Brazil is well known for its exceptional natural beauty. Mountains, tropical rain forests, and spectacular beaches invite us and captivate. The cuisine is extraordinary. It is also a racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural smorgasbord. European, African and indigenous peoples blend to make an amazing mosaic of the human family. Christianity is also well established there. Catholicism and Protestants have influences Brazil’s history. The syncretistic religion called Condomble is practiced throughout the country. The legacy of the Church is impressive, but not always happy. The Portuguese colonizers used the Bible, with the eager complicity of the Church, to validate the brutal colonial project. At the same, time, other Christians, who were horrified by the brutality of colonization, sided with the oppressed. Out of this matrix, liberation theology emerged.
Brazil is a great place to enjoy nature and vibrant culture. It is also a place to consider the role of the Church in colonization.