Protestantism in Puerto Rico

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[edit] History

Before the island of Puerto Rico came under United States sovereignty in 1898, Protestantism was proscribed. In Montaña, Aguadilla, a group called "los bíblicos" met clandestinely under the direction of Antonio Badillo. Many freethinkers and Protestants belonged to Masonic lodges, as many in the older generation still do.

Soon after the change of sovereignty, United States Protestant denominations agreed to divide the island in order to facilitate missionary penetration. Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Congregationalists and Disciples of Christ started the missionary work. While the President appointed the governors, these denominations were influential in government policies. After the 1940s this changed; nevertheless Protestantism kept growing, particularly Pentecostalism, which grew mostly among the poor and the rural.

[edit] Institutions

Mainline Protestants started educational and health institutions. Presbyterians founded InterAmerican University [1], with 11 campuses and 40,000 students, and Ashford Presbyterian Hospital in San Juan. Seventh-day Adventists founded Adventist University near Mayagüez. An interdenominational Seminary, [2]Seminario Evangélico de Puerto Rico was begun in 1909. There is a Council of Churches, founded by the cooperating denominations of the original community agreement.

[edit] Present situation

Estimates of the Protestant population vary greatly. The CIA factbook, estimates that 85% of the population is Roman Catholic while the remaining 15% are Protestans and other religions. Pollster Pablo Ramos stated in 1998 that the population was 38% Roman Catholics, but 28% were Pentecostal, and 18% were members of independent churches. Protestants added up to almost two million out of 3.6 million. "The conclusion is that Puerto Rico is no longer predominantly Catholic." [1]

Another researcher gave a more conservative assessment of the proportion of Protestants: "Puerto Rico, by virtue of its long political association with the United States, is the most Protestant of Latin American countries, with a Protestant population of approximately 33 to 38 percent, the majority of whom are Pentecostal. David Stoll calculates that if we extrapolate the growth rates of evangelical churches from 1960-1985 for another twenty-five years Puerto Rico will become 75 percent evangelical."[2]

[edit] Bibliography

  • Cardona, José A. Breve historia de la Iglesia Presbiteriana en Puerto Rico. Río Piedras, 1976.
  • Rodríguez, Daniel R. La primera evangelización norteamericana en Puerto Rico, 1898-1930. México, D.F.: Ediciones Borinquen, 1986.
  • Silva Gotay, Samuel. Protestantismo y Política en Puerto Rico. San Juan: Editorial Universidad de Puerto Rico, 1997.
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1 Territories also in or commonly reckoned elsewhere in the Americas (South America). 2 Territories also in or commonly reckoned to be in the Pacific basin.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The San Juan Star, Sunday, 12 April 1998: "Study reflects growing numbers of churchgoers".
  2. ^ Ana Adams: "Brincando el Charco..." in Power, Politics and Pentecostals in Latin America, Edward Cleary, ed., 1997. p. 164.