Changing Faiths: Latinos and the Transformation of American Religion

Hispanics are transforming the nation’s religious landscape, especially the Catholic Church, not only because of their growing numbers but also because they are practicing a distinctive form of Christianity.

Religious expressions associated with the pentecostal and charismatic movements are a key attribute of worship for Hispanics in all the major religious traditions — far more so than among non-Latinos. Moreover, the growth of the Hispanic population is leading to the emergence of Latino-oriented churches across the country.

To explore the complex nature of religion among Latinos, the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life collaborated on a series of public opinion surveys that totaled more than 4,600 interviews, constituting one of the largest data collection efforts conducted on this subject. The study examines religious beliefs and behaviors and their association with political thinking among Latinos of all faiths. It focuses special attention on Catholics, both those who retain their identification with the church and those who convert to evangelical churches.

About a third of all Catholics in the U.S. are now Latinos, and the study projects that the Latino share will continue climbing for decades. This demographic reality, combined with the distinctive characteristics of Latino Catholicism, ensures that Latinos will bring about important changes in the nation’s largest religious institution.

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Solutions are in Undocumented Graduates, say workers and lawmakers
SB 160 returned to the senate education committee this week
By Raymond R. Beltran
Like most Americans, Manuel Dominguez’s parents worked hard and encouraged him to get educated. He carried on his shoulders the weight of setting an example for his younger siblings too ... But political walls came crumbling down at the end of their tunnel, blocking the light that would have been a better life, for them and a staggering profession.

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life y Pew Hispanic Center divulgan ‘Cambio de fe: los latinos y la transformación de la religión en los Estados Unidos’
Los hispanos están transformando el panorama religioso de la nación, en especial la Iglesia Católica Romana, no sólo por su creciente número sino también porque practican una forma diferenciada de cristianismo. Un estudio divulgado hoy por el Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life y el Pew Hispanic Center explora las características específicas de las creencias y prácticas religiosas de los hispanos, y examina de qué modo éstas se relacionan con las opiniones políticas de los latinos de todas las creencias.

Latinos Announce California Latino Water Coalition to Support Governor Schwarzenegger’s Water Infrastructure Upgrades Bond
SACRAMENTO – Several dozen Mayors, elected officials and dignitaries representing all regions of California will announced the creation of the California Latino Water Coalition (CLWC) alongside California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at a press conference on the east steps of the Capital. The CLWC is a statewide coalition of influential Latino leaders who support the development of additional water resources in California.

19 aniversario del asesinato de Héctor “El Gato” Félix Miranda
Por Luis Alonso Pérez
La semana pasada se recordó la muerte del periodista Héctor Félix Miranda, un histórico atentado a la libertad de expresión y uno de los casos más graves de impunidad en la historia de Tijuana.

Stories

Todos coludos…
México del Norte
Por Jorge Mújica Murias
Hace una semana, en una de tantas redadas que está llevando a cabo la migra, nueve inmigrantes sin papeles cayeron en sus manos en una base militar de San Diego. Según un vocero de la Migra, los compas fueron deportados inmediatamente, no solamente porque estaban ahí a un ladito de la frontera, sino por aquello de que las bases militares son lugares de altisisísima seguridad, y no está bien que se descubra que en estos lugares hay chambeadotes indocumentados.

Braceros de Tijuana continúan su lucha
Por Luis Alonso Pérez
Enrique García Faíz fue contratado por el gobierno estadounidense en 1954 para trabajar en los campos agrícolas de California como parte de un programa de trabajadores temporales llamado Bracero.

War on Terror Reaches the Poet
By Kazim Ali
SHIPPENSBURG, PA — On April 19, after a day of teaching classes at Shippensburg University, I went out to my car and grabbed a box of old poetry manuscripts from the front seat of my little white Beetle, carried it across the street and put it next to the trashcan outside Wright Hall. The poems were from poetry contests I had been judging and the box was heavy. I had previously left my recycling boxes there and they were always picked up and taken away by the trash department.

Torrico Aims to Improve Training For Preschool Teachers of LEP Children 
SACRAMENTO – Preschool teachers in California working with Limited-English-Proficient (LEP) students could receive improved training and career ladder opportunities as a result of a bill approved by the Assembly Higher Education Committee recently.

Editorial and Commentary

Commentary:
The Latino Vote
By Dr. Gabriela D. Lemus
The year 2006 presented a series of challenges and opportunities for the Hispanic community. Millions of people marched in the streets on behalf of immigrants in what seemed to be an almost spontaneous, yet peaceful uprising for workers. Meanwhile, Congress appeared to have fallen into a state of schizophrenia—especially members of the House—with its summertime series of hearings that essentially attacked immigrants and questioned the validity of Hispanic citizens.

Commentary
Stopping the Shooter
By Thomas Firey
How could we have stopped Cho Seung Hui?
That question has crossed our minds countless times since last week’s horrific events. How could we have prevented the tragedy at Virginia Tech?

