Canções, viagens e reflexões

FOOTBALL / SOCCER Late playwright and journalist Nelson Rodrigues once wrote, “Seleção [the 23-player national squad] is our homeland in soccer boots.” That’s the mood in the eve of a new World Cup, this time in South Africa. In recent years Brazil has produced stars in Olympic sports as volleyball, swimming and tennis. But soccer remains unbeatable as no.1. Brazil sees himself as The Soccer Country. Each Brazilian is said to be a soccer coach, what totals 180 million in this country. Brazilians are not so optimistic this time as to winning a sixth World Cup this year. Coach Carlos Dunga chose 23 players not as ball artists, but as loyal workers. Beautiful game is not the main concern. So, big-name veterans as Ronaldo, Ronaldinho (left, on top) and Adriano were left behind when the final list was delivered. So were young stars as Neymar and Ganso, both aged under 20, seen as too young. Dunga (Portuguese for Snow White dwarf Dopey) is famous for his stubbornness and for ill ...

Presbyterian churches in Brazil are divided in two larger branches, and some minor ones. The first Presbyterian missionary to come to Brazil was Ashbell Green Simonton. A Princeton alumnus, he arrived in Rio de Janeiro in August 12, 1859. In a few years he founded churches in Rio, São Paulo and Campinas, organizing a presbytery. He and his wife died still young, of tropical diseases that plagued the country. Mainstream Igreja Presbiteriana do Brasil (founded 1859) has over 3,200 churches and an estimated membership around 600,000 all over the country. IPB owns Mackenzie Presbyterian Institute, a traditional and respected university in São Paulo. Mackenzie is also a network of schools in major Brazilian cities where students are taught Creationism and how to combat Darwinism and the theses of evolutionism. IPB leaders sustain an orthodox, conservative puritan theological position, rejecting ecumenism, feminism and other practices seen as contrary to orthodoxy. In 2006 IPB quit th...

Religion Brazil (pop. 180 million) is known as the largest Catholic nation in the world. However, fast growth of evangelical and neopentecostal churches led to a growing share of non-catholic Christians in the population. It’s also widely known that self-declaring Catholics attend African cults like Candomblé (of Yoruba and Bantu origin, similar to Cuban Santería and Haitian Voodoo cults) or Umbanda (a made-in-Brazil blend of Candomblé and indigenous religious practices). In 19th century Brazil was a monarchy – an empire – and Roman Catholicism was the official religion. In the second half of the century Protestant churches started sending missionaries. As a reward for British support of Independence from Portugal, Anglican ministers were allowed to join the English-speaking community. Soon came the Congregationalists, the first missionaries trying to reach native converts. The first Presbyterian to come to Brazil was Ashbell Green Simonton. A Princeton alumnus, he arrived in Ri...