The specifics of Secularization in the Brazilian First Republic and the criminalization of spiritualism

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the specificities of secularization in the Brazilian First Republic, in which were showed the complexities of relations between religion and society. In the advent of the new regime, within the framework of religiousness spoken by the population, the state has not defined what was considered religion and therefore what was entitled to legal protection, and what practices were considered antisocial and crime against public tranquility. In this context, Kardecian spiritualism was considered as an anomic practice by the established criteria for "civility”, especially for the federal capital - Rio de Janeiro. Its supporters had the burden to seek representation in public space in order to obtain recognition for their practices as religious, and not criminal, considering the principles of individual freedom and conscience.