Religion in Brazil

Brazil possesses a richly spiritual society formed from the meeting of the Catholic Church with the religious traditions of enslaved Africans and indigenous people. This confluence of faiths during the Portuguese colonization of Brazil led to the development of a diverse array of syncretistic practices within the overarching umbrella of Brazilian Catholicism, characterized by traditional Portuguese festivities.{{cite web |url= http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/brazil |title=Brazil |publisher=Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs |access-date=2011-12-12}} Until recently, Catholicism was overwhelmingly dominant. Changes in the 21st century have led to a growth in secularism (no religious affiliation) and to Evangelical Protestantism. A 2020 poll indicates that around 50% of Brazilians consider themselves Catholic, down from 90% in 1970."50% dos brasileiros sao catholicos, 31%, evangelicos e 10% nao tem religiao" says Datafolha, Politca, globo.com, 2020 Despite falling in most of the country, Catholicism remains strong in most of the Northeast.{{cite web|url=https://g1.globo.com/brasil/noticia/2012/06/nordeste-e-sul-sao-ultimos-bastioes-catolicos-do-brasil.html|publisher=G1|title=Nordeste e Sul são últimos 'bastiões' católicos do Brasil|date=June 29, 2013|access-date=June 3, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/noticias/2012/06/120629_mapa_religioes_jc#:~:text=Direito%20de%20imagem%20Getty%20Mais,professam%20o%20catolicismo%2C%20diz%20IBGE.&text=J%C3%A1%20no%20Nordeste%20e%20no,ocorria%20no%20censo%20de%202000.|publisher=BBC Brazil|title=Nordeste e Sul são últimos 'bastiões' católicos do Brasil|date=June 29, 2012|access-date=June 3, 2020|first=Júlia Dias|last=Carneiro}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.concordatwatch.eu/Users/X15311/X15311_727_Religious_transition_in_Brasil2.jpg|title=Transição religiosa no Brasil: 1940-2032}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/parish/evangelicals-gain-catholics-verge-losing-majority-brazil|title=As evangelicals gain, Catholics on verge of losing majority in Brazil|publisher=National Catholic Reporter|date=February 5, 2020}} Some analysts have projected Protestants to possibly outnumber Catholics around 2030, with the Catholic Church membership dropping to 38.6%, the Protestant membership in hundreds of independent denominations rising to 39.8%, and the non-Christian population (including the non-affiliated) rising to over 20%. However, in another 2020 study by the Association of Religion Data Archives, 70.57% of the population were Catholic, 15.12% Protestant, 12.23% Independent, 0.12% Orthodox (Eastern or Oriental), and 0.09% unaffiliated Christian.{{Cite web |title=Brazil {{!}} World Religion |url=https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?u=31c |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=www.thearda.com}} In Rome's Annuario Pontificio of 2025, it was 182 million out of an estimated 212 million Brazilians were Catholic, or more than 86% of the population.{{Cite web |title=Worldwide Catholic population hits 1.4 billion |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262883/worldwide-catholic-population-hits-14-billion |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}

In the 2010 census, 64.63% of the population declared themselves as Catholic, 22.2% as Protestant, 8% as non-religious, and 5.2% as followers of other religions (mostly Spiritists or Kardecists who follow the doctrines of Allan Kardec, Umbandists, Candomblers, Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and minorities of Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, and other groups). In ARDA's 2020 study, Spiritists were the second-largest religion practiced among the Brazilian population at 4.83%. Other religions including the Baha'i Faith, Buddhism, Chinese folk religions, Afro-Brazilian religions, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, and new religious movements made up 1.37% of the population in the same study.

Brazilian religions are very diversified and inclined to syncretism, with exception to most Protestants. In recent decades, there has been a great increase of Neo-Pentecostal churches and in Afro-Brazilian religions,{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Astor|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40058-2004Dec31.html|title=Once-Barred Practice Flourishes in Brazil. African-Influenced Candomble Challenged by Pentecostals, Modern Interpretations|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=January 1, 2005|access-date=February 5, 2022}} which had decreased the number of members of the Roman Catholic Church as of 2000.{{Cite web|url=http://www.jornaldaciencia.org.br/Detalhe.jsp?id=3378|title=Decreased the number of Catholic and African religions. Increased the number of Protestants (Census 2000)|access-date=23 January 2010|archive-date=3 August 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120803084402/http://www.jornaldaciencia.org.br/Detalhe.jsp?id=3378|url-status=dead}} The number of Umbandists and Candomblers could be significantly higher than the official census figure since many of them continue to this day to disguise their religion under "Catholic" syncretism.Somer Wiggins. [http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/07/02/154710/followers-of-brazils-umbanda-religion.html Followers of Brazil’s Umbanda religion worship despite discrimination]. July 2, 2012. McClatchy. Accessed August 8, 2012. About 90% of Brazilians declared some sort of religious affiliation as of 2004.[http://www2.ibope.com.br/calandrakbx/filesmng.nsf/Opiniao%20Publica/Downloads/Opp992-criacionismo.pdf/$File/Opp992-criacionismo.pdf IBOPE - Instituto Brasileiro de Opinião e Estatística. Pesquisa de Opinião Pública sobre Criacionismo. Dec. 2004] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070628065059/http://www2.ibope.com.br/calandrakbx/filesmng.nsf/Opiniao%20Publica/Downloads/Opp992-criacionismo.pdf/$File/Opp992-criacionismo.pdf |date=28 June 2007 }}. Accessed 2008-11-03

