The transformation of religious practices
At the beginning of this century, a notable decrease in the presence of the Christian faith is observed. A clear example of this transformation is reflected in statistical data. Two decades ago, approximately 80% of the Spanish population considered themselves Catholic, while today this number has dropped to 61%, and in Catalonia to 50%. The number of marriages with a Catholic ceremony has experienced a sharp decline, becoming a significant minority. Similarly, the number of baptisms has fallen considerably, coinciding with a persistent birth crisis, although confirmations have seen a slight increase.
The causes of this dynamic
The review of this dynamic raises several questions about its causes. Despite the efforts of academia and pastoral care to analyze it, the answers seem insufficient in the face of the magnitude of the change. The phenomenon of secularization and deinstitutionalization of beliefs is often attributed to this dynamic, but these are consequences of a wider process of breaking ties and social disengagement, by-products of the hedonism and subjectivism prevalent in our society today.
Faith in the current sociocultural context
The difficulty of expressing faith in this new cultural context becomes evident. The hegemonic frame of reference, influenced by unquestioned presuppositions, has relegated faith and religious beliefs to the background. Likewise, today’s culture does not favor religious experience, quite the opposite of what happened in ancient Greece and Rome. This reality hinders the spread of faith and its deepening, thus creating a religious ignorance that has a negative impact on our own culture.
The challenge of the revitalization of faith
In this context, it is a vital challenge to question these hegemonic frames of reference that limit religious experience. In addition, it is essential to work on the construction of an alternative based on Christian culture, which is accessible to everyone through reasoning processes, personal experience and empirical verification. This will make it possible to address contemporary challenges with an enriching and constructive perspective.
