Religious reasons in the public sphere: a theoretical and empirical analysis of the Pentecostal politics in the Brazilian Congress

Abstract

In a plural modern world, many authors discuss how to legitimize coercive policies in a democracy, since the mere reference to one worldview might disrespect other social groups. Thus, authors such as John Rawls propose that only reasons that all citizens may reasonably accept shall be used in the public sphere, which excludes religious reasons. Other authors, however, criticize the assumptions of this exclusion, while pointing out the benefits that religious reasons can bring to the public sphere. The performance of the Pentecostal religious movement in Brazilian politics is a perfect example of this debate: Congress now has many Christian politicians making use of secular and religious arguments. This article, therefore, seeks to reproduce and criticize the debate of the religious reasons in the public sphere, from the theoretical and empirical points of view, divided into three parts: presentation of exclusivist theory of John Rawls; criticism of his theory; and analysis of Pentecostal political movement in Brazil.