Some good questions.

Inequalities and privileges.
The world is not fair.
Should we accept that fact?
Or work to change the world?
There is quite the divide in answers to those questions.
Suggesting that we push toward a paradigm shift is too radical.

We'd rather give food, then ask why people are hungry.
We'd rather send money, then ask why people are poor.
We'd rather spend a week with the orphans, then work to prevent the death of their parents.
We'd rather protect our own interests, then make the world equal.

When you connect to the heart of people, you cannot help but ask: "Why they are hungry when there is an excess of food wasted in the world?"
When you see the way others live, you cannot help but ask: "Why we need so many fancy things when others have nothing?"
When you learn the stories of massacres, poor health systems, and other problems, you cannot help but ask: "Why this keeps on happening?"
When you see all the work that needs doing, you cannot help but ask: "Why our interests are more important than others?"

These ideas are too radical, too liberal, too idealistic, too whatever else you want to call them...
BUT.
If you were the one who were starving because your farmland was flooded by a dam created to build a tourist resort, would you feel the same way?
If you were the one impoverished from birth because of a social system that is conducive to the cycle of poverty with no opportunities to improve your situation, would you feel the same way?
If you were an orphan because your parents were brutally murdered and violated in a massacre supported by the government, would you feel the same way?
If you were born in a country of people perpetually exploited to benefit others in developed countries, would you feel the same way?

Maybe yes, maybe no. That's up to you to decide.

I was one of the lucky ones who happened to be born in a society where my physical appearance and country of origin offer me privileges galore. The problems in the world are not my fault by any means nor can I change any more of the world than myself. But if you, dear readers, ask yourselves these questions and think critically about our planet.... by the time I'm ninety maybe some progress will be made toward making this world a little less unfair and a little more happy.

Blog Action Day: Hunger in El Salvador

I am no expert on world hunger, but I know that there is a problem in the world because there IS enough food to feed everyone. Yet, the poor distribution of this food means that millions of people are starving. I would say that the amount of food wasted and the level of starving people is quite a conundrum. Frankly, I think we have a problem that needs to be addressed in a sustainable way.

In the case of El Salvador, this problem is ever the more confusing to find a solution to. They have a tiny country but huge population. Their economy has been dollarized and is hugely based on family remittances, so they feel the impact of the current economic recession, just as much, if not more than we do in the United States. On top of that, the intense rainfalls and tropical storms regularly come and destroy the harvests. For example, right now the heavy rains caused by a tropical depression is expected to ruin 60% of the bean crops. For a country who has a population where there is nearly 50% under- or un-employment rate, the rise in food prices will only contribute to the hunger felt by the poorest people.

There are however, sustainable ways to fix this problem. One example is something that is becoming more and more popular here, which is the development of agricultural co-ops. Basically, they are families who have joined together to purchase and work land to support and feed their families. Here in El Salvador we have gotten to visit a number of agricultural co-ops that are working to become more sustainable. Many of them currently rely on financial support from outside the country to build the infrastructure needed to sustain themselves, but within the country they are put that money to use buying cattle, building community offices, purchasing land, and basic tools. They hope to eventually be able to completely sustain themselves and be weaned off outside support, and are working toward that goal. The children of these communities have better access to health care and education, as they are more organized to provide these services. Often, the families are focused on staying in the community, so there is more of a sense of community. The work is hard and has not always been successful. Imagine working in the fields in 90 degree humid weather and having large land owners or companies threaten to take your land.  But this is one ray of hope that I have seen to combat this problem here in El Salvador.

Here are some resources to learn more about this problem in the world:
 A great video to show the relationship between the global food market and hunger problems!
More information on world hunger
Discussion on how to stop world hunger
Ten Ways to End World Hunger
Blog Action Day 2011 Website

Lots of coconuts! (agricultural co-op)

One of the cooperatives we visited.

Inside their new building to be used for women's organizations.

Reflections on Solidarity

Perdida. Lost.

Between cultures.

Between identities.

Between understandings.

Developing gradually,

Growing slowly,

Becoming somebody rediscovered.

Solidarity takes us

beyond ourselves

beyond our physical identity

Bringing us,

slowly, into the depths of quasi understanding.

