Spiritism or Spiritist Doctrine is a system of explanation of phenomena having in common the general belief in the survival of a spirit after death. In a stricter sense, Spiritism is a doctrine founded upon the existence, manifestations and teachings of the spirits. Compiled in the 19th century by the French educator Allan Kardec, Spiritism soon spread to other countries, having today 35 representative countries in the International Spiritist Council. Brazil is the country where the most significant number of adherents can be found.
The term Spiritism was established by the French educator Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail to specify the teachings encoded by it, adopting the pseudonym Allan Kardec. The encoding of spiritism is present: The Spirits' Book; The Mediums' Book; The Gospel According to Spiritism; Heaven and Hell; The Genesis According to Spiritism. In the publication of the book "What is Spiritism", the encoder defines spiritism as "a science that deals with the nature, origin and destination of spirits, and of their relations with the corporeal world."
The first appearance of the term occurred in French literature with the publication of the The Spirits' Book. In this book, Kardec sought to distinguish spiritualism and spiritism. Spiritualism is a name common to various religions, philosophies or other names, refers to the opposite of materialism. Spiritism is a spiritualist philosophy, also understood as a doctrine of scientific-philosophical-religious-oriented moral improvement of the human being.
Read more about Spiritist Doctrine: Origins and Geographic Distribution, Fundamental Principles, Differences Between Spiritism and Spiritualism, Spiritist Practice, Precursors, Spiritism in Popular Culture, See Also
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“As if reasoning were any kind of writing or talking which tends to convince people that some doctrine or measure is true and right.”
—Catherine E. Beecher (1800–1878)