Religion in Spain 1

Religion in Spain Vanessa Rios Arizona State University

Religion in Spain 2 Religion in Spain, namely the Iberian Peninsula where the country is now located began with the rule of the Roman Empire. Before the Romans conquered there were several other peoples living in the peninsula but none with an established religion. It was not until the Romans took control of the peninsula that a major religion was widely spread. The ancient Roman Empire brought upon Christianity, which was accepted by most of the Iberian Peninsulas inhabitants. With the fall of the Roman Empire, specifically in early 400s AD other tribes, mostly Germanic ones, began to invade and conquer the peninsula. They still followed Christianity but an Arian branch of it instead. From the countrys beginnings, Spain has been influenced by Christianity and other religions that fall under the same umbrella.

The role of religion in Spain, as in many other countries has been an impactful one. It could even be said that the country had a serious religion base and that its cultural revolves around the subject. The largest religion in the country in this day and time is Roman Catholicism, going back to the roots of the Roman Empires rule. Although Spain is a country founded on many religious views, it has been seen that less and less people are religious. Many Spaniards identify with a religion but do not necessarily practice it. This has to do with the fact that the Catholic religion is very strict on several things and the younger generations do not necessarily believe in such archaic doctrines. Examples of these would be contraception, pre-marital sex, and sexual orientation. In conclusion, it is evident that Spain was heavily founded on religious belief but in its modern society it has become less of staple.

The landscape of Spain is adorned with several religious landmarks, including several ancient churches and other destinations. One of these is Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in

Religion in Spain 3 Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The church has been around for hundreds of years, origins going to Medieval times. Prigrims used to walk for months in order to pray to St. James; the church being where most of his relics remain. The inside of it includes several portraits and Baroque style adornments. Another sacred place in Spain is the Montserrat Shrine in Catalonia, Spain. It is located on a mountaintop near Barcelona and used to be a popular pilgrim destination since the 1000 AD. It is the home of the miracle maker, the Black Madonna. As stated before, Spain is a country heavily based on religion and has many more other sacred destinations such as the ones described above.

Both legally and constitutionally, the country of Spain recognizes their citizens as having the freedom of religion. This is now but historically, there were major ties to religion between the Catholic Church and the government of Spain. It was not really until 1980 with the Law of Religious Freedom that religious groups had to register within the state to be deemed official. This started a snowball effect of other different religions being recognized in Spain. These religious include Judaism, Mormons, Buddhist, and many other religious groups. With the way the world works in mind, several of these groups often still are discriminated against from the government when it comes to thing pertaining to their religion, such as building new places of worship.

In my personal opinion, I feel that in Spain, as a modern day country, the role of religion almost seems outdated. Many of the morals or ideals in the Catholic Church are archaic and often discriminatory towards several groups of people. These groups not only include homosexuals, but also people who have had premarital sex or use contraception. We live in a

Religion in Spain 4 society now where these things are wide-spread and will not cease to exist. If the trend continues, I believe that soon we will see more and more people not necessarily following the Catholic religion, or any religion for that matter, due to the fact that they are very old world traditions.

Religion in Spain 5 Works Cited

Casanova, Jose. Religion in Spain. (2013) Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs. Georgetown University. Retrieved March 14, 2014 from: http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essays/religious-freedom-in-spain Gloverover. Decline of Catholic Church in Spain. (2010). Spain Culture Guide. Retrieved March 13, 2014 from: http://globerove.com/spain/spain-culture-guide-religion-in-spain/21 No Author. Religion in Spain. (2012). Public Guide. Public Articles. Retrieved March 14, 2014: http://public.guide-spain.com/Religion_in_Spain