Ivan Franzolim:

“We need to encourage people to develop their intellectual curiosity and their wish to study Spiritism”

The well-known Spiritist write makes an assessment of the current stage of the Spiritist Movement in Brazil
 

	Ivan Franzolim (photo) was born in a Spiritist family in the largest Brazilian city, where he engaged in the Spiritist Movement in 1984. He has degrees in Journalism and Marketing. He is also a Spiritist writer, columnist and public speaker, and a founding member of the Association of Disseminators of Spiritism in Sao Paulo state. In
this interview he shares his thoughts on the current challenges faced by the Spiritist Movement in Brazil, where there are opposing and often conflicting views on a number of issues.

What has led to the development of these conflicting groups within the Brazilian Spiritist Movement and what can be done to tackle the problem?

I believe that the existence of different approaches to the Teachings codified by Allan Kardec is positive, provided those views are based on study and research. The problem seems to stem from rushed and personalised interpretation of the Teachings by people within the Movement and by the Spirits who influence the mediums. The answer to that is in careful and thorough study of Spiritism and in opening those schools of thought to public debate.

What role can the leaders in the Spiritist Movement and public speakers play to deal with that issue?

They should encourage people to develop their intellectual curiosity and their wish to study Spiritism. But they must be encourage to reason and challenge, avoiding, obviously, the excesses of those who end up getting closer to fanaticism. We need to encourage the development of study groups and courses that stimulate debate and logical thinking, based on serious research. It is important also to review books and publications and encourage their circulation.

The publication of Spiritist books has increased sharply in Brazil in recent years. But the content of many books has been questioned and considered unreliable from a Spiritist perspective. What is the best way of dealing with that?

Some Spiritists defend the idea of banning the sale of such books in Spiritist Centres and organisations. I do not agree with that. That would only make people susceptible to being manipulated or marginalised. We must take into account the fact that any proposal or publication provides an opportunity for learning. I think Spiritist organisations must provide better and clearer information to those who attend their events.

Some 15,000 Spirit Centres hold meetings across Brazil every day. Most people get to know Spiritism through those Centres. How can you help them fulfil their role in help disseminate Spiritism as it should be done?

Every organisation is influenced by the way of thinking of their leaders, who pass on their views to other members. They will one day become the new leaders and probably repeat the same ideas. It is a vicious circle, which is difficult to change. To break that cycle, we must encourage open dialogue and the freedom of thought inside every organisation, as well as the practice of questioning prevailing ideas and practices.

There is a growing number of people active on Spiritist websites and the social networks. What are your views on that?

The technology has enabled people to express their opinions to a wider public. That is a very positive development and we should make the best use of that. One idea is that Spiritist Centres encourage their members to publish articles on their views. Those articles should be made available to others.

Which initiatives should Spiritist Centres encourage or which ones should be avoided?

I have seen many good Spiritist Centre websites, not only with practical and useful information about their activities, but also with valuable historical articles and books and articles for download. They disseminate their campaigns and publish interesting links. But they should avoid requests for prayers, the publication of names of people in trouble and initiatives such as virtual healing.

Many Spiritist Centres in Brazil have been taking on a sectarian approach, labelling any dissenting view as wrong. They produce “Spiritist” songs, plays and films and expect them to be appreciated for their quality, rather than their fidelity to the Spiritist Teachings. What is your assessment of that problem and what should be done to address it?

This is a very worrying pattern, as it disseminates ideas that are not backed up by the Spiritist Teachings. We must take into account that Spiritist was not given to us in full. We continue to be given further information. We cannot disregard any field of science or philosophy in the search for the truth. That was told to Kardec by the Spiritual Benefactors. But that does not mean that we must accept any new idea or development as true. We must look at them and study them, however. And it is very important that all the people with a role of leadership in Spiritist Groups are made aware of that situation. We must try to contact them and communicate with them through all the possible means, including books, emails and the social networks.