The (IASD) released a document reinforcing guidance for its leaders not to get involved in “any political-partisan activity”.
“The principle of separation between Church and State”, according to this one of the largest religious organizations in the country, is “what leads each of these entities to fulfill their respective functions without interfering in the activities of the other”.
The need to reiterate this political neutrality reveals, by comparison, how the issue has been infiltrating Adventist temples. There would be no reason, after all, to repeat a guideline with such emphasis if it were not being put to the test.
The movement, according to Jorge Rampogna, communications director for the church in South America, is due to two reasons: the proximity of , “an important opportunity to reaffirm our non-partisan position”, and reminding believers and leaders that “it is necessary to separate party activity, which has its role in society, from the church’s religious activities, which have other purposes”.
Adventists even see politics as a legitimate means “to defend Christian values”, but anyone who wants to do so will not have institutional support, says Rampogna. In practice, pastors, workers and employees who apply must resign from the role, which also applies to those who work in consultancy or political propaganda. Using resources such as tithes to finance the electoral adventure is another prohibition.
It is recommended that Adventists “be very cautious” when using social media to discuss politics. “There are other themes of spiritual and missionary relevance that deserve greater attention from those who understand their role as multipliers of the gospel.”
Unlike other churches, the IASD insists on “this discourse of distancing itself from politics”, somewhat suspicious in this regard, says anthropologist Raphael Khalil, who grew up in a home with practitioners of this faith. “Even more so because they believe that, at the end of time, governments will unite and persecute Adventists by prohibiting them from working on the Sabbath.”
The IASD emerged in the United States in the 19th century and is known for treating Saturday, the seventh day of the week, as sacred — a day that should be dedicated to religious activities and rest, avoiding work, shopping and other secular activities. Hence involving an adapted work schedule and the right to take the entrance exam and public examination on an alternative date.
The relationship with health is a fundamental pillar of the denomination, based on the belief that the body is the “sanctuary of the Holy Spirit”. The church values the vegetarian diet and calls for abstinence from alcohol and tobacco. It also discourages the consumption of coffee and other stimulants.
The Adventist Church maintains an extensive network of schools and hospitals. It estimates that there are around 20,000 congregations and 1.8 million members in Brazil — the largest concentration of Adventists in the world.
Although this church is normally classified by researchers as evangelical, and it sees itself as such, this identity is not always accepted in the segment, due to doctrinal disagreements involving the observance of the Sabbath and certain prophetic interpretations.
It generates less divergence to note that, mirroring the evangelical majority, many Adventists have embarked on Bolsonarism, even though officially the church advises against public displays of political affection.
Khalil, who co-authored “”, remembers the first time he heard about politics in the church. He was a teenager, in the early 2010s. “At my Bible school, a teacher said: ‘Look, there’s a guy who wants to preserve Christian customs, but he’s branded a fanatic. His name is .”
While in college, he heard an Adventist pastor make fun of him. Then, in 2019, , then Bolsonaro’s vice president, gave a master class at the Centro Universitário Adventista de São Paulo.
Church staff, some with space on Rede Novo Tempo, the church’s official channel, have already publicly expressed their appreciation for the conservative camp. Presenter Leandro Quadros is an example: years ago, a video went viral in which he described Bolsonaro as a “serious comrade” who “tells the truth”, although he noted that, in some aspects, the former president “doesn’t make the right decision”.
Editor of the Adventist Casa Publicadora Brasileira, Michelson Borges tends to oppose what he calls “cultural Marxism”. It became a reference for the Bolsonarist wing of the IASD. In 2021, he wrote the text “Bolsominion, me?” on his blog. In it he says: “Not agreeing with some leftist agendas does not immediately make me a defender of the right”, even “because I understand that left and right are puppets of the same diabolical power”.
In 2023, the church removed pastor Célio Longo, for saying “not even Hitler in all his glory” and giving a Nazi salute after another member asked for involvement in a Christmas effort. Longo was later reincorporated into leadership.
At the Adventist base, outside the summit, there is hairdresser Débora Rodrigues dos Santos, the “”, arrested after spraying “lost, idiot” with makeup on a statue of the Federal Supreme Court, during the . She attended a temple in the interior of São Paulo.
Rampogna emphasizes that “people linked to the institution in some way” are advised to adopt cautious digital behavior regarding politics, “especially during election periods.” It also says that the church has never carried out any research that measures internal preference for any politician or ideology, but “respects the decision of each individual in their choice to vote in elections and does not interfere in the free choice of members”.
While suggesting partisan restraint, the IASD removed, in the new document, prior instructions on the participation of its followers in public demonstrations, with the promise to address the issue in future texts. The lack of clarity regarding the limits of this activity generated confusion among the membership.
The church highlighted a Pew Research Center survey of 6,200 Latin American adults, which revealed how in countries in the region, Brazil included, the majority consider it important to have a president who defends people with their religious beliefs. The feeling is particularly strong among evangelicals.
