Followers of Malafaia say that criticism of the pastor was the reason for Boechat's death.
Sharing a 2015 article in which journalist Ricardo Boechat and evangelical pastor Silas Malafaia were linked, followers of the religious leader associated the journalist's death with criticisms made against Malafaia; "No one rises against the anointed of the Lord of Hosts" and "cursed is he who speaks against God's anointed," wrote the followers.
247 - Posts by evangelicals on social media associated the death of journalist Ricardo Boechat, victim of a helicopter accident this Monday (11), with criticisms made by the TV Band anchor to pastor Silas Malafaia. The association generated a strong backlash, criticizing the followers of the controversial pastor.
The 66-year-old journalist was one of the victims of the helicopter crash that occurred on Monday morning (11), on the Rodoanel in São Paulo, hitting the front of a truck immediately afterwards.
In 2015, responding to a statement made by Malafaia, Boechat retorted, "Hey Malafaia, go find a dick." The link to the article that discussed the feud between the two was shared by dozens of the pastor's followers, with comments such as "no one rises up against the anointed of the Lord of Hosts" or "cursed is he who speaks against God's anointed."
The backlash was immediate. "Christians, don't embarrass yourselves by celebrating Boechat's death because he was an atheist and told Malafaia to go find a dick. Do your jobs as Christians, if that's what you really are, and pray for the guy's family. You are a disgrace to Brazilian Christianity," wrote one Twitter user.
"There is a serious problem among Brazilian evangelicals. People who think that the pastor is untouchable and cannot be criticized. Stupid people to the point of saying that 'God weighed heavily' on Boechat for criticizing Malafaia. But please don't take these people as if they represent the whole group," wrote another profile on the same network.
Fight on the networks
Upon learning of Boechat's criticism, Malafaia responded on his social media.
"Tell journalist Boechat that he's talking nonsense, saying that pastors incite the faithful to practice intolerance. A real idiot. I challenge Boechat to a live debate. Talking nonsense on a radio program alone is easy, stop being such a loudmouth. Don't incite hatred," he said.
Later, the journalist responded to Malafaia with a scathing critique of the religious leader.
"Hey Malafaia, go find a dick, will you? Don't bother me. You're an idiot, a fool. A crook. A taker of money from the faithful, an exploiter of other people's faith. And now you want to sue me. You really like the spotlight, I'm not going to give you a spotlight because you're a moron. I'm not going to have any debate with you because I don't want to give you that confidence. What I said, and I repeat, is that within neo-Pentecostal churches, acts of incitement to religious intolerance are happening more than in other environments. At no point, you can check my recorded statements, did I say anything that generalized things. Especially because, unlike you, I'm not an idiot," he said.
"You're a homophobe, a despicable, horrible figure who takes money from people. You're rich because you take money from people preaching salvation after death. My salary, my assets, come from my sweat, not from the sweat of others. You're a charlatan, man. You use the name of God and Christ to take money from the faithful. You're a money grabber. You and many others. I'm not afraid of you, you idiot! Go find a dick," he concluded.