It is not enough to call yourself spirit, it is necessary
something more

"The only thing I discovered in PUC/SP is that they had a negative view of Spiritist candidates because they understood that we would be rather arrogant in proposing our research as holders of truths to be exposed and not as hypotheses to be proved." (Jeferson Betarello, in the interview published in this issue, one of the highlights of the week.)

In fact, many of us are arrogant and reveal a certain indifference to other religious expressions, especially to the so-called evangelicals.

We feel superior, unique keepers of truth. We have pity on the blindness we attribute to other religious. And even with respect to reincarnationists, we disdain for their rituals and philosophy of life.

We shout we are a science, as if this gives us some more credit for the excellence of the Gospel.

By the way, spirit science has nothing to do with physics or biology. Kardec was quite clear: Spiritism is a science of observation, like the ornithologist who observes the behavior of birds, or the anthropologist who observes the behavior of an ethnicity. The difference is that we observe the spirits, which in no way diminishes the scientific character of the Spirit doctrine.

"Many proposed responses were overturned and new formulated during the survey, concluding that 3 million people is quite a significant number if it compared to the specific contingents of other religious segments; we are the third largest religious contingent in Brazil. In addition, we show that the impact of Spirits on Brazilian society is very significant, producing benefits and positive postures." (Jeferson Betarello, in the interview cited)

There are a large number of Spiritism sympathizers in Brazil, who, because of modesty or fear of compromising with the IBGE, do not reveal themselves despite the benefits they receive. They know that being spirit is having a deep commitment to the Doctrine and to itself. That it is necessary to bring the cross of responsibility, fearlessness, responsibility, joyful acceptance of the fruits of the law of action and reaction, the search for disinterest and humility.

"We are the nation with the most Spirits in the world. We have strong, consolidated institutions, committed to spreading the Spirit Doctrine. Spiritism in Brazil is a very rich phenomenon in terms of possibilities for peaceful living and production of cultural goods, contributing to the cultural richness of a people that can contribute much to the future of peace and progress aimed at earthly society. May each of us seek to know and experience exemplarily what we can understand about the Spirit Doctrine revealed by the higher spirits for more than a century, when humanity has entered a stage of material and scientific evolution that requires us to be more responsible for ourselves, for our neighbor and for the world we inhabit." (Jeferson Betarello)

Many wonder: why Brazil and not France, where was born what we call spirit doctrine?

It must be remembered that in the time of Kardec, materialism and atheism found in the Old World a shelter between philosophers and scientists, with few exceptions. And France went through two world wars that reaped countless soldiers and civilians, followed by the famine, misery and disenchantment.

On the other hand, Brazil received with good will an increasing number of followers, who, in the time of Bezerra de Menezes, clashed with the oppression and persecution of the Church, but, nevertheless, they encountered materialism and atheism professed by a much less expressive group than in Europe.

After all, despite all its imperfection, which is notorious, the Brazilian people have always tended towards a sense of religiosity, a fact that facilitated the penetration of Spirit ideas and made this country the largest spirit nation in the world.

That, however, is not enough. We need something else, such as, among other things that we are, as Jeferson Betarello proposes, "more responsible for us, our neighbor and the world we inhabit."