Special aspects of the spiritist teaching for children

by Rita Foelker

To reach its goal of transforming souls, the Spiritist Education needs proper (an appropriate) methodology.

One of the biggest mistakes that frequently happen in educational activities promoted by Spiritist Centers is not considering the spiritist methodology when dealing with spiritist subjects.

The Spiritism is a doctrine that appeals to reason, a vision of world and life based on a rational philosophy whose consequences might be experienced and proved. When the principles that the Doctrine teaches us confirm things we saw and lived, these experiments include not only observing external facts, but also feelings and memories.

Teaching and learning Spiritism to children are different from religious teaching and learning. It is not about children learning rules, principles, and text explanations, but about developing a consciousness of themselves and the meaning of life that allows the necessary judgment in several situations.

The religious teaching is usually imposed and asks us to accept "truths" shared by the group without analysis or contestation. 1For example, we learn that we will be considered sons of God only if we perform some ceremonies. We do not have any other options if we really want to become a member.

On the other hand, the spiritist children are not supposed to believe in God or immortality because Spiritism says that, but because they reflected, compared with logic and facts, felt in their hearts, recognized by their own experiences that is impossible not to be in this way, and incorporated this concept to their vision of life.

For that very reason, the Spiritist Education goes beyond all things the educator could verbally explain as his or her knowledge. It requires creating strategies and opportunities to each pupil build his or her own hypotheses, question, and come to his or her own conclusions.

For that very reason, it requires world, scientific, and societal facts that give evidences of the laws' universality that the Spiritist Doctrine comes to reveal. In fact, we cannot provide the understanding or application of spiritist principles if they appear remotely or divorced from the reality they help to understand and deal with.

The spiritist teaching is meant to be spiritual enlightening, not the diffusion of any religious or devotional practice. This clearness is possible through individual and collective experimentations by reflecting and interiorizing principles whose truthfulness can be understood by everyone always in proportion to the moral and intellectual development.

1. We are applying the philosophical teaching as a very better alternative. Back

HOME | LIST OF ARTICLES | WHO WE ARE | WHAT'S NEW | SITE MAP | CONTACT US