InBrazil,themainReligionisRomanCatholic.

TheotherprominentReligionsare
ChristianityandProtestant.TheRomanCatholicreligionstatedinthe15thcenturyandwas
broughtintoBrazilfromtheNewWorld.Thepeoplewhobroughtoverthereligionwerethe
JesuitMissionaries,theybroughtthereligionfrommidEuropeanddecodedthatthiswasthe
Religionthattheywantedtopractice.Itwasntuntil1824whenthereligionwasntmadetobe
RomanCatholicandthepeopleofBrazilwereabletobepracticewhateverreligiontheywanted
andnotfollowtheChurchofCatholics.Duringthistimeiswhenotherreligionsbegantoemerge
likeprotestantandChristianity.ThisiswhentherateofCatholicismbegantofallbecausethe
peopleofbrazilwereabletoventureoffandpracticewhattheydesiredwithoutbeingrestricted
toRomanCatholics.
TherearemanywaysthatCatholicismhasinfluencedthecultureandsocialdevelopment
inBrazil.Beingacatholicisahugepartofthepeoplewhopractice,everycatholicistoget
marriedandbaptizedinthechurchtherereallyisntanyotherway.Religionhasalsohadsome
restrictions,until1977peoplewerenotallowedtogetadivorce.Intheeyesofthechurch,
gettingadivorcewashighlyfrowneduponandwasnotallowedbecauseoftheteachingsofthe
Church.Manypeoplestillleaveflowersorfoodofferingsinpublicplaces,showingtheir
connectiontoGodshowingtheirrespecttostatuesorcertainareasofworship.Therearealso
manyrestrictionsoncertainfoodandwhatCatholicscaneatanddrinkbasedonwhatthe
teachingsarefromthechurch.SomeoftheculturalnormsinthiscountryishowrelevantBrazil
triestoincorporatereligion,havingcertainfestivalsandcelebrationsforholyweekor
celebrationsthatthechurchcelebrates.Nowthattheamountofpeoplethatarepracticing
Catholicism,therearemorereligionsthatarecreatingtheirownwaysoflifetofollow.
OneofthefamoussacredplacesforRomanCatholicsistheChristtheRedeemerstatue
thatisactuallylocatedinRioDeJanerio,Brazil.Itis98feettall,itshorizontallyarmsspanning
92feet(Murray2014).ItislocatedonMountCorcovadoandlooksdownonthewholecityor
RioDeJanerio.ThesymbolofthisstatueidtoshowthatGodhasopenarmsandwillwelcome
anyonethatwanstofollowhim.AnothersacredplacesistheSaoPauloCathedral,whichisalso
locatedinBrazil.ThiscathedralisalsothelargestinSouthAmerica,itis111meterslongby46
meterswideandhastwotowerswithaheightof92metersandalsoadomethatreachesover30
meters.(BrazilMyCountry2015).ThiscathedralisusedforaplaceofworshipfortheRoman
Catholicstoattendworshipservicesandisalsoopentoanyonethatwantstoattend.Thesetwo
placesareverysacredtoRomanCatholicsinBrazilbecauseRomanCatholicsseetheseplacesas
representingtheirreligionanditissomewherethattheycanattendtopracticetheirreligion.

SincethemainreligioninBrazilisRomanCatholic,thegovernmentreallyfocuseson
makingsurethatreligiondoesnthaveanyinfluence.Thegovernmentreallyfocusesonmaking
surethateveryonehastherighttopracticeanyreligionthattheyprefer.TheBrazilian
governmentrecognizesaseparationofChurchandState,andeachcitizenhastherightto
freedomofreligion(Henterly2011).ThisstatementreallyshowsthatinBrazil,evenifthe
dominantreligionisRomanCatholicthegovernmentwantsthepeoplewholivetheretofeelsafe
andconfidentthattheycanpracticeanyreligion.Althoughthereisacloseconnectionbetween
thegovernmentandCatholicism,thegovernmentgivesfinancialsupportforreligiousseminaries
anddonatesmoneytoprivateschools.Sincethereisaconnectionbetweenreligionand
government,thegovernmentdoesliketohelpoutanythingthathastodowiththeRoman
Catholicreligion.

IthinkthatreligionhasamajorroleinBrazil.ThemajorityofthecountryisCatholicso
thereisgoingtobealotofthingsthatarebasedaroundthisreligion.IamCatholicsoreading
aboutthereligioninBrazil,ishowsomeAmericansfollowthisreligionalso.Iamalsogladthat
thegovernmentworkshardtomakesurethatbeingCatholicistheonlywaythatBrazilianscan
live,knowingthatthereareotherreligionstheycanfollow.Ialsothinkthatthisdiversityhelps
BrazilbecausehavingmorereligionsandpeopleexposedtothesereligionsmakesBrazilgrowas
acountry.

Murray,L.(n.d.).ChristtheRedeemer.RetrievedMarch16,2016,from
http://www.britannica.com/topic/ChristtheRedeemer
ChristtheRedeemerFacts.(n.d.).RetrievedMarch16,2016,from
http://www.softschools.com/facts/wonders_of_the_world/christ_the_redeemer_facts/76/
BrazilianReligionReligioninBrazil.(n.d).RetrievedMarch16,2016,from
http://www.celebratebrazil.com/brazilianreligion.html
JorgeVegaonBeingCatholicinBrazil.(n.d.).RetrievedMarch16,2016,from
http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/letters/jorgevegaonbeingcatholicinbrazil
Brazil.(n.d.).RetrievedMarch16,2016,fromhttp://www.everyculture.com/BoCo/Brazil.html
TheInfluenceoftheCatholicChurchandIndigenousReligionsinBrazil.(n.d.).Retrieved
March16,2016,fromhttp://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/letters/theinfluenceofthecatholic
churchandindigenousreligionsinbrazil