Análisis:
Economía de Guerra
Por Dagoberto Márquez
De todos los asuntos de los que hoy es posible hablar, ninguno tan complicado ni tan penoso como este probablemente. De entrada su sólo nombre lo indica todo: “Economía de Guerra”. Un asunto que encierra gravedad, erosión, necesidad y riesgo puesto que en un primer término y más allá del estricto enunciado de Economía como disciplina académica, presupuestal o financiera se refiere a una lucha, a una guerra, a una a fondo, a una grave y verdadera.

The Public Forum . . . El Foro Publico
Fox not worthy of award for Democracy and Peace.
The Institute of the Americas should be knowledgeable and well informed on matters of state, community, history. How did a body of serious scholars and distinguished members of the community find Vicente Fox worthy of an award “for Democracy and Peace”?
Did the scholars, directors, members, not check this candidacy, at least once?

TEZOZOMOC SPEAKS:
NRA (National Rifle Association) types are muy loco: They think the VT massacare wouldn’t have happened if the school didn’t permit students from carrying guns on campus. This is how the logic goes if students were packing heat one or two of the students could shot the gunman. Sí, este Indio recuerda the good old days when the good guys and the bad guys used to shoot it out at the OK corral.

Ripken Tells Readers To “Get in the Game!”
By E.A. Barrera
Wrapped around the block and moving forward for over three hours like a 4th of July parade, close to 500 people turned out on April 21 to meet baseball legend Cal Ripken at Warwick’s Bookstore in La Jolla. Ripken was in San Diego to sign copies of his new books Get In the Game: 8 Elements of Perseverance That Make the Difference and The Longest Season.

Central Library Hosts a Book Reading and Discussion of Inocencia With Irene Armenta DesGeorges
An Opportunity to Meet a Latino Literary Award Winner for Best Spanish Fiction
The City of San Diego Public Library will host a book reading and discussion on Irene Armenta DesGeorges’ newly released English translation of Inocencia: A Woman Who Challenged Fate. Ms. DesGeorges’ book describes the magical journey of an indigenous woman from Mexico.

A visit to the DMV as penance
First Person
By Al Carlos Hernandez
I spent the longest 75 minutes of my life at the Department of Motor Vehicles the other day; I viewed it as a sort of penance for not thinking ahead ... The DMV is a place where everybody on both sides of the counter is angry, off the rack, unkempt and ready to rumble. They construct a DMV like a Russian union hall, stark and brooding, in such a way as to punish working people for having used cars and lacking the foresight to make appointments.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo Con Orgullo
It is important to recognize that Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. It originally commemorated the resounding victory Mexican troops had over the insurmountable, invading French soldiers. After the Mexican American War, Mexican communities in the United States celebrated Cinco de Mayo as a means to express pride in their history and culture.

La obra teatral “Como Envejecer con Gracia” en la Cartelera Teatral del Carrusel Tijuanero Noticioso
“Las actríces Susana Alexander y Blanca Sánchez después de 35 años se reúnen en la escena”
Por Paco Zavala
Tenemos en cartera muchas noticias que comunicar a la comunidad y vamos a intentar condensarlas en este espacio. Sabemos que se acerca ya el mes de mayo, mes que trae fechas importantes, como: El Día del Trabajo, la Batalla de Puebla, el Día de las Madres, el Día del Maestro y los Días de los Estudiantes.

Radio Bilingüe airs live reports from the rallies on May 1
On May 1st, the first anniversary of the largest Latino demonstrations in history, the Radio Bilingüe network will again provide an extended news coverage of the rallies taking place around the nation to protest massive deportation raids and urging immigration reform with a path to citizenship.

A Tragedy of Errors in Mexicali Banderillero Nearly Gored to Death
Bullfight World
By Lyn Sherwood
Correspondent Gary Sloan traveled to Mexicali for a corrida de toros, April 22, but he didn’t like what he saw. Here is his report:
Six bulls from La Cardenilla were presented to matadors Manolo Arruza, Rodolfo Rodriguez “El Pana”, and César Pastor. But, the afternoon turned out to be tragic for one banderillero, while El Pana was banned, forever, from performing in Plaza de Toros Calafia.

Trojans Ollier Focused on Winning League Banner
By John Philip Wyllie
The Castle Park Lady Trojans got their South Bay League season off on the right foot with a lopsided win over Southwest last week. The win couldn’t have come at a better time. Off to a slow 5-8 start, the game provided the Trojans with some much needed confidence. That confidence will no doubt come in handy as they try to contend for a league banner. Winning that banner is a primary goal of their exceptional senior shortstop, Veronica Ollier.

DISSECTING DOCKS
ON THE WATER
With Larry Nixon
When fishing a tournament or just for fun at any of the great fisheries we have across the nation, there’s undoubtedly more than one way to catch some fish. With that many fish and that many surface acres of water, it’s not uncommon to see two different people have great fishing days while doing completely different things. Some people like to cover a lot of water and rush from spot to spot, but I prefer to pick a couple of different areas to target and focus my efforts there.