Christianity in Brazil

Christianity in Brazil Aleksandra Klimowicz 03.12.2012

Today, approximately one third of the worlds population professes Christianity and it is the only religion commonly practiced on all 5 continents. Therefore, its triumph can surely be defined by its extensive scope, but it is also important to understand exactly what over 2 billion people found so appealing about it, and why it has continually been situated among the worlds most significant beliefs. Understanding and explaining the existence of a particular religion in a given culture can prove problematic, particularly when such a religion originated outside of, and has been imposed on that culture. (Mendonca) Interestingly enough, today Christianity is most popular in areas where centuries ago it was, most often, vehemently enforced. This was the case in Africa, Asia, and South America, but Christianity spread most prominently in the latter; with Ecuador and Venezuela ranking among the top ten countries with the highest percentages of Christian populations, and Brazil being home to the second largest number of Christians in the world, outdone only by the United States. (Christianity) In order to understand what makes this particular religion appealing on this continent today, the historical events that allowed for the religion to establish itself, as well as the social aspects that triggered its widespread, must first be examined. Additionally, the formations and limitations of Christianity s diverse manifestations in South America must also be considered. (Mendonca) Naturally, for reasons of space it will not be possible to examine all the themes related to this topic. Therefore, the following paper will simply point out some general historical and sociological elements with a focus on Brazil that will help outline and understand the contours of the presence and practice of Christianity 2

in South American society and aim to determine why Christianity was, and still is so popular in this part of the world. (Mendonca) It is an accepted notion that religion is a primary component of culture and influences social norms. But it needs to be determined whether, it is the intruder's religion that brings cultural framework inside of which a completely new culture forms, or does, (in this case), Brazilian culture come packed with traits of secularized thoughts to which the invader s religion just gave validity. (Mendonca) Clearly, religion and culture are inseparable elements, but is it the culture that develops religion, or is it the other way around? The starting point with which to explain the presence of the Christian religion in Brazil is at its initial appearance. Roman Catholicism has been at the center of Brazil's national identity since 1500, when Iberian and Jesuit missionaries arrived there, ambitious to spread Christianity. (Hudson) In 1537, Pope Paul III issued a Papal Bull to confirm that the Indios of Latin America 1 were equal to Europeans and therefore entitled to receive Christianity. (Scaruffi) However, this equality was somewhat cunning since Christianity was not just a new privilege but also a compulsion. During colonial times, there was no freedom of religion; native Brazilians were required to oblige the Roman Catholic faith and they were forced to pay taxes to the Church. The same laws were also enforced on incoming Portuguese immigrants. (Roman) Christianity brought by southern European settlers remained the only legal religion of Brazil for the first three hundred years of its colonial existence. Indirectly through European- borne pestilence and directly through persecution and enforced 1 Natives 3

conversion, Catholic Christianity displaced indigenous forms of religious cultural expression in all but the most inaccessible parts of the country. (Dawson) The most active missionary branch within the country were the Jesuits. During their time in Brazil, they were fearless fighters against the abuse and enslavement of native Indians and eventually also African slaves. (Reynolds) Though they were not the only representatives of the Church in Brazil, they were the most defining and impacting institution during the colonial order. (Burns) Converting the native population was the first, major challenge Jesuit missionaries had to face. They approached this by gathering the natives into aldeias 2, where priests could watch over and teach them. This was a way of Christianizing the Indios, however, there is evidence that its inhabitants were also exploited. The Jesuits complied with the Portuguese monarchy and brought Brazilians under the control of the Empire. Aldeias typically indoctrinated natives with European dogmas and required them to act, worship and even contribute to the European economy through labor. (González) The Portuguese quickly realized that Brazilians were the only source of workers available for their control and began to subject the natives to hard labor, usually on plantations. Although, to an extent, the aldeias facilitated enslavement, the Jesuits were quick to oppose this practice. (Burns) Along with other Church members, they voiced their disapproval, labeling it as contrary to Christian intentions of the King (Burns) and began to fight the planters by using the aldeias to protect the Indios. (Reynolds) However, despite the Jesuits conflict with Portuguese conquistadors and colonizers, for their first few centuries in Brazil, they were backed by the monarchy. A papal established that the Indians 2 Villages 4

