As comunidades de vida e aliança no contexto do catolicismo: uma análise do caso da Remidos no Senhor.

Abstract

In this dissertation we analyze the positional meaning of Life and Alliance Communities in reference to the reconfiguration of the national catholic space that is in course, taking as empirical object the Community Saved in Jesus-CSJ (Comunidade Remidos no Senhor - CRS), whose office is located at the city o f Campina Grande, state of Paraiba, Northeast Brazil. We based our analysis upon the theory of the religious field, by Max Weber and its reinterpretation elaborated by Pierre Bourdieu. Our methodology consisted by participant observation and half-structured interviews with leaders and common members of the CSJ. Among the main conclusions of our work we point out the following: the CSJ occupies a hybrid position, mixing elements from the classical positions of Prophet, Priest and Wizard. We observed that the CSJ contest the traditional catholic order, occupying the prophetic position and simultaneously giving support to the hierarchy, occupying then the Priest position (according to the ideal typical taxonomy by Weber). We also investigated affinities and differences between the Traditional Catholicism and the new Life and Alliances Communities, identifying continuities and discontinuities.