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What are the religions in Peru and how have they affected the culture and social change? With a dual personality, religion in this South American nation can be seen as good or bad. Here's what some research reveals about Peruvian attitudes towards religion.
Be that as it may, religion has played a
significan role in the social and cultural development of society in the following timeline:
Census
2007
showed Religion in Peru as:
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The main religions in Peru are nominally of the Christian religion,
with Roman Catholicism being the dominant one.
Catholicism, which came to this country along with the conquistadores,
met with
the Inca polytheistic religion and resulted in a mixture of the
two.
This amalgamation of Catholic and tribal beliefs exists presently
throughout the country in different
mixtures and concentrations.
The Andean original religions attached a high value on helping others,
such as the poor, and encouraged full respect for nature.
As pointed out by author José Carlos
Mariategui
in 1968, "The fundamental features of religion
Inkaiko (Inca and Quechua Indians) are your theocratic collectivism and
materialism ... the Religion of the Quechua was a moral code rather
than a metaphysical
concept... the State and the church were indistinguishable; religion
and politics recognized the same principles and the same authority."
The first meeting between Catholic authority and Inca authority was
when Father Valverde met with
the head Inca, Atahualpa.
Valverde gave Atahualpa a copy of the Catholic Catechism, saying it was
the Word of God.
When the Inca put the book to his ear and failed to hear God's voice,
he then threw the book to the ground.
According to the records, Father Valverde then shouted to the Spanish
forces who were hidden and ready to attack,
"Santiago, attack them, I absolve you!"
This cry of a military attack was the first episode where the Catholic
Church acted in coordination with the Spanish soldiers to invade and
conquer the Inca Empire - social change of a definitely negative character.
Catholicism - at 81.3% is the religion that traditionally identifies Peruvian society.
Peru Religion and Social Change |
![]() "Virgen
de la Candelaria" festivities in Puno
|
The Peruvian Catholic Church hosts many festivals that are
often combined and confused with native religious celebrations .
However, even though the Catholic religion as a whole is in the
majority throughout the Peruvian cultural areas, in actual practice, it is very diverse; rituals,
symbols, beliefs, and festivals differ significantly from one area to
another.
Called "popular religion," this
is a synthesis of Catholicism and pre-Hispanic practices.
At times, it is difficult to see any vestige of Christianity in the
holy day festivities of individual "Catholic" communities (note the photos with the various names and
renditions of the Virgin Mary festivals).
The spread of Catholicism began when the Spanish conquerors arrived to
the territory that later became known as Peru in the sixteenth century.
Peru Religion and Social Change |
![]() Paucartambo
- Fiesta de la "Virgen del Carmen"
|
Imposed by force on the natives, the Catholic religion accompanied the
arrival of the Spanish conquistadors and was partner in the
distribution of profits and extracted gold and other riches from the
Incas.
The Spanish colonists who arrived later in Peru continued the pattern
of their predecessors, imposing the doctrines of the Church on what
they termed the "pagans or gentiles."
The Spanish clergy destroyed most of the cultural heritage of the Inca Andean
religion by their actions, called by themselves the "extirpation of
idolatry." (see Inca Art)
Writing in 1986, author Pierre Duviols states, "To theologians of the
sixteenth century Spain, the American peoples of the civilized realms -
such as the Mayas and the Incas - were considered heathens, or
gentiles, in much the same way as the ancient Greeks and Romans in the
1st century.
Like those ancient cultures, these New World natives worshiped many
gods or idols. The Andean people as well as each of the Amazonian
tribes had its own mythology,
religion, and explanations of the origin of the universe, the events
after death, miracles of healing, etc.
These native religions were deemed "idolatrous" and thus
open to violent persecution which came in the form of slavery and even
worse during the Spanish Inquisition in Peru.
Ironically, the Peruvian Constitution officially recognizes the
"contribution of Catholic
religion" in the formation of the Peruvian nation.
Peru Religion - Religions in Peru |
![]() "Virgen
de la Candelaria" festivities in Puno, Peru
|
Protestant and evangelical churches came to Peru with European immigrants and Americans involved in the distribution of the Bible and their doctrines, introducing a new climate of religion and social change.
One who stands out among these is Diego Thomson, a Scottish citizen who arrived at the port of Callao in Peru on June 28, 1822. Thomson had been invited by the liberator of Peru, General Jose de San Martín.
San Martín's plan was for Thomson to organize a system in Peru for training school teachers in order to develop general education, which up until that time had been reserved only for the wealthy.
Not a member of the upper classes himself, Martín emphasized the need for education and social change.
Peru Religion - Religion in Peru |
![]() Paucartambo
- Fiesta de la "Virgen del Carmen"
|
Later, a major promoter of the Christian faith was Francisco Penzotti.
A believer in religion and social change, Penzotti was
an Italian missionary who came to Peru in July 1888.
Efforts on the part of Penzotti to make the Bible available to the
masses also provided an entrance into Peru for the first time of
protestant Bible societies and translators, stimulating a new era of
religion and social change.
Now, mainline Protestant churches such as the Anglican, Presbyterian,
Lutheran, and Methodists have a definite but limited presence.
Along with the Spanish Conquerors and Colonization came slaves to work
the land. Among these were many Africans. Known today as Afro-Peruvians
or Afro-Peruanos, these brought their own religious beliefs
and customs
depending on the tribe they were from.
The Chinese arrived in the first half of the nineteenth century.
The Jews, Arabs, Turkish, and Japanese communities each contributed a
small share to Peru religion and social change
In review, then, religion in Peru currently includes the Catholic and
Protestant religions, Buddhism, Islam,
and the Hindu religion, as well as other influential religions such as that
of Jehovah's Witnesses and the LDS, as well as a smattering of
other religious and tribal groups.
See also: |
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