The Encyclopedia of World Religions

Roman religion S 395

such issues as the place of women in the church and the practice of birth control. ORTHODOXY IN THE UNITED STATES Russian missionaries first brought Orthodox Chris tianity to the United States. In the late 1700s they worked in Alaska. In time the Alaskan church moved its headquarters to San Francisco. In 1970 the patriarch of Moscow declared the Orthodox Church of America independent. Not all Orthodox Christians accepted this church. Immigrants from many Orthodox coun tries, especially Greece, maintained their own national churches. They adopted some features from religious life in America, such as pews in church buildings and the use of some English in the Divine L ITURGY . In general, however, the dif ferent national churches have remained resolutely separate. Roman religion The religion of the Roman peo ple before C HRISTIANITY became the official religion of Rome. Much Roman religious activity took place in the home. Households presented offerings to many gods. These gods included the Lar familiaris (perhaps associated with the fields), the Penates associated with the storeroom), Vesta (the cooking fire), the genius (the spirit of the family’s patri arch), and Janus (the two-faced god of the entry way). Some of the gods received offerings every day. The purpose was not to win HEAVEN or achieve enlightenment. It was to ensure that the house hold thrived. Ultimately, the patriarch of the family (paterfamilias) was responsible for all household worship. The purpose of the religious observances of the Roman state was the same: to ensure that the state flourished. The strategy was basically the same, too: Maintain good relationships with the gods through performing various RITUALS , often by celebrating festivals. Some of the state gods corresponded to the household gods. Rome had its hearth—served by special priestesses known as vestal virgins. It had Penates, Lares, and a Janus, too. Communities also worshipped the ancestors (Manes).

appeared to an indigenous Mexican in indigenous form. The Roman Catholicism of Central and South America remained allied with the colonial govern ment and the small minority who, after Spanish and Portuguese colonization, owned the land. Those who sought independence often opposed the church. After independence, the church gener ally allied itself with the wealthy and powerful. It seemed to have little compassion for those who worked the land. In the 1960s this stance changed. Liberation THEOLOGY identified economic justice as the proper work of the church. The hierarchy in Rome, however, had suspicions about this politi cally oriented theology. Like the Spanish and Portuguese MISSIONAR IES in Central and South America, French Catholic missionaries were active in North America. As a result, Roman Catholicism is now the majority reli gion in C ANADA , by a slim margin. It is especially important in Quebec. There people have preserved their Catholic heritage along with their French identity. Roman Catholicism was present in Florida as early as 1514 and in the American southwest from the 1580s. Nevertheless, the dominant religious culture of the United States has been Protestant. Catholicism, however, has been very important in more localized regions, such as the state of Mary land. The first American Catholic bishop was John Carroll of Baltimore, who became a bishop in 1789. His diocese was the entire country. During the 19th century many Catholic immi grants came to the United States from countries such as Ireland, Italy, Germany, and Poland. They made the Catholic Church the largest single reli gious body in the United States. Catholic immi grants often encountered hostility from Protes tant neighbors. But by the second half of the 20th century anti-Catholic sentiment and behavior had largely disappeared. Thus, in 1960 a Catholic, John F. Kennedy, could be elected president. The American Catholic Church has tended to be more innovative and less traditional than Cath olic churches in other areas. This stance has led at times to conflict with the hierarchy in Rome over