one of the most interesting things about brasilian society is its complex relationship with religion. officially brasil is a catholic country, andthe church is everywhere and relatively powerful as a social and cultural force. in recent decades protestant movements have made significant inroads into the population, particularly the poor and desperate sections where religious missionaries find easier prey. then there are a number of smaller religious communities, affiliated with pockets of immigrant populations, from jewish to shinto to islamic, to new ageism, to african animalist faiths. i find it fascinating to see how they blend into something brasilian, often adapting themselves to the popular culture and in that process reshaping what it is to be brasilian.

as you can see from these photos there are always lots of churches and crosses, and unlike in europe where many churches stand as empty vessels of architectural glory, in brasil they are very much still used for their original purpose. brasilians, it is my impression, are genuinely religious. but fascinatingly, and i think very healthily, brasilians dont come across as excessively pious, serious or judgemental. in fact, unless you are dealing with one of the modern american-style evangelists, brasilians as a rule are very flexible, very tolerant and charmingly good humoured about their faith, and not at all into forcefully imposing their beliefs on others. there is healthy debate about religion in the media, and religion is often made fun of and ridiculed just like all other main aspects of brasilian culture. in my experience brasil is in many ways very progressive, liberal, irreverant, sexually and gender-ly open, and that is one of its geratest attributes. i do hope we dont go the american or iranian way and lose our open and dynamic cultural identity in the altar of demagogery, absolutism and religious fanaticism.