were now subjects of the monarchy and that the monarchy must Christianize, civilize, and protect the Indians. (Burns) Throughout the 1500 s, they were the most active missionary order executing the crown s orders, and in return the monarch sided with them on multiple rulings. Only after eleven years after the discovery of Brazil, King Manuel I declared that harming a native was the same as harming a European. His follower, King João III also wanted affairs with Brazilians to be diplomatic in order to Christianize them more easily. However, the monarch also passed a ruling in favor of the planters, allowing the capturing of Indians that fought against Portuguese colonists. (Reynolds) In 1570, King Sebastiao ruled similarly, banning enslavement, except of those taken in a just war. Next, King Philip III also officially condemned the capturing of all Indians, but allowed them to be detained as prisoners of war. (Burns) These ambiguously sounding laws lead to legal and theological questioning over the slavery of Brazilian natives and whether a war can ever be just. (Burns) The Catholic Church had questioned the enslavement of Brazilians but accepted the enslavement of Christianized Africans. But, eventually, some Jesuits who were particularly humanitarian began to argue for the rights of African slaves, who were being shipped to Brazil by the masses to replace natives at physical labor. (Burns) One Jesuit who was particularly dedicated to the protection of Brazilians was Father António Vieira, who took up charge of defending Indian s against the Portuguese settlers, after his ordination in 1653. (González) He often preached about the colonial abuse and enrages colonizers with his sermons. Eventually, Vieira was run out of Brazil and the entire system of Jesuit protection of slaves and natives didn t outlive him by long, lasting only slightly over 200 years. (Burns) 5

By 1759, the Jesuits were expelled from Brazil by Marquês de Pombal, the head authority within the Portuguese- Brazil Empire appointed by Jose I 3. Until this ride of power, the Church has not yet experienced the authority that the crown held over it. Marquês was hostile towards the Church, the Jesuits in particular. He was driven by economical opportunities and potential trade options, not the well being of natives, which is why he worked to diminish Jesuit power in the colonies. Ultimately, in 1759 a royal decree banned Jesuits from all of Portugal s lands, and their properties, schools, and slaves were confiscated by the crown. (González) Although the crown enforced Christianity upon Brazil, it cannot be said that this is the only factor responsible for the vast growth and spread of this religion. After all, the attempt to implement a religion in a new land, whether forcefully or not, is not always successful, as was the case with multiple crusades in the 12 th and 13 th centuries. Arguably, the multiple positive associations to Christianity in Brazil played a role. As an example, Father Vieira s work illustrates the lengths to which some Jesuit missionaries went to in order to fight for the humane treatment of the native during their time in colonial Brazil. (González) The expulsion of Jesuits from Portuguese colonies detrimentally affected the lives of the Indians and Africans in Brazil. Villages were left without protection and organization and Marquês de Pombal took control over care and education and permitted slavery. Since Jesuits were running some of the finest schools in the country, European immigrants also suffered the consequences of their departure. (Burns) By 1807, Brazil s population was 3.5 million, of which 2 million were African slaves and 500,000 were Indios. (Scaruffi) Meaning, that a 3 (1750-1777) 6

third of the country was comprised of already Christian Europeans, while Latin Americans were entitled to receive Christianity since nearly 300 years, and most Africans were baptized upon capture in a just war. Clearly, by the 19 th century, most of the population had come into some type of contact with Christianity, but various moderations of traditional practices emerged. During their station in Brazil, the Jesuits also established several institutions one of which was the confraternity. Confraternities allowed the Jesuits to ensure that newly baptized Africans would attend mass and participate in religious training. However, for the slaves themselves, the confraternities helped ease them into the life of a slave. During these meetings slaves were able to find other Africans who spoke their language and understood their cultural values. (Reynolds) This provided them with a sense of community and along with that, they were allowed to incorporate their old traditions into the religious festivals and processions held at confraternities. The establishment of African confraternities by the Jesuits is seen as one of the main sources of Afro- Brazilian Catholicism and shows that the Jesuit influence had lasting effects on the population of Brazil. (Reynolds) After the Brazilian independence, a Portuguese monarchy ruled Brazil and in 1824, the first constitution permitted freedom of religion, though Roman Catholicism was still kept as the official religion. During this time, the Imperial Government also paid a salary to Catholic priests and influenced the appointment of bishops; this political- administrative division of the municipalities accompanied the hierarchical division of the bishoprics in Brazilian parishes. (Religion) Many Lutheran and Anglican immigrants settled in the country at the time and the first Baptist and Presbyterian missionaries 7

