The Pew Research Center has documented the growth of Protestantism in Brazil.
Brazil’s total population more than doubled over the last four decades, increasing from approximately 95 million to more than 190 million. Between 1970 and 2000, the number of Catholics in the country rose even though the share of the population that identifies as Catholic was falling. But from 2000 to 2010, both the absolute number and the percentage of Catholics declined; Brazil’s Catholic population fell slightly from 125 million in 2000 to 123 million a decade later, dropping from 74% to 65% of the country’s total population.
Women shifted to Protestantism, men to unaffiliated status.
Der Spiegel has an article about Silas Malafaia, a successful pastor, “Gottes Entertainer.”
Franciscan he isn’t. He wears expensive suits, a Rolex, and travels by private jet.
The Protestants tend to be very conservative on political issues:
The evangelical churches also involve themselves in politics. They brought up to two million people in past years in Sao Paolo alone in demonstrations against abortion – more than the mass protests that have made headlines in past weeks.
The evangelical churches also believe that homosexuality can be healed and want a government project to provide such healing.
Why are they successful and why are Catholics converting to them? This Der Spiegel’s take:
Brazil’s cities have grown enormously in the past decades. Many immigrants to the metropolis are uprooted, families torn apart, alcohol and drug addiction widespread. People seek help in the evangelical churches. “The Catholic church is content to wait for the afterlife, that is less attractive,” says the professor of sociology Christina Vital: “By contrast the evangelical churches offer practical help for this life.”
The pastors are above all active in prisons and poor neighborhoods, many former drug dealers let themselves be baptized. In Jardim Primavera, a poor suburb of Rio, Malafaia supports a project for alcoholics, the demented, and drug addicts; his organization offers courses in literacy and help in looking for work.
This is the situation that Pope Francis faces in Brazil and in many Latin American countries. Liberation theologians wanted to identify with and help the poor – but the evangelicals are doing it in person, on the ground.
I have no experience with Catholic theology types. I get the impression that they are similar to Protestant Mainline social gospel types that work through institutions. Maybe the Catholics are more political. A lot of the protestants who do this don’t believe that Jesus is Lord or that he rose from the dead or that the Bible is true. My fundy friends warned me about them, for that I am eternally grateful. The marginalized need the Gospel to be brought to them; the Missionaries of Charity have the right idea.
Learmong, I am a “Catholic theology type” and I totally agree with you. EVERYONE needs to have the Gospel brought.
I noticed a story about the Pope’s Brazil visit that the Pope blames the rich (to a large extent correctly) and tells the resident he is on their side, implying a conflict, while the Protestants help them improve their own lives. I think there needs to be both approaches…..the Gospel challenge to the rich, and the Gospel challenge to the poor also.
Liberation theologians wanted to identify with and help the poor – but the evangelicals are doing it in person, on the ground.
That’s because in Catholicism, support for the poor is nothing but a way to institute guilt in the middle and upper classes, thereby keeping the clerics in control. There’s a reason why Catholicism has historically viewed capitalism with contempt. It’s not because of concern for the poor but because of losing control to people who can determine the course of their own lives w/o clerics telling them what to think and how to think.
Support for the poor also a way for Catholics to feel smug about themselves. Frankly, I think that’s Francis’ problem.
When Francis has the Vatican Bank sell some of the billions it owns in stocks, bonds, certificates and shares in corporations and holding companies — and donates the proceeds to besieged charities helping persecuted Christians, or to dioceses and archdioceses to keep open schools and churches that serve the poor the Church claims to love — then I’ll take Francis’ schtick seriously. Until then, he can go to Hell. Literally.
Liberation theology is just an instrumentalization of Catholicism by communism. This happened when the Communists, realizing that Christianity in general was extremely resistant to their materilist philosophy and their proposal of atheistic society, changed their strategy and began to try to entice their former enemies, rather than confront them outspokenly.
They meddle concepts of socialism and communism with Christian charity and altruism and lead the unwary to believe that, after all, communism and Christianity have the same goal. That’s why all Liberation theologians, like Leonardo Boff and Friar Betto, supported communist atheist regimes, like Cuba, even though they persecuted religion.
This empties the Catholicism of all spiritual content, making the Church becomes a mere progressive NGO. And that makes the flock evade Catholicism to these new Evangelical churches.
Oops Mary Ann: I meant “liberation theology” types not “theology types”. Although the latter can be problematic too. For some reason often the learned can think of nothing better to do than smash the devotion of the simple faithful.
