Spiritism, in its various forms, exerts a profound influence on Brazilian and Latin American culture, far beyond the formal number of its declared followers. Kardecism specifically denies the full deity of Christ and practices communication with the dead, something Scripture itself clearly forbids: “And when they say to you, ‘Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers…’ should not a people inquire of their God?” (Isa 8:19). The LBV (Legion of Good Will) combines a visible and widely recognized philanthropy with its own autonomous religious structure, in which salvation is attained through accumulated merit rather than received as a free gift. Christian Rationalism, in turn, replaces divine revelation with human reason and reduces Christ to a mere moral example, denying his deity. When reason or human merit occupies the place that belongs exclusively to Christ, grace no longer holds the central position that is properly its own.
Candomblé and Umbanda also exert a profound influence on the Brazilian popular imagination, even among people who would never formally identify as practitioners of these religions. Candomblé directly worships the orixás. Umbanda, in turn, brings together elements of Kardecism, Candomblé, and popular Brazilian Catholicism, forming its own distinct religious synthesis. The central issue raised by these cults, however, is not merely cultural but spiritual. The African cultural heritage at the root of these traditions deserves genuine respect and historical recognition, even as the spiritual system associated with them is rejected in the light of the Bible. The gospel does not propose an indifferent coexistence with alternative spiritual powers. It proclaims full and definitive liberation in Christ, with no room for compromise on this issue.
Respecting a people's history of resistance while, at the same time, rejecting the spiritual powers that people venerates are not contradictory attitudes. On the contrary, they are two complementary dimensions of genuine love. Leviticus warns: “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God” (Lev 19:31). The prohibition set forth in this biblical text does not concern culture, but what Scripture regards as a reality of spiritual defilement.
Write down, then, the central difference between the communication with the dead practiced in Spiritism and the biblical hope of the future resurrection in Christ. If you know someone involved with Kardecism, the LBV, Candomblé, or Umbanda, pray for that person before attempting to speak with them directly about the subject. Also seek to learn, with genuine respect, the history of resistance that marked the origin and development of Candomblé in the context of colonial Brazil. In this way, your approach can unite doctrinal firmness with honest historical acknowledgment.
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