Reflection about Amerindian Theology in Latin America

Discovery of Amerindian Theology.

In tribute to Amerindian Heritage Month i thought to share this reflection on Amerindian Theology from a Latin American church perspective, which the Amerindians of Guyana identifies with it  in some way or the other, through history.

Doing theology is to speak, to express to communicate the experience of God from one´s life, and from one's culture. Amerindian Theology must express this experience with the belief in culture which is, through its myths and rituals etc. Amerindian Theology is a reality as old as much as indigenous peoples, but only recently it began to recognize its diversity of cultures, its components of groups and individuals discovered by Christian churches.

Until a few years ago, the evangelization of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and other continents was an imposition of Western culture from the Greek-Roman world, formulated by European Theologians over many centuries. These Theologies suffocated the fundamental values and traditions of indigenous peoples; it made them be converted and at the same time displaced them from their historical and cultural context. In general, it denied that indigenous religious cultures can contribute to the understanding of the Christian God, nature, and relationship to man.

Today with the principle of Inculturation and still with a lot of suspicion and distrust, it became easier to accept indigenous beliefs which began to be considered in the Theological world, precisely, because one begins to understand that God is not only the God of Western culture, and there is not one way that God can reveal himself, but through diverse ways to man.

The Church therefore being a representative of God's mission to the world, is called upon to respect the values of Indigenous belief about the divine and highlight the positive points in them logically. On the path of inculturation,  Amerindian Theology should not be created outside the context of indigenous culture and then be imposed, but rather it should be discovered and nurtured in the context of the people and their cultures promoting them in one voice to give thanks to the Lord”(Dom Geraldo Flores, Guatemala, 1996).