Perder é ganhar: o jogo do dízimo na IURD

Abstract

A member of the Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus (IURD) who seeks to be seen as faithful to his faith, deprives himself of alcoholic beverages, drugs, music and dances that are not Christian. In contrast, luxury and comfort are not only allowed, but highly valued by the Prosperity Theology professed in this belief. Having a good financial condition with new cars, big houses in highly valued neighborhoods, building and undertaking are meant as blessings and presented in religious worship as something necessary for those who sigh for salvation. Since 2012 through fieldwork in temples of the Igreja Universal, I build and reformulate my questions about this faith based on wealth and money, professed in the peripheries of RJ. What does prosperity mean to these people? Is it possible to speak about poverty where the congregation do not consider themselves as poor? What are the situations that enable different measures of the "everything" in lives of these churchgoers? Through tithing, offers and donations, I note the observed facts as a game that grants risks and gains to players. Analyzing the permanence of Prosperity Theology among the poor sections of society, we can see several meanings in the dynamics about losing and winning when it is related to money.