Protestant Churches, the Defense of Human Rights (1976‐1983) and the Support for Same‐Sex Marriage (2010) in Argentina

DANIEL JONES; SANTIAGO CUNIAL

DANUBIUS - Revista Muzeului de Istorie Galati

Museum from Galati

Lugar: Galati; Año: 2015 p. 55 - 76

Religious actors regularly participate in political debates in Latin America. In Argentina, Historical Protestant Churches have joined traditional political action of the Catholic Church since the 1970s. This article compares two processes in which Historical Protestant Churches took part: the defense of Human Rights (1976-1983) and the support for Same-Sex Marriage (2010) in Argentina. The main hypothesis is that the performance of these churches in both contexts share significant characteristics that allow us to understand patterns of political participation of religious actors. First, they backed these causes through public statements and activities by their leadership bodies and leaders. Second, they built alliances with other religious and non-religious actors in order to defend the rights of groups that were politically persecuted or marginalized by the State. By doing so, they led the ecumenical and interreligious space that supported these causes.