Angel on the Wall

“Folk religion” is a term used in the study of missions to refer to the beliefs and practices of a religion that happen at a popular, everyday level, but are outside of the accepted teaching of said religion. The religion and its elite officially teach one thing, but the religion that is actually lived out among the people is different, usually incorporating the traditional beliefs of the culture. This means, for example, that people may publicly pledge allegiance to the Church, but during the week, when real-life problems happen, they go to see the witch doctor or consult the horoscopes. 

The concept of folk religion explains why so many in Mexico affirm that they are Roman Catholic, but their beliefs and traditions fall outside of official Roman Catholic doctrine. Officially, saints are only to be venerated, that is, held in honor and worthy of special devotion. However, in the folk religion of Mexico, saints are worshipped and in many cases, religious life revolves not around God, Jesus, or the Bible, but around saints. 

A while ago, I was speaking with the mother of a man who passed away this past year. I was telling her about the conversations about God and the Bible that I would have with her son. She replied that for most of his life, he was not a very religious person and that she was concerned for his soul. She then started telling me about an angel on one of the walls of her son’s house.   

He was a bit of an artist and had used plaster to build an angel protruding from the wall. I hadn’t seen it, but his mom assured me it was large and took up most of the wall. She concluded her description of the angel on the wall by commenting: “Hopefully the angel helps get him into heaven.” 

This Roman Catholic woman’s statement about the angel on the wall perfectly encapsulates what folk religion is about. In general, folk religion addresses the practical aspects of daily life, such as sickness, accidents, and of course, death. Her son had died and she had questions about his eternal destiny. Where was she going to find answers? Not in the official doctrine of the Roman Catholic church, and certainly not in the pages of Scripture. Rather, she adopted, albeit unconsciously, the popular beliefs of the local people. 

If we want to effectively reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ, we need to understand their folk religion, not just the traditional religion they claim to adhere to. This takes time in and amongst the people because folk religions don’t have written texts you can read. Instead, we must be actively observing, asking questions, and taking notes. How is their religion actually practiced? How are they answering the big questions of life? What lies behind their customs and traditions? 

And so we continue learning, not only the language and culture but also the religion of the people. We do so with the end goal of communicating the Gospel – the good news that both the big and little issues of daily life are answered in Jesus Christ, not in rote prayers, ubiquitous shrines, or plaster angels on the wall.