Religião em confronto : o espiritismo em Tres Rios (1922-1939)

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2000

RESUMO

In the end of the eighteenth century it has began a process where rationalism and scientism became more influential and the religion lost prestige. It was the beginning of the "modem" society with its concepts of liberty, progress, reason and equality. A new religion emerged in this atmosphere in France, the spiritism, which intended to be a religion of the new times. The city of Três Rios (in Rio de Janeiro s state) appeared in 1860 s, when it had began the construction of the railway and the highway. Because of its privileged geographic localization, connecting Minas Gerais State and the Court, Três Rios was subjected to an expressive modernization processo In that environment, at 1895, it was created the first spiritist group in Três Rios, named Grupo Espírita Fé e Esperança (GEFE). Since 1922, the movement had prospered led by a group with high sociocultural levei and political influence in the region. Because of their straight contact with the Rio de Janeiro s élite, they were much influenced by the modemity s ideas spread in the national capital. On account of that influence, the spiritists usually cooperated in the developmental process of Três Rios at the beginning of the twentieth century. The GEFE s social work was intense. It founded a homeopathic pharmacy, a noctumal shelter, an elementary school, an orphan asylum and a maternity hospital. The doctrine s diffusion was extended by the foundation of medium s sChool, library, bookshop, spiritist s book fair, "O Nosso Guia" newspaper, the fourth study group for young spiritists in Brazil and gospel school for children. They had got a radio program and two columns at city s joumals. These social and diffusive works were both influenced by the national spiritism s tendency. The advance of the spiritism in the city aroused a number of reactions from the catholic church and some parties of the society. In reply to these attacks, the GEFE organized in 1939 the First Brazilian Spiritist Week which strengthened the local spiritism. Through its practices, the spiritism was an agent of the dissemination and consolidation of the mOdernity s requests such as progress, order and freedom of thinking and acting. The purpose of union between science and religion in agreement with the needs of the modem world and the spirituality longings of the mankind, may have contributed for lhe diffusion and consolidation of a spiritist mentality in our society

ASSUNTO(S)

espiritismo - brasil religião

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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