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SUMMARY
Costa Rica consists of a very diverse population. The people there pride
themselves in their diverse ethnicity and beliefs. Costa Ricans, or
"Ticos" as they call themselves, are good people and they do
like to leave a good impression on all who come in contact with them. This
goodness, however, is generally not a result from a faith in God. When
considering religion Ticos can be described as "luke warm." They are
very complacent with their religion; they are most often nominal at most. Many
Ticos claim to be catholic or protestant, but that is as far as their religion
goes. Despite having a national religion and being good people Costa
Rica is extremely secular, seldom do people get excited about their faith. On
the contrary, Ticos treasure democracy, education, law, and institutions more
than anything. They seem to depend upon the "a conviction that through
individual effort and sacrifice and a faith in schooling every Costa Rican can
climb the social ladder and better him or herself."
ROMAN
CATHOLICISM
Roman Catholicism is the official religion of
Costa Rica, yet there is freedom for other religions. Over 80% of Costa Rica's
population considers themselves to be Roman Catholic; however, few are wholly
committed to their faith. Some may go to mass (a catholic church service) only
several times a year, or some may only cry out to a saint (one they consider to
have a special power in a certain area of life) when in deep despair. They may
only consider their religion when tradition calls or heartache strikes.
Furthermore, in spite of the claim to freedom of all religions, Catholics leave
little room for other faiths. In actuality, other religions are not even equal
before law. Despite this actual shallowness of faith, Costa Rica is full of the
appearance of religion. Practically, every community regardless of size will
still have a catholic church, a personal saints day, and the people all have
slews of religious icons displayed at home and work. (Things like crucifixes,
beads, signs, pictures, candles, clothes, charms, jewelry, etc.) Catholicism is
even maintained and promoted by the state. The only church marriage that is
granted state recognition is the catholic marriage, and the state also gives
money for the maintenance of the church, and salaries of church officials are
paid by government. Even though Catholicism may appear to be a big part of
Costa Rican life, for the most part, it is empty and shallow.
PROTESTANTS
Protestants had a rough start in Costa Rica,
and there are still many pressures upon them even though the country claims
religious freedom. The majority of Costa Rica merely tolerates these
"non-Catholics." But only until recent years has this tolerance
grown. The only protestant churches of recognizable size range from Methodist,
Baptist, to Pentecostal groups. Other groups include high church Anglicans
(most are from Jamaica), Jehovah's Witnesses, and other indigenous churches.
There are also other groups, but they are of very little size. The Protestants
constitute for about 12% of the population, most of which are evangelical.
Furthermore, Costa Rica's black population make up about half of that 12%.
Despite the recent growth of protestant groups they are not really making much
of a dent into the population. Not only do Protestants have to battle catholic
resistance, but also the fight against their followers being uncommitted and
shallow (just as Catholicism has struggled with). One can assume little about a
Tico's beliefs or behaviors by simply knowing his or her association to a
certain religion.
EVANGELICALS
At the start, Evangelicals continually received negative
response from the nationals because of their adamant claim to "'save' the
Ticos." They saw Catholics as deceitful and idolatrous people that needed
to be converted. And according to their Bible, God's Holy Word, they wanted to
reach out to these "lost" people. The Roman catholic church detested
this absurd outcry of the Evangelical missionaries, and since the beginning
resisted all evangelical efforts. Missionaries' aggressiveness in this battle
continued to bring resentment, and stonings, violent acts, and other incidents
against them occurred. At one point, it looked as if all was lost on the side
of the Evangelicals. The catholic resistance began to fade, and they paid
little attention to missionary efforts. The Evangelicals continued to
"fight the good fight!" In 1921 evangelical efforts paid off when
students from other countries in Central and South America came to Costa Rica
and begin studies at the Bible Institute. Sprouting from this, students began
preaching in Spanish and reaching the nationals of Costa Rica. The Catholic
church again retaliated and the priests tried to burn all the Bibles the
missionaries were giving out. Finally, President Jimenez allowed missionaries
to have public meetings and the violence and resistance began to subside.
However, to this day it has been an uphill battle for the Evangelical churches
and missionaries, but progress is being made.
Here are some pictures of Evangelical Missionaries who are living their lives
for Jesus Christ.
Phil & Martha Ozinga |
My friend Kacie with missionary Beth |
Jose and his wife who are nationals |
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