Can we have a thread concerning the sociological reasons behind the explosive growth of Protestant Christianity - particularly, evangelicals - in Mexico (and Latin America), at the cost of traditional Catholicism? It's a very interesting phenomenon, I think. Regions that one would usually associate with Catholicism are increasingly converting to Protestantism: for example, in the Mexican states of Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Campeche, and Tabasco. In Chiapas, the Protestant population now encompasses ~15% of the population, and very likely will exceed 20% in the next few years!
My question is: what's behind this dramatic shift? Again, I'm asking this from a sociological perspective.
Don't bother posting if you're going to start with the "Protty vs. Catholic" trash, or yell "heretics!11!!1" or "pagans!!111". I want this to be a serious discussion. Seriously, don't bother - take it to /pol/ or /x/ if you have to.,
>Don't bother posting if you're going to start with the "Protty vs. Catholic" trash, or yell "heretics!11!!1" or "pagans!!111". I want this to be a serious discussion. Seriously, don't bother - take it to /pol/ or /x/ if you have to.
Can you read?
Robert Thompson
It was a smartass comment, but I didn't think it started that debate so much as it was just an attempt at some degenerate atheist humor.
Chase Jenkins
Illiteracy and extreme poverty.
The perfect recipe for barely christian indians to get talked into this wonderful religion by le smiling face od le happy ameriprotestant preacher.
That's how sects operate. The worse thing is that those poor indians are being converted to the burger version of protestantism.
David Adams
>The worse thing is that those poor indians are being converted to the burger version of protestantism. Indeed, they should be following their own paths, like Kanaima, Quimbanda, and Palo.
Honestly the "Catholicism" of the new world Christians has always been dubious. Americans and Canadians pick and choose the most comfortable beliefs to have from Catholicism, and the rest add a bunch of weird cultish practices to the mix.
Aiden Perry
I've noticed that China is also experiencing a familiar conversion to Protestant Christianity. Although I out this down to protestant tendency to focus on the individual, and encouragement (or at least toleration) of materialism.
With Latin America, I put it down to the current Pope being an idiot.
This is true. The amount of native practices which have been inserted into """catholic""" rituals is simply crazy.
>Americans pick and choose the most comfortable beliefs to have from Catholicism
Really?
Cooper Bailey
I don't know the answer probably because catholicism is too lax and protestants more fervent in their faith and try to convert people.
As a Brazilian atheist: The good thing is that they are very anti-communist the bad thing is that they are also anti-science.
Evan Reed
american evangelical missionaries with a "fun" interpretation of religion that engages people more than the older tradition (lots of singing and rejoicing, speaking in tongues etc.)
Owen Wood
At least in Brazil, the growth of Protestantism is because the only people who were doing any kind of social work and overreach in the favelas a few decades ago were Evangelical preachers. Catholic priests never cared, even left-wing activists didn't care much, meanwhile churches were being built in shantytowns and other places no one went.
>Mexican states of Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Campeche, and Tabasco
Aren't these mostly poor states? It seems to follow the same pattern as Brazil. Protestants go to places where no one else want to go to convert.
>Catholic Church membership rose from 2 million in 1900 to 140 million in 2000.[1] In 2005, the Catholic Church in Africa, including Eastern Catholic Churches, embraced approximately 135 million of the 809 million people in Africa. In 2009, when Pope Benedict XVI visited Africa, it was estimated at 158 million.[2] Most belong to the Latin Church, but there are also millions of members of the Eastern Catholic Churches. By 2025, one-sixth (230 million) of the world's Catholics are expected to be Africans.[3]
Another example. During this last decade Brazil has been receiving Haitian and Venezuelan refugees. They arrive here without anything, the government doesn't do much for them and civil society is also mostly blind to their concerns.
But not Protestant churches. They go after these refugees, lend them support and they in turn go to the churches. That's how they do, that's how they have always done. Go after the marginalized, the forgotten people, and there are too much of them in Latin America.
Charles Miller
>Eastern Catholic Churches I am no expert but I suspect this should read christian and not catholic
Christopher Fisher
Yeah, it's called cafateria catholicism, and it is rampant throughout the 1st world Catholic people. Just look up how many "Catholics" use contraception. Somewhere around 82% believe that contraception is morally acceptable, and let's not get started on the people who think the Pope is gonna let gays get married soon.
