Religious Aspects Of The Latino Culture

Throughout this semester we have focus on a variety of topics that relate to the Latino community. I found all the topics very interesting but, the one that got my attention the most is religion and sexual orientation within the Latino community. I found really interesting how religion shapes gay men or women in the Latino community. For my final paper for this class, I want to take a different approach, I want to talk about how religion and cultural beliefs affect the life of gay Latino men. In the book “The Rain God” by Arturo Islas, on his book he talks about how it was hard for Miguel Chico to come out the closet to his family because of these catholic church beliefs they have. In the other side there’s the film “La Mission” directed by Peter Bratt who did a great job on showing

Hispanics are transforming the nation’s religious landscape, not only because of their increasing numbers but also because they are practicing a distinctive form of Christianity. Religious expressions associated with the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements are a key attribute of worship for Hispanics in many of the major religious traditions — far more so than among non-Latinos. Moreover, the growth of the Hispanic population is leading to the emergence of Latino-oriented churches across the country . Although the vast majority of religious Hispanics identify as Catholic (Pew, 2007), a significant minority practice various Pentecostal faiths. Many of those are recent converts. The desire for a more direct, personal experience with God emerges as by far the most potent motive for these conversions.

As we shall see, this community of Mexican-Americans was not to be so easily detoured from practicing their faith in the eyes of equality before God. As the increasing number of Mexican immigrants bolstered the community, it became clear that the “hidden” basement would no longer be sufficient for the devout, leading the St. Mary parish to grant some land for the community to build their own church in 1912 in Satin, Texas – to this day an unincorporated part of Falls County. Mexicans from the surrounding areas of Marlin, Rosebud, Cameron, and Waco would come for miles, most on their feet, to have mass once a month – the area being too under populated for the Archdiocese of Galveston to assign them a permanent priest. Nonetheless, the monthly mass would be “packed with people” with the stifling Texas weather never bothering them because, as one of the Chavez siblings puts it, “we just had to do what we had to do”. The Chavez siblings recount of the measures taken by their grandfather, who would walk at least ten miles to the church before being loaned a wagon to take others to the church. Through his organizational efforts, the community was able to fundraise enough funds for

Latinos Americans by and large hold onto democracy as their favored type of government. In the greater part of the nations studied, dominant parts or majorities likewise say they would lean toward an administration that forgoes advancing religious qualities and convictions. Be that as it may, Latin Americans are more separated on the degree to which religious pioneers ought to impact legislative issues. In many nations overviewed, strong dominant parts say they would incline toward "a popularity based type of government" more than "a pioneer with a solid hand" to take care of their nation's issues. However bolster for vote based system is not similarly solid crosswise over Latin America. In El Salvador, for instance, the general population is firmly separated between the individuals who support vote based system (48%) and the individuals who say that a solid pioneer is ideal (45%). At the flip side of the range, around eight-in-ten

Media coverage surrounding alternative sexualities has also expanded in recent years and, in the wake of gay liberation and the emergence of lesbian and gay studies, an ever increasing flow of academic documentation pertaining to sexual orientation has flourished. We now know more about homosexual lives in general and about the experiences of particular groups such as those in prison those who offer sex in exchange for money and those who lived during particular historical periods. However, with the knowledge and awareness about what it means to be gay or lesbian has increased considerably, there remains an ignorance on a number of homosexual issues. Explanations of why sexual orientations differ are still inadequate, and in a

Rodriguez once said “In contrast to the Catholicism of school, the Mexican Catholicism of home was less concerned with man the sinner than with man the supplicant. God the Father was not so much a stem judge as One with the power to change our lives. My Family turned to God not in guilt so much as in need. We prayed for favors and at desperate times. I prayed for help in finding a quarter I had lost on my way home. I prayed with my family at times of illness and when my father was temporarily out of a job. And when there was a death in the family we prayed”. (Rodriguez, 90).

This documentary addresses the idea of the social, cultural, and parental power it has on those who are attracted to the opposite sex, whether it be a man attracted to a man or a woman attracted to another woman. This film argues that those who are attracted to the opposite sex are under so much stress from the world around them that have to deny who they are, according to the bible which is wrong. I noticed key concepts that were represented in the documentary that go along with our learnings in the classroom, such as xenophobia and socialization. These two concepts were very big within the arguments that were made in this documentary, and both are extremely important to understanding what these people go through in their lives.