Religious intolerance is a crime in Brazil, and several laws ensure freedom of worship and protection for those who profess their faith. The Federal Constitution of 1988 (Arti.5, Clause IV) guarantees that "freedom of conscience and belief is inviolable, ensuring the free exercise of religious cults and guaranteeing, in accordance with the law, the protection of places of worship and their liturgies."{{Cite web |url-status=live |archive-date=Aug 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230820143705/https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/constituicao/constituicao.htm |title=Constituição |date=1988 |website=www.planalto.gov.br |language=pt-br |access-date=22 August 2023 |url=https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/constituicao/constituicao.htm}} As of 2024, however, Evangelical Protestant and Charismatic religious intolerance against non-Evangelicals has grown.{{Cite web |last=Rodrigues |first=Diarlei |title=Hundreds march in Brazil to support religious freedom as cases of intolerance rise |url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/hundreds-march-brazil-support-religious-freedom-cases-intolerance-rise |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=National Catholic Reporter |language=en}} Evangelical Protestants, specifically, have also been reported as most intolerant in Brazil.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-02 |title=Evangélicos são os que mais cometem intolerância religiosa, diz relatório |url=https://www.uol.com.br/ecoa/ultimas-noticias/2024/03/02/evangelicos-sao-maioria-que-cometem-intolerancia-religiosa-diz-relatorio.htm |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=UOL |language=pt-br}}

The Brazilian Penal Code (Decree-Law 2,848/1940), establishes as a crime the act of "publicly mock someone based on their beliefs or religious function, stop or disturb a religious ceremony or practice, or publicly disrespect acts or objects of religious worship."{{Cite web |title=DEL2848compilado |url=https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/decreto-lei/del2848compilado.htm |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=www.planalto.gov.br}} The penalty for these acts is imprisonment for one month to one year or a fine. Law n. 14.532/2023 added paragraph three to Article 140 of the Penal Code, which determines that, in the case of the crime of insult, if it consists of elements related to religion or the condition of an elderly or disabled person, the penalty for the crime will be imprisonment for one to three years and a fine.{{Cite web |title=L14532 |url=https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2023-2026/2023/lei/l14532.htm |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=www.planalto.gov.br}}

File:Popemobil Mai 2007.jpg and Popemobile during the official visit in São Paulo]]

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{{Main|Catholic Church in Brazil}}

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Brazil has the largest number of Catholics in the world.[http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/censo2000/populacao/religiao_Censo2000.pdf IBGE - Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics). 2000 Census]. Accessed 2007-04-24 Catholicism has been Brazil's main religion since the beginning of the 16th century. It was introduced among the Native Brazilians by Jesuit missionaries during colonial times, there was no freedom of religion. All Portuguese settlers and Brazilians were compulsorily bound to the Catholic faith and were bound to pay tithes to the church. After Brazilian independence, the first constitution introduced freedom of religion in 1824, but Catholicism was kept as the official religion. The Imperial Brazilian government paid a salary to Catholic priests and influenced the appointment of bishops. The political-administrative division of the municipalities accompanied the hierarchical division of the bishoprics in "freguesias" (parishes). There was also some hindrances to the construction of temples and cemeteries that belonged to the Catholic Church. The first Republican Constitution in 1891 separated religion from state and made all religions equal in the Codes of Law, but the Catholic Church remained very influential until the 1970s. For example, due to the strong opposition of the Catholic Church, divorce was not allowed in Brazil until 1977 even if a separated couple observed a different religion.

The Catholic faith practiced in Brazil is full of popular festivities rooted in centuries-old Portuguese traditions, but also heavily influenced by African and Native Brazilian usage. Popular traditions include pilgrimages to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida (Nossa Senhora Aparecida), the patron saint of Brazil, and religious festivals like the "Círio de Nazaré" in Belém and the "Festa do Divino" in many cities of Central Brazil. Areas that received many European immigrants in the last century, especially Italian and German, have Catholic traditions closer to that practiced in Europe.

