Sao Paulo, Brazil: home to over 17 million
inhabitants is the third largest city
in the
world. Sao Paulo is in fact the largest
city in South America, and their culture is thriving.[1]
The people here, known as Paulistas, are hard workers with wages that are the
highest in the country. They account for one of the busiest cities in Brazil.
However, this is unlike the traditional Brazilian culture of leisure.[2]
Sao Paulo is a city proud of their work ethic and they have the income to prove
it.[3] When they are not working Paulistas seek to
have fun at the fancy resorts and restaurants throughout the city. They spend
time in large theaters and the nightlife never ceases. From salsa dancing to
shopping, the Brazilians know how to have fun. [4]
As a whole, Brazilians tend to eat the basic essentials of rice, beans and
manioc. They also have leisurely lunches normally two hours in length in most
of Brazil; however, in urban areas like Sao Paulo lunches are shorter meals
eaten at home or in a restaurant, are replacing this tradition. [5]
Throughout the Brazilian culture, it is obvious to see that a woman’s
youthfulness and beauty is equal to her worth. Brazilians also have a relaxed
outlook of nudity and often express themselves through physical touch.[6]
With this in mind, religious marriages are rapidly decreasing in urban areas,
while promiscuity is on the rise. The
Brazilian culture is one of leisure and fun, however it can also provide
structure and work. From here it is important to examine the cultures
worldviews.
Ellie
Grace, Ben, Jeremiah:::
Sao
Paulo, Brazil is home to a vast number of cultures. When Portuguese settlers founded Brazil it in
the 1500’s, their beliefs were brought over with them. At this time, Europe was under the heavy influence
of the Enlightenment movement. The
message of belief in things that were rational and logical seeped into the
European culture and eventually made its way to Brazil. As the Catholic based beliefs infiltrated
Brazil, the worldview of the natives became structured around their religion
and beliefs.
Slavery was a major player in Brazilian
economy until it, “was abolished in 1888.”[7] During the years that it was legal, “the
majority of slaves in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade were imported to Brazil.”[8] These slaves from Africa not only added to
the growing economy, but they also added diversity to the Catholic
worldview. African mysticism and
superstition fuzzed with the Catholic beliefs forming a “folk Catholicism.”
Their values and beliefs were now based on feelings and tradition. The traditional routines of mass, confession,
and prayer with rosary beads were still practiced in Sao Paulo, however they
did not hold steadfast to the all beliefs. They follow the traditions of their
family’s heritage, but their motives were based on feelings; their worldview
was transformed into one of self-reflection and personal desires.[9]
To the people of Sao Paulo, reality is
what they make it to be. The ideas,
moments, thoughts, and situations that feel right to any one individual are
considered real and true for them. This
Post-Modern Relativistic view on reality and what is real has infiltrated the
Brazilian Catholic beliefs. This
degradation of Catholic beliefs is not only shown through the way that
Brazilian’s live their lives, but also in the way that they view the
afterlife.
Brazilian’s view of the afterlife is
extremely diverse and changes throughout the entire country. In this inconsistency, there are several
views that stand out in Sao Paulo. Those
who consider themselves to be Catholic believe in an eternal afterlife in
heaven, hell, or purgatory. Inside of
this structured belief, views are held loosely and varyingly. Heaven is reserved for members of the
Catholic Church who have lived a life of devotion to the tradition of the
church. Hell is a place of peril for
those who chose not to follow God. It is a place of eternal punishment for all
the sins committed on Earth. The
in-between state of Purgatory is a brief stop before saints enter the pearly
gates of Heaven. Purgatory is a chance
for believers whose sins have not been completely forgiven to purify their
souls.
Contradictory to
Catholicism, Spiritualistic beliefs of Karma, reincarnation, or the lack of an
afterlife are shared by many Brazilians.
These views were brought to Brazil by African tribes during the slave
trade. When they where first introduced, the belief in reincarnation was very
strong. As time wore on this view was
replaced with that of the New Age and the absence of an afterlife. This belief
reasons that when you die your energy is dispatched into the earth, and all
live organisms compete to absorb the energy that is released.
