Brazil has the world’s largest Catholic population, indicating Christianity’s importance in developing this country. The history of this religion’s emergence and development in Brazil is directly related to the European influence on this country. In this aspect, the characteristics of the spread of Christianity are similar to other countries of the Global South that Europeans substantially influenced. Nevertheless, Brazil has several distinctive features concerning the development of this religion at different historical stages and its current state. The various factors determining the impact and diffusion of faith within a country are important in this topic. In the case of Brazil, such factors play a crucial role since the historical development and the present state of this country are related to Christianity. Thus, this South American country is distinguished by the considerable influence of Christianity in its various stages of development.
The emergence of Christianity in Brazil is associated with the arrival of the first Europeans in the country. More precisely, the first half of the 16th century and the period immediately following the arrival of Pedro Cabral, the Portuguese discoverer, is considered the period of the appearance of Christianity in Brazil (Fernandes 2021). In addition to the active development of the territory by Europeans, the spread of Christianity began. In the 17th century, various missionary orders functioned in Brazil, such as the Franciscans and the Dominicans (Fernandes 2021).
The same period also saw the active establishment of schools and monasteries for the local population, contributing to the development of this religion and the replacement of local ones. Religious changes relate to the official declaration of Christianity as the state religion and the separation of church and official state in the 19th century. The Protestantism development in Brazil also took place in the 19th century, although the first representatives of this religion arrived in the 16th century (Fernandes 2021). Overall, the development of Christianity in Brazil is characterized by a rapid pace and the decisive influence of Europe.
Today, Brazil has a significant level of Christianity among its population. About 90% of people in this country associate themselves with Christianity, which indicates a considerable level of religiosity (Morgan and Pereira 2019). Moreover, many ethnic minorities living in Brazil practice this religion (Fernandes 2021). This country is also characterized by many religious denominations, mainly based on the Catholic and Protestant denominations. Nevertheless, various religious organizations in Brazil are associated with Eastern Christianity and non-confessional variations of this religion. Considering the influence of the different confessions, it is essential to the significantly lower spread of the Catholic population in contemporary Brazil than in previous decades and centuries (Fernandes 2021).
Therefore, the influence of various religious directions increases throughout time, and Protestantism is the most prominent of them. The impact of Christianity also affects education, as there are many Christian schools, colleges, and universities in Brazil. Thus, Brazil today is characterized by a significant level of religiosity among the population and by Christianity’s decisive role in religion.
The history of Christianity in Brazil is relatively short in comparison to Europe. However, it has had a considerable impact on the country’s development. From the 16th century onward, various organizations spread this religion, mainly by introducing the Catholic faith and converting the local population to Christianity. In its present state, Brazil has maintained a high level of religiosity, distinguishing this country from the countries of the Global North. Brazil has a considerable percentage of Christians, representing most of the population. Catholicism, in this aspect, is the predominant direction, although it is less widespread compared to past centuries. In addition, there are various religious institutions and many denominations. Overall, Brazil is a country that has been significantly influenced by Christianity since the 16th century and has maintained a high religiosity level throughout history.
References
Fernandes, Sílvia. 2021. Christianity in Brazil: An Introduction from a Global Perspective. Bloomsbury Academic.
Morgan, Ronald J., and Henrique Alonso Pereira. 2019. “Which Evangélicos? Probing the Diversities Within Brazilian Protestantism and the Case for a “Middle Way”.” In Brazilian Evangelicalism in the Twenty-First Century, edited by Eric Miller and Ronald J. Morgan, 65–83. Palgrave Macmillan.