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Crentes: about Brazil's Evangelical Christians

I will start with two true, real life, personal experiences.
1. Several years ago I was in Sao Paulo for my brother's marriage. I was walking around Santo Amaro, in the Southern part of Sao Paulo. I know Santo Amaro very well, having lived in several places near there (Sorcorro, Interlagos, Campo Grande, Brooklin, Alto da Boa Vista and even Chacara Santo Antonio) and even having done Cientifico School at Alberto Conte (Instituto Estadual de Educacao Prof Alberto Conte, in full!). Now the streets are covered with sidewalk vendors (camelos), so much that it is chaos, unpleasant, and very disgusting. I was walking one of the back streets and I see this huge building down the street that didn't used to be there - it was so big and bright, it really stood out, and so I walked over to see what it was. There, accross the top, were the words "IGREJA UNIVERSAL DO REINO DE DEUS" (or, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God). Well, it's nice to know where heaven is!

. 2. We have a friend in Arizona that is very involved in Church projects. He has a great missionary and medical work in Rocky Point. One day he asked us to go to a culto (the traditional name for a protestant religious service in Brazil. A missa, or mass, is only used for Catholic services). Because we like J. and it is near home we go to a Brazilian's apartment where a visiting pastor (preacher) will speak. Well, about half way through the sermon, it begins to sink in that this gentleman is not just any evangelico, but a member of the Organization mentioned above. I liked the part about "give, give more, and give until it hurts." At least he didn't actually say to put the kid's milk money in the offering. So the Church of Bishop Edir Mecedo has reached even into a modest apartment in Tempe, Arizona.