As of 2008, the largest proportion of Catholics is concentrated in the Northeast (59%) and South (53%) regions. The smallest proportion of Catholics is found in the Center-West region (49%). The State of Piauí has the largest proportion of Catholics (85%) and the State of Rio de Janeiro has the smallest one (45.19%). Among the state capitals, Teresina has the largest proportion of Catholics in the country (86.010%), followed by Aracaju, Fortaleza, Florianópolis and João Pessoa.{{Cite web|url=https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/mundo/ult94u83030.shtml|title=Folha Online - Mundo - Estagnação econômica explica recuo do catolicismo no Brasil, diz FGV - 20/04/2005|website=www1.folha.uol.com.br}}[http://www.ibge.com.br/home/presidencia/noticias/noticia_visualiza.php?id_noticia=892&id_pagina=1 IBGE - Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics). Notícias - Estudo revela 60 anos de transformações sociais no país]. Accessed 2008-11-03.

Alternatively, in the 20th century, former Catholic bishop Carlos Duarte Costa founded the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church after disagreements with clerical celibacy and other doctrines.{{Cite web |last=Esteves |first=Junno Arocho |title=Pope, Bolivian bishops discuss rise of 'parallel' churches |url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/pope-bolivian-bishops-discuss-rise-parallel-churches |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=www.ncronline.org |language=en}}

{{Main|Protestantism in Brazil|Evangelicalism#Brazil}}

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Protestantism in Brazil largely originated with American missionaries in the second half of the 19th century, following up on efforts that began in the 1830s. Evangelical Protestantism and Pentecostalism has grown very rapidly in Brazil since the 20th century,Patrícia Birman, and Márcia Pereira Leite. "Whatever Happened to What Used to Be the Largest Catholic Country in the World?" Daedalus (2000) 129#2 pp. 271-290 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/20027637 in JSTOR] with American religio-political missionary influence, funded by American businesspeople, religious leaders, denominations, politicians, and the CIA.{{Cite web |last=Tautz |first=Carlos |date=2025-04-07 |title=Como os EUA usaram a religião para combater o comunismo no Brasil |url=https://www.intercept.com.br/2025/04/07/como-os-eua-usaram-a-religiao-para-combater-o-comunismo-no-brasil/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Intercept Brasil |language=pt-BR}}{{Cite web |last=Morrison |first=Stephen D. |date=2022-01-15 |title=When the CIA Conspired to Crush Liberation Theology |url=https://www.sdmorrison.org/when-the-cia-conspired-to-crush-liberation-theology/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Stephen D. Morrison |language=en-US}} The 2010 census reported that 22.2% of the Brazilian population was Protestant, or about 44 million people. Brazil has many versions of Protestantism. These include neo-Pentecostals, old Pentecostals, and Traditional Protestants (most of them Baptists, Presbyterians and Methodists) predominantly from Minas Gerais to the South. The Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil, part of the Anglican Communion, has some 120,000 members. Centers of neo-Pentecostalism are Londrina in Paraná state, as well the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte (capital of Minas Gerais), especially the suburban and nearby areas of these cities. Lutherans are concentrated mostly in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and in countryside regions of the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo.

As of the year 2000, the largest proportion of Protestants was found in North (19.8%), Central-West (18.9%) and Southeast (17.5%) regions. Among the state capitals, Rio de Janeiro has the largest proportion of non-Pentecostal Protestants in the country (10.07%), followed by Vitória, Porto Velho, Cuiabá and Manaus. But Goiânia is the state capital with the largest proportion of Pentecostal Protestants in the country (20.41%), followed by Boa Vista, Porto Velho, Belém and Belo Horizonte.{{Cite web|url=http://datafolha.folha.uol.com.br/po/ver_po.php?session=447|title=Folha de S.Paulo. 64% dos brasileiros se declaram católicos|access-date=2 July 2008|archive-date=6 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101106233302/http://datafolha.folha.uol.com.br/po/ver_po.php?session=447|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Brasil/0,,MUL41764-5598,00.html|title=G1 > Brasil - NOTÍCIAS - Em 60 anos, Brasil ficou mais mestiço, evangélico e 'casado'|website=g1.globo.com}} A 2023 IPSOS survey found that 38% of Brazilians identified as Catholic and 29% as Protestant,{{cite web | title= | url=https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2023-05/Ipsos%20Global%20Advisor%20-%20Religion%202023%20Report%20-%2026%20countries.pdf | access-date=2024-10-06}} and a 2020 ARDA survey estimated that 70.57% of its population was Catholic and 15.12% Protestant.

