Brazil's Chamber of Deputies approved, with 398 votes in favor and 30 against, the urgency for resolution project No. 71/2025, which creates the Christian Caucus. A Folha de S.Paulo columnist criticizes the initiative as a mix of religion and political opportunism, violating biblical principles. The proposal aims to represent Christians, who make up 80% of the population, but is seen as discriminatory.
Resolution project No. 71/2025 emerges from the intersection of religion and political opportunism, according to the columnist with a PhD in sociology from USP and founder of Mapa Centrante. He labels the initiative the 'Caucus of Sin', arguing it gravely sins against faith and democracy by allowing a political representation tied to Catholic and evangelical religions.
Motivations include electoral gains, particularly with Lula's improving poll numbers among evangelicals for 2026. From a biblical viewpoint, the columnist cites Psalm 51:5: 'Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me', as an ironic motto for the caucus.
He lists violations: first, it affronts the separation of church and state, as per Matthew 22:21: 'Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's'. Second, it violates Exodus 20:7 by taking God's name in vain for electoral purposes. Third, it falsely claims to represent 'millions of Brazilians' without evidence, contradicting Ephesians 4:25. Fourth, it is hypocritical and discriminatory, violating James 2:9.
Proponents claim Christians, 80% of the population, are underrepresented in Parliament. The columnist questions if this would lead to a confessional democracy like Lebanon's and sees the goal as linking Christianity to the conservative right-wing agenda, banalizing the sacred.
The urgency vote took place on October 31, 2025, with a score of 398 in favor and 30 against, which the columnist calls 'democratic lucidity' below the tithe.