It is a mistake to associated the spiritual doctrine and racism

A reasonable sense has been reached, at least in its initial phase, the Popular Action filed by Mr. Pedro Valentim Benedito against the Institute of Broadcast Spiritist, Araras – SP. Under the claim of being the book “Posthumous Work”, by Allan Kardec, published by the Institute, a work harmful to the historic and cultural heritage and convey racist.

In the Popular Action, the author asked, on preliminary gathering copies of the book, which were not made by Federal Judge Marcelo Freiberger Zandavali from the Third Federal Court of Bauru.

The magistrate said in his decision a snippet of the convention on racial discrimination, transcribed forward: “It is understood that racial distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, color, descent or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.”

According to him, the Institute of Broadcast Spiritist not had the specific intention of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms of black people. Unlike in "note" at the end of the book, it expresses the "absolute respect for human diversity, without prejudice of any kind." He also highlighted that the work brings the opinion of a person who lived in the nineteenth century, by which time it was common to this type of thinking with respect to black people, so that in most countries there was still slavery in the United States, Cuba and Brazil.

According to the magistrate, "it is clear as water from the rock editors' intention to disclose, without mutilation, Kardecist thought, not so much raise the distinction based on skin color than ideology discriminatory." (Here's the link that refers to the decision - http://www.conjur.com.br/2011-mai-31/livro-espirita-allan-kardec-nao-recolhido-decide-juiz-federal.)

It was, no doubt, wise judicial decision, because who knows the spiritual doctrine and Allan Kardec’s work may even moved by ill will, call it anything but a racist.

Indeed, there is nothing in the spiritual doctrine that makes us assume the existence of racist ideas or proposals. Instead, Spiritualism teaches that spirits can reincarnate men or women, black or white, rich or poor, Arab or Jewish, Brazilian and Argentine, which shows us unequivocally that these regional disputes, nationalist or class are nothing but fizz.

If the Spirit - as it revealed in Spiritism - can reincarnate into a body of black skin, yellow or white, it shows that it is childish to attempt to encourage or to glimpse spirit racist in the texts.

Consider also the fact that "Posthumous Works", a book published in 1890, 21 years after the death of Allan Kardec. It contains texts that were not, or could not be assimilated to the spiritual doctrine and must be properly contextualized, in other words, it must be taken into account the prevailing thinking at the time they were written, to have a better understanding of them.

Paul of Tarsus wrote:

"Let your women keep silence in the churches, because they are not allowed to speak, but they are subject, as also saith the law. And if they want to learn something, let them ask at home to their husbands because it is shameful for women to speak in church." (1ª Epistle to the Corinthians, 14, v, 34 and 35.)

The Old Testament offers us:

"Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind: it is abomination." (Leviticus 18:22).

"When a man also lie with mankind, as with woman, both have committed an abomination surely die, their blood is upon them." (Leviticus 20:13).

Someone with common sense would request from justice the gathering of the New and Old Testaments, because it contains discrimination against women and homosexuals? Obviously not, because everyone understands that such ideas were typical of the time they were expressed.

In September 2010, the Board of Basic Education of the National Education Council has approved unanimously the opinion 15/2010 on public policies with guidelines for an anti-racist education, in which he made a reference to the book "Hunts of Pedro" by Monteiro Lobato. 

The reaction of sectors of society has led the Board of Basic Education to deepen the foundations of the opinion, in order to highlight the critical importance of contextualizing the author and literary work, especially in new editions of books considered classics, produced in another context in which was little mentioned and recognized the existence of racism and racial prejudice.

The National Board of Education believes that just as important is the historical context in which they produced the literary work, as important or even more important is the historical context in which it makes reading this work.

And, based on this understanding, it was adopted the following opinion, vote according to the rapporteur, counselor Nilma Lino Gomes: "It is the responsibility of education systems and schools to identify the impact of stereotypes and prejudices to the students and community ensuring a critical reading of these so counteract the impact of racism in school education. It is also the duty of public authorities guarantee the right to information about the historical, political and ideological production of literary works used in schools, through the contextualization of these critics and their authors.

“A democratic society must protect the right of expression freedom and, accordingly, it is not entitled to veto any movement of literary and artistic work. However, this same society must guarantee the right to non discrimination in constitutional and legal terms and in accordance with international treaties ratified by Brazil. Recognizing the fictional quality of the work of Monteiro Lobato, especially in the book Hunts of Pedro and similar works, as well as its literary value, it must be considered that we are subjects of our own time and responsible for the consequences and effects of options and political, educational and literary guidelines undertaken in the context in which we live. In this sense, the literature, in tune with the world, is not out of conflicts, power hierarchies, social and racial tensions in which diversity happens. "