While Catholicism was politically dominant before the secularization of Brazil, Protestants have been involved in influencing Brazilian and international politics;{{Cite web |date=2024-07-08 |title=Conservative evangelicals use social media to sway Brazil election |url=https://restofworld.org/2024/brazil-election-evangelical-youtubers/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Rest of World |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Iacomini |first=Franco |date=2024-03-05 |title=Brazilian Evangelicals Bring Their Political Playbook to Portugal |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/2024/03/brazilian-evangelicals-politics-po/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Christianity Today |language=en-US}} Evangelical Protestant influence has also been implicated in the attempted 2022 Bolsonarist coup.{{Cite news |date=January 18, 2023 |title=The shared religious roots of twin insurrections in the US and Brazil |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/made-by-history/2023/01/18/brazil-insurrection-evangelical-christianity/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} Following Bolsonaro's 2024 indictment, the country's Evangelical Caucus threatened a reactionary response.{{Cite web |last=Lima |first=Eduardo Campos |date=2024-12-03 |title=Bolsonaro's indictment in Brazil stirs conservative Christian supporters' outrage |url=https://religionnews.com/2024/12/03/bolsonaros-indictment-in-brazil-stirs-right-wing-christian-supporters-to-outrage/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=RNS |language=en-US}} Overall, Evangelicals, like their Catholic counterparts, began reconsidering religion as a political factor in elections as of 2025.{{Cite web |title="Religião como fator político está diminuindo", diz especialista à CNN |url=https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/politica/religiao-como-fator-politico-esta-diminuindo-diz-especialista-a-cnn/ |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=CNN Brasil |language=pt-BR}}

File:Catedral Metropolitana Ortodoxa de São Paulo (cropped).jpg, Vila Mariana, São Paulo]]

The Eastern Orthodox Church is also present in Brazil. The Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral, located in São Paulo, is the See of the Archdiocese of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch in São Paulo. It is an example of Byzantine architecture that can be appreciated in South America. Its construction, which began in the 1940s, was inspired by the Basilica of Hagia Sophia of Istanbul and was inaugurated in January 1954. According to IBGE, there were 131,571 Orthodox Christians in Brazil. There are also Oriental Orthodox communities in Brazil.{{Cite web |title=Diocese of Brazil - Coptic Orthodox Church |url=https://copticorthodox.church/en/dioceses/brazil/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |language=en-US}}

In 2022, according to the denomination, Brazil had 909,879 Jehovah's Witnesses with 12,439 congregations and a ratio of 1 Witness to 238 residents.2022 Service Year Report of Jehovah’s Witnesses Worldwide However, the 2010 census reported nearly 1.4 million people listed themselves as members.

{{main|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil}}The Latter-day Saints arrived in Brazil in 1913 through German immigrants,{{cite web |access-date=2024-06-26 |language=pt |title=Brasil: Cronologia da Igreja |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/por/history/global-histories/brazil/br-chronology |website=www.churchofjesuschrist.org}} but proselytizing efforts only began in 1929. It is the fastest-growing church in Brazil in terms of membership.{{cite web |access-date=2024-06-06 |first=Leandro |last=Magalhães |title=Comunidade mórmon cresce no Brasil e ganha novo templo em Brasília |url=https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/nacional/comunidade-mormon-cresce-no-brasil-e-ganha-novo-templo-em-brasilia/ |website=CNN Brasil}} According to the religious institution's records, it has about 1.5 million members,{{cite web |title=Fatos e Estatísticas |url=https://noticias-br.aigrejadejesuscristo.org/fatos-e-estatisticas}} making Brazil the third country in the world with the most members, behind only the United States and Mexico. The Church has 36 missions, 2,172 congregations, 21 temples, and 524 Family History Centers.{{cite web |access-date=2024-06-26 |title=Lista de templos {{!}} A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/list?lang=por |website=www.churchofjesuschrist.org}}{{cite web |access-date=2024-06-26 |language=pt |title=Fatos e Estatísticas — Sala de Imprensa |url=https://noticias-br.aigrejadejesuscristo.org/fatos-e-estatisticas |website=noticias-br.aigrejadejesuscristo.org}}

According to the Church's doctrine, these temples perform sacred ordinances such as vicarious baptism, celestial marriage, and family sealing, in addition to being places of learning and spirituality.{{cite web |access-date=11 August 2013 |author=A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias |title=O que Acontece nos Templos |url=http://www.lds.org/church/temples/why-we-build-temples/what-happens-in-temples?lang=por&country=br}} Only baptized and worthy members are allowed to enter the temples.{{cite web |access-date=11 August 2013 |author=Thomas S. Monson |date=June 1992 |title=As Bênçãos do Templo |url=http://www.lds.org/church/temples/why-we-build-temples/blessings-of-the-temple?lang=por&country=br}} The Church also holds worship meetings on Sundays in its chapels throughout Brazil, which are open to the public.{{cite web |access-date=11 August 2013 |author=A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias |title=Qual é a diferença entre frequentar a capela e o templo? |url=https://mormon.org/por/perguntas-frequentes/igreja-e-templo}}{{cite web |access-date=2024-06-26 |title=Mapas |url=https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/ |website=maps.churchofjesuschrist.org}}

