Berkley Center

One of the main pillars upon which the United States of America was founded was the novel idea of separation of church and state. Many of our country’'s founders were running from religious persecution in Europe. In Europe'’s history, the church and state were perpetually intertwined. Most wars were fought over religion, clergy members held political offices, and the entire continent exploded during the Reformation. Daily life revolved around the church. Some countries even went so far as to expel anyone not of the national faith from the country, like Spain for example. This history is not new to us. We’'ve all heard the stories about the Crusades, the Reformation and Martin Luther, the Inquisition, and so on. We'’ve seen pictures of countless different churches dotting the European countryside, seen grand cathedrals, and seen an array of paintings of the Madonna with the baby Jesus or Jesus and the disciples. We’'ve come to characterize Europe as a sort of second Holy Land.

However, somewhere between our history books and real life, something changed. While the Spanish countryside is still dotted with a milieu of churches, and cathedrals still light up the nighttime skylines of various cities, these serve more as pleasant reminders of the past rather than focal points of daily life. Cathedrals are now tourist hot spots where people can go and take pictures and light candles. Signs reminding everyone to be silent and to turn off the flash on their cameras are posted at various points throughout the cathedral. The main highlight of visiting a cathedral is paying a few euros to climb to the top of the cathedral and view the city from above. During the climb, there might be a few displays showing how cathedrals are built or how they were cared for in the past. The plethora of churches found in cities and towns are not popular places anymore. Mass attendance is very low, and those that do attend Mass still remember vividly when it was said in Latin. The majority of the people living in Spain are Roman Catholic, but this is really more of a classification rather than a way of living life. The government is now wholly separate from religion. Almost as a backlash to Franco's harsh enforcement of religion over the country, the people now actively choose to live with something even more drastic than the American right to freedom of religion; they choose freedom from religion.

This is not to say that religion is not an element of life at all. A common tradition is naming children after saints. Most parents enroll their children in Catholic schools. Sacraments also remain important in the culture as  baptisms and first communions are big celebrations that certainly would outdo any celebration in the United States. Religious festivals and holidays still hold a place of honor as well. Almost every month there is at least one religious festival during which the whole city shuts down to celebrate the day. Families get together, a fireworks display might go off at night, the local cathedral might offer free admission for the day, and the center of town might have special festivities.

Despite these religious aspects of life, the culture still seems devoid of the presence of true religion. The big celebrations and traditions are present, but they seem almost empty. The city might celebrate an honored saint, but their celebration does not include going to Mass or doing anything religious. Enrolling a child in a Catholic school is a great idea for reinforcing faith, but if it is not present in the home, is it really doing any good? The little things like going to Mass, or saying bedtime prayers or grace before meals, or having religious symbols in the home such as a crucifix or a Bible, make religion and faith a constant and important part of daily life. The religion of today is certainly not the religion of our history books. The people have journeyed a long distance from the second Holy Land to their present home.