Abstract

In times of plurality of ideas and moral values, some religious leaders seek to reaffirm themselves as sources of true morality and to combat any kind of thinking that could destabilize their “modus operandi”. In view of that, pre-election periods often become a propitious moment for religious engagement in the political debate with the intention of influencing the vote decision of the faith. In this sense, the objective of this work is to analyze the forms of political engagement, by two media pastors – Silas Malafaia and Marco Feliciano – in traditional media and social networks. We will present their positions in the face of progressive lines traditionally linked to the Left and the Workers’ Party, and their political proposals based on Messianic and Salvationist principles. Our hypothesis is that the discourse of fear is employed by these Neo-Pentecostals pastors as a way of maintaining order, dictated by the religion they join.

Keywords
Mediatization of religion; Culture of fear; Neopentecostals; Elections 2014; Conservative thinking