Costa Rica Religion
Religious freedom is practiced in Costa Rica under the constitution and this is upheld by the Ticos who display a very tolerant nature. In a 2007 survey, 70.5% of the Costa Rica religion population are Roman Catholics with almost 50% practicing their religion. On the flip side, 11.3% reporting they don’t belong to any religion. The week before Easter Sunday or Holy Week is a national holiday and while it should be a time spent praying and practicing good behavior, the Costa Ricans go on vacations, secular trips, and sometimes attend social gatherings.
Costa Ricans only respond to church bells during special events like marriage and baptism or Holiday masses. Even though Costa Rica religion has always been secular, the relationship between church and state has always been weak. The passing of their parish priest does not inspire any reverential mourning as the special dislike of the people for dictators made them intolerant of priestly authority. The influence of the church diminished at the beginning of the 19th century, and the Costa Rican church were not able to take control over the morals and mind of people even from the earliest colonial times.
Regarding Costa Rica religion, the lower members of society may embrace the church in the hopes that in heaven they will belong to the ranks of the bourgeois; but the rising middle class wanted the comforts earth provide. There is the modern Hotel Costa Rica and the Costa Rican Condo, testaments to the people preferring modern comforts and lifestyle. The modernity of Costa Rica and the achievements of its middle class have made the traditional Church and its teachings and meanings superfluous for its citizens.
Still, tourists on a Costa Rica vacation will find a church facing east on every village, on the west side of the central plaza. It doesn’t matter how small the village is, the saint’s day will be celebrated with secular fervor. Costa Rican homes, offices, taxis and bus all have token religious icons on display. The only church marriage that the state recognizes is the Catholic marriage ceremony; so Catholicism remains the official state religion which is mandated by the 1949 Constitution.
Protestantism has not made a big dent in Costa Rica as the Catholic clergy fiercely defends its turf. The people have found Protestant missionaries even less spellbinding, even if they are now prevalent in many parts of Central America. There are also other sects in several places around Costa Rica but they continue to be little pockets, although they try very hard to grow and are far more boisterous than the traditional religions.
Recently, there has been an unprecedented increase in religious sects in Costa Rica which some people interprets as the spiritual awakening of the large segment of the non-religious population. There have been discontent and disappointment in the pomposity and lack of spiritual content of the Catholic Church’s traditional rites for many years. It is unfortunate that many of the new sects whose followers are generally called “Cristianos” have been led by greedy and lascivious preachers who have their own agendas other than salvation.
The Catholic Church have tried to lure back its flock through preaching on television shows and radio programs hosted by nice looking priests, which was unheard from in the traditional church before the encroachment of these new religions.
