(RNS) In her Georgia home, Tammy Bloome says her rosary to Santa Muerte, a skull-faced version of the Grim Reaper in woman’s garb. In Maryland, Sonia Doi gathers with her fellow spiritists — mostly women — to discuss the philosophical vision of reincarnation. Folk religions such as Santa Muerte and spiritism are thriving around the world, often powered by women as followers — and leaders. A new Pew Research study projecting the growth of world religions found that in 2010 about 405 million people (roughly 6 percent of the world’s population) identified with folk or traditional religions without formal creeds, sacred texts and institutional structures. Unlike Christianity, Judaism and Islam, historically all led by men, or the philosophies of the East such as Buddhism where male scholars and monks dominate, folk religions — so close to village or tribe or ancestry — are often practiced and led by women. Santa Muerte expert Andrew Chesnut, professor of religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of a book on the Mexican folk religion, “Devoted to Death,” calls it “the fastest-growing New Religious Movement in the Americas,” with more than 10 million followers. “Across the board in Latin America, you find disproportionate female participation in all religions, but in the folk religions there is more room, more space for women to exercise positions of authority,” said Chesnut. Chesnut estimates 90 percent of Santa Muerte devotees live in Mexico and the U.S., and he notes on his website, The Skeleton Saint, that Santa Muerte is moving into Europe, where an academic conference on the folk religion was held last fall in the Netherlands. Santa Muerte, the signifier of “holy death,” has a bad reputation, however, thanks in part to cameo roles in the hit TV series “Breaking Bad.” She has been represented as the patroness of drug runners, not, as Chesnut maintains, “the protectress of narco-violence victims.” When the Los Angeles Times profiled the Santa Muerte temple in LA, it described the folk religion as taking on a more virtuous cast, “like the Virgin for people on the edge.” They may be marginalized by poverty, shattered families, undocumented immigration status or sexual orientation.
Folk Religions Around The World Are Thriving Thanks To Women's Leadership
Antonia Blumberg, Huffington Post
Sat, 05/09/2015 - 5:53pm
Topics: rns in grim reaper in maryland folk pew research unlike christianity judaism islam east buddhism andrew virginia commonwealth university death new religious movement americas across skeleton saint netherlands tv breaking bad los angeles times latin america s enriqueta vargas mexico los angeles orleans houston new york city arely vazquez divorced guatemala and i god in brazil umbanda conrad hackett spiritism frenchman allan kardec chico xavier since i u.s international spiritist medical associations our in china fenggang yang center religion chinese society purdue university if as chinese most nancy chen california santa cruz this huffington post in i i a tammy bloome santa muerte sonia doi pew christian chesnut virgin university mexican latin america mexico u.s europe los angeles la catholic august brazil doi world women percent followers people study professor growth home knowledge put led follower church
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