Never fully grasping the reality,

but befriending it enough to

recognize

the simple unfairness

unsolvable by some means

yet urgently requiring a solution.

You can only do so much as a tourist.

You cannot ever undo the damage done by your imperialist country.

Those who have had their voices stolen need them back.

To simply parrot off what they say is to give insult to injury.

What can we do then?

What can be done?

What are we able to do?

I want to be a friend to the people.

Walk beside them.

Love them.

Not because of their position of being systematically disadvantaged but because of they are human beings too.

I cannot fathom just leaving and going back to my former life.

Yet, maybe the green should just go?

I do not think I have the answers.

I just want to add my two

hands,

heart,

mind

 to the cause.

Ally or insult?

I do not want to just come and leave.

I do not want to forget.

I do not want to perpetuate the system that oppresses or ignores.

I want to use what I have been

given to give,

learned to teach,

experienced to share.

What is the point of knowing if you do not act on it?

What is the point of learning and not using it for good?

We are cursed by the knowledge.

We are one human family who needs a major family meeting and new structure.

 Facing tough issues is not easy but they'll only grow more if we keep shoving them away.

Shrugging these problems away is not solution.

Together we have to face them in solidarity with everyone.

Photo from a google picture search= NOT MINE!

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY!!

Right as of now, my thoughts are not focusing on liberation theology or women’s theology or any sort of –ology. They are concentrating on the sound of rain outside my window, the news article I just read that talked of 19 Central American people who have already died in landslides due to the heavy rains. As I sit here, dry and safe using my laptop, I am thinking about the cold and crude facts of privilege. I guess one could say the cold and crude parts are the struggles that the disadvantaged live with, but the “privilege” of hearing the rainfall, being dry, and knowing that there are many people right now who are at a great risk of losing all they own because of that intense rain that has gone beyond the simple pitter patter….to any person with a heart is awfully hard to handle. 

It reminds me a segment of our group reflection tonight where we talked about the privilege of being able to escape suffering. This came to mind as I was thinking about my dry warmness in the room at our house here in El Salvador.

Some might argue that this easy escape from suffering brings us away from the visceral connections human beings have when we are together in our struggle. Personally, I might agree with that. To me it seems that the more we tend to have in material possessions and money, the more cushioned we are to the experiences of the poor. It is the lack of that metaphorical cushion that forces people to work together, or to at least understand their mutual suffering. I’m not advocating that we all become awash in suffering, but maybe there is a lesson in figuring out how to alleviate suffering of ourselves or others without disconnecting so much from each other.   

Perhaps, if we as a human race were more able to do this we’d of figured out better evacuation plans to prevent deaths of the poor when floods occur or maybe helped create stronger structures that would not be so easily destroyed in the rain. I’m really not sure. Floods are far from uncommon in Central America during this time of year which is their rainy season. However, forget about them quickly in the "first" world, because they do not really have a personal or immediate effect on us. We hear about the tragedies or natural disasters, but we can escape them by changing the channel, putting the paper down, or switching our tab back to email or facebook. We have that privilege. I am by no means excluding myself from this category, but it still is rather disturbing when you think about it. 

By the way, the rain has slowed... for the time being anyway.

In other rainy news, all 11 zones of Xela are having flooding issues. I really hope my host family is alright. As well as all the people in Cantel... yikes.

El Salvador in Pictures.

It's all Liberation Theology to me: "brief" explaination

 Context: Social Structure

Context is a buzzword among liberation theologians, as it calls into consciousness the particular epistemological foundation of each individual or group. Learning about the contexts which others are living in allows us to begin to figure out and dissect the roots of their beliefs. Humans are able to use the interpretation of context to understand each other’s mannerisms and speech, as well as, understand the roots of group movements. The latter is the more relevant for the discussion of the context of the beginnings of the liberation theology movement in Latin America.

