the National Congress in 1945:

(...) for Kardecists, Spiritism and Umbanda needed to be differentiated. The enormous heterogeneity of spiritist centers began to bother those who sought a more unified and defined doctrine.

— GIUMBELLI, Emerson. "Kardec in the Tropics". in Revista de História da Biblioteca Nacional, year 3, no. 33, June 2008, pp. 14-19.

During this period, the social acceptance of the belief became increasingly widespread, as demonstrated when amendments to the Brazilian Penal Code were enacted in 1949, excluding the term "Spiritism" and maintaining only the offenses of "quackery" and "charlatanism" as serious crimes.^[30]

FEB even published in 1953, in its official organ, that Umbandists could be considered "spiritists" with the following argument: "Based on Kardec, we can say: anyone who believes in spirit manifestations is a spiritist; now, Umbandists believe in them, so Umbandists are spiritists."^[31] This reasoning caused controversy at the time. Years later, in 1958, the Second Brazilian Congress of Journalism and Spiritist Writers opposed considering Umbandists as spiritists. Two decades later, in February 1978, the same Reformador published that the designation of "spiritists" by Umbandists was "improper, abusive, and illegitimate".

In practice, briefly, the similarities between the practice of Umbanda and the Spiritist Doctrine are: communication between the living and the dead, both admitting the survival of the so-called "spirit" after death; the evolution of the spirit through successive lives (reincarnation); the atonement, which can be through pain and suffering, for past transgressions; and the practice of charity.^[32]

On the other hand, the main differences lie in Umbanda's acceptance of: liturgical ceremonies such as baptism and marriage; the presence of images in their rituals; the use of plants in their rituals; and the music of the pontos cantados for the entities.^[33] In summary, any ritual or external worship differs from Spiritism, which does not have them. Afro-Brazilian cults are, therefore, distinct currents from spiritualism.^[34]

Of all the Afro-Brazilian religions, the one closest to the Spiritist Doctrine is a segment (line) of Umbanda known as "White Umbanda," which has little connection with Candomblé, Xambá, Xangô of Recife, Tambor de Mina, or Batuque.

Regarding Candomblé specifically, it believes in the survival of the soul after physical death (the Egums) and in the existence of ancestral spirits who, when divinized (the Orishas, collectively worshipped), do not materialize; when not divinized (the egunguns), they materialize in proper attire to be in contact with their descendants (the living), singing, speaking, giving advice, and providing spiritual assistance to their community. The concept of "materialization"^[35] in Candomblé is different from the concept of "incorporation" in Umbanda or the Spiritist Doctrine. In principle, the Orishas only appear during ceremonies and obligations to dance and be honored. They do not provide consultations to the attending public but may occasionally communicate with family members or members of the house to deliver a message to a child. Normally, the Orishas express themselves through the Ifá oracle (divination).

In Candomblé, the purpose of rituals during initiation ceremonies is to ward off any spirits or influences, using Ifá to monitor their presence. The ceremony only takes place when Ifá confirms the absence of Egums in the seclusion environment. Spirits are worshipped in separate houses within Candomblé houses and are honored daily since they, like Exu, are considered protectors of the community.

References[edit]

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