Seventh-day Adventists in Brazil celebrated a December 10 victory when the country’s education minister issued guidelines protecting students and teachers who observe the Bible Sabbath or other religious holy days.

The South American nation had planned to require make-up classes and exams on Saturdays, which Adventists, Jews, and some others, observe as the Sabbath, relying on Exodus 20:10 which reads, “the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.”

Were schools to compel Sabbathkeeping teachers and students to participate in classes and exams on Saturday, this would set up a clash over values and potentially disrupt learning and work for tens of thousands. Brazil has more than 1.7 million Seventh-day Adventist Church members; there are more than 120,000 Jews in the nation as well.

Milton Ribeiro, federal Education Minister, approved a document establishing guidelines for the implementation of a law passed in August 2020 to “standardize exceptional procedures in systems, networks, and teaching units during the state of pandemic calamity.” The document gives these institutions the discretion to reformulate their calendar and curriculum, and must,

"Provide for the right to [observe] the days when, according to the precepts of the student's religion, activities are prohibited, under the terms of art. 7º-A of LDB, in the exercise of freedom of conscience and belief, as well as provide, for education professionals, the same right, with the alternative provision of work.”

The document’s provisions take effect immediately, influencing the public, private, community, and denominational teaching units and networks.

Defense of Religious Freedom

With the paralysis of educational institutions due to the covid-19 pandemic, the National Education Council (CNE) outlined recommendations for the reorganization of the school calendar. Among these was the replacement of classes on Saturdays, if necessary. Immediately, the Religious Liberty department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South America, with the Confederation of the Israelites of Brazil (Conib), the Brazilian affiliate of the World Jewish Congress, presented a letter to the CNE requesting an alternate provision for Sabbathkeepers. The request was accepted and processed at the Ministry of Education, culminating in the December 10 document.

Pastor Helio Carnassale, Religious Liberty director at the South American Adventist Church headquarters, said “this resolution does not establish privileges, but equal rights; it protects not only Sabbatarians but all religious communities that have a holy day.”

Latest Brazilian Victory

This positive outcome for Sabbathkeeping students and teachers in Brazil is the latest in a series of victories in recent years. Noteworthy in this latest decision is that it’s the first time that the rights of alternative provision for educational workers are included in an official act of the federal Legislative and Executive branches.

In the same vein, in 2017, the Ministry of Education changed the application schedule for the National High School Exam tests for two consecutive Sundays, instead of just a weekend, given the thousands of Sabbatarian candidates, who would wait to take the test after sunset. See details here.

Also, in November 2020, Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court recognized the right to an alternative provision of civil service exams and in the exercise of public positions for candidates and civil servants who assert their religious liberty rights as Sabbathkeepers. See details here.

Pastor Carnassale celebrates the victories: “I see this as a reason to give thanks and praise to God, and I feel that He is giving us time and opportunities to be bold in preaching the Gospel. It is no wonder that Brazil, being among the countries with the most favorable legislation for religious freedom, is also the nation with the largest number of Adventists. Where there is religious freedom, there is the preaching of the Gospel,” he said.

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site