The number of churches that adhere to the evangelical Christian faith in Brazil is growing. Bolsonaro's reelection is predicated on their support, and he is reconstructing the state in accordance with their priorities.
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Midway through the month of August, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro addresses the nation from a platform in the Sambodromo, which is an arena in the heart of Rio de Janeiro and serves as the route for the annual parade of the country's most renowned carnival schools. However, there will not be a procession with bright colors today. Instead, Bolsonaro is around by a group of people who have their arms up and their eyes closed. "Praise be to the Lord!" the evangelical pastors exclaim in an enthusiastic manner during their prayers. The event serves as the climax of the yearly "March for Jesus," which is widely regarded as one of the most significant gatherings held by ultra-conservative Christian churches. The fact that Bolsonaro allows himself to be publicly blessed in front of thousands of believers is not a coincidence: elections will be held in Brazil on October 2, and the right-wing extremist is dependent on the votes of Christians who believe in the Bible. Bolsonaro has allowed himself to be publicly blessed in front of thousands of believers.
What many academics refer to as a "religious revolution" is now taking place in the nation with the biggest Catholic population in the world. Pentecostal churches in Brazil are becoming more popular, despite their reputation for being quite conservative. Around fifty percent of the population identified as Catholic in 2020, while more than eighty percent of people self-identified as Catholic in the year 1990. At this point in time, 32% of the population considers themselves to be evangelical, and the percentage is only growing. It has been estimated that during the next 10 years, those who identify as Evangelical will constitute the majority of the population.
However, what exactly does it mean to be evangelical? Theologically speaking, Protestantism has a branch known as Evangelicalism. Congregations, as a general rule, do not participate in critical Bible exegesis. The following is true for them: everything is written in the Bible is to be read literally, is seen as being provided by God, and is not questioned. Traditional Protestant congregations may also be found in Brazil. Some examples of these groups are Baptists and Lutherans. These have their roots in Europe and might be characterized as liberal in certain respects. Nevertheless, the most attended services are held in ultra-conservative Pentecostal churches. The United States of America is where many of them have their beginnings.
The streets of Brazil's inner cities, slums, and isolated towns are all equally dominated by evangelical churches today. In a manner fairly dissimilar to that of the United States of America, there are enormous, extremely contemporary prestige buildings. However, you may now find what are being called "garage temples" on practically every street corner. These temples typically consist of just a few plastic seats, an amplifier system, a microphone, and speakers. It is not difficult to establish a new religious organization, in contrast to the Catholic Church, since there is no ultimate religious authority. One may self-identify as a pastor in almost any circumstance. You need charm and what some people call a "divine calling" more than anything else.
People living in poverty in Brazil are especially drawn to the assurances that they will be saved and to charismatic preachers. Additionally, Pentecostal churches may be found in areas where the state does not exist. In regions that do not have any parks, libraries, or open places for residents to enjoy. characterized by a lack of opportunities, as well as by the presence of crime and poverty. The evangelicals are often the only people who listen to the locals, take their concerns seriously, and comprehend the dread that they feel. In addition to providing emotional support, they also provide something that may be compared to a kind of recreation. Today, the majority of believers are people of African descent, the majority of them are single mothers. During the time that Bolsonaro was organizing his election campaign and sought for closeness to the ecclesiastical hierarchy, he was aware of this fact. Why so many people in impoverished communities in the suburbs voted for neoliberal racist Bolsonaro may be explained by the enormous influence of evangelicals in such regions.
It turns out that the current president is a devout Catholic. During the campaign for the 2018 presidential election, on the other hand, he rarely ever passed up a chance to connect with evangelical congregations. It was said that he was baptized in Jordan in front of the media, and that renowned pastor Silas Malafaia performed the ceremony that wedded him to his third wife. He was an acknowledged star visitor at church services. In the election, all of the major evangelical churches endorsed one candidate for the first time ever, and that candidate was Bolsonaro. The calculation was successful. Seventy percent of evangelical voters participated in the runoff election, and they voted for the candidate on the right wing who was given the middle name "Messiah."
The fact that the gun-wielding thug Bolsonaro is twice divorced appears to be of minor importance, despite the fact that he does not exactly come from the cloudless dream world of those who are devoted to the Bible. The concrete principles that he shares with evangelicals, such as their opposition to homosexuality, their struggle against abortion, and their demonization of feminism, are more essential. In 2018, the ultra-right populist deftly attacked female political opponents by using the conspiracy fiction of an alleged "gender ideology." These would encourage children and young people to behave sexually inappropriately at a younger age, cause them to become gay, and cause them to alter their gender. It didn't take long for absurdly false information to become viral on social media: a program that was initially designed to prevent homophobia in schools was immediately rebranded as an initiative for the "early sexualization" of youngsters. Many people in Brazil continue to hold onto the myth that members of the Workers' Party (PT) handed out infant bottles shaped like penises at creches. In Brazil's traditionally conservative culture, this helped galvanize support for the right-wing candidate among many anxious citizens. After that, when Bolsonaro survived an assault with a knife, it served as confirmation for many people that this guy has a holy purpose. He is a messenger from up high!
Even in this election campaign, Bolsonaro is attempting to cultivate relationships with those who adhere to extreme religious beliefs. Despite the fact that many elements of Brazilian society are moving away from Bolsonaro at the moment, the country's most influential churches continue to support him. This is also reflected in the polls for the election in October: While Bolsonaro ranks second in virtually all categories examined, the evangelical electorate is the only group that has Bolsonaro in the lead. Their allegiance may also be explained by the fact that, in many ways, the government operates precisely in accordance with the reactionary ideals that it espouses as a guiding philosophy for its policies.
