|
Catholicism
in Latin America vs. U.S.A.
The
influence of the Catholic Church is felt throughout the whole
world. This influence is felt in Latin American countries and
in the United States, but in different ways. One could say that
it is the differences in thought that makes the United States
distinct from Latin American countries.
Latin
American countries have an old school type of thought. Most of
the people there feel that God has a direct influence on their
lives. They are more strict and about ninety percent of the people
are Catholics. In Latin America, children are taught at a young
age about God and are given a much higher moral upbringing. The
Catholic religion was brought to Latin America by the conquering
Spaniards in the 1500's. The Spanish forced the Catholic teachings
and values on the native people. Missionaries were set up to
convert all the natives. They were not given a choice as to what
religion to practice.
In
the United States, people have a much more modern style of thought,
where they feel God has more of an indirect influence on their
lives. Unlike Latin America, when the British colonized North
America, they allowed religious freedom. Many persecuted religions,
such as the Puritans, fled to the New World. The United States
had a lot of room to develop their own beliefs and thoughts.
In
some ways, I think the old way is a lot better. People tend to
be more moral and have more integrity and character. However,
in the new way people tend to treat people well and do what is
right because that is how they want to be treated; not just because
they think God wants them to. Also people do things more because
it is the right thing to do rather than just doing it so they
won't go to hell. Since there are so many religious groups in
the United States, we are more tolerant of other people's faith.
Religion is more personal and private.
We
hear about a lot of supernatural events happening in places like
Latin America. Most of these events, like sightings of Mary,
happen where the people are more superstitious and have a more
devout belief in God. It makes me wonder if these supernatural
events take place because people are superstitious and want to
believe; or miracles do happen there. Also, it might be possible
that some of these people are such devout Catholics, with God
at the center of their lives, that they imagine these miracles.
Do
you think miracles are possible? Some of them do seem kind of far-fetched.
But, there are some things that we as humans can and will probably never
be able to explain. Let's take stigmata(http://www.crystalinks.com/stigmata.html) for an example. Stigmata occur when a person bears the
wounds of Christ. There are five wounds of Christ: they are on the wrists,
feet, and in the side of the abdomen. The wounds are very deep and go
completely through the body. The wounds bleed constantly, last for a long
period of time, and leave no scars when they go away. The blood is a bright
red color and has a strong fragrance to it. Some people even sweat blood,
or get bright red crosses on their foreheads. With the wounds, there is
an intense pain and visions of Christ. The wounds and pain are symbolic
of the crucifixion. The wounds are said to spontaneously appear and bewilder
the stigmatic. Most people who have stigmata belong to religious orders.
Many seem to be emotionally disturbed. Women are actually more likely
to be stigmatic, in a proportion of seven to one over men.
I
don't know about you, but a lot of this stuff freaks me out.
I mean, all of the sudden just getting wounds all the way through
your hands, feet, and side that don't stop bleeding and do not
go away. To make things worse, you would be in constant pain.
This does not sound like a miracle that I would like to have.
But I am from the United States. My religious believes are more
private. If I were from Latin America, I would not consider these
events strange. I would feel important that God chose me to show
the world that Jesus sacrificed for us.
The
Catholic Church does influence the lives of Catholics in the
United States. Most Catholics go to church and receive the sacraments.
They are respectful of other people's religions. God is kept
in a private place. The people of Latin America share the same
faith. They put God in the center of their lives. The Catholic
Church seems to have more of an influence on the lives of Latin
Americans than the people of the United States.
check out these real
life stigmatics
Ven.
Anne Catherine Emmerich
Padre Pio
St.
Francis of Assisi
Galeano, Eduardo. The Book of Embraces.
Trans. Cedric Belfrage.
New York: Norton, 1991. 88
|
