Space Thomas Tweed Analysis

In Santa Biblia: The Bible Through Hispanic Eyes, Justo L. González invites the reader to read the Bible in fresh ways, and gain insight from the perspective of “those who claim their Hispanic identity as part of their hermeneutical baggage, and who also read the Scripture within the context of a commitment to the Latino struggle to become all that God wants us and all of the world to be—in other words, the struggle for salvation/liberation.” (González 1996, 28-29) Published hot on the heels of the quincentennial of Columbus’ voyage to the new world, and abreast of discussions taking place in the larger Hispanic community, González’s book is both timely and well researched.

It is said that in December 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared on three occasions to a Christian Indian, Juan Diego, six kilometers north of Mexico City, and identified herself as Guadalupe. It is said that the Guadalupe symbol “links family, politics and religion; the colonial past and the independent present; and the Indian and the Mexican. It reflects the salient social relationships of Mexican life and embodies the emotions they generate.” (Merrill & Miró, Religion) Devotion to the Virgin Guadalupe remains strong even as Mexican society changes. For example, in a national opinion poll found, nine out of ten Mexicans still continued to ask intercessions from the Virgin or another saint. (Merrill & Miró, Religion)

Caminero-Santangelo, Marta. 2007. On Latinidad: U.S. Latino Literature and the Construction of Ethnicity. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida.

Ramon Gutierrez’s When Jesus Came, The Corn Mothers Went Away is an exploration of the merging of Spanish, Franciscan and Pueblo Indian cultures throughout Spain's “frontier” in its colonial American empire before Anglo contact. Gutierrez builds a foundation for his analysis by discussing Pueblo Indian life prior to outside contact, Franciscan theology, and the class structure of Spanish communities in each of its respective book sections. He examines meanings of the cultural interactions of gift exchange, ownership, trade, sexual rights, labor, kinship, social status, religious beliefs, and honor among many others using marriage as a window. His interpretation of the complex cultural meanings of marriage illustrates the ways in which the

In building a border wall, the United States is expressing its material resistance to the emergence and persistence of transcultural social space, especially its challenges to U.S. social and cultural practices. (Aguirre Jr - Simmers 102)

Karen Armstrong, author of “Homo Religiosus,” claimed that without the physical rituals and traditions, religion morphed into a belief. Simply put, Armstrong argued that religion requires not only blind faith but also customs and practices that affect one’s physical and mental behaviors. It is through these rituals and taboos that the religions grows and forms, and yet also changes when deemed necessary. Additionally, Armstrong constantly compares religion to different art forms. She does this to convey the message that much like art, one must focus and study religion for lengthy periods of time to be properly understood. However, this connection also suggests that art and religion can perform an analogous role to humankind when required, as they both evolve and change when a society 's infrastructure does. Throughout her essay “Homo Religiosus,” Armstrong focuses on the similar role that both art and religion play in society to discuss her claim that religion is not just a belief, but rather has to do with changes in physical and mental behaviors that in return create change in society and the religion one needs.

Elva’s compares her feelings of not belonging in the Anglo society with the old beggar woman inside the doors of a Mexican church: “I have felt like her before, as if I want to be in a place, but I don’t know if I belong. A beggar in a room full of

Gloria Anzaldúa writes of a Utopic frame of mind, the borderlands created in and lived in by the new mestiza. She describes the preexisting natures of the Anglos, Mexicanos, and Chicanos as seen around the southwest U.S. / Mexican border, indicative of the nations at large. She also probes the borders of language, sexuality, psychology and spirituality. Anzaldúa presents this information in various identifiable ways including the autobiography, historical/informative essay, and poetry. What is unique to Anzaldúa is her ability to weave a ‘perfect’ kind of compromised state of mind that melds together the preexisting cultures while simultaneously formulating a fusion of genres that stretches previously

Within philosophy, there has long been a question about the relationship between science and religion. These two systems of human experience have undoubtedly had a lot of influence in the course of mankind’s development. The philosopher Ian Barbour created a taxonomy regarding science and religion that has become widely influential. His taxonomy postulates that there are four ways in which science and religion are thought to interact. The four categories are: conflict, independence, dialogue, and integration. By using articles from a select few philosophers, theologians, and scientists, it is clear to see the ways in which these two systems of human experience are categorized in the four categories presented by Ian barbour. However, it will be apparent that the category of conflict may be seen as the most dominant in regard to the interaction between science and religion.

