The fifth article of the Brazilian Constitution of 88 guarantees the free exercise of all religions and that citizens who do not have a religion will not have their rights denied, in other words, we live in a State where the issue of faith remains in the private sphere. Here the State moves towards the republican and democratic issue. For the common good of all.
However, in this Brazil that people love to talk about as being “tolerant”, “exotic” and “diverse”, we have been living through a strange moment, something that ten years ago would have been unimaginable: the advancement of ideas for the creation of an Evangelical State, and this movement began at the end of the 90s and beginning of the XNUMXst century.
Evangelical groups understood that it was not enough to have radio, TV and printed media channels to spread their respective views on the world, so they began to become politicized and also found political parties, such as the PL (Liberal Party), now PR ( Republic Party). However, today religious parliamentarians are spread across all parties, from right to left.
From then on, these parliamentarians linked to churches also understand that it is necessary to form a bloc in the Municipal Chambers, Legislative Assemblies and of course, in the National Congress, in order to negotiate their Bills in this way... In reality, these benches present little, they work more to block everything that is outside their point of view: abortion, any project around LGBT, the debate on drugs and the removal of religious teaching from schools.
The first major battle of the evangelical bench in the National Congress will be against PLC 122/2006, which aims to criminalize homophobia throughout Brazil. From this struggle, the religious clique sees the fight against gay rights as its main reason for existence. He then began to wage a true “holy war” which he has so far won. Today, no progressive project passes through congress without the scrutiny of the fundamentalist bench.
Another detail that reveals the morbidity in which this group operates is the campaign they run against local candidates who publicly embrace the LGBT issue. Just search and see what they did to former congresswoman Iara Bernardi (PT-SP) and Fátima Cleide (PT-RO), a real graffiti with both names. The current mayor of Fortaleza, Luizianne Lins also faced a strong religious campaign in the elections, billboards said that Lins had transformed Fortaleza city hall into Sodom and Gomorrah. Fortunately, Luizianne was victorious, but in most cases it is the defeat that sets the tone.
And, just as some religious people came out of the closet and decided to embrace the anti-gay agenda, the hate speech of these groups also legitimized far-right groups and supporters of fascist ideas to come forward and even a march was held in São Paulo. The union of the worst: Theocratic State and Fascism.
In this week's edition, Época magazine features a revealing interview with pastor Silas Malafaia, leader of the Assembly of God. The religious leader makes it very clear what the tone of the next elections will be: Malafaia says that all the next candidates will have to say what they believe in and that they, the religious bench, are the biggest obstacle in the National Congress when it comes to the gay issue.
Put this way, it is very clear that we are living in a moment of strong attack on the secularism of the State. That these groups, which are now presenting projects around Brazil that propose the creation of a heterosexual pride day, want more than creating such a celebration to disseminate the culture of hatred and intolerance, all camouflaged behind the Lord God, or Jesus. Farce. If Christ existed, he would be the first to throw stones and tomatoes at the doors of such temples. Well, they did everything except preach the Christian idea, which was liberating and not castration.
When we come to the issue of religious programs on television, it becomes clear that regulation of the media is necessary. If the subletting of channels is prohibited, why does this happen and none of the law is applied? If the State is Secular, why are pastors and people who practice the faith allowed to run for positions that, in theory, have to represent everyone, regardless of religion?
These camouflaged religious gangs have a very clear project: it is power combined with religion. They have one objective: to occupy executive positions and impose an Evangelical State. Take women back to the kitchen, homosexuals to the ghetto and jail, impose single thinking and ban all other existing religions and ideas.
In addition to the gender issue, the fight for the application of the Secular State is also urgent. Last Sunday, protesters in favor of the Secular State occupied Avenida Paulista. Around 300 people, which is very little, because when Malafaia and company decide to carry out acts in public spaces they put millions on the street.
It will take a lot of politics and a March for the Secular State to avoid the implementation of an Evangelical State in Brazil.