The Church is active in community assistance in Brazil, notably through the "Helping Hands" program. This initiative mobilizes members and volunteers in activities such as blood donation, food drives, support for natural disasters, health and education campaigns, and revitalization of public spaces. The church undertakes these actions to contribute to the well-being of its members and local communities.{{cite web |access-date=2024-06-26 |date=2012-07-26 |language=pt |title=Propósito de Mãos Que Ajudam |url=https://noticias-br.aigrejadejesuscristo.org/artigo/prop%C3%B3sito-de-m%C3%A3os-que-ajudam |website=noticias-br.aigrejadejesuscristo.org}}{{cite web |access-date=2024-06-26 |date=2023-09-09 |language=pt-br |title='Mãos que Ajudam' promove ação para a inclusão das pessoas com deficiência no mercado de trabalho |url=https://g1.globo.com/ms/mato-grosso-do-sul/noticia/2023/09/09/maos-que-ajudam-promove-acao-para-a-inclusao-das-pessoas-com-deficiencia-no-mercado-de-trabalho.ghtml |website=G1}}

Despite being Christians, they believe themselves to be the restored Church of Christ on Earth.{{cite web |access-date=2024-06-26 |language=pt |title=A Igreja de Jesus Cristo foi restaurada |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/por/liahona/2020/04/children/jesus-christs-church-is-restored |website=www.churchofjesuschrist.org}} Therefore, they are part of the Restorationist branch{{cite web |access-date=2024-06-26 |title=Restauracionismo – Igreja de Jesus Cristo e Testemunhas de Jeová |url=https://www.searaagape.com.br/rp_restauracionismo-mormons-tj.html |website=www.searaagape.com.br}}{{cite journal |access-date=2024-06-26 |date=2024-04-05 |language=pt |periodical=Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre |title=Restauracionismo |url=https://pt.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Restauracionismo&oldid=67735183}} and not affiliated with any other traditional religious movements such as Catholicism, Protestantism, Spiritism, or other Christian denominations, although they respect all denominations.{{cite web |access-date=2024-06-26 |date=2012-03-22 |language=pt |title=Relacionamento entre as Religiões |url=https://noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org/artigo/relacionamento-entre-as-religi%C3%B5es |website=noticias-pt.aigrejadejesuscristo.org}}{{cite web |access-date=2024-06-26 |date=2013-02-10 |language=en-US |title=Regras Sobre Tolerância |url=https://pt.thomasmonson.com/439/regras-mormons-sobre-tolerancia |website=Thomas S. Monson}}

There are small populations of people professing Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Shinto, Rastafari and many other religions. They comprise 21st century immigrants from East Asia, the Middle East, or of recent immigrant descent.

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Afro-Brazilian religions are syncretic religions, such as Candomblé, that have many followers, mainly Afro-Brazilians. They are concentrated mainly in large urban centers in the Northeast, such as Salvador, Recife, or Rio de Janeiro in the Southeast. The cities of São Paulo, Porto Alegre and Florianópolis have a great number of followers, but in the South of Brazil the most common African influenced Ritual is Almas e Angola, which is an Umbanda like a ritual. Nowadays, there are over 70 "terreiros" (temples) in Florianópolis, which are the places where the rituals run. In addition to Candomblé which arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West Africa, especially that of the Yoruba, and the Roman Catholic form of Christianity, there is also Umbanda, a syncretic Brazilian religion that blends African traditions with Roman Catholicism, Spiritism, and Indigenous American beliefs. There are also Catholics, Protestants, and other kinds of Christians who hold a dual belief system and go to both churches and terreiros.

Candomblé, Umbanda, Batuque, Xango, and Tambor de Mina are Afro-Brazilian religions influenced by the native cults brought by black slaves shipped from Africa to Brazil. These black slaves would summon their gods, called Orixas, Voduns, or Inkices with chants and dances they had brought from Africa. These cults were persecuted throughout most of Brazilian history,{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} largely because they were believed to be pagan or even satanic. However, the Brazilian republic government legalized all of them on the grounds of the necessary separation between the State and the Church in 1889.

In current practice, Umbanda followers leave offerings of food, candles, and flowers in public places for the spirits. Candomblé terreiros have similar practices, and there are a number of festivals that occur yearly especially in the Northeast, with celebrations such as the famous Iyemanja Festival and the Waters of Oxala.

From Bahia northwards there are different practices such as Catimbo, and Jurema with heavy indigenous elements. All over the country, but mainly in the Amazon rainforest, there are many Indians still practicing their original traditions. Many of their beliefs and use of naturally occurring plant derivatives are incorporated into African, Spiritualists, and folk religions.