There are many Mexicans who attend church on a regular basis but do not adhere to a religion. These people have the same moral and spiritual values as any of the other churchgoers, only they do not share the actual religion (Euan Alvarado). In a study done on suicide rates in Mexico for the Journal of Religion and Health, it was found that regular church attendance did more to lower suicidal thoughts in teens than regular internal or private worship (Hoffman 263). The importance of the community is shown in these results, as well as in the action that groups of Catholics take to build their community. Communities that form social movements to better their society justify their actions and make them sacred through their religion, which gives citizens a sense of belonging (Doran 84). The author also says that since Mexico has such a high percentage of religious practice, the less fortunate are brought together by Catholicism to create these communities (Doran 76). This is contradicted by the results of Hoffman’s study, which show that religion and communities bound by it are closer and more effective in helping their members than groups of the same kind in highly religious areas (Hoffman

The Virgin of El Barrio by Kristy Nabhan-Warren is an ethnography about modern Mexican-American Catholicism and the apparitions of Estela Ruiz and the community that supports her. Throughout the text, Nabhan-Warren focuses on the intersectionality between Catholicism, ethnicity, gender, and community and the success of this grassroots model of Catholicism. Her fieldwork was done in Phoenix, Arizona, initially for three and a half months (although she continues to maintain a relationship with the Ruiz) (Nabhan-Warren, 16), and took place in Mary's home, their backyard shrine, and other properties owned and used by the family's organizations.

Success! That’s what we feel when artist with roots from Mexico, Elizabeth Blancas, self-identified as a Xicana, expresses her mind on a relevant issue throughout an outstanding display of empowering and freedom in the piece “Women & Two Spirits Are The Backbone Of Every Tribe”, in the corner of Saint Marguerite with Saint-Antoine West streets. In her painting, the artist presents a sexual issue and the cultural role it has in the indigenous tribes. Although the artist expertise relies on serigraphy, she blooms in the mural world hand-brushing distinguished figures by giving voice to protesters against a US company pipeline construction site, near the Standing Dakota Indian Reservation, and in special Caro Gonzales and Lauren Howland.

Gonzalez also explains how he feels like there have been many ‘macroevents’ and ‘macroformations’ that are going on now in the 20th century, which can be tied back to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. He talks about how history has shaped where the Hispanic culture is today, and how that ties into how they view theology and the Word.

With the increase of Mexican immigrants present around Topanga Canyon, the residents of the suburban gated community, Arroyo Blanco, begin to feel as though their suburban space and spatial identities are being threatened. In an effort to combat that threat, the residents of Arroyo Blanco redefine their space and build a wall around their community. Through Arroyo Blanco's residents' Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher's experiences with Cándido Rincón, José Navidad, and the coyotes surrounding the Arroyo Blanco community of Topanga Canyon, Boyle conveys the futility of erecting walls as a way to preserve suburban space and suburban spatial identities in a post-suburban environment like Los Angeles.

The catholic four common core questions, what is our relationship to God, How does one live a life of meaning and purpose, what is our relationship with the natural world and how can we form a more just society for the common good can be answered differently. However, the great books in the Catholic Intellectual tradition answered these questions in a broad distinctive way. This essay will examine the question, what is our relationship with God, from the view point of three writers, Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton and Pope Paul. What is our relationship with God was a better one answered by these writers. Most Christians refer a relationship with God to praying and communicating with him. As an explanation, many well-meaning Christians will explain that you can develop a personal relationship with God by “seeing Jesus. However, the great books in the Catholic Intellectual tradition such as Dorothy Day, The Long Loneliness, Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain, etc. have a broader explanation of our relationship with God. They say a relationship with God is being fully human, living a meaningful life and having a relationship with the triune God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.