Seeing as Brazilian Catholicism can share many beliefs as the tribal
spiritualism, Brazilians will be caught somewhere between the previously
mentioned views on the afterlife.
Alex,
Christy, Chantal:::
In Sao Paulo, two major worldviews are
prevalent: Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. A typical Brazilian who holds
either of these views would define human beings as made in the image of God but
because of the Fall have a nature transformed by sin. Protestants believe that
when humans fell they did not change but lost their connection with God.
Protestants believe in sin, but they strongly dwell on the grace offered by God
to restore human nature. In contrast, Catholics dwell on the gravity of sin and
what sin does to human life. They strive to attain oneness with God through
good works. The only way that human beings can be forgiven is through grace,
but the emphasis rests on sin instead of grace. However, both Brazilian
Catholics and Protestants believe that human beings reflect God’s image, but
the fall tainted that perfect image. Humans now can only reflect a tainted version
of God’s image and seek to set straight their sin.
Due to the fact that human beings are
made in the image of God, humans are moral beings. As moral beings, mankind
cannot reject the moral impositions of right and wrong upon life. “Ethics is
transcendent and is based on the character of God as good (holy and loving).”
However, one of the consequences of the Fall is that the human perception of
ethics is tainted by sin, yet mankind inherently has a natural sense of right
and wrong. In Sao Paulo, both Catholic
and Protestant beliefs would recognize that everyone lives in a moral universe.
Additionally, they would agree that “not only is there a moral universe but
there is an absolute standard by which all moral judgments are measured. God
Himself—his character and goodness (holiness and love)—is the standard.” God
expresses His standards through the Bible as a means of reflecting His
character. Therefore, the measure of right and wrong is the Bible, and
ultimately God. However, there are some differences in how this belief plays
out depending on whether the Brazilian is Catholic or Protestant. A Catholic
Brazilian would say that Catholics believe that humans ultimately have an
inborn sense of what is right and wrong, called Natural Law. They believe that
God may know what humans are going to choose to do, but that has no influence
on what humans will actually choose.
Natural Law is what promotes humans to choose good or evil. Catholics
also believe in grace but often refuse to accept it. A fixed relationship with
God will bring humans back to goodness, which is our natural purpose in caring
for others and God. Protestants, on the other hand, believe that the Bible is
the ultimate source of what is right and wrong.
Obviously, murder, idolatry, and lust are wrong. Good deeds, generosity, and kindness are
right. However, these good deeds cannot
save someone, nor do they have anything to do with salvation. Nevertheless, morality based on God’s
character through the Bible establishes what is right and wrong.
Both
quotations are taken from The Universe
Next Door by James W. Sire pg. 42
Cody and
Caleb:::
Brazilian culture is a unique blend of
many different people groups and can be explained in three parts. Specifically,
the three pillars which uphold the Sao Paulo culture: family, religion and
society.
The
first and most important pillar to the Brazilian culture is the family. In
their culture, family is something highly honored and respected. From cousins
to aunts, Brazilians cherish all members of their family; it is normal for
families, immediate and distant, to communicate and keep in constant contact
daily. Unlike in the United States, it is a foreign idea to move away from the
home until one becomes married. The family is such an important aspect of the
culture that homes for singles are rare to find. Even while attending a college, most young
adults will live at home. It is usually only when someone marries that they
move out of the home to start their own family. Although there are several
areas of Brazilian culture, the family is one of the major keystones of this
culture’s makeup.
Religion
is the second pillar to the Brazilian culture. Religion to Brazilians is very
emotional; there is little intellectual side to religion. They will take many
things a pastor says to heart without conferring with Scripture or dwelling on
a concept for long. The most prominent religion is Catholicism. However, as
previously mentioned, they just simply accept Catholicism. They accept is as
their “cultural religion” there is not much of a relational aspect to “religion”
in Sao Paulo. However Spiritualism and New Age is on the rise. There is a
diamond in the rough though; there is an increasingly large population of
Evangelicals in Brazil.
