Catholicism and Christianity

The church my mom belongs to now is called the Iglesia Bautista Shalom which translates as the Baptist Church Shalom. It is a denomination of the Baptist religion, which is a denomination of Christianity. My mom’s church is based in my hometown of Highland Park in LA. Los Angeles, CA is one of the most diverse cities in the state. It is diverse culturally and religiously. Being so, I wondered what made my mom choose a Christian church to give her faith and loyalty to than to stick with her original Catholic roots.  By dividing up the Christian religion, denominationalism helped my mom find her religious identity in this specific Latino denomination.

I was baptized when I was a baby. My mom had her doubts about her Catholic identity, but her traditional beliefs still said that I would go to hell if I died without being baptized. As a baby, you do not have any real thoughts nor beliefs. I did not believe in God when I was 8 months old. In fact, there would be many years to come before I actually believed in a God. Why was my mom baptizing me into a religion she didn’t believe in herself? In Catholicism, anyone can receive a baptism (1). It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from or how old you are. In United States history, we can see that Catholicism has always been a leading force. The religion has evolved over the centuries to accommodate more people by making it easier to understand. During the 20th century, many Latino peoples immigrated to the United States and joined the Catholic communities. Today, the Latino peoples make up 30% of Catholics in America. The main reason that Latino people joined the Catholic church after they immigrated here was because it was “the church of their ancestors.” (2) However, it was also “an institution whose leadership failed to address their needs adequately.” Perhaps it was because the Catholic church was not as involved in their follower’s lives. The Vatican Council II made some reforms to the religion during the years 1962-1965. One of the major changes it made was the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, which allowed people to worship in the vernacular. (3) This change in the Catholic religion helped Latinos feel more at home and less discriminated against by their Anglo & European American predecessors. However, there were still a number of Latinos converting to Christianity.

Christian denominations such as the Pentecostals and the Baptists started their mission work in the Spanish-speaking world in the beginning of the 20th century. (4) Their theology was different of the Catholic’s in that they had a believer’s church viewpoint, which basically meant that their community was completely voluntary. Unlike the Catholic church, these denominations have a concept of “priesthood of all believers” which means that church members have a roles in their church. (5) In these denominations, people have an “opportunity to find a space to serve, contribute, develop skills, and take leadership responsibilities. (6) Most Latino Protestant churches are small with less than one hundred regular members. (7) These smaller Christian denominations were much more intimate with their followers than the Catholic church, which is one of the reasons my mom was so compelled to join her current church. Latino congregations hold several bible studies and prayer meetings during the week, which lets the pastors get to know their followers on a personal level. (8) Before the 1960s in states like Texas, there was a strong sense of anti-Catholicism. (9) This anti-Catholicism stemmed from Martin Luther, and other Protestant leaders, who spread “histories of the Catholic church that portrayed the papal office as a seedbed of corruption, blasphemy, and violence.” (10) The Christian Church did not like that they were influencing people with the pope. Some Protestants would walk around with their Bible ready to pull out a verse to Catholics. The tension between the two churches waned during and after the sixties in part due to the Vatican Council II. The Christian church liked that the Council increased the importance of the Bible in the Catholic Church. (11) Protestant churches also adopted some Catholic worship practices such as the sacramental and symbolic nature of worship. (12) The Civil Rights movement and farmworker strikes also brought Latino Protestants and Latino Catholics together. They faced the same discrimination similar to the Jewish people having a common suffering. After the 1960s, events like quinceñeras, which were seen as Catholic rituals, became a part of the Mexican-American Protestantism. (13)

My mom can be seen at bible studies and Sunday service every week. She said her pastor knows when she is not there, unlike Catholic priests who probably don’t know your name. A reason that this Christian denomination could have compelled her is that her old Catholic views had similarities with the early Christian way of doing things. (14) The main reason my mom joined this new church is that is has a stronger sense of community. Denominationalism helped her find her religious identity.

1. "Catechism of the Catholic Church" Catechism of the Catholic Church. Line 1246. Web. 23 Aug. 2013.
2. Barton, Paul. "The Relationship Between Los Protestants and Catholicism." Hispanic Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists in Texas. Austin: University of Texas, 2006. 115-36. Print.
3. Barton, 128-130
4. Martínez, Juan F. "Church: A Latino/a Protestant Prospective." Handbook of Latina/o Theologies. Ed. Edwin D. Aponte. St. Louis, MO: Chalice, 2006. 50-57. Print.
5. Martínez, 54
6. Martínez, 53
7. Martínez, 53
8. Martínez, 54
9. Barton, 119
10. Barton, 119
11. Barton, 126
12. Barton, 126
13. Barton, 126
14. Rodríguez, Jeanette. "Church: A Roman Catholic Prospective." Handbook of Latina/o Theologies. Ed. Edwin D. Aponte. St. Louis, MO: Chalice, 2006. 40-49. Print.