Spiritism in the 2022 Census

Daniel Salomão Silva

Recently published preliminary results from the 2022 Demographic Census regarding religions revealed a decrease of approximately 0.2% among those who identify as Spiritists (from 2.0% in 2010 to 1.8% in 2022). However, although fluctuating between 1940 and 1991, in the two previous surveys the growth had been significant, about 65% (from 1.3% in 2000 to 2.0% in 2010). This inflection must naturally be seen as an invitation to reflection, which we propose here as an introduction. As expected, the first discussions have revolved around the possible causes of this decline. After all, by identifying them, we can address them and propose changes in our approaches and religious practices. In this still incipient investigation, a few points deserve attention.

Alongside the decline in Spiritism, the 2022 data revealed an increase from 0.3% to 1% of those who identify with Afro-Brazilian religions such as Umbanda and Candomblé. Researchers have pointed out that, due to prejudice, many Afro-Brazilians were hidden under the categories “Catholic” and “Spiritist,” something the Census cannot capture. However, a “new climate of religious freedom,” in which tolerance and respect are openly defended, seems to have encouraged some Afro-Brazilians who previously declared themselves Catholic or Spiritist to feel safer in 2022 to identify with their real religious confession. If this hypothesis holds, we can deduce that previous percentages did not reflect the “real” number of Spiritists. Naturally, this is not something we should resist, since we recognize freedom of thought and conscience as God’s law.

Secondly, the analysis of the data shows that Spiritists “have the lowest percentages of individuals without formal education or with incomplete elementary schooling (11.3%), and the highest percentage of those with higher education completed (48.0%).” Related to this, Spiritists are also among the groups with better economic conditions. Yet Kardec himself, in his time, saw no problem with this. For him, having followers “mainly among the enlightened classes” was proof that Spiritism had a “foundation of truth.” However, this in no way excluded those with less education or income, nor did it reduce the Spiritist concern with social issues. Even in 19th France, the Codifier was satisfied to recognize the presence of workers among Spiritists. In any case, this data serves as a warning for us to observe more carefully our methods of dissemination and our language, so that Spiritism may be spread universally.

Also correlated to levels of income and education, fertility data show that among Spiritist women the number of children is the lowest among religious groups. While Brazil’s fertility rate was 1.6 children per woman in 2022, among Spiritists it was 1.01. More complex statistics also indicate a progressive reduction in the transmission rate of religion from parents to children among Spiritists since 1980. Possibly related to these trends, the analysis by age group reveals an even lower percentage of Spiritists among younger generations.

These three points do not cover all the causes of the perceived stagnation and still require further investigation. However, the third already seems to invite us to rethink the way we Spiritists have been dealing with material life, and therefore with our priorities. Among them should certainly be the dissemination of Spiritism within our homes and the guidance of our children and youth to Spiritist centers, but not only this. Although the Spiritist proposal rejects any radical proselytism, as the Codifier points out, if we recognize in it an important contribution to humanity, it is natural to want its dissemination, always respectfully and invitingly. Allan Kardec himself urges us to “make converts among persons of goodwill, those who desire the light.”

As the Spirits affirm, Spiritism will surely “become a general belief” and, even before great struggles, “will occupy a place among human knowledge.” In a note to the same question, the Codifier also details his expectation that the spread of Spiritist ideas “will be more rapid than was the progress of Christianity.” Yet, considering the small presence of Spiritism worldwide and its apparent stabilization as a minority in Brazil, is this optimistic assessment mistaken? We think it is still too early to say so.

First, even though Kardec tells us that “for two or three generations there will still be a phenomenon of incredulity that only time will erase.”, he does not foresee a general acceptance of Spiritism immediately after this short period. Therefore, nothing justifies the expectation of massive adherence today. Second, although humanity cannot prevent progress or significantly delay it, it can “sometimes slow it down”, which also makes us responsible for spreading Spiritist ideas: perhaps they could be more present today.

Third, it seems to us that, contrary to what is often assumed, this prediction by the Spirits does not refer to the adoption of Spiritism as a religious confession, but to the acceptance of Spiritist ideas. In this regard, the results are more favorable. Even in previous analyses, specialists noticed a certain “Spiritist impregnation of Brazilian society,” “a wide circulation of Spiritist beliefs in non-Spiritist spaces.” When Spiritism arrived in Brazil in the nineteenth century, it encountered a society already familiar with conversations with the “dead” and with the presence of spirits in daily life (the relationship with saints in popular Catholicism and with entities and orixás in African-origin traditions are examples). Thus, it was well received from the beginning, aligned with a certain “Brazilian religious matrix.” By enriching concepts already plausible to a large part of the population, Spiritism secured its currently significant position in Brazilian thought.

In this sense, it fulfills its role as the third Judeo-Christian revelation, providing a complementary explanation to the major religious tradition in Brazil, without replacing or denying the current importance of diverse religious confessions for human development. As Kardec points out, it “develops, completes and explains in clear terms for everybody what he stated only in allegorical form”. Thus, it seeks to confirm the moral teachings of Jesus, “to show us its practical usefulness” and, through experimentation and the recording of the manifestations of the Spirits, to demonstrate the reality of principles found in all religions. It contributes to progress by destroying materialism, inviting us to prioritize the spiritual over the material, and thus opening doors to the practice of charity in all its forms.

Therefore, without unnecessary alarm or definitive solutions, from our brief reflection on the 2022 Census we conclude:

1. Unsurprisingly, it is fundamental that we continue spreading Spiritism: in the daily work of Spiritist centers; in federative actions; in artistic productions and events; through the promotion of Spiritist reading and study; on the internet and in person; to children, youth, and adults; always open to new forms and methods, without compromising our basic principles;

2. In this direction, while respecting the legitimate preference of certain groups for other religions, it is important that we understand their needs and reflect on possible adaptations in language, texts, and methods that facilitate their access to Spiritist ideas;

3.Since we do not compete in today’s “religious market,” we must recognize the importance of other religions, with their different languages and priorities, understanding that they too play a role in promoting spiritualism and charity. We must also seek greater closeness with them in fraternal interreligious dialogue, working together for the improvement of the planet;

4. Finally, individually, we must strive more for our commitment to Spiritist activities, but above all for the living of its principles in our homes and in society, reflecting carefully on our priorities.

References

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