SOCIO-CULTURAL ASPECTS OF SPIRITUALISM IN BRAZIL

It is shown that while Catholicism & Protestantism are losing ground in Brazil, the mediumistic religions are showing rapid & continuous growth. These religions are found to appear in 2 major forms: (1) the Afro-Brazilian cults, which are grouped under (a) Umbanda, or White Magic, & (b) Quimbanda, or Black Magic, & (2) orthodox spiritualism, taken from a French source, as codified by Alan Kardec. The beliefs & practices of these forms are briefly outlined, & are found to form a continuous, but bipolar, reality: the mediumistic religion. The sociol'al analysis of this reality presupposes the distinction, within Brazil, of various subcultures & cultural areas. The typology of Charles Wagley is retained (see SA 1791), which distinguishes between the Cabocla subculture, & those of the Fazenda, the small towns, the metropolitan Lc's & the metropolitan Uc's. Also, a division into 5 cultural areas-the East, Northeast, North, South, & West-Central regions-is used. It is found that the mediumistic religion is not highly favored among the Uc's of Brazilian society; however, its more highly developed forms are beginning to find acceptance under the English term 'spiritualism.' The poor classes remain attached to the forms closest to the African cults. The higher the SL, the more predominant Kardecism becomes. SM, which is esp apparent in the large towns, together with the development of the Mc's, leads to an increase of Karecist spiritualism. The growing success of spiritualism in Brazil is explained, first of all, by the affirmation in the Kardecist doctrine of progress based on merit, which corresponds well with the needs of a developing society. Moreover, the Catholic Church has become essentially Ur in Brazil & has adopted intellectual patterns which are those of the dominating Mc. Therefore, it can no longer perform certain soc functions which have been assumed by the mediumistic religion: functions of consolation, protection, healing, & intellectual integration. Modified HA.