Courteney:::
Brazilian culture and society was once considered “backwards” because
of its integration of Africans in society after slavery was abolished. Many
thought the country should be “whitened,” but with the integration of European,
African, and Indian cultures completely changed this view. Today, Brazil is a
mix of all of these cultures, but the society also accentuates Brazilian
culture. An example of this would be the roles between men and women.
Men are the
dominate species making most of the decisions and owning most of the land.
Women we not liberated until the 1960’s, being equivalent to children when it
came to leaving the country and opening bank accounts. Today, men remain the
head of the household, although as Brazil becomes more and more westernized,
men have stopped being such an influential part of the family picture. Much
like America, there will be more single parent families or many children will
be raised by their grandparents. This change in role dynamics has also affected
the work place as now more women are getting jobs outside of the house.
“Today almost 40 percent of
Brazilian women have jobs outside the home, although they hold only 2 percent
of executive-level positions. And while the number of women in industry has
more than tripled since 1970, they are primarily employed in low-skill,
low-paying jobs in textiles and electronics. Poor women, especially those in
the 20 percent of households with no permanently resident male, take whatever
work they can get. Afro-Brazilian women are particularly disadvantaged in this
regard; about 70 percent are employed in low-level agricultural, factory, and
domestic service jobs” (citation). These women have been able to break the hold
most men have over them and have become more independent, but a woman’s worth
is still based on the opinion of the men around them.
The women in Brazil dress themselves
to impress those around them. The idea of modesty is not necessarily enforced
or looked upon as eye catching and those who do dress in this way are seen as
trying to avoid finding a man to marry or they are already married. The women
strive to show as much skin as they possibly can to catch the eye of their next
suitor and in doing so they accurately exemplify the idea of wanting to be
always young. Though these women may find a man, they may not continue on to
get married. Many, in today’s society, choose to live together, even going so
far as to have children out of wedlock with each other without committing to a
serious relationship. Both men and women strive to live the “young” life and
party as much as possible until you absolutely need to take responsibility.
This view on life has not always been always like this, but with the
westernization of the culture, Brazil’s society has become more and more like
the United States and Europe.
Citation:
"Countries
and Their Cultures." Culture of Brazil. Advameg, Inc, 1990. Web. 17
Nov. 2012. <http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Brazil.html>.
Ryan and
Taylor:::
Brazil has entered the political and economic
scene in these last few decades and is emerging as abundant world resource and
enterprise. Brazil’s constitution was written October 5th, 1988, but before then, Brazil had eight
constitutions since its independence in 1822, beginning with the constitution
of March 25, 1824. The republican constitution promulgated on February 24, 1891,
was very similar to the United States constitution, containing separation of
powers, checks and balances, a bicameral legislature, federalism, and direct
elections (2nd citation). They have had 36 presidents in all and
currently they are now under the administration of their first woman president,
Dilma Rousseff. Though Dilma Rousseff has her own agenda, she has tried to stay
true to the last president President Luiz Inácio da Silva who instituted,
Brazil’s interdependent integration into the international scene. President
Rousseff knows in order to continue achieving more world recognition, the
policies put into practice by former president Silva should be changed little,
just as the senate and chamber of deputies.
Brazil has an election every four years Senate
members serve eight-year terms; elections held on a staggered basis, and
elections for the Chamber of Deputies are held every four years. The main
government participation is in petroleum refining, utilities, transportation,
finance, mining, petrochemicals, and agriculture. These “money makers” can
account for Brazil’s amazing economy, which is booming because of a lot of its
internal production. Instead of going outside of the country for resources like
gasoline, Brazil has become its own source, though this is not the only reason
for their great economy.
Many factors affect Brazil’s economy, namely
Brazil’s ability to export more resources than they import. The Brazilian
economy has boomed and remains a strong entity in the service sector, dominating
the mining, agriculture and manufacturing sectors. On a smaller scale, Brazil
is the world’s leading supplier of coffee, oranges and cassava while also
maintaining major production of sugar, soy and beef. The hub of industrial and
commercialism for Brazil takes place in São Paulo.(Encyclopedia
Britannica) It is expected that Brazil will continue to expand its global
economy and remain a successful world giant.
