Compare curanderismo, espiritualismo, with Afro-Caribbean Santeria, Essay

Compare curanderismo, espiritualismo, with Afro-Caribbean Santeria, Pentecostalism - Essay Example Moreover, there are several objects that are used by the practitioners. They include the holy water, crucifixes, lemons, eggs, candles, saints, incense, candles, spices, eggs, limes, and oils. Evidently, curanderismo originated from the Mexican culture following its colonization by Mexico. It derives its meaning from the word curar which is Spanish for ‘to heal.’ Incidentally, curanderismo is a combination of the indigenous Latin American folk medicine and Catholicism. Presently, curanderismo is practiced in a number of Latin American countries and also in the United States. To this end, it has retained its popularity among certain Mexican-American people as an alternative mode of medicine. Its popularity is largely due to the belief that it offers spiritual alleviation from ailments that are beyond conventional medicine. Espiritualismo involves the practice of spiritualism. Evidently its practice is based on the belief that the spirit world can offer intervention within the human world. To this end, it is practised by a majority of Caribbean’s and also by some citizens from Latin America. However, it is different from Santeria since there are rituals c haracterized by animal sacrifices. Espiritualismo is further regarded as a philosophical movement that is based on reverence to God and the soul, the spiritual and moral principles, and the immortality of being. Moreover, espiritualismo believes in reincarnation, survival ideals of the soul, and the relation between the disembodied and embodied. The general principles of espiritualismo include the belief in God, his helpers and angels; spiritual adoration and worship; the original root of religion and other manifestations of religion; and the divine reverence of the Great Spirit known as ‘God.’ Moreover, mineral, plants, oils, prayers, trees, candles, flowers, and music equally play a pertinent role in the belief of espiritualismo. Evidently, the doctrines of espiritualismo espouse that when a person is born, he or she is a constituent of two bodies. The first body is the physical and visible entity which is earthly and temporary. The second body is the spiritual entity which is eternal and invisible. Furthermore, after death the physical body ceases to exist but the spiritual body continues in an eternal existence under the control of God. On the other hand, Santeria is a combination of religious beliefs and traditions that constitutes a similar African traditional religion. Evidently, its origin can be traced back to Brazil and Cuba. It is characterized by a combination of the worship elements of Catholicism and the traditional Yoruba faith. The Santeria religion is based on creating relationships between the human beings and mortal spirits which are powerful and known as the Orishas. Evidently, the Orisha is a reflection of the god also known as Olodumare. In this regard, the adherents of Santeria believed that the spirits provided them with the gift of life when they performed satisfactory rituals. This consequently enabled them to be blessed with the destiny bestowed upon them before their birth. Interestingly, the Santeria religion exhibits a relation with the Roman Catholic church through the association between Orishas and the Catholic Saints. For example, Our Lady of Charity was known as Ochun in the Santeria religion. She is the Yoruba goddess in charge of the river. The goddess was equally associated with love, sweets, water, love and yellow. Saint Lazarus was the alternate version of Babalu-Aye in Santeria religion.