Christian politics in a secular state
The latest version of the Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala establishes the church and the state are two separate entities, so it is a secular state. However, since the restoration of democracy in the country, Catholic and Protestant churches’ influences have been strong in Guatemalan politics. INCOMPLETE. THESIS MISSING.
Guatemala is a presidential democratic republic. However, democracy is a relatively new system of government, as military governments and coups d’états dominated the political scenery during the internal armed conflict — a civil war that lasted 36 years, from 1960 to 1996. It was not until 1985 when the transition to democracy started, but it was not consolidated until after …show more content…
Throughout the book, City of God, Kevin O'Neill discusses the participation of Christian groups in Guatemala, within the framework of the war. He also develops the concept of ‘Christian citizenship’ to describe the various efforts and work that those communities do on behalf of Guatemala’s welfare. So, Christian citizenship is made up of citizens who not only act on motivation of their Christianity but act through it (O'Neill, 2010). Many of these Guatemalans define and carry out their citizenship through activities such as praying to reduce crime levels; fasting to reduce corruption; and preaching about self-service to the nation. He also describes how he discovered that those communities do not act outside politics and the exercise of citizenship. On the contrary, they represent one of the most active groups in efforts to make citizens and their actions go beyond electoral politics. For example, they propose ethical guidelines for Christian citizenship as a way of life, and organise prayer campaigns against the country's main …show more content…
If approved, it would force children from both public and private, primary and secondary schools to read and study the Catholic Bible, even though the Article 37 of the Law on Protection of Children and Adolescents establishes that “education should be free, secular and compulsory”. In an interview, Osorio argued that this bill is not a political issue, but a “mission that God gave me and Guatemala should feel blessed that God chose me”. He also explains that the reasons that the country is so violent and underdeveloped are because children have lost their values and they do not know the fear of God (Hijos de la Política,
The latest version of the Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala establishes the church and the state are two separate entities, so it is a secular state. However, since the restoration of democracy in the country, Catholic and Protestant churches’ influences have been strong in Guatemalan politics. INCOMPLETE. THESIS MISSING.
Guatemala is a presidential democratic republic. However, democracy is a relatively new system of government, as military governments and coups d’états dominated the political scenery during the internal armed conflict — a civil war that lasted 36 years, from 1960 to 1996. It was not until 1985 when the transition to democracy started, but it was not consolidated until after …show more content…
Throughout the book, City of God, Kevin O'Neill discusses the participation of Christian groups in Guatemala, within the framework of the war. He also develops the concept of ‘Christian citizenship’ to describe the various efforts and work that those communities do on behalf of Guatemala’s welfare. So, Christian citizenship is made up of citizens who not only act on motivation of their Christianity but act through it (O'Neill, 2010). Many of these Guatemalans define and carry out their citizenship through activities such as praying to reduce crime levels; fasting to reduce corruption; and preaching about self-service to the nation. He also describes how he discovered that those communities do not act outside politics and the exercise of citizenship. On the contrary, they represent one of the most active groups in efforts to make citizens and their actions go beyond electoral politics. For example, they propose ethical guidelines for Christian citizenship as a way of life, and organise prayer campaigns against the country's main …show more content…
If approved, it would force children from both public and private, primary and secondary schools to read and study the Catholic Bible, even though the Article 37 of the Law on Protection of Children and Adolescents establishes that “education should be free, secular and compulsory”. In an interview, Osorio argued that this bill is not a political issue, but a “mission that God gave me and Guatemala should feel blessed that God chose me”. He also explains that the reasons that the country is so violent and underdeveloped are because children have lost their values and they do not know the fear of God (Hijos de la Política,