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2.68a BRAZIL MATTERS ! Religion • • • Brazil has the largest Catholic population in the world. African slaves, and later immigrants, brought their traditions and beliefs. Evangelical religions have grown in importance since the early C20th. Brazil is mainly a Christian country where most people (about 65%) are Catholic. There is no official or national religion; religion plays no part in political life. There is freedom to worship any religion. There is no religious persecution. Many Brazilians, up to 20%, have changed to Evangelical religions and these have grown rapidly in recent years. Candomblé is an AfroBrazilian religion based on Spiritualism; it is practiced particularly in Bahia. Catholicism was introduced by the Portuguese colonisers in the C16th; they set about converting the native indigenous tribes to Christianity led by the Jesuits priests. The Jesuits were a zealous religious order; they believed strongly in converting everyone to the Catholic religion. The Amerindians were forbidden from worshipping their own gods. In the C17th, the priests began to settle the natives in missions across Brazil and in the neighbouring Spanish colonies. The Jesuits protected the them, especially from the bandeirantes, who captured them to sell as slaves. The missions promoted the ideal of equality and became centres of study, intellect and the arts. Later, they were destroyed on the orders of the Spanish and the Portuguese crowns. This was because they feared the spread of democratic ideas from the missions. The first mass in Brazil. Painting by the Brazilian artist Victor Meirelles (1860). The NE of Brazil is the region with the highest number of Catholics. Piauí state has one of the largest concentration of Catholics in Brazil (85% of the population). On the other hand, Rio de Janeiro has the lowest concentration (45%). In the SE, the Catholic Church has lost many followers to the Evangelical Churches, especially in the biggest cities. Everyday images and symbols of the Catholic religion include: magnificent baroque churches and cathedrals; small shrines marking the places where people have died in accidents; shrines to keep people safe in dangerous places such as at cross roads or on paths; cemeteries with tombs and statues; the names of saints that occur in the names of districts, towns and cities, such as São Paulo. Most Brazilians, of all ages, identify Catholicism as their religion. However, not all of them practice it. In the rural areas, more people worship and go to church regularly than in the towns and cities. Young people are involved in religion in Brazil more than in the UK and many other European countries. The World Class series of resources is produced by: Education Matters! 29 High Street, Halberton, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 7AF, UK Tel: +44 (0)1884 820081 Visit our website at www.education-matters-uk.com 2.68a 2.68b BRAZIL MATTERS ! Religion (continued) The national shrine is Our Lady of Aparecida, situated in São Paulo state. This is a huge basilica, which dates from 1955 when the former church was rebuilt. It attracts millions of pilgrims annually. The origin of the site stems from a vision of three fishermen in 1717, who hauled a statue of the Virgin Mary out of the water with their nets. The shrine has been visited by the last four popes in 1980, 2007, 2013 and 2015. Basilica of the national shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida. TP Other religions also came to Brazil from abroad when the Portuguese brought slaves from Africa to work the plantations. The Africans brought their traditions and beliefs - their religions. Immigrants from central Europe increased the number of Protestants in the C19th, especially in the South of Brazil, where many Germans settled. More recently Evangelical religions have grown rapidly. Over 15% of the population now follow more than of 20 types of Evangelical religions, including Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodists, Baptists and Congregationalists. There are many types of Pentecostal Churches, such as the House of God Church. Pentecostalists believe that faith should be experienced spiritually. It is based on the baptism of the 12 disciples after Christ’s death. It originated in the US in the early C20th and has grown rapidly in Brazil since 1970. It is followed mainly by the poor. Some sects have their own TV channels. Many footballers have been converted. Controversially, church members are expected to donate 10% of their wealth to the church; credit card machines are sometimes used during collections but the churches do not have to pay taxes or to declare their incomes. Some religions have blended elements from the Catholic faith with African traditions; these include Candomblé and Macumba. Candomblé has its roots in Africa; it is practised in Brazil but also in some other Latin American and European countries. The slaves were brought principally from different parts of West Africa. Because of this, they worshipped many different orixás (ancestral deities or gods). The slaves blended elements of Catholicism, such as images and symbols, with their own religions to disguise their banned religions. Features of the religion include: having no scriptures; using the houses of priests as temples; making extensive use of music and dance; group sessions where people are put into a trance; the wearing of white clothes on Fridays and special days. An element of Candomblé adopted by the population is celebrating New Year dressed in white, for example by millions of people on beaches, such as Copacabana. Candomblé is practised mainly in Bahia, but also in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Pernambuco, Alagoas and Maranhão. Umbanda mixes Catholicism, Spiritualism, Indigenous and African elements. Candomblé and Umbanda are practised by African Brazilians. Some Brazilians view these religions with suspicion, not approving of elements, such as witchcraft, black magic or animal sacrifice. On the route of the orixás celebrations, in Bahia, 2013. Facebook “na rota dos orixás”. The World Class series of resources is produced by: Education Matters! 29 High Street, Halberton, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 7AF, UK Tel: +44 (0)1884 820081 Visit our website at www.education-matters-uk.com 2.68b 2.68c BRAZIL MATTERS ! Religion (continued) In the C20th, a large number of Japanese and other Asian immigrants such as Koreans and Chinese introduced Buddhism and Shintoism into the country. Most follower have converted to Catholicism. There is a small Muslim community; immigrants came from the Lebanon and Syria to Brazil in the early C20th. Bairro da Liberdade, in São Paulo. Wikipedia The small Jewish community lives mainly in São Paulo, Brazil’s most important commercial city, and Rio de Janeiro. The Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue was built in Recife, in 1636. It was the first Jewish synagogue in the Americas. Dantadd ans were , 90% of Brazili • As late as 1940 ve people in w only about fi Catholic; no olic. m they are Cath every eight clai • Quinze e population of Over 80% of th Sul are Rio Grande do de Novembro in e religey maintained th Protestants. Th unders of an Lutheran fo ion of the Germ e begindates from th the city, whichth . ning of the C20 d is foun lim population • The largest Mus frontier with Evangelic service in Londrina PN, showing the active involvement and strong focus on sharing the spirituality of the event through the power of music. TP on the in Chuí, a town + resi3% of the 5000 Uruguay, where dents they are descen ; lim us M e ar s dent is 530km ants. The town of Arab immigr re. from Porto Aleg The World Class series of resources is produced by: Education Matters! 29 High Street, Halberton, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 7AF, UK Tel: +44 (0)1884 820081 Visit our website at www.education-matters-uk.com 2.68c