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Role or influence of church in latin america
What is the influencial role of catholic churches in latin america
Role of catholic church in colonial latin america
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The first Catholic priests came to South America with the conquistadors and through social and political force superimposed 16th century Catholicism upon conquered peoples and in subsequent generations upon slaves arriving in the New World. Catholicism has, likewise, frequently absorbed, rather than confronted, popular folk religious beliefs. The resulting religion is often overtly Catholic but covertly pagan. Behind the Catholic facade, the foundations and building structure reflect varying folk religious traditions. (2) This could be a result of so much territory with so little resources equals heresy and abuse. For most of Latin history, however, the number of priests has been insufficient to effectively minister to all the people. Religious vacuums have thus been created, especially in rural areas and on the outskirts of urban areas. Anthony Gill, who describes the religious economy of Latin America, writes, “The evangelization mission of the Catholic Church, to ensure all members of the population were inextricably bound to Catholicism, suffered due to the simple dynamics of restricted supply under a monopolized religious market” (1). People, rather than traveling great distances to visit a priest, turned to various forms of folk Catholicism to solve everyday issues regarding sickness, financial gain or loss, and romance. The saying that “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” seems to fit some accounts of the Catholic Church in Latin America. Far away from the authority and watchful eye of the Vatican, atrocities in the name of the Church had taken place. Though I believe it was not the norm but the exception. But with that said, some positive social changes have come about from the introduction of Catholicism to Latin America. In its true form, the church has been a source of basic human rights for the people. The church would often oppose the government’s unjust treatment of the people, who otherwise had no other representation. The church also formed a society to encourage cooperation with each other to develop a better civilization. The church would also provide a foundation for education, health care, skills for building and farming. The Catholic Church has played such a major role in the shaping of Latin American culture, that it cannot be separated from it.
Throughout the Iberian Peninsula and Colonial Europe, the sweeping philosophical shift from religious and spiritual pursuits to a greater emphasis on logic and reason foreshadowed remarkable social reformation. In Latin America, the Ibero...
Mexicans were Christian people and White immigrants were not as alarmed by their religious practices as they were by the repulsive practices on California Indians or “pagan idolaters”. Mexican Catholics were at least a God-fearing people and therefore seen as more closely approximating European-American notions of civility. Their culture was welcomed and adopted through the Catholics Church’s “Americanization” program which included an introduction to bilingual parochial schools, orphanages, hospitals, and newspaper publications
The embodiments of the Regla de Ocha, Santerian religion, is rooted in West African previous religious practice of their deities. Africans were forced to move to a new place, where to expose to a new language and new religious faith. They were able to have some ideas of how to continue to serve and maintain their religious practice. “Thus, the deities of the Cuban Creole world resulted from the “crossing” and mixing with those of others region of African and the Catholic saints; individuals choose or are chosen to receive initiation into one or several traditions” (Olmos and Paravisini-Gebert 33). Through being forced to adapt to the Cuban Catholics ways, they were able to interlink their religious practice within the Catholics ways of worshiping different saints. Meanwhile, they were then able to be accepted in society while maintaining their natural belief. The adoption of the transculturation allows the African to balance both their religious practice and
Cuba has long since been considered as an island-nation without any necessary affiliation with the Catholic Church. In fact, prior to the 1960s, Cuba was considered the most "secularized" country within Latin America, with only a mere six percent of the population attending church on a regular basis. Instead, the practice of the African based voodoo religion of Santería has prevailed. Experts estimate that 70 percent of the Cuban population practices Santería. This religion was brought to Cuba by African slaves and combined the virtues of Christianity and with their native African beliefs. It is associated with Catholicism because Afro-Cuban deities have been associated with Catholic saints since colonial Cuba. The Afro-Cubans did this in order to evade religious persecution by the Spaniards who considered a...
...on, folk Catholicism. In consequence, Hispanics have in a sense walked a fine line of ambivalence in relation to syncretic religious practices.
Finally, when it came down to the types of ceremonies and views both civilizations had, they were on two different pages. The Natives believed happiness was the key to good fortune. So, in order to get that fortune, they’d do sacrifices, and rituals to please the “mighty ones”. Then, as stated in the book “A History of Latin America”, it says, “Jews publicly converted to Christianity to avoid the torture…”, In which, this showed how religion and the spiritual views were forced upon people in the Spanish civilization.
