Alamar Regis Carvalho:

“The divulgation of the Doctrine is important for a process of morality and love among people”

When Spiritism is being discussed on TV, radio and mass communication media, we are doing our bit in reducing the levels of abortion, suicides, vengeances, hatred, envy,
jealousy, egoism and other bad deeds

	Alamar Regis Carvalho (picture) was born in Rio de Janeiro and currently lives in Santos, on the Paulista shore, where he teaches Physics, Math and Computer Science. He worked as a TV director for many years, which provides him agility and versatility spreading Spiritism around. Be it producing radio and TV programs, or elaborating doctrine articles, we see in Alamar the enthusiasm for Spiritism, and with this same enthusiasm that he delivered the following interview:  O Consolador: How did you get to know Spiritism?  At age 14 I had my first contact with a Spiritist Center when I was a musician at an orchestra, in Bahia, where I played at the end of the year, for the holidays. But I
really got to know it in two different occasions in Belem do Para. The first one when I was a young sergeant at the Air Force, taken by Agostinho do Espírito Santo, who gave me the first The Gospel according to Spiritism and then by Milton Pinto de Mendonça, who made me participate more often. There was also a third moment, because of my wife’s suicide, also in Belem.

O Consolador: Have you ever been in a Spiritist director position? 

I’ve already taken part of the board of directors at the Spiritist Society Emmanuel, in Belem do Para. But along the years my activity, as a Spiritist, is more of spreading the Doctrine, since it’s not done by many Spiritists. 

O Consolador: You’ve already delivered lectures outside Brazil. Tell us the countries you’ve been to and how the movement in such countries is. 

I’ve been to the USA and Portugal (I don’t even mention that I went to Europe, since I didn’t go anywhere else there), for the sake of the 2^nd Worldwide Spiritist Congress, where I was one of the lecturers. I’ve had more contact with the USA, since there I planted my first seed, formerly called as Spiritist Week of New York, from May 12-19, 1996, which originated the first Spiritist Congress of the USA and other events. I’ve been there many times, to Florida, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut etc. I have no conditions to fare the Spiritist movement abroad, as Divaldo, Raul, Medrado could tell you that better etc., since I haven’t been around that much. But what I can tell you is the problem of the so-called humility of the Brazilian Spiritists that are there, the inheritance of the lethargy of the Spiritist movement that took from Brazil, doesn’t make the Doctrine grow as it should. It’s a shame. 

O Consolador: Tell us a bit about the course "Medicine and Spirituality", supported by and delivered by Dr. Sergio Felipe, which is also part of the curriculum at USP (University of São Paulo).  

The star there is Serginho Felipe, who is one of the most amazing characters of worldwide Spiritism. I was invited by him and Marcinha for a snack in their place, in July, when he told me about it, showed me the documents from USP and I almost had a “happiness attack”. Then I put TV at his disposal to share it with the world. Indeed, they are wonderful teachings for those who want to visit our site, www.redevisao.net. I get enchanted by the manifestations that doctors who, by curiosity, watch the programs, such professionals who used to say that any conversation about spiritual diseases was popular belief and today are impressed and enthusiastic about what they see. This initiative by USP is the first step, because soon other universities will follow the same path. 

O Consolador: We can see in your articles a great deal of enthusiasm in spreading Spiritism around. Where does such enthusiasm in spreading the doctrine compiled by Kardec come from? 

I’m Rebel about indifference, passivity, disregard, coldness and omission of the Spiritist movement itself when it comes to spreading the Doctrine, in an absurd demonstration of egoism, which is totally against what is preached in the Centers. When Spiritism is being discussed on TV, radio and mass communication media, we are doing our bit in reducing the levels of abortion, suicides, vengeances, hatred, envy, jealousy, egoism and other bad deeds, caused by the ignorance of spiritual reality. When you don’t spread it is like saying: "you couldn’t care less for others" and so on. I know that being rebellious is not good, but the important of our actions is not words, terms, but feelings. 

O Consolador: You say that the divulgation of Spiritist knowledge in means of mass communication collaborates for reducing the numbers of abortions, suicides and other moral slips of man. Is there any story about that you’d like to share?  

Mercy! If I have to relate it, I’d write a book of 400 pages long. Since the very first Spiritism via Satellite, on March 3, 1996, it happens all the time. For you to have an idea, just the kids that were registered by their mothers with name of Alamar, since the abortions were avoided by the program, according to them, are up to 32. Others were baptized with the name of Alberto (Dr. Alberto Almeida), who was the first to talk about abortion on the air, and other participants. A lot of people had amazing results with that program. Buddy, do you know what it is to have a relation with friends that I get in touch with regularly, of over 100 priests, 30 bishops (Catholic), over 100 pastors and more than 1,200 nuns, all of this because of the program, all these people, former detractors of Spiritism, when started having new concepts about the Doctrine and today read Spiritist books in the mass? Not mentioning the enormous amount of suicides that were avoided, a drug dealer in Rio de Janeiro who gave up the business and built a space up in the slums, with air conditioner so that people could watch the program every Sunday, and the hitman from Para who left the profession, because of a "Edivardo Franco", he saw through Alamar. The stories are amazing, you have no idea! 

