Certainly, my views about religion have shifted. Previously, I saw the term religion in a negative light; that is, I learned from a protestant (Pentecostal) pastor that the word religion was meant to bind. Now, thanks to my theological formation and exposure to different ways of practicing religion and theology experienced in the communities I have been part of, I see that religion and theology are in a relationship that leads to freedom: Theology focuses on the dimension of beliefs and dogma while religion is the practices and their implications in a collective setting. They have different ways of engaging human knowledge but a connecting factor of both theology and religion is the role of the individual and the connection that exists to a
I have concluded that this is exactly what both Unitarian Universalists and humanist Jews share: the need to be focused on politics and activism, and the understanding that service is based not on an obligation to a divine being or commandments, but in the view that life can be lived fully and completely through an ethical lens. This view has helped me ease the tension between looking for religious authenticity, and the freedom to create my religious and theological stand that combines more than one
The roots of Latino identity, particularly the Boricua or Puertorriqueno, are rich in religious meaning. The idea of Nepantla comes from the Aztec Nahuatl word used to describe a space in-between, or those identities who hold socio-religious identities that go beyond a predetermined definition.
Today, we live in a time of great fluidity where more than ever there is an awareness of how socio-cultural components are intertwined in everything the human being does. This also includes social, cultural, governmental, religious, and collective dimensions. The concept of Nepantla challenges the idea that homogeneity should rule the realm of identity, that belonging is the only form of expression, and that anything that deviates from this is not