“Caiu em terra boa e produziu fruto”: a evangelização espírita, uma semente germinada em São Paulo – um estudo de caso de evangelizadores em uma Casa Espírita e seus frutos

Abstract

This study has the objective of investigating the origins of spiritual evangelism – a study exercise of Spiritualism during infancy and adolescence in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. In the first part of the study, we worked out the route of Spiritualism in the second half of the 19th century, from Europe up to its arrival in Brazil via the active and social work of the media that stimulated the pop up of study groups and official spiritual societies. We carried out a review of the literature and documental research via our consultations with official spiritualistic societies and by means of newspapers, magazines and internal regulations via the indiciary method; identifying some of the main practitioners that grasped Spiritualism and its moral educational aspect who in return became a reference point because of their actions in the spiritualistic social and religious fields. In this route, we investigated the institutional setup of gospel teaching to adolescents and infants in spiritualist centres in São Paulo – specifically in GECAM - Grupo Espírita Caminheiros do Amor - a group created in the heart of São Paulo, notably for the purpose of gospelising families. The hypothesis of beliefs was defended, whereby the beliefs assimilated in this community would be transmitted to the new generations as key-moral ethics that would be important for the upbringing of a person. In the second part of the study, we based our theory references to sociologist Pierre Bourdieu and anthropologist Maria Laura Cavalcanti, examining the triple aspect of spiritualism in their philosophical, “scientific” and religious fields, jointly the pedagogical models – Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and Jean Piaget - adopted in their setups of spiritual evangelism in the institution aforementioned; looking at the methodology, the rhythm and their established objectives. In the third segment, we worked out the precedent of spiritual literature aimed at infants and adolescents, distinctly put together in contrast to that of more contemporary literature, and the importance of narratives such as connections applied in spiritual evangelism classes at GECAM; specifically to smaller groups. With this in mind, we tried to understand what there is in common, or not, between catechesis and spiritual evangelism, besides identifying the role of young people in religious fields, additionally what religion, religiousness and spirituality mean as forms of asceticism. The research showed that the never-ending feature of spiritist teachings takes place despite the temporary absence in the younger age phases, this is because, generally so to speak, we take up the role once we become parents, going on to pass on the ‘guidance that we received - the universal values - to our descendants, as “seeds” that turn into fruits in the future to come