arrived late in the 19th century, planting churches in all major cities. (Guilherme) Along with them came large numbers of Italian, Polish and German Catholics, who reinforced the values initially introduced by the Roman Catholic populace of Iberian origin. (Hudson) In 1891, the first republican constitution officially declared the separation of church and state (Guilherme) and the 20 th century began with an explosion of charismatic growth due to The Assemblies of God planting churches in every Brazilian state within 30 years after their arrival in 1910, reaching many in rural areas. (Guilherme) According to all the constitutions of the republican period, there is no state or official religion. In practice, however, there is little separation between the church and state. (Hudson) The national days off work are based on the Christian holidays, biblical names are some of the most commonly used, and expressions referring to biblical characters are used in daily, colloquial language. The Catholic Church remained especially influential until the 1970s. Divorce was not allowed in Brazil until 1977 even if a separated couple observed a different religion, particularly due to strong opposition of the Church. (Religion) Today, the Church is much less influential, though it still possesses some leeway on sociopolitical matters. A recent example of the Church's guidance over political questions was a change conducted by the federal government in the Third National Program of Human Rights regarding a proposal to legalizing abortion. After receiving pressure from the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops the law was not moderated and the law currently states that an abortion can only be legally performed in Brazil if the pregnancy puts the life of the woman in danger or if the pregnancy is the result of a rape. (Abortion) 8

However, the Church s opinion is not always prioritized and the government has recently loosened its sanctions on same- sex marriage and adoption. This allows the following conclusion to be drawn; in a largely Catholic population there is still a significant need for homosexuals to be granted more rights. So much need in fact, that Brazil s same- sex laws are much more liberal and humane than those of many recognizably Western countries. Most Christian denominations, including the Roman Catholic Church welcome people attracted to the same sex, but teach that homosexual acts are sinful. (Roman) Despite this, both lifestyles are hugely popular, and in Brazil do not exclude each other. Furthermore, in 2008, The Brazilian Senate considered a bill that aimed to promote homosexuality and prohibit Christian teaching on the issue, under the pretext of combating discrimination. According to the Association of the Defense of Life, the bill would make it a crime punishable by five years in prison to impede expressions of homosexual affection in public places. It would also punish those who deny employment to openly homosexual teachers in schools with up to three years imprisonment, making it impossible for Catholic or Christian schools to prevent homosexuals from joining their faculties. Technically, based on the bill, a priest, a pastor, a teacher or even an average citizen who says in a sermon, a classroom or public conversation that homosexual acts are sinful, disordered or an illness could be denounced and detained. (Brazilian) Anomalies and alternations of Christianity are often present in Brazil. Moreover, to some sociologists and theologians, Catholicism in Brazil is more of a tradition than a religious practice itself. Although it is common for Brazilian Catholics to be baptized and married in the Catholic Church, according to the 9

Brazilian Conference of Bishops 4, only about 20% of self- declared Catholics attend weekly mass and participate in Church activities. (Hudson) About 40% attend masses at least once a month 5, and only 26% describe themselves as "very religious". (Scalon) Meaning, that apart from having the second largest amount of Catholics in the world, Brazil also has the largest number of lapsed believers. (Roman) While the history of Christianity in Brazil surely lays the grounds for its presence and spread, it must still be examined how it has reached its current scope six centuries later. Sociologically, in modern Brazil Christianity sometimes strays far from its traditional concepts. Religious syncretism 6 is widespread among Brazilian Catholics. (Hudson) There is much overlap between Afro- Brazilian religions such as Candomblé or Quimbanda which most likely originated with the Jesuits and their confraternities with traditional Catholic practices and beliefs, which many Brazilians do not consider as inconsistent with their faith. (Scalon) Simultaneously areas that received many European immigrants within the last century, especially from Western Europe, have Catholic traditions that are more similar to those practiced on the Old Continent. This modified practice of religion leads to various pseudo- Christian rituals that did not derive from Catholic teachings. One need only visit Copacabana on New Year s Eve, Salvador da Bahía on January 6th or the whole country on Shrove Tuesday to observe festivals that are mostly pagan, even if over more recent centuries they have been associated with Christianity. (Scalon) Common 4 Portuguese: Conferência Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil, or CNBB for short 5 Which is approximately the same level as that of American Catholics 6 The combining of different, sometimes near contradictory beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. (Wikipedia) 10

