Trivia Santa Muerte: The Impartial Diety

[Kaplok Kaplok]

Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte (Spanish for Our Lady of Holy Death), often shortened to Santa Muerte, is a cult image, female deity, and folk saint in folk Catholicism and Mexican Neopaganism. A personification of death, she is associated with healing, protection, and safe delivery to the afterlife by her devotees. Despite condemnation by leaders of the Catholic Church, and more recently evangelical movements, her following has become increasingly prominent since the turn of the 21st century.

Santa Muerte is a personification of death. Unlike other saints who originated in Mexican folk Catholicism, Santa Muerte is not, herself, seen as a dead human being. She is associated with healing, protection, financial wellbeing, and assurance of a path to the afterlife.

The worship of Santa Muerte also attracts those who are not inclined to seek the traditional Catholic Church for spiritual solace, as it is part of the "legitimate" sector of society; many followers of Santa Muerte live on the margins of the law or outside it entirely. Many street vendors, taxi drivers, vendors of counterfeit merchandise, street people, prostitutes, pickpockets, petty drug traffickers and gang members who follow the cult are not practicing Catholics or Protestants, but neither are they atheists.

Santa Muerte art portrayed as diety of crime and cartels, with the likeness of Vīrgin Mary​

In essence they have created their own new religion that reflects their realities, hardships, identity, and practices, especially since it speaks to the violence and struggles for life that many of these people face. Conversely, both police forces and the military in Mexico can be counted among the faithful who ask for blessings on their weapons and ammunition.

Santa Muerte is also revered and seen as a saint and protector of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities in Mexico, since LGBTQ+ people are considered and treated as outcasts by the Catholic Church, evangelical churches, and Mexican society at large. Many LGBTQ+ people ask her for protection from violence, hatred, disease, and to help them in their search for love. Her intercession is commonly invoked in same-*** marriage ceremonies performed in Mexico. The Iglesia Católica Tradicional México-Estados Unidos, also known as the Church of Santa Muerte, recognizes gay marriage and performs religious wedding ceremonies for homosexual couples.

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In a way, the existence of worshipping like Santa Muerte, can be attributed to Christianity's (and branching sects) inherent lack of inclusivity. They may comdemn it, so far as calling it satanic (as usual) but it is really their own indirect creation.

But, making Christianity inclusive also poses different problems as it may morph to something it is not meant to be. Who is to say that it's teachings are still pure and as intended to be? Maybe what we have is already injected with pagan beliefs. (Not to say if it made it better or worst)

Santa Muerte art transformed from Our Lady of Guadalupe​

Absurd as it may seem, but on a deeper analysis, most theist might worship their god with the same motivations and fears in comparison to worshippers of Santa Muerte. On a personal level, may it be assurance of path in afterlife, protection, health, prosperity, whatever they pray for, they morph their god to an impartial god to agree with their personal justice, may it be socially good or bad.
Interestingly, even most agnostics who used to be members of such religion also views the utility of religion the exact same way, except that they just do not believe it.


With that in mind, let us ask ourselves and reflect...
Are we really any better?

 

[TipsyDy]

Thanks for sharing