The situation present in Latin America at the inception of this movement included widespread oppression and violence both interpersonal and institutionalized, with the impoverished absorbing the majority of the suffering (Gutierrez 93). As mentioned in We Make the Road by Walking, “…the majority of the people of the Third World are considered “excess population” (24). By this statement Pablo Richard gets at the heart of the problems of violence and oppression of Latin America, as those who are have the historically disadvantages position are increasingly considered to be non-people. In any point in history, when people have been considered to be ‘less than human’ the worst human rights issues have ensued.  As said in Impasse and the Dark Night by Constance Fitzgerald, a Carmelite sister, “the poor are objects until we are poor, too” (8). Historically speaking, the situation in Latin America is the result of “conquering European powers in the sixteenth century” (Quest 70).  In order to get at the root of these forces of division and domination, we must trace them back to that point of colonization in the sixteenth century and back to the present day situation. In the early 1940s, the idea that God calls us to live in solidarity or take on a life of “voluntary poverty” (Essential Writings 43) begins to bubble under the surface.

Some theologians and thinkers believe that this post-modern situation of the world was and is one that is on the verge of a “great turning” or a significant paradigm shift in favor of the poor.  According to Gustavo Gutierrez in Option for the Poor, the beginning of the liberation theology movement has resulted in a “raised consciousness [which] is pregnant with implications for the future” (93). This movement is one that has developed extensively a tie between the religious life of the people and their political liberation by challenging the Godliness of ignoring the suffering of the poor.

The Good News: Biblical Support and Influence

As a theological movement, liberation theology has its roots in a particular reading of the Bible in the context of the poor around the world, but particularly in Latin America where it started.  The Bible itself is full of stories of liberation and salvation of the people. One of the most widely discussed of these stories in the context of liberation theology is that of Exodus, where the Israelites were led of their slavery in Egypt by Moses (Quest 74). This archetypal story of rescue from oppression is one that, when read by the oppressed, allows for a new understanding of God’s love and desire for His people to be free. Of course, the story of Jesus who came to serve and live amongst the poor and undesirables has an immense impact on those who are living in a situation of financial poverty and pervasive repression. There are also stories from Psalms, Amos, Proverbs, and the four Gospels; that express ideas of solidarity, the value of human life regardless of their station, and the self-less giving of oneself.

The pre-liberation theology doctrines of the Catholic Church, according to liberation theologians, did not call the rich to act in a way that truly eliminated the problems of extreme poverty. Rather it sided with the rich in giving minimally to the poor to assuage their conscious but not enough to make a substantial impact. The idea of a “biblical praxis of justice” was not theologically present or there was a lack of agreement about the meaning or reading of the bible so that this problem continued from the sixteenth century on forward (Quest 83). According to Gustavo Gutierrez in his Essential Writings, “…while we read the Bible, it is also true to say that the Bible “reads” us. Through scripture God questions believers about the adequacy of their discipleship (40). In this sense there is some level of personal interpretation that is always present in the reading of the bible as each brings their own context with them as their eyes move across the page or their ears hear the stories. In the case of the Latin American poor taking a closer and group reading of the Scriptures, they began to see more and more the call for justice and equality between the people in the words they read.

See -> Judge -> Act: Popular Movements

Popular movements are the joint forces of the people to accomplish a common goal. In the case of Latin America, liberation theology was an ideal example of such a movement. In the mid-twentieth century “a pastoral movement to revitalize faith among poor people began to gather into small groups” (Quest 81). These small groups were the original Christian-based communities whose focus was to read scripture, reflect on its meaning, and then they began to act to seek change together. They started to take organized action against the injustices they faced and to develop a new identity that opened a new future for themselves. Essentially, these groups became “sites where poor people made the amazing discovery that they are beloved of God” (Quest 81). The connection between people as they realized that they were no long isolated but rather had a community around them who were thinking the same way allowed them to see their collective power in new ways. In Seeing Through the Impasse by Nancy Slyvester, she cleverly articulates this moment of newfound clarity when she says “we begin to see the power we have collectively to be and act in new transformative ways” (2).  This collective power is what drove and drives the liberation theology movement.

