The "spiritual war" in Brazil: appropriations of the religious imaginary in Brazilian Pentecostalism

Main Article Content

Matheus Souza Gomes

Abstract

The Brazilian imaginary, impregnated by an ambiguous relationship between the forces of "good" and "evil", caused some Pentecostal churches that spread here to seek this ambiguity in order to attract believers. Emphasizing the spiritual dispute in the form of a "war" in his speeches, Pentecostalism was able to organize the Brazilian religious imaginary, finding in some portions of society the resonance of its message. This systematization of the religious imaginary, which finds in the "Spiritual War" the way of manifesting itself in the Pentecostal milieu, also brings with it important elements of the cultural-religious milieu. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the repercussion of the adaptation of the Brazilian religious imaginary within what is called the "war against the demons" in the Universal Church Of the Kingdom of God. Pentecostal discourse has adapted to a reality where inequality and social ills are transformed by the "Spiritual Battle" into primary causes of the suffering that affects individuals and prevents them from prospering.

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Article Details

How to Cite
GOMES, Matheus Souza. The "spiritual war" in Brazil: appropriations of the religious imaginary in Brazilian Pentecostalism. HORIZONTE - Journal of Studies in Theology and Religious Sciences, Belo Horizonte, v. 15, n. 47, p. 1084–1085, 2017. Disponível em: https://periodicos.pucminas.br/horizonte/article/view/15908. Acesso em: 14 aug. 2025.
Section
Dissertações e Teses/Dissertations and Theses (Resumo/Abstract)
Author Biography

Matheus Souza Gomes, PPG em Ciências da Religião da PUC Minas

Mestre em Ciências da Religião pelo PPG em Ciências da Religião da PUC Minas