These religions have suffered increasing hostility from Protestant churches, with attacks on temples and the defacement of statues of the gods.[http://socialsciences.scielo.org/scielo.php?pid=S0104-93132007000100003&script=sci_arttext Neo-Pentecostalism and Afro-Brazilian religions: explaining the attacks on symbols of the African religious heritage in contemporary Brazil]. Translation from: Mana, Rio de Janeiro, v.13 n.1, p. 207-236, Apr. 2007.{{cite news|first=Dom|last=Phillips|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/afro-brazilian-religions-struggle-against-evangelical-hostility/2015/02/05/b6a30c6e-aaf9-11e4-8876-460b1144cbc1_story.html|title=Afro-Brazilian religions struggle against Evangelical hostility|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=February 6, 2015|access-date=February 5, 2022}}{{Cite web |last=Rodrigues |first=Diarlei |title=Hundreds march in Brazil to support religious freedom as cases of intolerance rise |url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/hundreds-march-brazil-support-religious-freedom-cases-intolerance-rise |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=National Catholic Reporter |language=en}} There has also been a documented murder of a priestess in 2023.{{Cite web |last=Gual |first=Joan Royo |date=2023-09-02 |title=The murder of priestess Mãe Bernadete and the rise of the 'holy war' against African religions in Brazil |url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-09-02/the-murder-of-priestess-mae-bernadete-and-the-rise-of-the-holy-war-against-african-religions-in-brazil.html |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=EL PAÍS English |language=en-us}} In recent years measures have been taken to counter religious conflict.

File:Federacao_espirita.jpg

Spiritism is a religion, founded in the 19th century by the French educator Allan Kardec, which proposes the study of "the nature, origin, and destiny of spirits, and their relation with the corporeal world".Moreira-Almeida, Alexander (2008). [https://www.academia.edu/1619158/Allan_Kardec_and_the_Development_of_a_Research_Program_in_Psychic_Experiences Allan Kardec and the development of a research program in psychic experiences] Spiritism follows Jesus's moral teachings, and therefore its status as a non-Christian religion is an object of debate between its followers and mainstream Christians. It is the largest non-Christian religion in Brazil as of 2020. It studies topics such as life after death, reincarnation, spirits, moral teachings and much more.

File:Tibetan Buddhist Temple RS.jpg temple in Três Coroas, Rio Grande do Sul]]

{{Main|Buddhism in Brazil}}

Buddhism is probably the largest of all minority religions, with about 215,000 followers, and, as of 2020, forming 0.25% of the religious population. Brazil is home to the third-largest Buddhist population in the Americas, after the United States and Canada. This is mostly because of the large Japanese Brazilian community. About a fifth of the Japanese Brazilian community are followers of Buddhism. Japanese Buddhist sects like Jodo Shinshu, Nichiren Buddhism (most notably the Soka Gakkai), and Zen are the most popular. Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana) is also present, since Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche founded the Khadro Ling center in Três Coroas, Rio Grande do Sul (where he lived until his death in 2002), and many other institutions across the country. However, in recent years both Chinese Mahayana and South East Asian Theravāda sects are gaining popularity. Buddhism was introduced to Brazil in the early twentieth century, by Japanese immigrants, although now, 60% of Japanese Brazilians are now Christian due to missionary activities and intermarriage. Nevertheless, Japanese Brazilian culture has a substantial Buddhist influence. A number of Buddhist organizations and groups are also active in Brazil, with nearly 150 temples spread across the states.

File: Sinagoga-kahal-zur-israel-recife.jpg, (founded 1636) in Recife, was the first Jewish congregation in the Americas.]]

File:Sinagoga Beth El, São Paulo 2.JPG]]

{{Main|History of the Jews in Brazil}}

The first Jews arrived in Brazil as cristãos-novos (New Christians) or conversos, names applied to Jews or Muslims who converted to Catholicism, most of them forcibly. According to the Inquisition reports, many New Christians living in Brazil during colonial times were condemned for secretly observing Jewish customs.[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Brazil.html Oreck, Alden. The Virtual Jewish History Tour: Brazil]. Jewish Virtual Library. Accessed 2008-06-09

In 1630, the Dutch conquered portions of northeast Brazil and permitted the open practice of any religion. Many Jews came from the Netherlands to live in Brazil in an area dominated by the Dutch. Most of them were descendants of the Portuguese Jews who had been expelled from Portugal in 1497. In 1636, the Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue, the first synagogue in the Americas was built in Recife, the capital of Dutch Brazil. The original building remains to this day,[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/922773.html Synagogue in Brazilian town Recife considered oldest in the Americas]. Haaretz 2007-11-12. Accessed 2008-06-09 but the Jews were forced to leave Brazil when the Portuguese-Brazilians retook the land in 1654.Friedman, Saul. Jews and the American Slave Trade, p. 60. Transaction Publishers, 1997. {{ISBN|0-7658-0660-6}}

The first Jews that stayed in Brazil and openly practiced their religion came when the first Brazilian constitution granted freedom of religion in 1824, just after the independence. They were mainly Moroccan Jews.

