BETWEEN FAITH AND FEAR

THE FORMATION OF ANTI-COMMUNIST DISCOURSE IN THE PRESS OF THE FUNDAMENTALIST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BRAZIL (1957-1983)

Abstract

During the second half of the 20th century in Brazil, the use of the press by religious groups got intensified to spread conservative political discourse. From 1957 onwards, under the labels of “Red Creed”, “Enemies of the Regime” and “Tyrannical System”, readers of the newspaper A Defesa, a periodical of the Fundamentalist Presbyterian Church of Brazil and founded by Rev. Israel Furtado Gueiros, were urged to remain vigilant against the communist advance. In this context, the political proposals of the left were represented as a threat to religious freedom and Christian values in the country. To legitimize the discourse, the editors made comparisons with capitalism, seen as an advanced economic model, while socialism was portrayed as backward and underdeveloped. Based on the periodical A Defesa and contributions from Cultural History, we analyze how fundamentalist Presbyterians constructed their identities and perceptions of others, inserted in international debates to strengthen authoritarian policies.