Why Catholicism Is Losing Influence To Evangelicalism In Brazil

[Catholicbrazil]

The historical protestant churches are losing influence too.

Most of new protestants are became atheists or non-church. Im brazilian and I know.

 

[Nicea325]

Title change mine.
Despite the generalizing of Protestants, the author gives an interesting analysis of the growing influence of evangelicalism in Brazil.

More…
ibtimes.com/articles/363816/20120717/brazil-catholic-protestant-evangelical-christianity-sao-paulo.htm

Is evangelicalism/fundamentalism a rich man’s Christianity?

Okay,but what a lot of those statics do not display is how many of those people change from one church to another. I have met many ex-fundamentalist and many of them have told me they were changing churches every few years due to conflict with teachings,internal conflicts,etc,etc.

 

[Lucky7]

There are certain branches of what we consider evangelical or fundamentalist Christianity which have what is called “Prosperity Theology,” a sort of rabid Calvinism in which those who have material prosperity are thought to be in great favor with God, since He has “blessed” them with material goods. It kind of leads to an attitude that one is not really responsible for the poor, since they are obviously not favored by God, so it’s their own fault.

It is so sad that this is happening in so many parts of South America.

Prosperity Gospel literally makes me ill.

 

[KathleenGee]

The prosperity gospel can lead to atheism or no church as another member here said.

The Catholic missionaries, including myself, addressed the behavior of African men towards women. The priests made the married couples move out of gender sided pews…the men on one side of the church, the women on the other, to sent jointly with their wives. There was alot of visible discomfort.

But when it comes to emotions of faith in Catholicism, so much of that is experienced alone with God, and more often than not, shared through writing or some other expression in music or art…if there is any emotion…it is how our faith is lived out in our own lives with the most intimate of friends.

The Brazilians, especially in Rio and around, are mixed race people, drawing as well on the Africans who came over from the colonies there. They are lively, happy people. We at CENFI in the Santa Teresa district, across from the flavellas, had to go through the custom of attending a makumba, where the people practice Santaria.

We saw statues of saints, and other objects on this table. The ceiling had pieces of colored paper hanging down in decoration, just like the Africans do in Mozambique…in SE Africa!..we waited and waited…an American Franciscan sister, and this young priest from Indonesia, whose father is a Pentecost preacher and very unhappy with his son’s life…we went over to look at the statues, no one talking…then I looked up and could see they were praying about this, the priest being particularly vivid to see in his silent prayers.

Yes…the carnival…the many couples kissing in public in the parks…living for today…beautiful weather…a most beautiful city, by the way, Rio…I consider it the most beautiful in the world…to give up, to die to self, to die to all that…is very hard to take on the Cross and take on a more serious attitude about life.

 

[Jonatello]

Prosperity churches offer a theology of empowerment. You don’t have to live in the slum or the ghetto your entire life

except that many people WILL have to live in those places their entire life, unless those places are to be completely emptied, or other places are to become more affordable, or the whole nature of how the economy functions allows for more rich people than poor people.

the REALITY is there will ALWAYS be a bottom so long as there is a top, and all the prosperity preaching in the world won’t make the top bigger than the bottom.

rags to riches are, by the sheer mechanics of this economy, rare.

and preaching a direct link between faithfulness and fortune is a recipe for spiritual catastrophe.

 

[Hesychios]

…

and preaching a direct link between faithfulness and fortune is a recipe for spiritual catastrophe.

I think it may be the greatest heresy of our time.

 

[KathleenGee]

I just wonder if the Golden Calf is in this prosperity gospel.

The mainline Evangelicals condemn the prosperity gospel as heretical because the followers take Scripture quotes out to use them to get something.

They are anti-religion, with the Marxists, in promoting this idea that Religion Destroys Faith…

 

[Hello_All]

it is sad.i just came back from nicaragua two weeks ago and was in disbelief that is many parts of that country,there were no catholic churches present,just pentecostals.in managua,there are several streets that have 2 or 3 evangelical churches,none catholic.it seems that priests just wait for catholics to show at the church door step and never reach out to them.also ,tmany priests based their homily from 2000 yrs ago,whilst the evangelical pastors is contemporary,that when you walk out of the door,you can apply it to you daily life.also,many catholic priests sermons are concentrated on sufferings,whilst evengelicals are to uplift you spirit.i talked to many catholics and that is what they told me.it is rarely that you will fall asleep,during sermon w/ and evangelical pastors,but with catholic priests,if you have insomia,there is the cure.

 

[JustaServant]

it is sad.i just came back from nicaragua two weeks ago and was in disbelief that is many parts of that country,there were no catholic churches present,just pentecostals.in managua,there are several streets that have 2 or 3 evangelical churches,none catholic.it seems that priests just wait for catholics to show at the church door step and never reach out to them.also ,tmany priests based their homily from 2000 yrs ago,whilst the evangelical pastors is contemporary,that when you walk out of the door,you can apply it to you daily life.also,many catholic priests sermons are concentrated on sufferings,whilst evengelicals are to uplift you spirit.i talked to many catholics and that is what they told me.it is rarely that you will fall asleep,during sermon w/ and evangelical pastors,but with catholic priests,if you have insomia,there is the cure.

Oh yeah. Cause we all know God never speaks in a still, small voice.

 

[Hesychios]

Oh yeah. Cause we all know God never speaks in a still, small voice.

So then, I am curious.

What are you trying to say here?

If this was a news item, and someone laid this out as an article would you say ‘ho-hum’ ?

This looks to be the genuine testimony of a traveling Catholic who cares. Are you prepared to fiddle while the town burns down? What rises in it’s place may upset you.