In Brazil , for example , an estimated 4,000,000 spiritists follow the teachings codified by Hyppolyte Léon Denizard Rivail , a 19th - century French educator and philosopher who wrote under the name of Allan Kardec .
In Brazil , for example , an estimated 4,000,000 spiritists follow the teachings codified by Hyppolyte Leon Denizard Rivail , a 19th - century French educator and philosopher who wrote under the name of Allan Kardec .