Manhã de vinte e três de abril, dia de São Jorge para os católicos, Ogum para os umbandistas. Festa nas igrejas, centros e terreiros. Dia de novenas, batuques e cantorias. No Morro da Providência, Centro do Rio, Roziete Silva de Abreu faz parte do grupo de "quinze guerreiras" da comunidade que todo ano toma a frente na organização das homenagens ao orixá das florestas. E assim garante a realização da festa religiosa - apesar de nos últimos anos, o número de devotos de São Jorge e Ogum ter diminuído muito nas favelas cariocas, diante do boom das religiões evangélicas. Por causa da popularização - principalmente - da Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus e da Assembléia de Deus, religiões como o candomblé, a umbanda, o espiritismo e até o próprio catolicismo viram milhares de seus fiéis seguirem o caminho do pentecostalismo (movimento que surgiu nos Estados Unidos, no início do século XX, como opção ao protestantismo tradicional de batistas, luteranos, metodistas e presbiterianos). Nas favelas cariocas, o resultado foi o desaparecimento quase completo de festas populares tradicionais como o Reisado e o Caxambu. Há 28 anos, José Diniz é mestre da Folia de Reis do Morro Dona Marta, em Botafogo, Zona Sul carioca. Trazida ao Brasil pelos portugueses, a folia é celebrada todo ano, de 25 de dezembro a 6 de janeiro (Dia de Reis), nas cidades do interior fluminense, e até o dia 20, feriado de São Sebastião, no Rio de Janeiro. Em 2004, José Diniz levou a tradição para mais quatro favelas da cidade - Mangueira, Maré, Formiga e Tavares Bastos. No Santa Marta, são doze horas de festa nos becos e casas da favela. O Brasil é o maior país católico do mundo com aproximadamente 130 milhões de fiéis, quase 75% da população total do país (segundo o Censo 2000). Desde a chegada dos portugueses, o catolicismo foi soberano em todo o território nacional e pouco ameaçado em número de seguidores. Isso até o surgimento das igrejas evangélicas como o maior fenômeno religioso do final do século passado De acordo com o IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística), o número de evangélicos no Brasil dobrou em apenas 10 anos, passando de 13 milhões de seguidores, em 1990, para 26 milhões, em 2000. A Igreja Universal, um dos braços do movimento pentecostal, tem hoje ramificações nos Estados Unidos e em vários países da Europa. Nos bairros de periferia e favelas do Rio, o número de evangélicos pode chegar a 40% dos moradores. "O povo quer mudança, mas não é mudança de lugar, é de atitude. Já vi muita gente que virou evangélico e hoje é outra pessoa. Deixou de beber, se drogar, fazer besteira. Agora gasta dinheiro no que é bom, compra leite, investe na casa. Não adianta falar no bem mas só praticar o mal", analisa Pedro Rocha, coordenador do Jocum (Jovens com uma Missão), movimento evangélico do Morro do Borel que organiza todo mês de julho o Arraial do Povo de Deus - uma versão evangélica para as festas juninas. "A igreja finalmente acordou, já devia estar na favela há muito mais tempo", acredita. Morning of twenty and three of April, day of Is Jorge for the catholics, Ogum for the umbandistas. Party in the churches, centers and places of fetichism. Day of novenas, batuques and cantorias. In the Mount of the Step, Center of the River, Roziete Silva de Abreu is part of the group of "fifteen warriors" of the community that all year takes the front in the organization of the homages to orixá of the forests. E thus guarantees the accomplishment of the religious party - although in the last years, the number of worshippers of Is Jorge and Ogum to have very diminished in the Carioca slum quarters, ahead of boom of the evangélicas religions. Because of the popularização - mainly - of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and the Assembly of God, religions as candomblé, umbanda, the espiritismo and until the proper catolicismo turn thousand its fidiciary offices to follow the way of the pentecostalismo (movement that appeared in the United States, in the beginning of century XX, as option to the traditional protestantismo of baptists, luteranos, Methodists and presbiterianos). In the Carioca slum quarters, the result was the almost complete disappearance of traditional popular parties as the Reisado and the Caxambu. It has 28 years, Jose Diniz is master of the Folia de Reis of the Mount Owner Marta, in Botafogo, Carioca South Zone. Brought to Brazil for the Portuguese, the folia is celebrated all year, of 25 of December the 6 of January (Day of Kings), in the cities of the of the state of Rio de Janeiro interior, and until day 20, holiday of Is Sebastião, in Rio De Janeiro. In 2004, Jose Diniz more took the tradition for four slum quarters of the city - Hose, Tide, Formiga and Tavares Bastos. In the Saint Marta, they are twelve hours of party in the alleys and houses of the slum quarter. Brazil is the biggest country catholic of the world with approximately 130 million fidiciary offices, almost 75% of the total population of the country (according to Census 2000). Since the arrival of the Portuguese, the catolicismo was sovereign in all the domestic territory and little threatened in number of followers. This until the sprouting of the evangélicas churches as the biggest religious phenomenon of the end of the last century In accordance with the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), the number of evangélicos in Brazil folded in only 10 years, passing of 13 million followers, in 1990, for 26 million, in 2000. The Universal Church, one of the arms of the pentecostal movement, today has ramifications in the United States and some countries of the Europe. In the quarters of periphery and slum quarters of the River, the number of evangélicos can arrive 40% of the inhabitants. "the people wants change, but it is not place change, is of attitude. Already vi much people that turned evangélico and today are another person. It left to drink, if to drug, to make besteira. Now it spends money in that it is good, purchase milk, invests in the house. It does not advance to speak in the good but to only practise the evil ", analyzes Peter Rock, coordinator of the Jocum (Young with a Mission), evangélico movement of the Mount of the Borel that organizes July month all the Arraial of the People of God - a evangélica version for the juninas parties. "the church finally woke up, already it had to be in the slum quarter has much more time", believes.
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Second paragraph.... Brazil's greatest star was born in Europe, in the city of Porto, Portugal....


