Jáder Sampaio (photo) was born in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte, in the state of Minas Gerais. He comes from a Spiritist home and got engaged in the Spiritist Movement as a teenager. He is a university lecturer at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais and the author of dozens of books – some focusing on his area of expertise, Psychology, others on Spiritism. He also has a blog of questions and answers on Spiritism, Espiritismo Comentado. Jader translated recently the book “Dialogue with the Sceptics” by Alfred Russel Wallace. In this interview, he talks about many issues that concern the Doctrine and the

Spiritist Movement:  What is your view on the increasing number of research on Spiritism in Brazilian universities?

There is indeed a marked growth in the presence of Spiritism in Brazilian academic institutions. There were 171 Master and PhD theses on Spiritism in Brazilian universities between 1989 and 2009, and I expect an increase in that trend. The main themes researched are health, Spiritist institutions, Spiritist personalities and how religions are depicted in literature. There is also an interesting feature: the researchers aren’t necessarily Spiritists. They in many cases simply perceived a gap in the areas of knowledge and research. 

The young university student and the Gospel of Jesus: what would say about that relationship?

The society we live in is less and less Christian, less and less Catholic in Brazil, especially among the educated segments of society. Half a century ago, great segments of the Brazilian population, in rural areas and cities, attended regularly the church, religious ceremonies, looked for Spiritist evangelisation. Christianity had a higher profile in the media and was part of the debate. When I did my degree in Psychology in the 1980s I barely had the opportunity of studying the work of the Christian philosophers. There was plenty of time spent in the classrooms, though, to existencialists, naturalists and scepticists. I once asked a question a one of me lecturers, a Catholic priest and well-known sociologist, about Saint Paul and he thought I was joking. Now the term Judeo-Christian is used to tag anything or anyone as conservative and backwards. We must bear in mind that Christianity brings a great positive message, which was of course distorted by many Christian institutions along the centuries. Christ spoke of women, slaves, servants and the poor workers as equals, as people with rights, in an era when those people were seen as mere objects for trade and to be disposed of. I believe academic institutions should reassess their views on Christian philosophy, but it is very hard to change preconceived ideas. A vast number of our young people end up seduced by modern utilitarianism, by consumerism, individualism, sensuality, which they perceive as a great advancement in individual rights. Christianity in academia is like an underground movement, as though it had never left the catacombs and we still lived in Ancient Rome. 

Do you think there should be less of a division between faith and reason in universities?

Academic centres should study their themes without taking materialism and scepticism as a giving, as absolute values. If faith brings real change to people’s health, for example, that should be investigated and research, so we can all understand it and benefit from it. If spirituality has an impact on human relations, why ignore it as a research subject? 

What is in your view the importance of Spiritist Centres for their communities?

For many deprived communities, the Spiritist Centre is much more than a place to gather every week, learn about the Doctrine and receive healing; it offers an alternative live, away from crime, and provides education and even leisure. I’ve seen mothers who bring their children so they can get some moral, religious education of any type, even if they are not Spiritists. Allan Kardec worried about the society he lived in, his community. He didn’t live away, isolated, dealing only with the Spiritual World. He was a volunteer, who taught those who didn’t have access to education in the Paris of his time. And he often published guidance from the Spiritual Benefactors stressing that we should be generous and display solidarity, as in the famous message by the Spirit Cáritas. The charity work in Spiritist Centres is very important and has saved many lives. We now have new problems and challenges in Brazilian cities. Drug trafficking is taking many young people away from the right path in their communities. There is a new generation of children who were already born and have lived in the street, sleeping rough. We have environmental problems, teenage pregnancy, and changes in the family set up with new roles for men and women. These are bigger challenges for the Spiritist Movement. 

You published recently a translation of the book Dialogue with the Sceptics, by Alfred Russel Wallace, the famous British naturalist. What was his contribution to Spiritism?

Wallace was a bold intellectual, who didn’t worry about going against the tide in his days, and he ended up paying a high price for his audacity. He made researches with mediums and didn’t refrain from telling what he found out, that they were genuine. After publishing The Scientific Aspect of the Supernatural, he realised that the English scientific community was moved by prejudice in its refusal to study the phenomena. He then selected a number of sceptical, naturalist and materialist scientists and exposed the contradictions in their thinking. I thought it very important to publish this book in Portuguese, as it brings something new, away from the ordinary, and should spark curiosity in today’s researches. Alfred Russel Wallace was a pioneer, but never met Kardec. They spoke different languages, English and French, and there was and still remains a cultural distance, a certain attitude, between Britain and France. It was only towards the end of the XIX century, with Léon Denis, Conan Doyle and others that the Spiritist from both sides of the channel began to get together and exchange ideas. There was a slight time gap as well. Kardec initiated his studies in 1853 and disincarnated in 1869. Wallace began his studies on the phenomena in 1862 and published his first book in 1866. 

We have talked about Spiritism getting into academia. How should Spiritist Centres, on their part, do in order to get prepared for that?

We should go back to our ancestors, the French, the English, the Italians, who were willing to study and publish what was going on in academic institutions. The volume of knowledge available now is much bigger, and we need to be more humble and look for advice for the specialist associations that are being set up (Spiritist doctors, Spiritist lawyers etc.) Those groups need to carry out research and studies relying on up to date bibliography and strict methodology, to be published not only on the specialised press, but also on the national and international media. 

Your last thoughts…

We’re going through an era with plenty of change and transformations. I wish from the bottom of my heart that Spiritist leaders are able to act with reason and wisdom, keeping what needs to be kept, but changing what must be changed as our times evolve.