Christianity and its effects on the Brazilian culture

Christianity and its effects on the Brazilian culture.
 
1) How has Christianity affected the Brazilian culture?

Carnaval is still well and alive, sensuality thrives (even in the churches), beer is consumed like water, and lying is a part of everyday speech. I think I answered the question without answering it. Too be honest it doesn’t look like it has affected it or influenced all that much, although the number of Christians continues to grow every year (Brazil is now the second largest “Christian” nation, second only behind the USA, with over 28 million professing faith in Jesus). So, even though the number of “Christians” grows, it appears that the world has a significantly larger affect on the church than the church does on the world. Most Christians here are chasing after the same wind as the world, career, money, things, secure life, happy family, bigger things, retire early, and spend the rest of your life playing, in good health, until you die, sleeping.
 
2) Can you give some examples of how Christianity is equated with the local Brazilian culture?

It depends on who’s looking. But unfortunately there are too few good examples of Christians for Christianity to be anything but a black eye on the culture and I think that is how most Brazilians view it; people who say one thing and live another. To explain it better, suffice it to say that pastors can’t get loans from banks and that most people look more untrustingly at someone who declares to be a Christian than someone who is flat out running to hell. Of course there is the other side which is in the minority of those who truly walk the Christian walk and end up winning those around them. But again, Christianity is seen as nothing more than another faith here; Spiritism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Christianity; something that might help someone live a better life, but many times does not.
 
3) Is there negative or positive effects Christianity has on the Brazilian culture?

We have seen true Christianity really change some people, set them free from the power of sin. But most of the changes that I can see are on a more personal level. Of course I didn’t live here during the military regime, so I am sure that there are those who would argue that Christianity has influenced the culture. But in the 13 years we have been here, it’s been pretty frustrating. Maybe frustrating is the wrong word, because we have seen some real moves of God. But I personally live frustrated as the romantic side of me dreams of a revival rocking the church and then the nation. Anything short of that just seems well… frustrating. I know what God can do and I dream of seeing it.

There is one place though that you can see how Christianity has really changed a place: Santarém, Pará. In that city, where we used to live, the population is around 275,000 and about 35,000 now are Christians, mostly in the Igreja da PAZ church. That’s like 13% and they are seeing a change. They don’t celebrate Carnaval there or any of the major cultural festivities. There you can see a positive effect on the culture.

As for negative effects, I don’t really see that either, unless encouraging the world to continue in its current direction can be considered negative, then yes, I guess so. The church here preaches everything that the world preaches: materialism (God wants you to be rich), tolerance (Who am I to say that your lifestyle is wrong?), and rejection of the idea of absolute truth.

Hope that helps. Although it seems a bit depressing, I STILL BELIEVE!

Jeff