Home > News > World > Latin America/Caribbean Catholicism challenged in Brazil By Paulo Prada, Globe Correspondent | April 8, 2005 SANTO ANDRÉ, Brazil -- To witness the challenges facing the Catholic Church in Latin America, pay a visit to this former diocese of Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, a Brazilian considered a front-runner as a successor to Pope John Paul II. http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2005/04/08/catholicism_challenged_in_brazil/ ADVERTISEMENT Tuesday evening a young priest held a memorial Mass for the late pontiff in Santo André, a gritty, industrial suburb of São Paulo, South America's biggest city. As some 60 parishioners hummed along with a folksy duo by the altar, the pastor, in red vestments, followed a group of acolytes up the center aisle. A few miles away, a Pentecostal evangelist, in white trousers and a cotton shirt, gripped the forehead of a young woman. Jumping in unison to his shouts of ''burn, burn, burn" and ''Burn the demons within this woman," some 700 faithful shook the church, a football field-sized building with a helipad for a roof. The ground is trembling around the Catholic Church in Brazil. The Vatican's footing here and throughout Latin America is slipping because of attrition and inroads by rival faiths. In a region often roiled by economic hardship and violence, many Catholic clergy believe, people are abandoning Catholicism for what they see as more flexible, personable creeds or, worse, a rejection of worship altogether. ''It's a serious challenge," said Bishop Nelson Westrupp, head of the suburban diocese, a region of 3 million inhabitants. ''Faith has become subjective, individualized, and materialized and it's causing the [Catholic] Church to weaken." Though half the world's Catholics live in Latin America, quickly shifting demographics are likely to fuel further departures, theologians say. The rural, less globalized Latin America that was a Vatican stronghold is evolving into an urban, contemporary region less pliant to a central dogma. Consider the Catholic Church's recent history in Brazil. According to a 2003 report by the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has 125 million Catholics -- more than any other country in the world. But the percentage of Catholics in the country's population is falling -- from 92 percent in 1970 to roughly 73 percent today -- and many of those remaining, the church admits, rarely attend church. ''We have to recapture those who haven't even left," Westrupp said. Many Latin Americans hope for a more progressive successor. In Brazil, that hope lies in Hummes, a Franciscan who was bishop of Santo André before becoming archbishop of São Paulo. Hummes has many followers because of his support for human rights, land reform, indigenous causes, and the labor movement. In the 1970s, when Brazil's military dictatorship was arresting strike protesters, Hummes gave union leaders -- including Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a leftist firebrand who is now the country's president -- a hiding place in his Santo André church. This week, before departing for Rome, Hummes spoke on television of the Catholic Church's need to be more open ''to dialogue with science, reason, philosophy, culture, and society." ''We must show that our faith isn't fundamentalist, medieval," he said. ''There are important questions that demand modern answers." But the absence of answers has driven many followers to other faiths. ''I don't need an intermediary to teach me right from wrong," said Marilda Paulino, a 33-year-old nurse who left a Catholic Rio parish for an evangelical congregation. ''Faith is not about the pastor, it's not about any saints," she said. ''It's about God and me." Catholic priests worry about the social impact of such teachings. The immediacy offered by evangelical denominations, they say, is the equivalent of a spiritual quick fix. Their focus on personal prosperity, they argue, neglects the broader Christian goal of universal well-being for all. ''The goal is salvation for humanity, not just personal gain," said the Rev. Fernando Sapaterro, the priest who led the memorial Mass in Santo André. A clickable icon and description:
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O Globo On - Brazilian online newspaper (in Portuguese).

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ave noted that liberation theology is predominantly a Roman Catholic movement. An important factor now impacting the movement in Latin America is the explosion of evangelical Protestantism there. "Latin America is no longer the Roman Catholic monolith it once was. Since the late 1960s, the number of Protestants has surged from 15 million to an estimated 40 million, about 10 percent of the population of Latin America."[37] Brazilian bishop Monsignor Boaventura Kloppenburg says that "Latin America is turning Protestant even faster than Central Europe did in the sixteenth century."[38] The overwhelming majority of these Protestants are Pentecostal. As to why so many are presently turning to evangelicalism, one analyst suggests that "there now is a widespread recognition that liberation theology overlooked the emotional, personal message most people seek from religion.

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