>Another reason behind the success of Catholicism in Africa has been its willingness to be inclusive and syncretize local traditions into the broader framework of Catholic faith. Examples include churches decorated with pictures of Jesus depicted as an African, and unique liturgical styles—such as the so-called “Congolese Rite”—being approved by Rome, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Protestants don't have any central doctrine they have to adhere to. Granted, most of them believe that the Bible is inerrant and thus you must follow it, but since interpretation is up to the individual any perception of picking and choosing tends to be more of a matter of interpretation than a deliberate rejection of doctrine. Not that it still doesn't happen though (aka most liberal Christians
My guess would have to be that there are just more people to convert. Catholics in regions with large Protestant populations are likely going to be Catholics who have consciously decided to remain Catholic, as opposed to Catholics in regions that have historically been very Catholic and not very exposed to Protestantism This would be less applicable to say European Catholics, who have already sort of drawn the line on Protestantism.
Dominic Robinson
Reminds me of early Christian/Catholic accommodation of Roman/European pagan practices and cultural identities as way to grow/get accepted by the community
Julian Reyes
My fucking church is pathetic. For years they asked us to donate to send missionaries to fucking indonesia and this year I look up the country and its already fucking 99% christian.
WTF is that shit?
Send them to god damn sweden where we need them.
I get the feeling most of these missionaries are just virtue signaling like SJWs do.
They are actually needed in the EU.
Alexander Garcia
> indonesia is a big muslim country idiot.
Carson Perez
i'm speaking of a specific country in the region.
Parker Adams
indonesia is the region, indonesia is the country. its muslim.
Jackson Wood
Are you retarded? Indonesia is a Muslim nation.
They beat the fuck out of Christians over there.
Gavin Lopez
The Lord has forsaken the EU for various reasons, unless Europeans repent for their sins. The Lord loves Indonesia, despite Christians are the minority there. The Mohammedans forbid the worship and a terrible earthquake happened. Sympathy for the victims, but that's what you get when you anger the Lord. The Lord's Power is real over that country. It has been shown repeatedly with His devout followers exorcising foul "Eastern spirits" and anyone who made a deal with them. Praise Jesus.
Xavier Watson
you're more of an idiot than the guy that somehow looked up indonesia and found out it was christian.
Anthony Carter
doesn't seem to be the experience in africa though
Nathan Green
my little experience of african religion is that they love the idea of "adam and steve" as the way to point out why being gay is bad.
literally the most homophobic continent on earth.
Austin Ward
A related thing is happening in some varieties of Chinese and SE Asian Christianity, sometimes to the point of losing Christian identity, e.g. Jesus incorporated into local pantheons
Joseph Sanders
African branches of Anglicanism have threatened to schism over the liberalisation of many Anglican/Episcopalian denominations in the west.
Jason Green
just nuke africa, literally solves like 3% of our problems but its progress.
Isaac Wood
If it's more recent it might have to do with the Pope. In my understanding Southern Mexico is more conservative, and a liberal Pope might be alienating lower-income people there. It might be that Protestantism is doing mission work over there to get converts.
Angel Sanchez
What kind of proddiedom are they converting to mainly? Speaking-in-tongues Pentecostal varieties?
Nathan Martin
mostly muslim or jehovah witness desu. why?
Isaiah Carter
It's up to you to believe it or not, but don't call other people an idiot improperly. An idiot means having an intellectual disability, albeit a rude and archaic one. Saying so would not only insult me, but also the intellectually disabled, yourself, and the Lord above you for giving you a mouth to speak properly (or rather, the hands to type properly). It is easy to get caught by the Veeky Forums 'rage' mentality, but Christians musn't let such influences tempt us away from what the Lord wants us to be, as the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Mason Howard
>jw >proddy
Jack Smith
you have the right to call me an idiot. idiot means what you want and i'm not talking about disabled people. i dont believe in god so your paragraph is mostly redundant. desu most christians ive met arent "salt of the earth" or "light of the world". convert me big boy.
Brayden Bennett
>your whore mother >your idiocy.
Wow, i can make greentext too.
Now fuck off, big boy.
Evan Gonzalez
Because protestants are the only groups proselytising there. Catholics and Orthodox dont, Catholics focus on Africa and Asia and Orthodox tend to rely on established priests or pastors coming to them and converting then bringing their parishes with them.
This is what happens when your church gets used to government doing the conversion for you.
Christopher Jackson
it's just the first step towards atheism. you deny key doctrines of the Church, then it's a slippery slope.
