The thought above is part of an interview that Luís Jorge Lira Neto (photo) gave us. He is from the city of Pilar, in the Brazilian state of Alagoas, and lives in Recife, Pernambuco, where he works as a businessman and consultant in the energy sector. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering and post-graduation in Finance and Economy. In the Spiritist Movement, he volunteers at the Associação Espírita Casa dos Humildes, in Recife, working currently in their Communications Department. In the following interview, he speaks about his research work focusing on Allan Kardec and the role the French educator had in structuring the Spiritist Teachings. 

When and how did you become a Spiritist?

Since I was a teenager, I enjoyed reading the Bible. After reading a book about reincarnation, I decided to read the core books of Spiritism. So in 1983, at age of 23, I began attending the meetings at the Spiritist Federation of the State of Alagoas. I eventually became one of its directors and dedicated myself to the systematic dissemination of Spiritism in Alagoas and the neighbouring state of Pernambuco. I was president of Abrade, na Brazilian Association of Disseminators of Spiritism. 

What strikes out from the vast material available in Spiritism?

Spiritism provides the opportunity for a rational approach to the reality of the Spirits, the human problems and self-knowledge. It creates a permanent demand to connect with other people, as members, that we are, of the universal family. It also allows us to understand Divine Justice and provides us with the tools to look at life through the lenses of gratitude. 

Where did your interest for Spiritist research come from?

It came as a natural consequence of my interest in studying the principles of Spiritism, the history of Spiritism and its codificator, Allan Kardec. Understanding the construction of the Spiritist Teachings gives us a deeper perspective on how the Spirits work, according to the divine laws, and helps us realise that the separation between the spiritual and the physical world is merely circumstantial. 

How would you summarise your research about The Spirits’ Book, its historical background, Allan Kardec’s view of the religions and his work? 

In sum I can say that there is an unwelcome process going on to transform Spiritism into another “religion of the book.” The typical signs are clearly visible here: the sacred aspect attributed to the texts in the books, the oracles, the prophesying, the holy space, and the myths and rites, according to the concepts of the Phenomenology of Religion (Mircea Eliade, Rubens Otto and Julian Ries), which derive from Edmund Husserl’s Phenomenology in Philosophy. These archaic practices, which are common to traditional religions, are now present in the praxis of Spiritism, in clear opposition to its original principles, which are those of a philosophy with moral consequences. 

What was the first conclusion from your research on The Spirits’ Book and its author?

The first conclusion I drew is that in the preparation of The Spirits’ Book, especially in the second edition, Allan Kardec adjusted the text for a better understanding of the principles of Spiritism. He prioritised didactics over formality and used all his experience as an educator and author of educational books to conceive, organise and write the book. His role wasn’t limited to compiling the writings from the Spirits. He played an important role as researcher in the wider sense of the word: he observed the phenomena, he problematised it, tested the hypotheses, elaborated theories and offered the public a philosophical body of work, the Spiritist Teachings. 

What stands out the most from the historiography of the book?

The way in which Kardec structured and wrote The Spirits’ Book indicates that he acted as co-author of the book, going beyond the concept of codificator (to put into code). Perhaps because of negligence of the Spiritists, who restricted themselves to the contents and spread the idea of a book entirely conceived in the Spiritual Plan and merely transcribed by the codificator. That is a reductionist view of the work and rationality of Allan Kardec, who was a noble spirit. As Silvio Chibeni well observed, Kardec “wasn’t a mere assistant to the Spirits.”

And what can be learned from the history of the religions?

Those who follow the Allan Kardec

Project (please check the website, https://projetokardec.ufjf.br) will  understand that Allan Kardec made conscious decisions about what to include and what not to in the core books of Spiritism. Is that relevant? Yes, as it can help prevent the continuation of this process that risks making Spiritism into another religion of the book, like Judaism, Cristianity and Sikhism, among others. Those religions built up sacred and immutable canons based on the oral and written forms of wisdom that came from various sources. And they were chosen according to the prevailing current of thought of each particular epoch. If something like that happened with Spiritism, that would be hard on Kardec, who conceived it as a collection of teachings that were supposed to evolve alongside science. That is happening, unfortunately, because of the attempts of Spiritists to mould Spiritism into a traditional religion (see Kardec’s speech “Is Spiritism a Religion?” on The Spiritist Magazine, December 1968). 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would like to emphasize the responsibility that all Spiritists have in gathering in-depth knowledge of the principles of Spiritism as well as the aspects mentioned above: the historiography of the work, the participation of Kardec and the influence of the Spirits in the creation of Spiritism. That will certainly have a positive impact on the new generations, who, free from the archaic formats inherited from other religions, will be able to conceive a movement based on the revolution of the ideas, to replace materialism with the spiritualisation of humanity. They will focus on putting into practice the Spiritist ethic, which is, in essence, the Christian ethic, avoiding in their praxis the dogmas our generation got tangled up in. That’s what I’ve been working for, that’s my goal.