Judith,
Some good points well said. I find liberation theology sickening, a cheap substitute for the Gospel. Joseph, I think you’re way off. Pope Francis seems to steering the Church between Scylla and Charybdis–avoiding the rocks of both extremes.
Judith, Opus Dei played a big role in S America . The Heirarchy there along with CIA counterparts supported wealthy Dictators against the LT movements . OD makes it possible even for unGodly politicians to feel good about themselves. Knowledge of Scripture, which WAS and IS supposed to be the foundation of Catholicism along with Tradition , teaches something quite different about treatment of the poor.
The impovershed oppressed populations who have no hope of bettering themselves are always easily manipulated no matter what nation they are in.
To quote Celente,” When people have nothing left to lose ,they lose it.”
Politicians in and out of religion bank on this
to exploit the masses for money and power.
The youth of the ghettos in S America have found the same way to make real money as have the college grads in Boston . Drugs!
That is why Pope Francis was discussing jobs for the youth in transit to his destination.
Unfortunately, the wealthy elites do not seem to want to create employment that pays a real world living wage. Instead, opus Dei and their counterparts offer hospitality training for the youth to work as wage slaves in their Adminstrative Houses. This is happening in former soviet countries where the youth look for work and the seminars can be viewed on youtube.Also, of interest is the WikiLeak cable wherein the Vatican Embassy explains to the US that Hanssen is still a member of Opus Dei in good standing and ONLY contributed 4000 to the Movement despite his big profits from spying on the US which resulted in the deaths of three Americans .
Perhaps the people of S America have seen corruption and exploitation coming from every side and are still searching for Christ’s Truths?
Mary,
To me the Opus Dei/Catholic right vs. Liberation Theology fiasco is nothing but the gang-countergang strategy used to destroy the Church as a cohesive force in Latin America. A strong Church in Latin America would have posed an obstacle to economic looting by domestic and foreign oligarchs. After decades of encyclicles such as Rerum Novarum, Quadragesimo Anno, etc., the oligarchs had had enough and blew up the Church. Liberation theology is a sham. So are Opus Dei and the Legionaries. Look up Sergio Mendez Arceo, the “red” bishop of Cuernavaca. He was a right-wing reactionary in the 1950s but then did a 180 and became a leftist radical. These nutjobs tended to appear magically whenever a Latin American country pursued economic nationalism. The Cristeros popped up when Mexico was trying to nationalize its oil resources in the 1920s.
Joseph, I have no desire to tell people what to do. Nor do most priests I know. I can’t speak for the bishops. But to the extent that what you say is true, it applies also to the leadership of various other Christian traditions. The desire to control and hammer “goodness” into people, is not limited to members of the Catholic hierarchy.
While you seem to see only corruption and failure in the Catholic Church, I must tell you that here at ground level I see a lot of good. I see many people of deep prayer whose lives bear witness to a relationship with Christ. Yes, I see this among Catholics, and also among Orthodox, Mennonites, Evangelicals, etc. I don’t think the Holy Spirit has given up on anyone who calls upon Christ as savior.
Father Michael, you’re quite right in saying that my comments also apply to leaders of other Christian traditions. But the subject at hand is Liberation Theology — which, I believe, is an exclusively Catholic phenomenon.
You’re also right in saying that the Holy Spirit doesn’t give up on anyone (emphasis added) who calls upon Christ as Savior. I don’t doubt in the slightest your experiences on the ground. My own experience, however, tells me that Catholic priests have used guilt as a tool to manipulate independently-minded people and force them to conform ideologically. That, in my opinion, has nothing to do with Christ regardless of who does the manipulating.
Fr Michael I agree with what you say here about good people in general . There are also good Moslems who seek to do God’s Will too.
The problem starts when evil that seeks money power and control of others becomes the authority on Gods Will and individuals stop discerning and using their own God given common sense concerning morality decency and love for the basic unit of society ,the family .
This evil seems to pervade everywhere now. In governments ,schools, religion and even in the home. Rather than support morality and good family values most ‘authorities” seem to be upending it according to their own pet agendas.
One thing is clear to me . Political and business minded Christians en masse have forgotten the concept of sins that cry to heaven for vengeance as per Scripture. Especially in the current global economic climate.
Sodomy
Fair Wages
Care of widows and orphans
Murder, infanticide for example all are legitimized or flipped around to mena something else.
Even if one is an atheist they have to acknowledge that legitimizing these sins will auto destruct a decent society.
Frankly, I have a problem with a Pope who does not want to make a judgement on the effeminate priesthood. Even John the Twenty Third made a judgement and stated these men are incapable of the instinct for paternity which every priest must have and so they should be barred from the priesthood.