Journal of Sociology and Social Work

Religious and Social Assistance in Brazil: An analysis of the Support Networks of Pentecostal Churches in a Brazilian Favela
Joao Boechat, Vanessa Palagar, Wania Mesquita

Abstract
Last decades in Brazil, an important change on the religious configuration has been made clear. The religious sphere has been characterized by the vertiginous growth of Protestants, influenced by the Pentecostal impact in Brazilian society. This growth affects the Brazilian religious scenery, but it is not limited by the religious sphere. Public sphere has also been influenced and changed by such religion in several ways. One of the ways this influence can be perceived is in the religious action in Brazilian Third-Sector, where Pentecostal Churches have stood out due to their incisive growth, especially among those who are a part of the lowest social strata. Here, the development of support networks carried out by Pentecostal churches in order to assist their members in both material and immaterial forms has shown how religion assists not only in “spiritual matters”, but also in social ones. To enrich the analysis, we develop a research in a favela in northern of Rio de Janeiro state so as to show how such assistance is developed by some Pentecostal churches in a underprivileged social context.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jssw.v7n2a9