Brazil

Catholicism

Missionaries from religious orders such as Franciscans and Jesuits came with the Portuguese colonizers in the 16th century and made Catholicism an integral part of the colonizing process. From that time on, this religion has established itself as no other on Brazilian soil. Until the 19th century, Catholicism faced no major challenges. The arrival of Protestantism in the 19th century and the impetus of secularization, among other forces, resulted in a gradual pattern of decrease in the number of Catholics since 1872, when the first data were recorded. In the 1990s, the decrease accelerated, and the number of Catholics reduced from 83.3% to 73%, and then increased to 89% in 2000, for reasons having to do with the economic crisis and the appeal of neo-Pentecostalism. Following the redemocratization of Brazil, there was a decrease in liberation theology practices in the 1990s. Since then, Charismatic Renewal efforts and the “singing priests” have been attracting media exposure and exercising more force within the Catholic field. Data from 2003 show a pattern of stabilization for the first time since 1872.

Protestantism

The arrival of the King of Portugal and his court in 1808, fleeing the troops of Napoleon and following commercial treaties with England, which also opened the door to Anglicanism and other denominations after 1811, heralded the presence of Protestantism in Brazil. European immigrants brought Lutheranism in 1824, and those from North America brought the Baptist and Methodist churches. Later in the century came the Adventists, the Presbyterians, and the Congregational Church. In 1910, Pentecostalism arrived in Brazil with the [Page 159]Christian Congregation of Brazil and the Assemblies of God. From 1950 onward, there is a consistent growth in the numbers of followers of Pentecostal churches, mainly due to the churches of the Foursquare Gospel, Brazil for Christ, and God Is Love. The 1970s saw the booming of Neo-Pentecostalism, mostly imported from the United States. This movement can more properly be called Post-Pentecostalism, since it misses the emphasis on traditional elements from Pentecostalism such as the central focus on Christ and on the Bible. These elements are bypassed in favor of an emphasis on prosperity theology. Post-Pentecostal churches operate with internal structures of organization similar to those of a business, with ministers being assigned targets for money collection. They also abandon the Pentecostal adherence to external signs of sanctity and simplicity, incorporating images more linked to the consumerist practices of postindustrial societies at the end of the 20th century. As a strategy for gaining followers, they tend to demonize Afro-Brazilian religions and Spiritism. The most important are the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, Reborn in Christ, the International Church of God's Grace, and The Heal Our Land Community. Jehovah's Witnesses and Latter-Day Saints also entered as Protestants in the 2000 census. As an umbrella term, Protestantism ranks second in numbers of followers in Brazil.

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