The first wave of Sephardic Jews was exceeded by the larger wave of immigration by Ashkenazi Jews that came at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, mainly from Russia, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine. A final significant group came, fleeing Nazism or the destruction that followed World War II.

Brazil has the second-largest Jewish population in Latin America of 120,000 people, making up a total of 0.06% of Brazil's population in 2010.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bh.org.il/jewish-community-brazil/|title=The Jewish Community in Brazil|website=Beit Hatfutsot|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-12}} As of 2017, Rio de Janeiro's Jewish population was 22,000, with 24 active synagogues and São Paulo has a Jewish population of 44,000.{{r|Beit Hatfutsot}}

File:Mesquita do Brás 1.JPG]]

{{Main|Islam in Brazil}}

{{Further|Malê Revolt}}

By Pew in 2010, there were 204,000 Muslims in Brazil, representing 0.1% of the total population.{{Cite web|date=2011-01-27|title=Table: Muslim Population by Country|url=https://www.pewforum.org/2011/01/27/table-muslim-population-by-country/|access-date=2021-07-10|website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project|language=en-US}} The Federation of Muslim Associations of Brazil estimates there are about 1.5 million Muslims and others say about 400,000 to 500,000. There are over 150 mosques where Muslims perform their daily prayers.

Islam in Brazil may be presumed to have first been practiced by African slaves brought from West Africa. Scholars note that Brazil received more enslaved Muslims than anywhere else in the Americas.Lovejoy, Paul E., Muslim Encounters With Slavery in Brazil, Markus Wiener Pub., 2007. {{ISBN|1-55876-378-3}}. During Ramadan, in January 1835, a small group of black slaves and freedmen from Salvador da Bahia, inspired by Muslim teachers, rose up against the government in the Malê Revolt, the largest slave rebellion in Brazil. (Muslims were called malê in Bahia at this time, from Yoruba image that designated a Yoruba Muslim.) Fearing the example might be followed, the Brazilian authorities began to watch the malês very carefully and in subsequent years intensive efforts were made towards conversions to Catholic Christianity and erase the popular memory of and affection towards Islam.Joao Jose Reis, Slave Rebellion in Brazil: The Muslim Uprising of 1835 in Bahia, Johns Hopkins University Press, London 1993 However, the African Muslim community was not erased overnight, and as late as 1910 it is estimated there were still some 100,000 African Muslims living in Brazil.Steven Barboza, American Jihad, 1993

A recent trend has been the increase in conversions to Islam among non-Arab citizens.[https://web.archive.org/web/20091130031802/http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2009/127381.htm "Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor International Religious Freedom Report 2009"] October 26, 2009, US Department of State report on Brazil

{{Main|Hinduism in Brazil}}

Most of the Brazilian Hindus are ethnic East Indians. However, there are new converts due to the missionary effects of Hare Krishnas.

There are as many as 1500 PIOs in the Indian community in Brazil, and only 400 NRIs since foreign nationals can acquire local citizenship without any discrimination after 15 years of domicile in this country. Brazil has also no bar against dual citizenship. But in recent years, it has been granting immigration visas only in high technology fields. The only exceptions are the Sindhis in Manaus (who have formed an Indian Association with about a hundred members) and the Goans in São Paulo.

Besides the PIOs, there are Hindu organizations such as ISKCON as well as Brahma Kumaris which are very active in Brazil. The number of adherents of these organizations is not officially recorded but is estimated to be a few thousand. The Vedic Astrology, vedanga of Hinduism, is increasingly popular in Brazil, especially by the efforts of the Academia Brasileira de Astrologia Védica (ABAV) which promotes this branch of the Vedic culture in the country.

Demographics

According to the 2000 census, there were about 2,905 Hindus in Brazil.{{Cite web|url=https://sidra.ibge.gov.br/Tabela/2102|title=Tabela 2102: População residente por situação do domicílio, religião e sexo|website=sidra.ibge.gov.br}} According to the 2011 census, there were about 9,500 Hindus in Brazil constituting 0.005% of the population of Brazil.

{{Historical populations

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|width =

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|2000 | 2,905

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File:Pretos-velhos.JPG

Many confuse Spiritism with Afro-Brazilian Religions like Umbanda, Candomblé, and others that have a following of almost 600,000 adherents. One of the most unusual features of the rich Brazilian spiritual landscape are the sects that use ayahuasca (an Amazonian entheogenic tea), including Santo Daime, União do Vegetal, and Centro de Cultura Cósmica. This syncretism, coupled with ideas prevalent during the military dictatorship, has resulted in a church for the secular, based on philosopher Auguste Comte's principles of positivism, based at the Positivist Church of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

