anonymousaggie

[anonymousaggie]

Latino Religion and Culture

A brief history and the importance of religion.

Religion and Culture tremendously affect Latinos in many different ways. Religion is a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices. For example, Christians believe that Jesus came to earth to live a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, then rose on the third day. These believers worship Jesus for what he did and continues to do in their lives. They do this by going to church once or twice a week, attending prayer services, and reading their Bibles. It is found that Latinos are predominantly Christian and they practice as Roman Catholics. In this blog, I will be discussing and evaluating how Latinos were exposed to Roman Catholicism and the variety of beliefs plus the contrast between other Christian denominations. I will also review how religion impacts the cultural values of Latino society. 

Some of you may ask, how did Roman Catholicism get introduced to the United States? Around the 1500s, the Spanish explorers settled from Florida to the state of California. This included many missionaries trying to Christianize the land in order to come together as one body in the area in which they were living in. As believers in God, it was their duty to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to whoever they could in hopes these people would convert to the Catholic faith. (Matovina, 2015).

Secondly, I would like to talk about Roman Catholicism. According to Infoplease, Roman Catholicism “comprises the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. It stands under the authority of the bishop of Rome, the pope, and is led by him and bishops who are held to be, through ordination, successors of Peter and the apostles. Doctrine and sacraments are administered by the hierarchy of archbishops, bishops, priests, and deacons. As the successor to Peter, the pope is considered the Vicar of Christ. Roman Catholics believe their church to be the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church, possessing all the properties of the one, true church of Christ.” A catholic’s daily activities include prayer, lighting candles, and confessing their sins to the priest, then repenting. This religion, along with many others, requires true discipline to consistently increase faith, or the strong belief in God, or in the doctrines of a religion based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. (Roman Catholicism 2022).

You will find many differences when comparing Roman Catholicism to many other Christian denominations. For example, Catholics confess their sins to the priest and believe that they will in turn carry the weight of sin in the church until the day that the priest, then will confess all to God. When researching denominations such as Baptist, Non-Denominational, and Assembly of God, many times you will find that the body of the church directly confesses all they have done wrong to God, whether through the private time of prayer or during a Sunday morning service. Another thing you will find different is the way of baptism. Baptism is believed to be a way of signifying that one died with Christ and raises again as a new and improved Christian. In the Catholicism faith, baptism is practiced within a few weeks of birth and it is the sprinkling of water on a baby’s forehead. In the rest of these bodies, full immersion is required along with being able to comprehend the act of baptism. You must first repent for your sins and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, then baptism follows in order to confirm your faith in a public setting (usually church).

In Catholicism, there is a concept known as purgatory, and to Catholics, it is generally believed that when someone passes away if they, there are three places to go: Heaven, Purgatory, or Hell. Catholics believe that if one does not immediately make it to Heaven, they are suffering in Purgatory. Purgatory is a place or state of suffering inhabited by the souls of sinners who are expiating their sins before going to heaven: During this time, that person’s family and friends may give donations and make prayers to help their loved ones pass through purgatory faster. When thinking about this on the level that devout Catholics do, it can be seen that the relationships formed here on Earth matter more to them than to the average non-religious or non-catholic person. This may even show why family is seen as so important to Latinos, especially those who come from a Catholic background. Family may be expected to make contributions when a loved one passes to ensure that their time in purgatory is held to a minimum and they can enter into the kingdom of Heaven. This may not be the exact reason but it makes a lot of sense as to why Latinos hold family very near and dear to their hearts, and as to why family is seen to be so valuable. (Meadows, 2019).

Many Latino cultures revolve around family and it is shown that family is of great value to them. In many celebrations, if not all of them, family is heavily involved in all of the processes and events. In Latin America, Religion is a pillar of society that dictates how most Latinos live their lives. The traditions and practices of what is usually Catholicism are passed down from generation to generation which acts as a rope that ties families together. It is also common to have multiple generations of a family under the same roof and when a child moves out it is not uncommon for them to stay near their family because of how important they are to each other. (Nicole CanúnFreelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish AcademyBlogger, 2022).

The link posted here is a video of myself giving my thoughts on how religion is very important to the Latino culture. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KYbNLXPNSK5qSbr5FXNifAVZY61oUwgT/view?usp=share_link 

Performance of a Catholic Mass

What a typical confession of sins looks like

A great majority of Latinos are Catholic or come from a Catholic background

Catholics differ from other forms of Christianity in that they do not perform full water submersion baptisms and baptize children when they are very young.

Latinos are the prominent minority in the Catholic faith although the number of Latinos who identify as Catholic is said to be falling

Religion brings love and unity to the Latino community

The last source listed below contains a video link that talks about the possible relationship between family, religion, and the longevity of life that many Latinos enjoy. It is also interesting to know that many Latinos live about 3.3 years longer than whites and 7 years longer than African Americans. (The 'Hispanic paradox' explained: Faith and family key to longevity advantage for Latinos 2020).

