Our amazement has been battered a bit lately. It was the closest thing to Ozores’ political comedy, with Isabel la Católica hailed as the greatest feminist in history, just freed from the absurdity of a censorship bill starring Ramón Tames and Vox at the Congress of Deputies. Now comes the act of choice, played by PP, along with an Evangelical preacher, who dances epileptic to the shark’s merengue rhythm.
“God, our Heavenly Father, from dear number one Mr. Feijóo to our beloved mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, we want love in the heart of this party every day,” said Yadira, Pentecostal television vangelist. Maestre with some incomprehensible words and shouts in front of the top leaders of Madrid and the national PP. The same party, which stated that Vox abstained from seeing the no-confidence motion as a circus, was cast by a hand in the middle of trance Latino immigrants in one of the saddest pre-election demonstrations ever recorded. the distinctive “Apostle of God and minister of the Pentecostal Church, Cristo Viene”, who cured cancer and brain tumors, eradicated AIDS, ended alcoholism and wiped out homosexuality, as announced on his social networks.
It is rather cynical that the top staff of this right-wing party are being consecrated as the Madrid PP continues to engage in fierce conflict with strikes and significant citizen mobilizations demanding the improvement of a healthcare system that has been depleted by cuts, abandonments and privatisations. false healers and rogue preachers promise to cure the most serious and deadly diseases simply by putting them on their hands and shouting into the air in simulated religious fervor. The leaders of the Madrid PP will think, why do we want science and health expenditures if we have Yadira Maestre from the Pentecostal Evangelical Church doing our work for free? “Thank God! Let’s pray for the leaders of the community and also for our beloved mayor of Madrid, and this love is in the heart,” declared Pastor Maestre, a former redoubt addict and druggist, proud to bless the beloved PP leaders at the Parque del Paraíso in San Blas sellers.
But anyone who knows the evolution of the evangelical Pentecostal churches, particularly in Central America, the true focus of these communities, and their influence on the political leaders of the most radical far-right, such as Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro in the United States, in Brazil or, more recently, El Salvador. In , Nayib Bukele we’re talking about opening the door to some of the most harmful sects that will know we’re not dealing with an innocent game, fueling dangerous moves against democratic governments. To protect poverty and ignorance about the most vulnerable people in different countries.
We are talking about religious groups that, as they grow, develop and penetrate public powers, become a real danger to democracies and hinder political and social coexistence, push to the limit of legality, fuel false miraculous reactions and demand their destruction. all their enemies, which they represent as evil and demons. In fact, when they are given political recognition and space by public powers, as in the United States or Brazil, they act as a key support in their leaders’ ultra-conservative agendas, even encouraging actions that go against their democratic functioning. In the takeover of the United States Congress or the Brazilian Parliament, in which some of these churches and evangelical leaders actively participated.
This highly fragmented evangelical world is based largely on the charisma of the self-proclaimed priests who lack theological or even basic education, attract poor, vulnerable, neglected sectors, and often have high levels of illiteracy. For many of its believers, this neo-Pentecostal evangelism creates a space of personal reaffirmation in the face of so much abandonment and suffering, an element of belonging that provides easy solutions to the many problems that evangelical ministers suffer based on their power. physical or illness, alcoholism, personally, misery and lack of resources. To do this, they form such a strong emotional bond with Evangelical communities that Pentecostal faith is a testament to God’s grace and a means to solving their problems and needs.
From this network of preachers among their followers, they also promote an evangelical industry supported by social networks, radio and television stations for their plight and services. In turn, they ask their faithful for money with the promise that God will generously return their alms, which in some cases allows some churches and their preachers to gain real wealth.
These are the new friends the People’s Party trusts. collect votes and gain supportimporting some of the most harmful beliefs and preachers into Spain. It is clear what the CHP wants. But what does this evangelical preacher hope to achieve by collecting signatures against “procés” for the PP, which blesses a Latino act with the best popular leaders?