{{main|Baháʼí Faith in Brazil}}

The Baháʼí Faith in Brazil started in 1919 with Baháʼís first visiting the country that year,{{cite book | last = Lamb | first = Artemus | title = The Beginnings of the Baháʼí Faith in Latin America: Some Remembrances, English Revised and Amplified Edition | publisher = M L VanOrman Enterprises |date=November 1995 | location = West Linn, OR | url = https://bahai-library.com/lamb_bahai_latin_america}} and the first Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assembly in Brazil was established in 1928. There followed a period of growth with the arrival of coordinated pioneers from the United States finding national Brazilian converts and in 1961 an independent national Baháʼí community was formed. During the 1992 Earth Summit, which was held in Brazil, the international and local Baháʼí community were given the responsibility for organizing a series of different programs, and since then the involvement of the Baháʼí community in the country have continued to multiply. The Association of Religion Data Archives (relying on World Christian Encyclopedia) estimated some 42,100 Baháʼís in Brazil in 2010.{{cite web |title=QuickLists: Most Baha'i Nations (2010) |work=Association of Religion Data Archives |year=2010 |url=https://www.thearda.com/QL2010/QuickList_40.asp |access-date=2020-10-15 |archive-date=2 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302132059/https://www.thearda.com/QL2010/QuickList_40.asp |url-status=dead }}

There are, in Brazil, many followers of Japanese new religions like Oomoto, PL Kyodan, Seicho-no-Ie and the Church of World Messianity. The total number of adherents, if merged, maybe in the hundreds of thousands.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

A 2009 poll, made by Datafolha and published in newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, asked diverse questions about the beliefs of the Brazilian people. In this poll, 64% reported to be Catholics, 17% Pentecostal Protestants, 5% non-Pentecostal Protestants, 3% Kardecists or Spiritists, 3% followers of other religions, 7% non-religious or atheists. Less than 1% reported to follow Afro-Brazilian religions.[http://datafolha.folha.uol.com.br/po/ver_po.php?session=447 Data Folha - Opinião Pública. 64% dos brasileiros se declaram católicos] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101106233302/http://datafolha.folha.uol.com.br/po/ver_po.php?session=447 |date=6 November 2010 }} 2007-05-05. Accessed 200-11-03{{Cite web|url=https://rr.sapo.pt/home|title=Renascença - A par com o mundo.|website=Rádio Renascença}}{{Cite web|url=https://noticias.gospelmais.com.br/|title=Notícias Gospel - Home|website=Notícias Gospel}}

; Belief in God and the Devil

• 97% of Brazilians reported believing in God; 2% have doubts and 1% do not believe in God.
• 75% reported believing in the Devil, 9% have doubts and 15% do not believe in the Devil.
• 81% of those non-religious reported believing in God.

; About Jesus Christ

• 93% Reported they believe Jesus Christ rose after death; 92% that the Holy Spirit exists; 87% in the occurrence of miracles; 86% that Mary gave birth to Jesus as a virgin; 77% that Jesus will return to Earth at the end of time; 65% that the sacramental bread is the body of Jesus; 64% that after death some people go to Heaven; 58% that after death some people go to Hell and 60% that there is life after death.

; Belief in saints

• 57% Believe there are saints.
• 49% Pray for the intercession of a saint (68% among self-declared Catholics).
• 18% Pray for the intercession of Our Lady of Aparecida (26% among Catholics); Saint Anthony, Saint Expeditus (5% each), Saint George (3%), Saint Jude, Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Joseph (2% each).

; About the Catholic priests

• 51% Believe some priests respect chastity, 31% most, 8% none, and 4% they all do.
• 66% That priests should be allowed to marry (59% among Catholics and 94% among followers of Candomblé).
• About the sexual abuse scandals involving priests, 38% believe some of the complaints are true, 30% most are, 21% all are and 4% none of them.

; About different religions

• About the sentence "Catholics do not practice their religion", 19% reported agreeing completely and 41% agreed, but not completely.
• About the sentence "the Protestants are misled by their priests", 61% agreed (77% among the Kardecists, 67% among Catholics and 45% among Protestants).
• About the sentence "Umbanda is a Devil thing", 57% agreed (83% among Evangelical Protestants, 53% among Catholics and 12% among Umbandists).
• About the sentence "Jews only think about money", 49% agreed. 51% disagreed.
• About the sentence "Muslims advocate terrorism", 49% agreed. 51% disagreed.

In 2023, the country was scored 4 out of 4 for religious freedom;[https://freedomhouse.org/country/Brazil/freedom-world/2022 Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-08] it was noted Afro-Brazilian religious groups face considerable discrimination and violence.

{{Portal|Religion|Brazil}}

• Demographics of Brazil
• Roman Catholicism in Brazil
• Protestantism in Brazil
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil
• Islam in Brazil
• Judaism in Brazil
• Baháʼí Faith in Brazil
• Hinduism in Brazil
• Buddhism in Brazil
• Religion in Latin America

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{{Brazil topics}}

{{South America topic|Religion in}}