Latin America Is Losing Its Catholic Identity

[cbayer]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/upshot/latin-america-is-losing-its-catholic-identity.html?_r=0&abt=0002&abg=0

NOV. 13, 2014

Michael Paulson


A mass in July in El Pedregal, a small town along the Guatemala-Mexico border. A survey found that 69 percent of Latin American adults said they were Catholic, down from an estimated 90 percent for much of the 20th century. Credit Meridith Kohut for The New York Times


These are heady days for Roman Catholics in Latin America. For the first time, one of their own is serving as pope, providing a visible reminder of the importance the region plays in the global church.

But after a century in which nearly all Latin Americans identified as Catholic, the church’s claim on the region is lessening.

A sweeping new survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center, finds that 69 percent of Latin American adults say they are Catholic, down from an estimated 90 percent for much of the 20th century. The decline appears to have accelerated recently: Eight-four percent of those surveyed said they were raised Catholic, meaning there has been a 15-percentage-point drop-off in one generation.

Lucila Herrer and Ricardo Romero attending Mass in Brooklyn. Before long, Hispanics are expected to make up a majority of American Catholics.Religion in America: Even as U.S. Hispanics Lift Catholicism, Many Are Leaving the Church BehindMAY 7, 2014
The findings are not a total surprise — it has been evident for some time that evangelical, and particularly Pentecostal, churches are growing in Latin America, generally at the expense of Catholicism. But the Pew study, which was conducted by in-person interviews with 30,000 adults in 18 countries and Puerto Rico, provides significant evidence for the trend, and shows that it is both broad and rapid.

more at link

[niyad]

1. are we supposed to see this as a bad thing?

[cbayer]

2. You can see it as anything you want, I guess.

It's just data.

[Arugula Latte]

3. Leaving the RCC = good. Embracing nutty evangelical Protestantism = bad.

If they'd just left the church and didn't replace it with any other religious nonsense, that would be great.

Just my two cents, of course.

[niyad]

4. agreed!

[cbayer]

5. That's highly unlikely to happen.

The only thing consistently correlated with religiosity is level of poverty.

People in Latin America are poor for the most part. They have problems we can't even imagine.

Maybe if we really paid attention and helped them find a way out they would leave their religions.

Or we could just call their beliefs nutty and nonsense and dismiss them.

[bvf]

6. It's a good thing

but worrisome that some equally delusional belief system sweeps in to fill the void.
Interesting to see the cannibalistic nature of religion at work. Sad, but interesting.

[cbayer]

7. Can you define delusional in the way you are using it?

Also, please define cannibalistic in this context and explain how it relates to what is happening here.

If you choose not to, then I will assume this was just some poo slinging and let it go.

Thanks in advance.

[bvf]

8. I'm using "cannabalistic" in the colloquial sense.

Surely you've learned the meaning of "colloquial" by now, having been corrected previously.

And you know full well the definition of "delusional" as I use it. Not colloquial, but certainly not your definition of choice. That's your problem, not anyone else's.

You're welcome.

[cbayer]

9. "Surely you've learned the meaning of 'colloquial' by now, having been

corrected previously".

I am merely an ignorant student at your feet awaiting more pearls of wisdom. You may have to repeat things for me, as I am slow and dense.

Now, the colloquial definition of cannibalism would seem to be that something is eating it's own. I'm not sure how that applies in this context. Who is eating what? Are catholics eating protestants? Are latinos eating other latinos?

I really don't know the definition you are using for delusional. When you say "not colloquial", do you mean that religious believers are psychotic? Are you suggesting that 88% of the earth's population has a psychotic illness and that you are one of the few that has been spared?

[bvf]

10. Go to the back of the class.

"Now, the colloquial definition of cannibalism would seem to be that something is eating it's (sic) own."

Wrong. You seem to have forgotten (or more likely are consciously choosing to ignore) what "colloquial" means. Whoever said you tend to choose your own meanings for words was evidently quite correct.

I'd ask that you secure access to some sort of dictionary, look up a few words, and stop wasting everyone's time until you've done so.

Here's a nice vocabulary list for you to start with:

Cannibalize
Delusion
Colloquial

"You may have to repeat some things for me, as I am slow and dense."

Your words, not mine.

[cbayer]

11. Oh, no! Not the back of the class!

Do I have to wear the dunce cap, too?

It is much more likely that I had forgotten than I am consciously choosing to ignore things you have said.

Who said I choose my own meanings for words? Lemme at 'em!

How can I get to a dictionary? Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

In the meantime, I'm going to stick with cannibalize meaning eating your own, delusion meaning a firmly held belief in something when there is clear evidence that it is not true, and colloquial meaning common.

But surely if these are not what you mean, you can tell me what your definitions are. You, on the other hand, seem to be having a great deal of trouble providing any definitions in this context.

I just hate it when I waste everyone's time. After I am done with the back of the class, I shall proceed to the shame corner.

Please find it in your heart to forgive me for being so slow and dense. I know it must be terribly difficult to reach all the way down to my level, but I beg you not to give up on me.

[bvf]

12. There's only one reasonable response to such childishness.

[cbayer]

13. What would it be? You can tell me right after you give me

your definitions.

I'll wait right here.

And if you don't, then I will reiterate my initial response to you. Without your further defining what you are trying to say, one can only conclude that your comments were no more than poo slinging. They are without substance.

And that is exactly where I would put my bet.

[cbayer]

14. OMG! You edited your post a full five minutes after I responded to it.

And you call me childish?

I know you hate them, but this smiley is for you.