Religious Pluralism and Its Impacts on the Configuration of Secularism in Brazil

In: Secular studies, Band 2, Heft 1, S. 14-29

Abstract

Abstract
Using Davis Buckley's (2013) notion of "Benevolent Secularism" this article examines how the evangelical movement in Brazil, in particular, the neopentecostal movement, challenges the historical stability of relations between state and religion. Until very recently this relationship was based on cooperation between the Catholic Church and the State in the one hand and an inter-religious coalition led by Catholicism in the other. In this text, I will first discuss the concept of "benevolent secularism" and its theoretical-methodological implications. Then, I will present empiric examples to describe how Christian religions relate to politics in Brazil. Those examples will test the applicability of Buckley's concept to represent Brazilian secularism. And, they will also demonstrate the heuristic virtues of this concept for the understanding of the impact of the evangelical modus operandi in the configuration of the secular in Brazilian society.