However this
recent success has not always been the case for Brazil’s economy. Brazil has had
a cyclical economy, one of heavy reliance on a singular product followed by a
decrease, resulting in another singular dependency. This cycle began with
brazilwood in the colonial era, followed by sugar and mineral production in the
18th century. The cycle continued for years, resulting in high
inflation rates, due to out of control government spending until 2004. In 2004
Brazil decreased its inflation rate for the first time in years and finally
issued its own national currency, the real (Encyclopedia Britannica). This was
the beginning of the increase in success of Brazil’s economy
Citation:
BRAZILIAN ECONOMY RESOURCES
ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA
Campbell,
Jesse, Brandon:::
Brazil,
the world's fifth largest country in geographical expanse and the largest nation in Latin America, comprises slightly under half the land
mass of the South American continent and shares a border with every South
American country except Chile and Ecuador. It is the size of the continental
United States. Brazil is a land rich in
natural resources, principally iron ore, bauxite, manganese, nickel, uranium,
gold, gemstones, oil, and timber. According to Samovar, Porter and
Stefani, a worldview is a culture's orientation toward God, humanity, nature,
questions of existence, the universe and cosmos, death, sickness, and other
philosophical issues that influence how its members see the world. The two most
influential institutions in Brazil are the Catholic Church and the family.
Brazilians place high value on family and personal relationships. Historically, the family has played a central
role within the Brazilian society. This strong family network builds a strong
sense of community and affects the Brazilian perspective on the world.
When leading a group of
teenagers on a mission trip, it is essential to respond to their worldviews of
faith and family with understanding and grace. Instead of trying to change
their belief systems, students should seek to love and serve them,
demonstrating Christ-likeness to them. In order to prepare equip the students
to do this, it would be beneficial to implement the SERVE model.
We
look at the one step in this tool seeing and shaping the future by seeing an
opportunity and pursuing it aggressively. Before taking the students to Brazil
we would have them work on team building exercises. The first to put in place
would be to have a meeting with all the members of the team being present, and
discussing what our strengths and weaknesses are as a team as a whole and how
we can harness our strengths and be cautious of our weaknesses. Following this
discussion we would establish a mission statement that would help remind us
three core things: why we are there in Brazil, to love each member of the team,
and to love those whom we are there to serve.
Another
component to this tool is to engage and develop others by encouraging participation
and instilling confidence. To do this we would plan out delegations of
leadership in different areas of our trip to each member of the team. After
giving them their jobs in leadership we would set up a “mock mission trip
scenario” and let them work through it together to prepare them to do the same
in Brazil.
We
asked alumnus Colt Kelly to tell us how researching this subject of worldviews
and how to respond to them benefited him in his trip to Brazil. He responded, “You don’t expect it to
happen. You’re not sitting in a history class, but experiencing things that
really happen to us. This is where you actually have a real conversation and
stand up for your faith and stand up for the Lord. There are people around here
who were trying to actually convince us of Syncretism and who truly believed it
was right.”
[1] Frommer's Brazil. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley
Publishing Inc, 2004. Print.
[2] David Blanchard, Missionary Lifeshape Brazil
[3] Frommer's Brazil. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley
Publishing Inc, 2004. Print.
[4] Frommer's Brazil. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley
Publishing Inc, 2004. Print.
[5] "Culture of Brazil." Countries
and their Cultures. N.p.. Web. 8 Nov 2012.
<http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Brazil.html>.
[6] “Culture of Brazil." Countries and
their Cultures. N.p.. Web. 8 Nov 2012.
<http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Brazil.html>.
[7] Blore,
Shawn, and Alexandra De Vries. Brazil: with the best beaches and Amazon
lodges. 2nd ed. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2004. Print.
[8] Ausband,
Carol Anne. Internet Chat Interview. 12 2012.
[9] Ausband,
Carol Anne. Internet Chat Interview. 12 2012.
