Nathalie Kelley Instagram – Now that Brazil’s elections are over I can breathe in relief that the new president has pledged to defend the Amazon rainforest and life on earth now stands a chance. But that relief is at times overshadowed by terror and sadness at the amount of people who supported Bolsonaro. By supporting a man who has said that he wished the Portuguese colonizers had completely “decimated” Brazil’s Indigenous people like their counterparts in the US (slide2) it means that almost half the country essentially wishes death on the very people who CREATED the abundance they enjoy today. Brazil would not exist without the richness and abundance of its rainforest, yet I imagine that at least half of Brazilians must not know the true history of the lands they live on and profit from. That the biodiversity and abundance they enjoyed and squandered this last 500 years is due to the stewardship of the people they wish to actively erase from history. (Slide 3 and 5) That most of Bolsonaro’s supporters are “Christian” is also troubling. My grandmother is a devout Evangelical and my uncle is a pastor – I am more than familiar with the Gospel. How could they use the words of “The Prince of Peace” to incite genocide, to push for more guns, to blatantly disrespect the gifts of God’s creation? Christianity has done more harm than good for the people of the Amazon ever since the first missionaries brought diseases that would wipe out 90% of the population. There is an opportunity now to mend course, to truly embody Christ consciousness and defend the most marginalized and oppressed; indigenous peoples and the MST, or landless peasant movement who too deserve access to the land they have worked on for generations. Jesus called on the rich and powerful to “sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me” Luke 18:22. He didn’t say “vote for the guy that is going to cut funding for the poor, lower your income taxes and be good for big business.” Now is the time for less hate, more love. Less hypocrisy and more action. In the words of Stephen Mattson: SOCIAL JUSTICE IS A CHRISTIAN TRADITION — NOT A LIBERAL AGENDA