Bolivia has a very large Catholic population. Depending on what sources you check, the country is anywhere from roughly 70% to 90% Catholic. But what exactly does that mean? Often times what one person thinks of as Catholic is not what another person does. The same thing can be said about Christianity and just about anything else in the world. That is why facts and definitions matter, but sadly we don't often bother with these details much to our detriment.
A great example of this in regards to Catholicism is a girl named Rosalinda (she is with Liz in a video in previous post). Liz and I befriended Rosalinda while we were in Bolivia. She is 11 years old just like Liz so they had a lot in common even though they were from different countries and cultures. I personally loved her happy countenance and joy even in the midst of difficult circumstances in her life. One of the days while there, I was talking to John with Food for the Hungry. Rosalinda came and sat on my lap so I started talking with her via John who served as the translator. After several questions, I asked Rosalinda if she went to church. Initially she said no and then said yes indicating she went to a Catholic church. It was obvious from her answer that she didn't go often, but that she thought of herself as a Catholic. I then asked her to tell me who Jesus is. Her reply was startling -- she didn't know who Jesus was! I mean she had never heard of Him. John then proceeded to share the good news of Jesus Christ with her. As he told the story of Jesus, she became so fixated on what he was telling her that she stood up. From my angle it almost appeared that she was about to cry. She had never heard the story of Jesus! Praise God that John (and I) were able to share the good news with her and pray that He will call her through the Word to Himself.
The key fact remained that she considered herself a Catholic yet did not know who Jesus was. This situation is due to a combination of issues -- many of which I don't even know about. But in the bigger picture a lot of it has to do with background and worldview.
Before the Spanish came to South America, Bolivia was inhabited by native Incas and other tribal peoples. These people had many gods being very animistic in their worldview. One of these gods was called Pachamama - the goddess of mother earth (or world). Pachamama was known as a benevolent fertility goddess who presided over planting and harvesting. As the Spanish came and spread Catholicism many of the natives were "converted" to the Catholic form of "Christianity." Or so it was thought. What actually happened in many instances was a blending of Pachamama and Catholicism. This is called syncretism and it is alive and well in Bolivia today.
One of the main tenets of Pachamama for farmers in Bolivia is that they are bury Llama fetuses in their fields. This is done to please Pachamama so that they will have a good harvest. If the harvest is bad, then they didn't bury enough llama fetuses in their fields as Pachamama was mad at them. Also, they were to have a big celebration after the harvest which costs a lot of money -- much of which they had just gained causing their poverty to continue. Many of the Catholics in Bolivia are also staunch believers of Pachamama. This is easily seen in the marketplaces as llama fetuses are not in short supply. The photo below shows various forms of the llama fetuses that are for sale.
It was a stark reminder of how syncretism exists in Bolivia. And it is reminder of how the gospel and biblical truth must be used wisely and extensively to combat, change and effect the worldview of the people in Bolivia so that God would gloried there.
While this may seem so distant to us here in North America reading this, let me ask you this -- what kind of syncretism exists in your own life? It probably isn't Pachamama, but could it be materialism? What other aspects of a secular worldview have you merged together with Christianity? All the more reason to read and study God's word -- to become scripture saturated. And to also pray for His wisdom to discern what is right and true in order that we live lives that are holy and pleasing to Him. Remember what 1 Corinithians 6:19-20 says in that you were bought with a price so glorify God with your bodies. Let this be our prayer and petition.
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