Religiosity psychoanalysis: the intolerance marketing OR How the Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus bullies Umbanda

Abstract

Religion has always been a part of human history. From a historical point of view, the same is true for alliances between churches and the State. Under the more recent conditions of neoliberalism, these alliances have become increasingly problematic giving rise to an individualized religiosity that seeks to compensate the discomforting and frustrating threats of a neoliberal society through adhe­ring to spectacular cultic performances typical for a messianic type of religion. The latter is generally associated with a conservative ideology in terms of family, tradition, property and sexual morality. Fitting to this category, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, which emerged during the process of demo­cratization of the country and admit the crisis of traditional churches, is known for aggressive and intolerant marketing procedures. One of the main targets of its campaigns is Umbanda, which suffers h the Churches attempts to demonize Umbanda’s cosmology. Through these kind of discourses, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God presents itself as the main solution for the malaise of modernity.