Sources: 

Matovina, T. (2015, September 3). Latino catholicism. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://oxfordre.com/americanhistory/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001.0001/acrefore-9780199329175-e-4  

Infoplease. (n.d.). Roman Catholicism. Infoplease. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://www.infoplease.com/religion/roman-catholicism  

Meadows, C. (2019, September 24). Pray for the holy souls in purgatory with your family. Teaching Catholic Kids. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://www.teachingcatholickids.com/praying-for-the-holy-souls-in-purgatory-with-your-family/#:~:text=The%20Church%20teaches%20after%20death,holy%20sacrifice%20of%20the%20Mass  

Nicole CanúnFreelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish AcademyBlogger. (2022, January 18). The powerful role of family in Hispanic culture [unlike U.S. culture]. Homeschool Spanish Academy. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://www.spanish.academy/blog/the-powerful-role-of-family-in-hispanic-culture-unlike-u-s-culture/  

YouTube. (2020, November 23). The 'Hispanic paradox' explained: Faith and family key to longevity advantage for Latinos. YouTube. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZZJwIbWBr4&t=78s

[anonymousaggie]

The Impact of Latinos in Baseball

The sport of baseball has a long and intriguing history that is not known to many or cared for by others. While the original creator of baseball is unknown the origins are uncertain many different variations of a game in the past combined in order to create what we know today as baseball. The closest person we have to the creator of baseball is a man named Alexander Joy Cartwright who formulated a set of rules which are similar to the basis of the game in the present day. After reading that I’m sure you are wondering what that has to do with Latinos and what they have to do with baseball but that will all come with due time.

When baseball was in its early form in the United States segregation was an unfair and common practice that plagued the country. Due to this, there were entirely separate leagues for anyone who was not white and these players were barely paid and certainly nothing near what those who were white and in the major leagues were being paid, meanwhile, these men were treated as less than human and trash. While there were a few Latinos who were able to slip through the color barrier because of their skin tone many continued to play in Latin America where the racial tensions were not as intense. When Jackie Robinson finally broke the color barrier things started progressing and the movement for civil rights was in motion. Although Jackie Robinson was not Latino he paved the way for many Latino men who were not seen as white to have a way into the major leagues and to even be seen as equals. It was not easy at first and there were many forms of resistance to this merging but eventually, these men would become family to each other on their teams which helped to gain support for the movement for equality. 

When this barrier was broken there was an incredible influx of Latino players in the league which even allowed for the expansion of teams from 16 to 24, and in today’s game, there are 30 teams, almost double the size of the all-white MLB. This heavily improved the popularity of  Latinos in baseball and there were even superstars emerging in the league such as Adolfo Lugue, and eventually, Roberto Clemente who was a hall of fame inductee. When looking at baseball today there is a tournament called the World Baseball Classic which has recently expanded to 20 teams as of this year and still 6 of those teams are from Latin America. These teams also had some of the most impressive outings and many of the players on these teams are currently some of the top players in the MLB. Just in Houston the Astros are made up of a majority of Latino players and some of them are huge names and influences in the community such as Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez.

Many of the Latino baseball players in the world aspire to play in the Major leagues and frequently make up some of the most skilled and talented players on the planet. Even if you are not a fan of baseball there are many household names that can still be recognized because of the impact they had on baseball, such as David Ortiz or Albert Pujols. The demographic of the MLB actually shows Latinos as having the second highest population in the league at 31.9% and the highest minority population of the league with African Americans being second at 7.7%. This is a drastic increase from the days of Jim Crow and these numbers are sure to rise in the years to come. The influence of Latino players can be seen across the league anywhere from Latin music being played in stadiums as walk-up songs or to get the crowd excited to Latin languages being used to talk to players and make calls. Another impact that has been brought from Latin America is the excitement of the game, it is no surprise that some find baseball boring and don’t enjoy sitting through games but with Latin excitement that's been introduced this energy has made games more enjoyable. 

There is no doubt that baseball would not be the same as it is today without the impact, fire, development, and passion for the game brought about by our Latin-American friends. As time goes on these numbers will only continue to increase and the number of household Latino names will rise. Baseball was an outlet for fun and family but contributed to gaining rights for minorities across the country, especially those of Latin origin, and through this game, and more this country can continue to unite and break through the struggles and inequalities we face today. 

The chart above shows the ethnic makeup of the MLB

Shown above is Roberto Clemente who was the first Latino player to be inducted into the Major Leauge Hall of Fame

Jackie Robinson:  the first African American to play in the Major Leagues

Jose Altuve in the World Baseball Classic playing with his home country

Chicago Negroe Leauge team

There are two videos linked below in the last two links on Latinos in baseball and a short video on previous Latino player David Ortiz. (I apologize I could not find a shorter video but I think it is awesome!)

Sources

Who invented baseball? - history. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2023, from https://www.history.com/news/who-invented-baseball 

Brown, A. (2022, July 05). MLB player demographics. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://routine.com/blogs/press-box/mlb-player-demographics#:~:text=According%20to%20Infogram%20%7C%20MLB%20Players,Asian%2FOther%20%2D%202.9%25 

Baseball across borders. (2021, July 06). Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://americanhistory.si.edu/pleibol/pastime-am%C3%A9ricas/baseball-across-borders 

Baseball across borders. (2021, July 06). Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://americanhistory.si.edu/pleibol/pastime-am%C3%A9ricas/baseball-across-borders 

Hoh, A. (2018, July 30). Batting 1000: The Influence of Latinos and Latin Americans in MLB: 4 corners of the world. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2018/07/batting-1000-the-influence-of-latinos-and-latin-americans-in-mlb/ 

Lee, L. (2023, January 20). From the barrios to the big leagues: The Latino impact on the MLB. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.ketv.com/article/clarified-the-latino-impact-on-the-mlb/41338849 

Baseball across borders. (2021, July 06). Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://americanhistory.si.edu/pleibol/pastime-am%C3%A9ricas/baseball-across-borders