COMMENTARY: The Reign of Faith in Spain

c. 2000 Religion News Service (Dale Hanson Bourke is the author of five books and the mother of two children.) MADRID, Spain _ Three young men stand under the midday sun in front of this city’s train station. Their white shirts and ties distinguish them from the casual crowd; their heavily accented Spanish identifies them […]

c. 2000 Religion News Service

(Dale Hanson Bourke is the author of five books and the mother of two children.)

MADRID, Spain _ Three young men stand under the midday sun in front of this city’s train station. Their white shirts and ties distinguish them from the casual crowd; their heavily accented Spanish identifies them as Americans.


As I rush to catch my train, I hear them ask a man if he’d like to know more about Jesus. They are Mormons _ members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints _ and they have come to evangelize Spain.

They stand a few blocks from the Prado museum, which houses some of the greatest masterpieces of religious art. Dozens of paintings of the Virgin Mary show the dedication of the artists and their patrons to their faith.

Even more canvases, some larger than life-size, depict Jesus from birth to crucifixion.

But the Mormon missionaries have come to a country where latter-day Spaniards seem to think little about the faith of their ancestors.

In a country where religion has played a defining role for centuries, modern Spain seems determined to ignore faith. Sunday morning Mass is sparsely attended, usually by the elderly and a few tourists.

Even in some small towns the landscape is dominated by massive cathedrals, built by generations of townspeople who dedicated themselves to the task. Now instead of serving as the spiritual hub of the city, they offer an attraction for tourists and a location for small souvenir shops.

In most cities there are few other places of worship. A synagogue exists here and there. In southern Spain, some modern mosques accommodate the growing Muslim population.

Ironically, we learn the enormous cathedral in Seville is built on the ruins of a mosque and many of the buildings in the region were stripped of their Muslim symbols and Christianized.


Once the Muslim population was subdued, the Jewish citizens were murdered or driven out.

Now the great symbols of this Christian domination are empty shells while Muslims attend humble but lively mosques.

I search for some indication of noninstitutional worship, some sense of individual spiritual interest. In bookstores I look for a religion section but find no special area.

I ask about religious bookstores in Madrid, and a woman directs me to a shop down a dingy alley. When I finally find it, I discover it is full of voodoo and witchcraft supplies.

I ask if there are any Protestant churches, and no one seems to know what I mean.

After a week in Spain I have seen some of the most impressive cathedrals and religious art, but I have seen no sign that these symbols still inspire modern Spain.

When I ask for theories, some blame Franco, the modern dictator whom many Spaniards claim has caused all their problems. Others say the old religion wasn’t about faith at all but about power and domination. They say Spain is embarrassed by the Crusades and other ways religion was used as a weapon.


Later, when I return to the United States, I look at the dozens of churches on one street near my house and wonder if faith in Spain has simply suffered from overexposure. Did years of familiarity breed contempt?

It is a chilling foreshadowing of what could happen in a country where religion seems to drive so much of our culture. It is a reminder that religion is never a substitute for true faith.

DEA END BOURKE

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