Essay On Fringe Catholicism

His central aim is not just to provide one example of a legitimate, contextual (Hispanic) perspective. He also is eager to show that embracing different theological perspectives from around the globe is a necessary and unavoidable aspect of the church’s catholicity. González makes his case in the introduction.

As stated in “History of Mexico: 2” documentary film by History Channel, the Spanish believed it was their responsibility to save the souls of the natives by converting them to Christianity. Even thought the natives were forced to convert, the natives eventually accepted Catholicism into their everyday life, creating a mixture of cultures and eventually a mixing of heritages known as “Mestizo”.

Catholicism: A Very Short Introduction written by Gerald O’Collins is a short read that gives an insight to the Catholic church without getting confusing to the reader. It touches on the basics of Catholicism such as the history, practices, and core beliefs. Through each chapter Gerald O’Collins a research professor in the field of Theology at St. Mary’s University College and Twickenham, as well as formally Dean in Gregorian University for the faculty of Theology, shares his knowledge on the Catholic religion one question at a time.

During the 16th century, Protestantism emerged as a new sect of Christianity. This process was not calm or peaceful in the slightest. Protestant leaders like Martin Luther and John Calvin fiercely attacked and denied traditional Catholic beliefs, causing much controversy and debate upon religion. Many regions of Europe as a whole were converted to Protestantism, and many more Protestants emerged in areas where Catholicism remained the state religion. The Catholic faith became less and less appealing to people as the abuses of the clergy were now publicly addressed by reformers and a new, personal approach to religion was offered in Protestantism. In addition, rulers favored Protestantism as a state religion because it meant that no power

Never quarrelsome or belligerent or boisterous, they harbour no grudges and do not seek to settle old scores; indeed, the notions of revenge, rancour, and hatred are quite foreign to them. … they are also among the poorest people on earth… They are innocent and pure of mind and have a lively intelligence, all of which makes them particularly receptive to learning and understanding the truths of our Catholic faith. (Casas 10)

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

During 1500-1750, Latin America and the Caribbean developed independently It was isolated and its agricultural economies grew. They had a ritualistic polytheistic religion with “divine” kings and large urban centers. During the period of 1500-1750, interregional trade in Latin American and the Caribbean changed as it was now included in global trade, and had different views on religion, although it continued to have forced labor systems.

Elialde author of The Sacred and the Profane introduces a new model of the sacred and the profane. Elialde’s model is meant to be universal, therefore meant to be appropriate for any recognized religion. David Carrasco author of Religions of Mesoamerica and Kay Almere Read and Jason J. González authors of Mesoamerican Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs of Mexico and Central America, discuss their interpretation of the Mesoamerican religion although their views on the Mesoamerican religion differs in some aspects when compared to Eliade’s model of the sacred and the profane there are a few noticeable similarities between both views.

Religion and politics in Hispanic culture is tied in with the strong family social unit. Over 90% of Hispanics in California are Roman Catholic. They especially respect Patron Saint’s day; to many, it is more important than one’s birthday. The Virgin of Guadalupe (the Virgin Mary) and

Religion has had a profound effect on human culture; unfortunately, the trouble with it is faith, which creates skepticism in many individuals. In order to accommodate the issue of faith, religions have regulations, values, and ceremonies, making religion a belief system, hence creating clarity to support faith. Catholicism has become a belief system that feeds its follower with answers; however, these answers are only assumptions. There are no factual answers, and as a result, religious leaders have created an expectation in which religion is supposed to fit; nonetheless, its accuracy is unknown. In Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short story “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings,” the values of religion are the center of

Throughout “The True History of The Conquest of New Spain,” Diaz criticizes Nuhuatl religions through his denouncing tone and use of repetitions. His repetitions of “cursed,” such as the “cursed idols” (149) and “cursed temples” (149), and of

In Afro- Caribbean cultures religions are very essential aspects in the daily lives of the Caribbean people. They combine beliefs and practices that were originally brought to the Caribbean by the African slaves, with other beliefs and practices that were dominant or native to the islands. A multiplicity of these commonly practiced Afro-Caribbean religions such as Santeria, Haitian Vodou and Espiritismo have countless similarities, some of which include the way they carry out different ceremonies and traditional rituals that they carry out both in and outside of these ceremonies. However, although there are numerous similarities between these religions there are also many distinct differences between theses religions, including some of the

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.

One important indicator on the Catholic Church’s stance on Liberation Theology and general social activism in Latin America will be to see if Archbishop Oscar Romero is accepted into sainthood. The iconic and controversial religious leader worked tirelessly to help the lower-class in El Salvador. His teachings and beliefs that the marginalized peasants should be treated justly made him a living legend among his countrymen and isolated him from the nation’s corrupt elites. Although he never specifically condoned violence, his sermons played no small part in fomenting a bloody peasant uprising and civil war that raged for over a decade. In the last few years, a strong effort has been made to canonize Romero. Although he is revered not only in his own country but throughout the world, there exist a few issues that could possibly preclude him for becoming a saint. He is still strongly disliked by the vast majority of the wealthy and powerful ruling class of El Salvador, he, indirectly and inadvertently, helped bring about a violent conflict that ravaged his nation and, perhaps most importantly, his canonization may appear to be a carte blanche validation of Liberation Theology and the Marxist uprisings that were often associated with the movement. The canonization of Oscar Romero will redefine the seminal ideal of a modern-day saint and could quite

Liberation theology in Latin America was first introduced in the late 1960’s, although it became famous after the writing of Gustavo Gutierrez. The roots of liberation theology can be traced back to Europe because Catholic priests were sent there to go to school. It was there where they became radicalized and sent back to Latin America. This radicalization led many to start thinking differently, including Gutierrez. He and others wanted to be independent from the usual European Catholic style. They wanted to create their own theology for their culture. They believed that they should have their own institution to teach their own beliefs to their own people. With these new