Religion and politics: an analysis regarding the state's laicity from the actions of evangelical state legislators in the legislative assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro – ALERJ

• Grant number: 13/08521-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2013
• End date: November 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Theology - Pastoral Theology
• Principal Investigator: Sandra Duarte de Souza
• Grantee: Hugo Gonçalves de Freitas
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Teologia (FATEO). Universidade Metodista de São Paulo (UMESP). Instituto Metodista de Ensino Superior (IMS). São Bernardo do Campo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

With the advent of modernity and the intensification of the process of secularization, the options for responding to social demands widened and found the path of secularism as a strong ally to maintain the freedom of the modern subject. Since then, the population lives under the rule that political institutions can not afford to be under the legitimacy of the sacred or religion. This research has as its main objective to study the relationship between Religion and Politics in current society in order to analyze the State's laicity from the actions of evangelical state legislators in the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro - ALERJ, noting areas of political action; investigating whether there is an intrusion of religion in politics and checking the prevalence of a particular theme in its speeches. Thus, we developed a survey and systematic data on the discourses of ALERJ's evangelical state legislators, through the means provided by the Legislature and official publications of evangelical deputies. It is expected to contribute to studies in the field of theology and enrich research on laicity in Brazil from a perspective of the state of Rio de Janeiro, opening paths that enable better insights into this complex phenomenon. (AU)