Atheists make another attempt to block the Bible Museum in DF

2023-12-14 23:46:26

A project has been underway in Brasília for decades to build a Museum of the Bible, but over the same period it has been resisted by groups linked to atheists and agnostics.

Now, according to information from journalist Guilherme Amado, from Metrópoles, the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) was to analyze this Thursday (14/12) another action by the Brazilian Association of Atheists and Agnostics (Atea) which aims to block the construction of the Bible Museum in the Federal Capital.

According to news from GospelMais in 2021, the government of Brasília had launched a notice for the construction of the work in honor of the holy book of Jews and Christians, in view of a decision by the then president of the STJ, minister Humberto Martins, who overturned an injunction that prevented the continuity of the procedures for the progress of the project.

Now, with Governor Ibaneis Rocha intending to resume the project, Atea has filed a new lawsuit. The main argument used by atheists is the secularism of the State. The construction work for the Bible Museum in DF is budgeted at R$26 million.

Representativeness

Constructions of a religious nature, such as the Bible Museum, with the support of the State, are the result of social representation and, therefore, are defended by religious authorities and the public linked to the most diverse segments.

In other words, if Christians form a majority in society, there will naturally be more public initiatives in reference to this religious segment, as is the case with the Bible Museum, a project that also aims to attract tourist flow to the Federal Capital.

Another example of the same nature is Praça dos Orixás, also in Brasília, located on the banks of Lake Paranoá. It is a work built on 200 m² divided into three areas, where 16 statues representing entities of African religions are displayed. The place is also used to practice rituals and events in this segment.

In 2010, the then superintendent of the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute, Alfredo Gastal, spoke about this saying that despite being a secular country, Brazil is represented by different religions.

On the occasion, Gastal defended the existence of Praça dos Orixás with an argument that can be perfectly applied to the Bible Museum, especially when considering the proportion of the population represented.

“The importance of the Catholic religion in the repertoire of buildings listed as national historical heritage is undeniable, but we are committed to creating policies to showcase the work of other religions that exist in Brazil,” he said, second the Correio Braziliense.