Latino Migrations and the Transformation of Religion in the United States: Framing the Question
This chapter focuses on the rising Latino demographic in the United States and its impact on Christianity, particularly Catholicism. The Pew Research Center summarized its findings about Latinos and the transformation of American religion saying that "understanding religious faith among Latinos is essential to understanding the future of this population as well as the evolving nature of religion in the United States."1 This chapter seeks to provide an initial framework for the exploration of major Latino contributions to religion in the United States today. Students in the fields of religious and theological studies may find the profile helpful in the effort to better grasp the broader dimensions of this reality. These pages provide a necessary overview for a neuralgic topic as US society, religions, and religious movements experience Latinoization as a result of migration, relatively high Latino birthrates, and considerable exogamy.2 The unprecedented participation of Latinos in the outcome of the 2012 presidential elections and the abundant commentary on its significance as a watershed moment suggest an analogy: what is happening in the political realignment of the nation echoes a change as well with regard to society and religion.3