Even before Bolsonaro rose to prominence, fundamentalist forces had a secure presence in Brazilian politics. It is not unheard of for ministers to win seats in parliamentary elections. Voting should take place on Mondays and preaching on Sundays. There is a group of evangelical members of Congress that work together across party lines. The so-called Bible group has been active in the political arena for a considerable amount of time, attempting to assist mold politics in accordance with its conservative ideals. On the morning of every Wednesday, those who call themselves "brothers in the religion" meet together in a hall to pray with one another.
However, when Bolsonaro gained power, an actual reorganization of the state in accordance with principles that are considered to be very conservative got underway. There has been a concerted effort on the part of fundamentalist organizations to enter the administration. Complete departments have been reorganized, and male religious fundamentalists have taken the place of female subject matter specialists. For instance, almost the entire women's health team at the Ministry of Health was changed, despite the fact that many of its members were well-known authorities and had served in that capacity for decades. The administration has made cuts in a number of other domains. It cut off financing for programs that were considered progressive. Other departments, such as the diversity department in the Ministry of Education, were eliminated in their whole under her policies. And the evangelicals, along with some ultraconservative Catholics, are working hard to have themselves appointed to all of the committees that deal with the subjects that are important to them, such as abortion, LGBTQI concerns, and drug policy. They also attempt to exert their influence on the distribution of radio and television licenses, which are re-distributed once every five years, in the hopes that the allocations will not be modified in a way that is detrimental to evangelical television and radio networks.
Damares Alves, a very busy person, was appointed by Bolsonaro to the position of Minister for Women, Family, and Human Rights. Prior to her nomination, the evangelical pastor gave sermons in front of crowded megachurches, traveled the country as an advocate against abortion, and served as an advisor to the gospel-singing Member of Parliament Magno Malta. Alves gave her first statement after being nominated for her position in politics and outlined precisely where politics should go. She said that the time had come when the church should dominate and that males should wear blue and girls should wear pink. Even though Alves is no longer a minister, other members of the Brazilian government have continued to press on with the fundamentalist reorganization of the country.
Additionally, Bolsonaro delivered on other items, including tax exemptions for religious organizations, benefits for religious media networks, and debt relief in the billions of dollars. The pressure from the churches might also be seen as a possible contributing factor to his Corona policy. Myths that are anti-scientific and based on conspiracy theories are deeply ingrained in many societies. For instance, Edir Macedo, the founder of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, said that the Corona virus was a "tactic of Satan and the media" that was used to induce fear in the general population. In order to harness the spiritual strength necessary to combat the virus, President Bolsonaro called for a fast to be observed throughout the country. In addition to this, he issued a directive that designated churches as "essential services," which prevented them from being shut down temporarily during the epidemic.
Believers in the Bible support Bolsonaro despite his use of homophobic and transphobic insults, as well as his efforts to further restrict abortion rights in a country where they are already severely restricted. And when Bolsonaro declared that he was relocating the Brazilian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – just as his great hero Donald Trump did - celebratory corks erupted in a lot of churches. Israel, the location of the end-times conflict, is of utmost importance to evangelicals. The move of the embassy was scrapped due to the intense lobbying efforts of the influential meat business, which anticipated a reduction in revenue generated from the Arab world. But the course of action was made quite clear: Under Bolsonaro, the boundary that traditionally separates the state and the church is quickly eroding.
Bolsonaro is attempting to make the next election into a showdown between virtue and evil as a way to garner support. This fits in with the rhetoric of evangelicals, who regard themselves as being in a perpetual state of battle against all of the evil that is present in contemporary society; this kind of conflict is referred to as "spiritual warfare." Many pastors are not only vocally advocating for the victory of Jair Bolsonaro, but they are also publicly attacking Bolsonaro's opponent candidate, Luiz Inácio da Silva, popularly known as "Lula." Luiz Inácio da Silva has been vilified as the "Antichrist" and "Communists" by Bolsonaro's supporters.
The social democrat with the scratchy voice who has already reigned for two terms is making an effort to steer clear of the topic of religion as much as is humanly feasible. Behind closed doors, advisors are often heard saying that there is no way to win against the right in this arena. The explosive potential of some subjects was shown when Lula hesitantly attacked the stringent abortion regulations during a presentation, which caused a whirlwind of outrage among the audience. After all, seventy-five percent of people are unequivocally opposed to the practice of abortion. As a result of the political volatility, many people on the left avoid discussing "sensitive subjects" like abortion, the legalization of narcotics, and changes to the police force since doing so may lose them vital votes.
But Lula can't completely abandon his religious beliefs: At a political gathering, he said that Bolsonaro was "possessed by the devil." He was running for office. And he conferred with evangelicals who had progressive views. Even while the vast majority of members of the Free Church are unwaveringly conservative and many of them are even fundamentalist, there is a scene that exists outside from the fraudulent pastors and hate preachers who celebrate Bolsonaro. But it is quite evident that the progressive forces are in the minority.
The conversation around gender and sexuality was a major focus during the election in 2018, which Bolsonaro was able to capitalize on to his advantage. It is possible that other problems will get more attention during this election campaign than the current state of the economy. Over the course of the previous three and a half years, there has been a great deal of animosity directed against Bolsonaro. And, as things stand right now, it seems like it could possibly be feasible to defeat Trump in the election. However, he protects himself against the coming loss by all means necessary and attempts to undermine the legitimacy of the democratic process. In addition to spreading false information about the electronic voting system, Bolsonaro incites violence against the judicial system. A sizeable number of people anticipate violent outbursts, and some even anticipate an attempted coup. What everyone knows to be true: Brazil is in for some tumultuous weeks, in part because Bolsonaro has already said that he would not just resign from his position as president. "Only God," he said.
The author Niklas Franzen is a German journalist mainly focused on Brazilian politics.