Rodrigo Félix da Cruz:

“We cannot allow Spiritism
to remain restricted to
the Spiritist Centre”

Our fellow Spiritist from Brazil’s São Paulo state talks about the use of information technology in the dissemination of Spiritism
 

	Rodrigo Félix da Cruz (photo), a Spiritist since the year 2000, is a volunteer worker at the Luz Espírita Spiritist Centre, in São Paulo, where he was born. He is also linked to the Internet portal Luz Espírita (www.luzespirita.org.br), which he helped found. He is the author of many published books, all of them  available  for  free  download  from  the  Luz
Espirita portal. In this interview, he talks mainly about efforts and techniques to help the dissemination of Spiritism:

What is your assessment of current effort to disseminate Spiritism?

We are going through a period of transition, with the communication coming through intuitive mediums, who are co-authors of the messages, rather then unconscious mediums. The next stage will involve the use of Instrumental Transcommunication to open up spiritual exchange.

How does IT – Information Technology – can help in that process?

IT has enabled the dissemination of Spiritism to the whole world through the Internet, which was not possible due to religious intolerance and distance.

Do you think Spiritists are still suspicious about the use of the latest technology available?

The development is slow and gradual and that is why many Spiritists still reject the use of the latest technology. They fear the new. We cannot allow Spiritism to remain restricted to the Spiritist Centre. Rather, we must encourage the interaction between Spiritism and society through Information Technology (Internet, cinema, TV, radio etc.)

What are the prospects for the dissemination of Spiritism taking into account all the development in Information Technology?

Very soon we will have a totally virtual Spiritist Centre. The Luz Espírita portal is a pioneer in that work, offering Spiritism Courses, library, talks, counselling and healing online. We have also had mediumship meetings in video conference. I was one of the founders of the portal in 2008 and later began to publish my books on the site. Through my work on the portal, I have made many friendships both on the material and spiritual world, especially at the Recanto de Irmãos community, which has given us lots of support.

How about your book? What is it about?

The book, “Information Technology in Spiritism”, looks back at the history of the transmission of knowledge and suggests that we make use of all the tools available to disseminate Spiritism. The book was published as Brazil is in the eye of the international media due to the 2014 football World Cup and the 2016 Olympics the country will host. There are new sites focusing on Spiritism in Brazil, there are new books and films with a Spiritist theme. Also, more and more people in the country are becoming aware of the environmental implications of publishing books and are keen on reading e-books. It all seems to show that this is the right moment to disseminate the Teachings with all the technology available. That is the main message of my book.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

When I was doing my research about the use of IT to disseminate Spiritism, we asked at the Spiritist Centre I attend – Casa Amiga do Itaim Paulista – for guidance from our Spiritual Benefactors. For everyone’s surprise, we received a message from Aniceto, a well-known benefactor from Nosso Lar, our Home. The dialogue is transcribed in the book.