BIBLE BABIESInside the Weird World of Brazil’s Child Preachers (Page 2 of 3) 
| Matheus Moraes, Photo by Francinete Moraes |
Matheus Moraes, 11 years old Vice: Was there anything especially religious about your birth?
Matheus: I was born in Rio on the 18th of May, 1998, after a promise. God sent a prophet to earth who told my mom that she would get pregnant very soon and that the baby she was going to give birth to would have a very special gift. He would be a son of God. Did she pay any special attention to this prophecy?
She didn’t believe it in the first place, because she wasn’t able to get pregnant her whole life. But all of a sudden she gave birth to me nine months after the prophet appeared. What happened then?
In November of that year I was in pretty bad health. My lungs had a certain virus—I had serious breathing problems and I almost died. This reminded God of his lost son and the prophecy and he sent the prophet again to save me. At what age did you start preaching?
Officially, I started preaching in 2003. My parents told me that I mumbled Bible phrases when I was a baby—even when I wasn’t able to read. I spent most of my childhood in church and had a pretty close connection to the pastor. At some point he asked me if I would like to give sermons, and so I started to walk the path to God. In 2006, I held about 250 sermons all over the country. Has anything resembling a miracle happened during one of these sermons?
When I preach, people find God, and a strong belief in him can change a whole life. I remember this one woman who came up to me and wasn’t able to walk or move around. I prayed with her and held sermons and after seven days she found illumination and peace. Do you have a lot of fans?
Usually I try to go to as many cities as possible. Every time I go back to a city there are always people with signs and posters. They ask me for signatures, too, and bring me gifts. Most of them buy my DVDs, and that is really good because I can make some money and give it to my parents. I don’t have to worry about food and clothes. I also use a lot of the money to go to the favelas and give bread and water to the people there. It sounds like you certainly feel dedicated to a higher calling.
My parents and God are always there to help me. I love what I do, and it is the best to see the masses touched by the word of God. My goal in life is to win as many people as possible for the Kingdom of God. I don’t want to be afraid of all the bad things that are happening in the world.
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| jnevs, on Aug 4, 2009 wrote:
theres alot of desperation in Brasil it isnt so outrageous that this happens children represent purity and brasil is a place full of controversy crime and poverty. | | Anonymous, on Aug 4, 2009 wrote:
This is child abuse, plain and simple. | |
| catbird, on Jul 13, 2009 wrote:
I can’t believe these kids don’t go to school! just because a prophet told their parent that they where chosen one’s! | | Anonymous, on Jun 20, 2009 wrote:
He has a H U G E left hand | |
| greeksalot, on Jun 5, 2009 wrote:
What bothers me the most is the fact that since children naturally assume that their parents tell nothing but righteous truth, these poor kids are spoon-fed all this total bullshit by those they trust the most | | |
| greeksalot, on Jun 5, 2009 wrote:
"The Bible says that I don’t need to take time off because I’m God’s servant all the time and that is a blessing. You can rest when you are blessed, and you are blessed when you are dead."
Cant someone please save this poor girl from the exploiters (her parents)?? | | Anonymous, on Jun 2, 2009 wrote:
WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THE WORLD AND THESE CRAZY KIDS?
I thought the US was nuts with places like Jesus camp, but the fact that ’awesome exotic places’ like Brazil, who in my mind can do no wrong, now have caught on. Shit.
Some dude’s mum at my school told him he was the son of the Virgin Mary? He subsequently then went on to sell his soul on EBAY and film a cat dying in a jar on YOUTUBE?
