In Portuguese we call "carola" a (usually old) person who lives through the rules of church, and has no ears for any other reasonable argument. What is this called in English?
Some examples:
"Aquela velha é uma carola: não sai da igreja, tudo que faz é pra agradar o padre." (That old woman is a carola: doesn't leave the church, everything she does is to please the priest.)
"Aquele cara é muito carola, vive com a Bíblia debaixo do braço, e mesmo sendo um estudante de biologia não quer nem entender como a evolução funciona." (That guy is too carola, he lives with a Bible under his arm, and even being a biology student don't even want to understand how evolution works.)
If someone "has no ears for any other reasonable argument", how can this NOT be negative? Not be pejorative? In which world to be irrational, biased and prejudiced may be a good thing?
This site brings nine definitions, with the four most voted bringing only pejorative meanings. It also brings a synonyms list, which includes words like fofoqueiro (gossipy), fanático religioso (religious fanatic), santarrão (sanctimonious), energúmeno (idiot), hipócrita (hypocritical), barata-de-igreja (church-cockroach), chato (annoying) and fanático (fanatic), among others.
Antenor Nascentes dictionary (Bloch Editores, 1988) says: "Carolice = Qualidade de carola; ato próprio de carola, carolismo, beatice." Also "Beatice = Ato de fingida devoção; hipocrisia."
Electronic Houaiss 3.0 says: "Beato = [Uso: pejorativo] Que ou aquele que frequenta muito as igrejas ou que exagera nas demonstrações exteriores de sua fé e virtudes; carola."