Brazilian Catholics are also far more likely to believe in good luck charms, fortune- tellers, and astrology than members of other religious groups. While officially Catholicism considers these superstitious and rejects them, this Brazilian religious subculture embodies these ideas. They are also more likely to accept premarital sex, cohabitation before marriage, homosexuality and abortion than Catholics elsewhere and Brazilian Protestants. (Scalon) At the same time however, according to Luiz Mott PhD, the founder of Grupo Gay de Bahia, the oldest LGBT group in Latin America, unfortunately, more and more congressmen and senators are evangelical, from the Pentecostal 7 branch, and they boycott any law that guarantees equal rights for homosexuals. (Smith) Another contradicting aspect of modern Brazilian Christianity are tremendously popular tattoos. Though teachings on this matter are not unanimous, The Bible does state in Leviticus 19:28, "Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord." Approximately 20% of the tattoos inked in North America today are religious in nature, and in South America this percentage is even higher. Today, however, it seem that the bearer of a tattoo sees their body art as a way to get closer to their personal concept of God and proclaim their faith. (Christian Tattoos) The most popular symbols of choice for most Christians are angels, doves, crosses, and a set of praying hands. With these images they are looking to more permanently express their individuality, identity and faith. (Christian Tattoos) Famous biblical prohibitions are left behind in Brazil, which is evident from tattoos, gay movements, and churches adopting modern movements like 7 Pentecostalism is a renewal movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism with the Holy Spirit. 11

rock- n- roll in order to attract youth to mass. The Roman Catholic Church understands the importance of Brazilian faith and tries to take care of its members and encourage their faith. One approach is through education; as the largest Catholic country in the world, Catholic education has an extensive tradition in Brazil. The Society of Jesus founded the first schools in the country, and aimed to evangelize Native Brazilians. Once de Pombal seized Jesuit schools and introduced educational reforms all over the Empire, public schools became, and still remain today, secular, but private Catholic schools are among the best in the country. According to the Ministry of Education, the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro is the best private university in the country, and in 1969, the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo became the first higher education institute in Brazil to offer a post- graduation course. On May 11 th, 2007 the Pope made his appeal in a characteristic way: He emphasized competing with the Pentecostal denominations first by meeting people s spiritual needs with a back- to- basics Catholicism centered on preaching Christ s message. (Rohter)That day, Pope Benedict XVI canonized Brazil s first native- born saint sand received a bracing dose of Brazilian- style religious fervor at an outdoor mass. He called for more forceful evangelization efforts throughout Latin America to counter growing conversions to Pentecostal Protestant groups. (Rohter) About 140 million Brazilians regard themselves as Catholics, but as it has been previously stated, many of them do not attend mass regularly, and the share of the population that identifies itself as Roman Catholic has contracted in less than a generation from nearly 90 percent to about two- thirds, thanks to the Protestant advance. (Rohter) With the Church s popularity decreasing, the Pope 12

provided Brazilians with an attraction. Friar Antonio Galvão said, This is a saint who is really, truly ours, born and bred here, who looks like us and has a name like ours. (Rohter) Though the Church is a unique institution, like any other to exist it needs a clientele, and like any other it needs to market to maintain that clientele. Romana Coutinho, a 25- year- old student, said she enjoyed the canonization of a Brazilian saint, but that it did not affect her attitude towards mass, which she said she attends sporadically. She mentioned the worship service should be more uplifting and animated because the world has changed. In this paper, I attempted to point out some of the general historical and sociological elements with a focus on Brazil that aimed to help outline and understand the contours of the presence and practice of Christianity in South American society and aim to determine why Christianity was, and still is so popular in this part of the world. The colonization of Brazil and South America instilled the evangelization of Brazilians and the incoming slaves and immigrants. Since the 1500s, Brazilians experienced centuries of occupation, and have always had a very large lower class. According to a Gallup Poll religion is an important part of daily life for 92% of the voters in countries with a per- capita income of $2,000 or less. (Crabtree) Understandably an idea that there is something better waiting for a person after death is an appealing notion to the less fortunate. Though there may be numerous manifestations of Christianity in Brazil and there has been a drop in practicing Catholics, if there is one thing I ve learn during this course, is that it will take a lot more than that for Christianity to diminish completely. 13

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