Práticas espaciais, religião e poder: uma análise geográfica da atuação política das denominações neopentecostais no Brasil (1988-2022)

Abstract

Neo-Pentecostal churches have become a significant religious phenomenon in Brazil since the 1970s. This research analyzes the spatial diffusion strategies of these religious institutions, focusing on their political actions. The study considers the power of these churches demonstrated by the election of religious leaders (bishops and pastors) to political office. The strategies employed by these churches include expansion, control, and territorial management. The research examines data that explains the growth of the churches through the electoral process, control of political parties, and the allocation of public resources for the creation and maintenance of religious enterprises. The data analysis was based on Raffestin's (1993) relational problematic theory and the concept of spatial practices by Corrêa (1995) and Souza (2022). The findings demonstrate that the three largest religious organizations studied (the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, the World Church of the Power of God, and the International Grace Church of God) employ a set of strategic spatial mechanisms in their practices that reinforce their political relevance within the Brazilian State. These religious organizations promote ideological positions on the political agenda that are not consistent with the system of relations in place since the 1988 Brazilian Constitution. However, it is evident that within the patrimonialist and pragmatic logic of the so-called coalition presidentialism, neo-Pentecostal churches have participated in all federal governments between 1988 and 2022. The research confirms the thesis that the spatial strategy of neo-Pentecostal churches is driven by the pursuit of greater social projection and power. Their institutional actions, characterized by discourses and practices that defy ideological definitions, adapt to governments of different ideological hues. These churches engage in political bargaining and fit into the political game characteristic of the Brazilian patrimonialist state.