Some people had home altars and images of the saints. They used their Catholic religion at the same time they used Indian herbs and prayer in medicine. Thoes who had chosen to attend church and fully live Catholic lives sought to make their religion more relevant to themselves by having music, prayers, and readings in Spanish. Throughout the United States, increasingly there are more Mexican American laypersons involved in the church. Mariachi masses are common. Also common and indicative of the religious commitments of some are the statues of the Virgin and Jesus exhibited in the yards and in the homes of many citizens. Many people have patron saints to whom they pray for assistance, good health, good jobs, racial justice and peace in the world. Home altars at which people light candles and pray to the saints for guidance, assistance, and deliverance are very much an Indian and a Spanish tradition. Religion enable individuals to make sense of their world. It guides them in times of
the Church maintained its relationship with the now-Creole elite at the expense of its relationship with other indigenous, mestizo and African sectors of the population. It closely aligned itself with the Conservative rather than Liberal parties in many countries which resulted in the severance of Church-state relationships in Ecuador, Brazil, Cuba, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panamá, Chile and Mexico. By the 1930s the Church found itself in the position of losing influence with the Latin American population. Maintaining its links to the conservative party and landowning elites of Latin America. The syncretism of religion in Latin America is the result of when combining beliefs which then changes the idea or the main thought of religion or belief system. This will usually result with the leader or leaders of the principle religion to become upset but not so much for the people who practice it. For example, “After independence was won from Spain, the creole elite split into conservatives and liberals. One of the issues of contention was the status of the Catholic Church. The liberals wanted religious toleration and secularization of some of the church's
Documents A and B show the importance of religion to the Spanish. The Spanish were sent to St Augustine to put up an enormous wooden cross (Doc A). They put up this cross to spread the catholic faith. They traveled with a chaplain whom the conquistadors seem to answer (Doc A). Document B will show how strong Pedro Menendez's religious motivation by spreading his hatred of protestants. The Spanish beliefs were
Santeria, Voodoo, the Cult of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and Rastafari all embody syncretism of Christian influence and traditional Indigenous beliefs of their followers. While the religions all express their syncretism in various manners, all regularly conduct rituals that deviate from traditional Christianity. These rituals exemplify the influence of the native cultures on these religions, and maintain the importance of tradition culture with the necessity of practicing Christianity during colonial times of religious oppression. Likewise, all of these religions frame their concept of what a “religion” is through their various unique rituals that serve to connect them to their native deities, as well as to the Christian God and Saints.
Explanation- This article gives examples of how indigenous people used to live before the colonization of Christopher Columbus. After the appearance of Christopher Columbus in Mexico different ethnic groups were distributed amongst different states along with their different languages. In the state of Oaxaca there around sixteen different ethnic groups which the Mixtecs and the Zapotecs are the two main ethnos who have continued to expand amongst the territory. During the Spanish conquest the Mixtec and the Zapotecs’ religion was mostly based on belief in the vital force that animated all living things, meaning that they worshiped the land and the creator. Throughout this day there are still indigenous people who believe and practice their ideology, and the “modernized” are set to practice Catholicism.
However, the Roman Catholic Church sought to seek out the reason why many individuals were leaving the Ch...
Since its emergence during the Roman Empire, the Catholic Church has had a prevailing influence over the world. Its doctrines laid the base for modern standards of morality, and during the Dark Ages it acted as the brain and power behind many leaders. After the emergence of secular thought during the Renaissance the Church's power shifted into the background. In recent times, its influence has begun to shift back into the foreground. The Catholic Church is a religious body that is prominent in the Western world. The capital of the Catholic Church is located in Vatican City in Rome, where the body that represents the Catholic religion and its people is run from. The Catholic Church has always had an effect on politics, and during the Dark Ages its doctrines and beliefs were key to early leaders' decisions. It functioned as an icon to the people of what would come if they followed the laws, and an advisor to the leaders, helping them rule over their kingdoms. After secular thought appeared the Catholic Church's power fell to the wayside because secular thought placed importance on the individual and people began to live their life the way they wanted instead of how the Catholic Church told them to live it in order to get to Heaven. The Church retained its influence in new ways during this time by supporting what the people were interested in such as the sciences, art, and the return to classical thought. The Catholic Church is a very different institution now, rife with corruption and flaws, but still followed across the world. Many of its followers have fallen away however because they are frustrated by its corruption, or the dated doctrines that it applies to politics, specifically things like same sex marriage or contr...
Modern Catholic social teachings trace its beginnings to the writings of Pope Leo XIII. His insight on Christian philosophy, politics and the social order and applies to teachings in current injustices in the economic order. Leo XIII’s teachings were also critical participation in the developments of modern social and economic life. He rooted his social ethics in the supreme value of the human person and added that all political and social structures need to respect and respond to this primary and moral claim of human dignity. While the Church and the political community are autonomous and independent of each other in their own fields, the Church is “at once the sign and the safeguard of the transcendental dimension of the human person”.
According to the Socialjustice.com (2014) website, a further feature of the Catholic provision, which affected the impact on social policy, was the overpowering character and the lack of the intellectual and theoretical base. Catholic religious co...