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For Latin America’s Evangelicals, Bolsonaro Is Just the Start

By Amy Erica Smith

Brazil shows the playbook for a long-term base for rightist politicians in Latin America.

Brazil’s right-wing President-elect Jair Bolsonaro thinks that scripture tells Brazilians to arm themselves. “Paul says, ‘sell your cloak and buy a sword.’ It's in the Bible,” Bolsonaro told reporters in August. “In those days there were no firearms. If there had been, it would have certainly been a 50 caliber machine gun.” (Incidentally, Bolsonaro got Paul and Jesus confused. This quote is from the...

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