Episodes of religious violence have increased in Brazil, as shown in the first mapping of religious racism in the country, "Respeite meu Terreiro", organized by the National Network of Afro-Brazilian Religions and Health (Renafro). Almost 99% of religious leaders from 53 regional centers across Brazil said they had already suffered some type of offense. At the same time, religious debates have been central to this year's elections. Why is it so difficult to separate faith and politics in Brazil? O Curto talked about the topic with José Sepulveda, coordinator of the Observatory of Secularism in Education at the Fluminense Federal University.
Did you know that Brazil has one of the largest Christian populations in the world? According to a 2019 DataFolha survey, 50% declare themselves Catholic and 31% evangelical. A minority, 0,3%, declares themselves to be followers of religions of African origins. And statistics show that people and terreiros are the main targets of hate crimes and religious intolerance in the country. (Politicize)
Last year, of the 571 reports of violation of freedom of belief registered in Brazil, more than half were related to Afro religions, according to data from the Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights (MMFDH).
The intolerance linked to racism against people linked to Candomblé and Umbanda becomes clearer when we look at the racial profile of the group: among those who say they are linked to these beliefs, there is a concentration of more than 20% of people who declare themselves black, of according to IBGE.
Although Brazil is a Secular state, a fine line often keeps politics separate from religion. At decisive moments such as elections, this becomes even clearer.
But the mix of public issues with individual beliefs is not new here, according to José Antonio Miranda Sepulveda, coordinator of the Observatory of Secularism in Education at the Universidade Federal Fluminese (OLÉ/UFF).
“We have a history full of an intertwined relationship between the State and religion. We inherited, as an independent country in 1822, a religious State or what historians call a patronage, a fusion between State and religion.”
Sepulveda, who also has a PhD in Education from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), lists other facts that show how the Brazilian State is “organized in an umbilical way with religion”:
The teacher refers to the confusion between state and church. “These confusions are so deeply rooted that it is not easy to eliminate them. Until you naturalize that religion is part of this universe, of the State”. This is why, according to the professor, it is common to see the crucifix, a Catholic symbol, on the walls in environments such as public schools and Legislative Assemblies. “If they were to remove a symbol like that and place one of an African-based religion, would people naturalize it in the same way? Of course not."
Secular state and religious freedom
But “democratic” tensions between religions are natural, according to the professor. He explains how secularism is the principle that guarantees that citizens can choose, dispute, debate and express different beliefs and religious manifestations.
Listen to an excerpt from the interview Curto News with professor José Sepulveda:
According to the professor at the USP Faculty of Economics Raphael Corbi, “religion is more at the forefront of public discussion and religious values are determining more, giving more shape to how society behaves”.
To observe this close relationship during this year's electoral period, USP's Center for Religion and Public Policy Studies (CERP), headed by professor Raphael, created the “Leadership Monitor”. The project collects and analyzes tweets from influential religious figures in Brazil, and the political movements of religion that are affecting society. Follow here weekly editions of the project newsletters.
This post was last modified on January 31, 2023 13:21 pm
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