O Consolador: How does your professional experience as a TV director help you spreading Spiritism? 

It helps a lot, since we know how to deal with the means of communication, how they get to people’s homes, how they work. We don’t need to go too far: now they launched Divaldo program on Rede TV, everybody thinking that it would be broadcast all over Brazil, mainly in all capitals and large cities. I knew it wouldn’t be so easy and we had to act immediately, informing people of the reality. Many people acted for the program to be transmitted in their cities, since it wouldn’t. In others, there’s still no program. 

O Consolador: We live in a moment of great euphoria around spiritual subjects, as people want to know what happens after the physical life. Since you produced programs for Spiritist and non-Spiritist alike, what is the best way for Spiritism to be shown on radio and TV, making the most of such interest? 

Can I put it bluntly? I hope not to create any sort of problems for your magazine. Spiritists need to avoid being so miser about Spiritism, they need to be aware that charity is not only giving soup and clothing for the needy, the divulgation of the Doctrine is important for a process of morality and love among people. What is needed to be thought over, also, is the misunderstanding about humility, which takes its toll in spreading Spiritism all over the world.  

O Consolador: You had a Spiritist program on TV Gazeta, São Paulo. Tell us about this experience. 

I knew of the audience we had with Spiritism via Satellite, but only through satellite dish. We traveled all over Brazil and realized the caring of Brazilians, what happens until today. But I couldn’t figure how it would be like in a regular TV station, let alone in Brazil’s largest city. The experience at TV Gazeta was remarkable, was registered by Ibope, in the first program, it was only one point, but not everybody can get a point in São Paulo. In the sixth program we had about 4 points, which represented more than 400 thousand people watching. It was great! It’s a shame that ambition for money blew that all away. Sponsors started to show, making was show them on the air, which we rejected. But even today everybody greets me in São Paulo, subways, malls, supermarkets, on the street, etc. It was worth it. 

O Consolador: Still on that TV Gazeta thing.  What were the results Spiritism-wise? 

They were the best possible; in fact, great part of those who I consider as friends today, non-Spiritist included, came from that moment, but I’ll tell you something, not so nice, but I have to say. At that moment we had three programs on the air, all of them nationwide: Spiritism via Satellite, the Broad Vision at Gazeta and another one that would be shown on Wednesdays, at 9pm. These moments we are surrounded by people, right? Invitations for dinner, lunch, visits, phone calls, gifts, etc. Among the visits we received a commission of 3 people of a great institution of São Paulo, with a “rather interesting” offer. That institution would give me all the support to launch our Rede Visão on TV, 24 hours on satellite, under the condition of never speaking to others TV stations, because of concurrence. It was so sad, but I had to say no. But as for Spiritism divulgation, it was remarkable, along with Evangelical pastors, for example, when I showed Pastor Nehemias Marien, with that culture and moral, talking about Spiritism in the Bible. It caused a lot of impact, to Catholics, when I showed the Bishop medium Dom Ismael Nunes, with all his gear on, even making a mediumistic-surgical intervention on the air; in the field of music when a John Lennon’s fan, who never liked Spiritism, saw Irineu Gasparetto interpreting, as he said: "I have no doubt, it’s John’s style"... so, we had great moments. 

O Consolador: Your comments on Radio Central are broadcast by countless AM and FM stations. The comments you usually make talk specifically about Spiritism or about generic things? 

They are 267 stations AM and FM all over Brazil, but the comments is non-Spiritist. Since I made an enormous audience, in the non-Spiritist universe, I was invited to speak only as a commentator. I talk about everyday subjects. The board of directors at Radio Central, in Brasília, saying that my texts are easy to understand, giving me an Arnaldo Jabor lookalike. It has worked so far. 

O Consolador: Your final words. 

I want to suggest everybody to be more aware in the Spiritist movement, mainly in the relation with Spiritist themselves. May we observe if we are doing what is preached at the Centers, that we get to know our confreres better before making any sort of judgment, that we get to know other’s projects before blurting out suggestions, that we keep off any action moved by envy, resentment, grudge and any sort of gossip. Observing these things, we’ll certainly have a better understanding in our movement; we’ll help each other and society as a whole.