The goal of this popular movement is not to do a hundred and eighty degree turn of the power structure so that those who are currently impoverished would then be those who were oppressing others. Instead they seek to “create a new community on the model of the reign of God preached by Jesus” (Quest 81). Meaning they want to spark a paradigm shift in thinking that recognizes all human beings as made in the image and likeness of God, and thereby valued. Joanna Macy discusses this desire in The Great Turning as Compass and Lens, as the impulse “despite centuries of mechanistic conditioning, we want to name, once again, this world as holy” (46). Human beings inspired by the word of God together seeking to create their own foretaste of heaven, which in some ways counteracts the traditional idea that one’s time on earth is the suffering preparing one for their treasure in heaven.

The juxtaposition of the ideas of liberation found in the Bible and the formation of a popular movement is the foundation of liberation theologies perspective. According to Clodovis Boff in the Methodology of the Theology of Liberation, “Liberation theology is like a tree. If you see only professional theologians, you are looking at only the branches. You are missing the trunk, which is the reflection of the pastors and other ministers, and you are certainly missing all the roots, which are beneath the surface of the soil and maintain the entire tree, trunk and branches alike” (86). This tree model is an eloquent description of the symbiotic connection between the various parts of the popular movement that comprises liberation theology.

Martyrs, Authors, and Heroes: Important Figures

The stories and influence of the martyrs of El Salvador cannot go without mention in the discussion of liberation theology in the country. One of the most famous martyrs, due to his social position and actions, is Monsignor Oscar Romero who was a bishop in El Salvador who was murdered while saying Mass. The six Jesuit priests who were murdered, along with a woman and her daughter also have been widely remembered. Several nuns from the United States, the former secretary of Monsignor Romero, and numerous other religious and innocent civilians who were massacred are also a source of inspiration to the people of El Salvador. There is a strong desire to not let them be forgotten and to continue the struggle for justice.

One manner of talking about the memory of these people is to call is subversive. What this is to say is that their memory does something to the people: it calls them to be contemplative and honor the deaths by continuing the fight for justice instead of falling into complacency. Keeping this memory also reminds the people of the teachings of their martyrs. An example would be remembering Romero’s accordance with the statement of the second century bishop that “the glory of God is the human being fully alive” and in particular the poor human being fully alive (Quest 82). That the almighty and powerful God will be glorified not be sacrifices and burnt offerings, but the life of his people. Another would be the questions posed by Ignacio Ellacuria, the murdered former president of the UCA, “Ask yourselves: what have I done to crucify them [the poor]? What do I do to uncrucify them? What must I do for this people to rise again?” (Quest 84). These questions and strong beliefs are that which the murderers sought to smother and silence, however, in keeping the memory of these people alive the poor have a victory in the fight for their freedom.

When well-known liberation theologian Jon Sobrino talks about the martyrs of El Salvador, he makes it clear that they remember not only the memory of their own martyrs but the continuance of the “joyful memory” of the Christ (Subversive 21). In the book Quest for the Living God by Elizabeth Johnson, she states that “The resurrection irrevocably pledges that there will be a blessed future for all the violated and the dead, cast off as if their lives had no meaning” (78). Thereby the pure essence of the martyrdom of these people from Jesus to the unknown victims of the massacres, the memory of their life and death is a tool to counteracting the harsh forces of the world that have violated the people. The people of El Salvador have not forgotten, which allows them to so strongly continue the fight and hope for liberation in the future.

Intellectual Mystery: Theological Development

Liberation theology is often referred to as a new way of doing theology, rather than a new theology. Unlike previous theologies it was started at the level of the least formally educated people, which is to say the oppressed and disadvantaged poor of Latin America. They were seeking to impress upon each other and society their reading of the bible which went against the “official preaching and teaching [that] favored those who ruled” (Quest 71) and instead suggested that God had “a particular care for those who are suffering injustice and seeks to relieve their situation” (Quest 81). This also sparked a move away from the traditional Catholic doctrine that presented “God as the Supreme Being who made all things and governed the world the way an all-powerful kind ruled his realm, with authority” (Quest 73). This idea of God as the supreme punisher led many to believe that the poor were afflicted or filthy sinners, and thus needed to suffer in their castigation; whereas, the newer reading of the scriptures caused the poor to see God as compassionate, merciful, and a liberating force for the people. While there is a constant of the belief in God as powerful and creator of the world in both theologies, there is quite a difference in the interpretation.

