Moderno-espiritualismo e Espaço Público Republicano - maçons, espíritas e teosofistas no Ceará

Abstract

Analyzing the action of freemasons, spiritualist and theologians in cearense public scene in the twentieth century first half, while components of a modern-spiritual configuration, here defined as spiritual approach, influenced by rationalism, positivist-scientificism and saving elements of esoteric and hiding traditions. The modern-spiritual ideas of spiritual evolutions by reincarnation, by planetary and cosmic evolution, by communication between alive and dead (spirits), by fraternity and essencial unit of all religious beliefs; it will be noticeable in the speeches and social practices of their followers, by the formulation of alternative propositions of religious social and political character. In the insertion and diffusion process, here noticed between 1910 and 1930 decades, these new ideas are compared with the dominant Catholicism, in institution reorganization after the republican secularization and the establishment of religious freedom (Constitution of 1891). In the perception of this dispute, it was decided to understand them as components of two configurations: the modern-spiritualist (freemasons, spiritualists, theologians) and the catholic, represented by clergy and its followers; as they save the relation of interdependence, due to the bonds of positive affinity in the first composition, and to the bonds of negative affinity with the second one. From this results a conflicting relation in public scene (press labour, civic, literary, philanthropic associations) when the diffusion of modern-spiritual conceptions of man, society and humanity, such as religious liberty and equality; laicism; “social questions” as moral-spiritual problem; alliance of religion and science; and clarity and universal fraternity among people, beliefs and races, as conditions to the planetary evolution. On the other side, it was the catholic church accusing the followers of the atheism, liberalism, diabolical cult and conspiratorial movement of modernity vices. This way, the freemasons, spiritualists and theologians action as spiritualism belief diverges from traditional spiritualism, it constitutes the original ideological alternative; competing with Catholicism and the party and labour unions of the left, in the religious and social-political disputes in Ceará of the first and second republic.