However, this process can difficult for someone who is homosexual, many minority cultures frown upon being gay or lesbian, it is hard enough for homosexuals to be accepted amongst their family, because once they “come out,” they are exposed to a new set or norms and life-style, which goes against the traditional way of living and beliefs. In this article the authors explain the bicultural process for those who are homosexuals, explaining that a homosexual must first find a way to be accepted amongst their minority culture, and then expose themselves to the majority culture through socialization. However, when socializing with the mainstream culture as a gay or lesbian, many times that leads to further issues in areas such as marriage, family, parenting, education, and religion. Not only is a challenge for them to be accepted in these areas by society, but there are actual laws and legislations that exclude them from these

Sexual normativity does not only create social rules for society to follow but it also creates systems of inequality, where each system of inequality builds on each other. The power of sexuality normativity favors heteronormativity because heteronormative culture has interpreted itself in society as what is natural. Both heteronormativity and homonormativity favor upper and middle classes of white youth. While they are guided and accepted in society those who are of a different race or ethnicity are rejected (Garcia 2012:60). Power is unevenly distributed among these systems, and the ones with most power are tightly linked to male heteronormativity. The white masculine male is privileged and rewarded in society, where as women suffer the good-girl

There is a polarization between Catholics who believe in the Church’s Sexual Teaching, conservative Catholics, and those who fight for Catholic Social Teaching, liberal Catholics. Both highly value the Church’s teachings and encourage society to change in order to address either the social or sexual protection of humans. While there is a division within the pews, in reality these two teachings actually cooperate with and reinforce each other. Two groups do not see how these teachings greatly impact one another and only through their intersection is it possible to defend the rights of the marginalized. This paper will agree with Erika Bachiochi and argue that the Church’s social and sexual teachings collaborate and rely upon each other by

Despite many Spanish cultures being known for their religious drive, there are many circumstances where the traditional Catholic worship of God creates a patriarchal and fearful view of the world that condemns people of lower social classes. In Under the Feet of Jesus, frequent themes where characters believe that misfortunes are actually punishments from God casts traditional Catholicism in a negative light and rejects the idea of God as worthy of worship. Ana Castillo also emphasizes this rejection in So Far From God, in which la Loca is resurrected much in the same way as Jesus but casted out of society even by the Priest, later choosing to follow more cultural and female-centric religions of belief to pursue her identity. Pineda argues

Sexuality can be interpreted in many ways through our upbringing, culture, and our personal choices. In today’s world, there is variation in sexuality that allows people to accept various sexual practices as moral behavior. People exercise their democratic rights to engage in all forms of sexual practices. Sexuality in my view is reflected upon Biblical values that states sexual practices must be within marriage between a man and woman. With that said my religious reviews contradicts the ideas of sexual diversity. Nevertheless, the works of Alfred C. Kinsey, C.J Pascoe, Lisa L. Diamond, John Corvino and Nicholas M. Teich points out the beauty of sexual fluidity, and challenge heteronormativity because it limits sexual freedom. Furthermore,

Sexuality is an individual’s preference towards sexual interactions. It is an extremely controversial and debated topic that has emerged in the 21st century. Historically, sexuality was kept extremely private and it was not orthodox to speak of sexual encounters, sodomy being especially taboo. However, today sex and sexual orientation is more openly spoken about on both social media and well as every day conversations. Most people, including myself, have at least one or two people that don’t particularly identify themselves as heterosexual or cis-gendered. It is more commonplace for sexuality and sexual encounters to

In order to further understand my experiences one must acknowledge the cultural background, which constructs my opinions towards sex, sexuality, and gender role. My opinions about sexuality shifted quickly as I moved from Israel, a middle-eastern society, to the United

Looking around in today’s society we can see the immense diversity of people who live around us. The vast differences among each individual in society is shaped not only by their sexual identity but the religion they practice. Religion and spirituality guide the ways that people operate in the private spheres of life, influence health, psychological well being, efforts to cope with adversity