Talk:Religion in Cuba/Archive 1

Untitled
this page has no real numbers. where are the statistics? Percentages...Some thing 02:13, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Strange section just inserted
I'm deleting the following from the article. If anyone wants to follow up on it and bring in the good information, or whatever has sources, feel free. NJGW (talk) 20:45, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

BY JORGE GARRIDO for Wikepedia:As all Latin American countries--once were land possesions of the Spanish Kingdom, referred to as the Spanish colonies--each territory with its distinct name, practiced the official religion of the Spanish Monarchy, Catholicism, since the landing of Columbus on his maiden voyage in 1492. It must be remembered, the Columbus voyage in 1492 was financed by the Catholic King and Queen of Spain of Castille & leon (Referred to this date in Spanish language as: "Los Reyes Catolicos". Its transalation "The Spanish King/Queen"). This historic fact, enabled the appearance of Catholicism as a religion throughout the American hemisphere, including; South, Central, North America and the Carribean, where many U.S. territories--even--to this date, still have the same names given by the Spaniard "Conquistadores" from that period. Places like Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, California, Nevada and many others have their origins from Spanish names and or meanings. Notwithstanding, Catholicism, as a religion was also--apart from Judaism and Islam--the more widespread religion after it was adopted by the Roman Empire--post Christ--by Constantine the Roman Emeperor.

Cuba was a Spanish possesion until as recent as 1898, when it obtained its independence from Spain. Cuba was predominantly Catholic and therefore until 1959 and thereafter, has its religious roots founded upon the Catholic doctrine. With the importation of the negro slave into the Americas, conducted mainly by American Settlers, the black slaves adopted the white doctrine of choice in the territories where they lived. In Cuba, the black slave interpreted the catholic religion through "Santeria" providing a name for catholic saints in African dialects and including these Catholic icons in their native rituals, thus forming a mixture of vuddo and Catholicisnm called; "Santeria" (Saintinism) supported by Catholic believes, yet, spoken in African dialect and ritual ceremonies.

With the entry of Fidel Castro into the Cuban Political scenery, all religion was greatly curtailed and restricted in the island of Cuba. The great mayority of Clergy and Ministers were expelled from Cuba. The government feared their new revolutionary practices conflicted with the spirtual and moral doctrines of all religions, which call for sharing, forgiveness, repentance and mercy in the name of Jesus Christ the founder of Christianity.

It is an irony that Fidel Castro studied at one of the most prominent high schools in Cuba--a Jesuit School, class of 1945--in Havana where he was a boarding school student. During President Fulgencio Batista's regime, Cardinal Artiaga interceded with then President Fulgencio Batista to pardon Fidel Castro from his previous attack--together with other young men--to the garrison of Moncada on July 26, 1953. Fidel Castro was later pardoned by President Fulgencio Batista and shortly thereafter, Fidel Castro fled to Mexico, from where he later launched guerrilla warfare skirmishes having organized a rag tag guerrilla troop that came down from the Sierra Maestra mountains, only, after Fulgencio Batista hastily abandoned power on December 31, 1959 at the pressure and the request of the U.S. Government, represented by its American Ambasador in Havana.

While the Jesuits still own many of their homes in the island, mainly because the Cuban government has respected these properties (except the landmark school, in Havana, which the government seized from the Jesuits) by not taking these other properties into their possesion, in exchange, the Jesuits in Cuba have made themselves available to the Cuban government and conducted much of the diplomacy--from time-to-time--on behalf of the Cuban government, before the Vatican. This is a fact recounted by a Jesuit Priest (Paquito Perez Lerena), who for many years was regional Director of the Jesuits in the Carribean.

Repression and persecution
There is little mention of government actions to repress religion or about government religious persecution. The Conservapedia article is more balanced than WP's, which reads like a whitewash.

Let's mention both the positive and negative aspects here, instead of emphasizing the positive. (Same problem as the "healthcare" dispute.) --Uncle Ed (talk) 17:53, 12 May 2009 (UTC)

Undue weight
The section on JWs (<1% of population) constitutes undue weight in the absense of information of other religions that make up the majority of the population. It would be preferable to add information about the religious majorities in Cuba, and the JW information should possibly be a subsection of Protestant branches, as suggested in the lead.

The poorly written section on Santeria also needs an overhaul by an expert on the subject.-- Jeffro 77 (talk) 13:24, 2 September 2010 (UTC)