How much can you really know at 14? You haven’t even made underage drunken mistakes yet. Thats when you will REALLY understand the meaning of cleansing. Literally and metaphorically. | | Anonymous, on May 27, 2009 wrote:
this needs a follow up 5 years from now. they’re successful because their youth is a novelty in this industry. | | Anonymous, on May 27, 2009 wrote:
this is a good sign, not because christianity is proof of progress, but because it appears that extreme evangelical power-house preacher moments in history are indicative of desperation which is often followed by power shifts and revolutions-- which brazil sorely needs. viva la revolucion! | | Anonymous, on May 27, 2009 wrote:
Its really annoying that people allow their children to be brainwashed into believing into something as crass as religion. It should be outlawed, it promotes uniform thinking and a really basic way of living. Sure, if you can apply all the good stuff to your life and because of it you’re a better person then great but I cannot see the point in ’giving yourself to Jesus’, look what happened when all those German’s ’gave themselves’ to Nazism. Right? Right. Now fuck off, I’m busy
Chesus Jrist | |
| Virgin Mary, on May 23, 2009 wrote:
I want to give birth to a "son of God" or maybe adopt one and explore it until I get rich with desperate poor people’s money. And while my son is preaching the stupid holly book of bullshits for retards I will be drinking and getting skin cancer in my big ass by the sea in Rio... | | Anonymous, on May 22, 2009 wrote:
this is really fucking depressing | | Anonymous, on May 22, 2009 wrote:
"Anonymous, on May 15, 2009 wrote:
Alot of you people think that these kids are being brainwashed and what not for the money, but once you give your life to Christ the material things of this world lose their luster. How do you know that the parents are not protecting their childrens money for them? Or are you jumping to conclusions and assuming that everyone in this fallen world is evil?"
Are you kidding? The parents aren’t "protecting their childrens money" from them just in case their lustre for material possesions returns: they’re using the kid as some conniving cash scam that sadly - because it involves God, the promise of salvation and an innocent little kid - works. So shut up about jumping to conclusions and accept that this is fucked up. | | Anonymous, on May 22, 2009 wrote:
scumnation says ’religion is child abuse’ | |
| tj, on May 20, 2009 wrote:
me and my friends wanted to start an elvis religion to try and make some money but then we realized its too corrupt to take money from a bunch of dumbasses! | | Anonymous, on May 19, 2009 wrote:
love the silhouetted fingers on the girl preacher’s snatch. god is such a perv. go all the way with jesus! morons and charlatans one and all. | | Anonymous, on May 19, 2009 wrote:
religion is a crutch for the mentally deficient. no exceptions. | | Anonymous, on May 19, 2009 wrote:
There’s an asshole born every minute. In this case, every three seconds. | | Anonymous, on May 18, 2009 wrote:
these kids are just babies! what do they know about life? and to have adults listen to them like they’re the prophet seem stpuid | |
| zerotransfat, on May 18, 2009 wrote:
"You can rest when you are blessed, and you are blessed when you are dead."
i was born into christianity. my parents are hardcore religious but me, not so much. the quote above? that’s the kind of shit that pisses me off. I get angry when I see shit like that. the kid’s parents piss me off and the kid pisses me off for not going against it and questioning anything.
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| bird is the word, on May 18, 2009 wrote:
this reminds me of the documentary "jesus camp" with all the young children preaching | | Anonymous, on May 18, 2009 wrote:
haha look at the picture of Matheus. he’s reaching out his hand as if to say "mooooreee moneeeyyy. give me more!"
| | Anonymous, on May 18, 2009 wrote:
"I want to become a federal judge"
and the scary thing is, is that she probably WILL be one. | |
| boggle_brains, on May 18, 2009 wrote:
they are all very touchy about the boyfriend/girlfriend question....suspicious. maybe they are all dating each other?! | | Anonymous, on May 17, 2009 wrote:
Fuck God.
Oh yeah, I forgot. There isn’t one.
My bad....... | | Anonymous, on May 16, 2009 wrote:
to jesus preaching on the 5th row down, this is exactly why the world is fallen. | | Anonymous, on May 15, 2009 wrote:
i would love to get all these kids in the same room and watch them tear each other apart arguing about who is really "chosen." | | Anonymous, on May 15, 2009 wrote:
"I mean look at how many people that get coming to see them too. they must make be crazy rish"
I want to make be crazy rish too! | | Anonymous, on May 15, 2009 wrote:
"Every preacher has his own ritual. The first thing is that I don’t do anything that stresses me."
You’re 11! What the fuck are you stressed out about. | | Anonymous, on May 15, 2009 wrote:
That Matheus boy is totally milking Jesus’ story about the birth thing.
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