The development of the liberation ideas as theology began with the formation of basic ecclesial communities which created the basis for a popular movement. Then, it was influenced by the education method called conscientization by Paulo Freire. This was followed by the growing awareness and spread of this knowledge to the universities and intellectual community. All of which Hennelly discusses in his article Liberation Theology: A Documented History, where he also states that, “For the first time in history, liberation theology has created an opportunity for the voice of the poor—the mute and invisible four-fifths of the world—to be heard clearly and loudly in every corner of the planet” (30). This new kind of theological movement has allowed for those who have always been on the “underside of history” to make themselves known, heard, and use that to work for their own liberation (Essential 43). By taking their faith basis and analyzing the circumstances of their life in the world, they are able to publicly and eloquently provide a counter argument to those in power.

According to Monsignor Romero in The Political Dimension of the Faith, “the church cannot do otherwise, for it remembers that Jesus had pity on the multitude. But by defending the poor it has entered into serious conflict with the powerful who belong to the monied oligarchies and with the political and military authorities of the state” (129). This idea that the church must listen to the voices of the poor and become a more political force of the movement is a widely contested issue. Many believe that this action is stepping out of the religious experience and guidance role the church has traditionally held, while others side with Romero this is the orthopraxis needed to be true Christians in the society.

The more general discussion of what it means to be a Christian in a world ravaged by inequalities, especially in the developing or Third world was gradually brought to the discussion tables in the synods of bishops of the Catholic Church. Starting with Medellin in Colombia (1968) where poverty was the central focus of the teachings for the first time. Then in Puebla, Mexico (1979) where it was clearly declared that the situation of the poor was inhumane and humiliating. These meetings coupled with the development and presentation of Vatican II provided the forum and discussion that brought the voices of the poor to the intellectual circle, which led to the creation of the official theology of liberation.

To summarize liberation theology: Liberation theology is listening to the scriptural interpretation of the poor and following the belief in a compassionate and salvific God to intellectually, spiritually, and physically create a more just world.

Please note: All citations/quotes come from our reading packet, which is a composite of most of the top liberation theologian's writing.... but I don't have a works cited page for them.

Tierra Blanca Reflection

Tierra Blanca was our "church accompaniment visit" so we were all broken up into small groups and sent around El Salvador with different drivers. My particular area was in the Bajo Lempa region of the country, which is in the southern part of the country. I wrote a long reflection on this trip in the context of what we are discussing in our class... so I figured I would just publish that here.

                                                  Christian  Based Community Reflection

      One of the first things I noticed was the change in the level of poverty that steadily increased as we made our two hour trip outside of the capital city limits to the community of Tierra Blanca. When we arrived we were met by Hermana Elena who served as our host nun for the weekend. Due to her knowledge of the community over the course of the weekend we were able to: visit a pig co-op started by youth of Tierra Blanca just this month; meet a woman, Martha Luna, from a nearby community who shared her testimony with us; get to know another woman, Birma, who showed us her coconut jewelry and let us sit in on her dance class with the community children; and spend time talking with a number of young people who are passionate about improving their future and that of their community. However, the weekend was more than just a collection of visits and meetings with the people of the community, the trip became a brief moment of solidarity, if only for a short period of time. The citizens of Tierra Blanca could be called many things, but the passion they had for life, the arts, and each other makes calling them ‘poor’ a spoken absurdity based solely on their socioeconomic status. Through being in this Christian-based community for the weekend we were able to contextualize many of the course readings about liberation theology in Latin America.

For example, when Sobrino stated in The Subversive and Joyful memory of the Martyrs that “Here in El Salvador we do not forget the cross.” my original response was apprehensive about the truth in that statement. Yet, when we arrived at the community center in Tierra Blanca the first thing we noticed was a huge banner across the ceiling that had the name of Monsignor Romero, paintings on the walls of other martyrs, and the symbol of the cross on nearly every door in the building. This décor seemed to be excessive adornment at first; however, as the weekend went on what Sobrino called “living memory” was visible in the way the members of the community strove to act out their faith, which make the visible symbols more than just a decoration but a sign of their deep belief in the cross.  Their actions made a stronger statement than even the symbols in their building, which is more than I can say of the large and fancy Christian community center next to my house in the states.

