A vitória do “escolhido de Deus”

um encontro contraditório entre democracia e antigo regime nas Eleições de 2018

Abstract

Since the last redemocratization in the 1980s, the evangelical religious movement has grown significantly in Brazil. Their actions, in addition to traditional religious practices, expand to the political field, mainly on two fronts: the active presence of religious leaders in the National Congress and the opportunity to influence the votes of their followers. This essay aims to reflect on the relationship between democracy and the claim that Jair Bolsonaro would be the “God’s chosen” for the victory of the presidential election in 2018. We analyzed two videos in which Bolsonaro, newly elected, presents himself in evangelical services thanking the victory and reaffirming the divine influence in this result. We emphasize that the phrase "God’s chosen" refers to the belief in divine right of the kings of the Old Regime, a contrast to current concepts of democracy. The research indicates the occurrence of a syncretism between democracy and divine right, parallel to the religious syncretism that occurs in the neo-Pentecostal Christian current.