No Separation of God and Country in Ecuador

Ecuador protects religious freedom. Its largest Christian faith is not surprisingly Roman Catholic which accounts for 85-95% of the population. In spite of the overwhelming statistic few actually practice Catholicism as measured by attendance at church masses. The remainder is composed of Protestant and other very small in number faiths.

Quite often a bus, truck or taxi will pass with a Christian verse or symbol painted on the side. Nearly every taxi we have ridden in has a crucifix hanging from the rear view mirror. In the United States an atheist would undoubtedly complain and threaten to sue the cab company for such displays of religion.

Cities are the Catholic strongholds. The highlands provinces of Chimborazo, Bolivar, Cotopaxi, Imbabura, and Pichincha are more open to Protestants. This is especially so with the indigenous people.Those provinces are the centers of the indigenous people. Rural areas tend to be entirely Catholic or entirely Protestant. There are also in Ecuador hundreds of evangelical churches many of which are not connected with a particular denomination. Among the people can also be found a syncretism of Catholic and earth religion beliefs.

Evangelist preachers claim thousands of indigenous followers. Sadly some of the indigenous who once were part of the Laestadian Lutheran faith and attended services at the hacienda turned to the evangelists. Evangelist preachers are often also the leader of the community. Conflict is known to have occurred in some villages when some wanted to continue in the Laestadian Lutheran faith but others objected. Maintaining harmony within the village became more important for some than continuing in faith. A possible comparison would be the pressure placed on the Hebrew believers referenced in the book of Hebrews.

The Catholics have been in Ecuador since the Spanish came and the church has done a lot of good for the common person. In colonial times it was the only institution that dealt with education or needs of the common people so the church is deeply ingrained in the lives and culture of Ecuador. There is an overwhelming Catholic influence. Their is a Catholic church in every village and many, many Catholic churches in the big cities.

The terms 'kingdom of God' and 'believer' are in common use by many faiths in Ecuador. Both must be defined using the Holy Bible when teaching and preaching our faith here. It can be rightly said that in Ecuador there is a zeal for God but not according to knowledge. The people do however revere the written Word of God. The living gospel of the kingdom of God is here for a time of visitation among the people.

The very large mustard tree grows from a very small seed.

 

During our confirmation classes we studied the Apostles' Creed. The students were asked if any one could recite the Creed by heart. Dylan nearly got it word for word. Walt was surprised and asked where had he learned it. His mother stated it was still recited in public schools and that fathers were expected to teacher it to their children. Private schools are different however.

Dylan knew the Apostle's Creed by heart before he came to confirmation.

 

Walt and Avis