SO, WHAT ABOUT RELIGION?

Maria has heard the calling. She spends every Saturday at her local Adventist church, praising the Lord. She has found a good husband who pays ten percent of their monthly income to this church. She is raising two children in the Adventist spirit, which also means that her kids attend the school run by the Adventists. Lately, she thinks that it would be best for everyone not to eat meat. For some time already, she has given up on alcohol and also wants her husband to do the same.

Like Maria, many people across Bolivia and Latin America in general have become members of a Protestant congregation. Be it the Adventists, the Pentecostal church, the Mormons, or smaller, locally founded congregations, protestant movements are growing in popularity in Latin America  (Dove, 2013). According to surveys, up to 25 % of the Bolivian population are part of Protestant congregations (Eju, 2011; La Razon, 2012). About 341 of such congregations are registered in the country at the moment (La Razon, 2012).

Politically and socially, these movements have filled niches in Bolivia: They are new actors that provide an alternative to the traditional synthesis of religion, politics, society, and economy (Knowlton, 1991). Also, these actors fill the considerable gaps in the provision of basic services such as schooling and nutrition, particularly in the countryside (ibid.).

The Protestant congregations are growing rapidly since they are more proactive than the Catholic Church in recruiting participants, and they are closer to people’s everyday worries (Peralta, 2013; SFChronicle, 2001). The Protestant priests usually stem from the local community and celebrate their faith in ways that fit with the local culture (SFChronicle, 2001).

Furthermore, the congregations function as “surrogate communities”, providing security in difficult socio-economic circumstances (Peralta, 2013). This explains why particularly migrants from rural areas are drawn to these communities (ibid.). El Alto, an important arrival town for migrants from the highlands, is the city with the highest membership in Protestant churches in Bolivia (ibid.).
 

A Protestant  Ministry in Cochabamba

With these Protestant churches, new ideas have been brought to Bolivia, such as vegetarianism or abstinence from alcohol (Knowlton, 1991). Since Protestant congregations have not been around for a long time in comparison to the Catholic Church, it will be interesting to observe how these communities shape people’s values and everyday lives in the long run.
The Protestant congregations are also new institutional actors in Bolivia’s social and political landscape, and their emergence echoes deeper conflicts and problems, such as the lack of basic services and the dominant role of the Catholic Church (Knowlton, 1991). The emergence of radical Protestant communities might add the distinction between believers and non-believers to the multitude of social distinctions in Bolivia.
Another issue that is problematic in social terms is the customary payment of the “diezmo”, ten percent of the monthly income, to the congregation. The “diezmo” is seen as a proof of one’s faith (Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Días, 2013), but it is an economic burden on the population of the poorest country in South America. While the priests raise a considerable income through the “diezmo”, the mass of believers might just be sacked of the income they would need for covering their needs.
All in all, the rapid growth of Protestant congregations is an issue to be observed when critically analysing Bolivian society.

 

REFERENCES

Dove, S. (2013). Protestantism in Latin America. Retrieved from http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199766581/obo-9780199766581-0087.xml

Eju TV (2011). Bolivia. Destacan el elevado indice de Cristianos en el eje central; el 81 % es catolico. Retrieved from http://eju.tv/2011/04/bolivia-destacan-el-elevado-ndice-de-cristianos-en-el-eje-central-el-81-es-catlico/

Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Días (2013). Las bendiciones del diezmo. Retrieved from http://www.lds.org/liahona/2013/03/the-blessings-of-tithing?lang=spa

SFChronicle (2001). Bolivia’s Christian Soldiers. Retrieved from http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Bolivia-s-Christian-Soldiers-Protestant-2969986.php#page-1

Knowlton, D. C. (1991). Social and Political Issues of Protestantism in Bolivia. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/2007637/SOCIAL_AND_POLITICAL_ISSUES_OF_PROTESTANTISM_IN_BOLIVIA

La Razon (2012). Evangelicos piden que el diezmo esté fuera del control tributario. Retrieved from http://www.la-razon.com/nacional/Evangelicos-piden-diezmo-control-tributario_0_1565843446.html

Peralta, P. (2013). Fieles religiosos en Bolivia. Aun prevalecen los catolicos pero hay un repunte de los evangelicos. Retrieved from http://www.lafronterados.com/2013/05/los-fieles-religiosos-en-bolivia-aun.html