An interesting fact about the community center of Tierra Blanca is that it is owned by the community but was built and donated by the former priest. The activities that go on in the building vary from art classes, to dance classes, to reading time with the young members of the community, scholarship lunch program for students in high school  from neighboring towns, to agricultural cooperative meetings , to a psychological clinic, and small store. The building itself is a result of someone living out the Christian life by funding this project, while the activities inside the building is full of the work of others living out their Christian life by using the space to improve the lives of their neighbors. In this sense, the church has truly started what Pablo Richards in Liberation Theology in the New International Context refers to as a “popular movement” by creating a physical space for the social base of the development of the town. Even though this center is owned by the community there is a symbiotic relationship between the church and the center. If you consider the church to be more than a building but the people who believe and live the Christian life, then understanding how this community center is a key element of the Christian based community life becomes easier.

Another element of the visit that deserves discussion is Hermana Elena herself. We had the privilege of spending a lot of time with this wonderful woman throughout the weekend. When Gutierrez mentioned Dorothy Day’s idea of “voluntary poverty” in his Essential Writings, the idea seemed to fit well with the work of Hermana Elena in Tierra Blanca. The very nature of being a nun seems to fit well into the idea of solidarity from my perspective given that they are living a voluntary life of service guided by their faith in God.  Solidarity in its true form is a rare occurrence as truly stepping out of the safety net of a privileged life is nearly impossible. Unlike the people with whom we may attempt to live in solidarity, we have a way out of our choice to live a simple or materially poor life. We have the choice to live in solidarity or to not live in solidarity, which is, in itself a privilege that sets us apart. For example, while we spent a couple hours working at the pig co-op  carrying bricks and putting mortar between the aforementioned bricks to help build new pig pens. We had a brief moment of solidarity of sorts with the young people who are doing that work every day to get their project off the ground. However, we can wash our hands, take a shower, and eventually return to our nice house in San Salvador. We are not living their reality but we have a taste of solidarity and awareness of what their daily experience is like. In that sense, they did us a great service.  On the other hand, Hermana Elena, who is originally from the United States, lives the daily experience of the poor. She shares herself, her house, her food, and her talents with the people of Tierra Blanca. She lives very simply but is one of the happiest women that I know. She is far closer to the concept of living in solidarity and from our weekend experience with her it is clear to me that she is allowing herself to be an instrument of God and, is thus, a liberating force for those around her. 

The feeling of community in Tierra Blanca is very strong. It could also easily be called a Christian-based community. However, much of what we experienced was only related to actual religious practice in the idea of living out the Christian faith by sharing talents and gifts between people in the community. The Golden rule taken from the Bible in various phrasings that calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves is put into action by many people in Tierra Blanca who donate their time to helping their neighbor. While the traditional idea of “the poor” as discussed in Methodology of Theology of Liberation by Clodovis Boff is that by the word “poor” people mean “dependency, weakness, helplessness, anonymity, contempt, and humiliation,” much to our surprise the people of Tierra Blanca are lacking in opportunity to improve their financial position due to the unequal system not a lack of intelligence or creativity. Seeing the art work, dance, and musical talent and the general respectful nature of the young people reinforced and expanded upon that general grasp of knowledge that being “poor” is something quite different from not having money. Far be it from me to state that they should have to continue living in poverty while others bask in their own immense financial wealth, I do believe that the people of Tierra Blanca and other similar communities around the world have a closeness and strength that has quite nearly disappeared from the ‘first world’. 

Perhaps this is why in the parable of the Camel and the Eye of the needle in the Gospel of Mathew, Jesus says “Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." We have our ideas of what is important but easily the material riches can cloud out our visceral connection and need for community.  So in that sense, it would actually be beneficial for the spiritual life of the world if we would take up the cross of the financially poor and take on what Gutierrez calls “spiritual poverty” for the sake of our own salvation. The political crossing of the ideas of liberation and traditional ideas of theology is to my understanding the manner in which Latin America has expressed the above sentiments.