The Religious Eclecticism of Cuba

The Religious Eclecticism of Cuba

Fidel Castro worked hard to eliminate religion in Cuba. The constitution is clear that Cuba is a secular state but doesn't officially make religion illegal, but the Cuban Communist Party (CCP) does regulate religious practice through the Ministry of Justice. Religious practices seem to be growing but, as we read Afro-Cuban drums, Muslim prayers, Buddhist mantras: Religious diversity blooms in once-atheist Cuba it is clear there is a growing religious eclecticism:

“Cubans are believers, but sometimes they believe in everything,” said Monsignor Ramon Suarez, chancellor of Havana’s Catholic archdiocese.

Cuba’s religious landscape is too diverse to fit easy categorizations, said Maximiliano Trujillo, a Havana University philosophy professor.

“There’s a very unique religiosity,” he said. “In Cuba, it’s not uncommon that someone goes to meet a babalao (Santeria high priest) in the morning and can visit a Pentecostal temple in the afternoon, and at night goes to Mass – and doesn’t see any type of conflict in its spirituality.”

Today, diverse beliefs can be found mixed together on altars in homes, with the Virgin Mary sharing space with a ceramic Buddha and a warrior spirit from the Afro-Cuban faith.

Come to think of it, the mixing of occultism and idol worship may not be all that different than we find in Evangelical churches that have he Enneagram, Contemplative Prayer, and Lectio Divina. 

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