The spiritist soap operas
and its influence
 

It is not possible to precisely measure if the spiritist soup operas such as “Escrito nas Estrelas” (Written on the Stars), broadcasted by Rede Globo TV channel, influence people to seek for more information about the Spiritist Doctrine. However, after the films Chico Xavier and The Astral City were released on the cinemas, it has boosted people’s interest in the books of Andre Luiz.

This fact is noted by the increasing number of people who buy spiritist books or attend a spiritist centre. Another sign is the growing number of people interested in spiritist study groups.

The necessity of being constantly studying, even the spiritist veterans, is a established fact in our environment. As in any other field of human activity it is necessary to develop and update our knowledge, otherwise we will be affected by the routine and sameness, which explains some misconceptions that still occur in our environment, as a result of an absolute lack of doctrinary knowledge.

Hermínio C. Miranda, in his book Diálogo com as Sombras, enphasizes the urgent need to study and argues that there are several reasons for being constantly learning: "Firstly, because our memory is flawed, and leads us to forget important recommendations and instructions, which we already read in the past. Secondly because, even while reading, the mind wanders, and we read substantial parts of a text, without the participation of our consciousness. " (Work cited, chap. IV, pp. 287.)

Our confrere says that, if we read any page of The Spirit’s Book, we will see that there are always something we did not notice previously, an unseen observation as well as different angles of observation. This will also certainly happen with any other spiritist book which we might have read.

There is also another very important reason to make studying part of our routine.

The spiritual improvement consists of two fields: moral and intellectual. "The sentiment and wisdom are the two wings with which the soul will rise to the infinite perfection," explains Emmanuel in the question 204 of his book "The Comforter, psychographed by the medium Chico Xavier.

Nobody will escape this contingency. We must develop both fields, which requires continuous studying and persistency. Therefore, we must begin this task as soon as possible, seizing the opportunities that are ahead of us in order to know more and improve ourselves intellectually, without relegating our immense need of evangelization, which should be our first duty, to second plan. After all, the spiritists do not ignore the warning from The Spirit of Truth: "Spiritists! Love one another, that is the first precept; educate yourselves is the second" (The Gospel According to Spiritism, chap. VI, item 5.)

In with regards to soap operas, there is good news. The author of " “Escrito nas Estrelas” (Written in the Stars), Elizabeth Jhin, said recently: "I intend to turn the story into a trilogy. I want to make a sequence of three soup operas which will address the topic spirituality".
 

(1) By clicking on the link below, the reader will see what Elizabeth Jhin and the main actors of the soap opera have said about life after death, mediumship and reincarnation during an interview to the TV program “Domingão Faustão”, Rede Globo TV channel, on September 12th 2010 **video in Portuguese only:

http://tvglobo.domingaodofaustao.globo.com/programa/2010/09/elenco-e-autora-falam-dos-misterios-de-escrito-nas-estrelas/