Bolivia religious debate: Bible vs Andean beliefs

(25 Jan 2020) In Bolivia, many believers enjoy a symbiotic relationship between the Catholic and Andean belief systems - a relationship some now fear is being undermined by the conservative, Evangelical interim president, Jeanine Anez. Hoisting a large leather Bible above her head, she delivered an emphatic message two days after Evo Morales resigned and fled under pressure. Morales had jettisoned the Bible from official government ceremonies and replaced it with acts honoring the Andean earth deity called the Pachamama. Senator Anez, from a region where people often scoff at Pachamama beliefs, thrust the Bible above her head and flashed a beaming smile as she declared herself interim leader. The ouster of Morales marked the end of a nearly 14-year presidency that celebrated the country's indigenous religious beliefs like never before.   While Bolivians of all walks of life are deeply divided on Morales' legacy, Anez' determination to make the Bible front and centre in public life is reigniting deep-rooted class and racial divisions. Divisions that come at a time of great uncertainty in the Andean nation, where six in 10 identify as descendants of native peoples. About eight in 10 in Bolivia are Catholic, according to the most recent estimates, and many of them are weaving in Pachamama beliefs passed down from this parents and grandparents. Evangelicals tend to take a hardline against mixing beliefs and account for about seven percent of the population, more than double their size in 1970, according to self-reported membership figures from the World Christian Database. Many upper-class conservatives in the capital and in outlying provinces where people grew tired of Morales’ campaign to increase visibility and prominence of indigenous beliefs, are celebrating Anez' reintroduction of the Bible. But Bolivians who embrace their Incan heritage fear that the discrimination they felt under previous presidents of European descent will return to the South American country of 11 million people. Morales, who became the nation’s first indigenous president in 2006, fled Bolivia in November after losing the support of the military and police amid widespread protests over a disputed election. Anez on Friday announced she would run for a full term in the 3 May presidential election, despite saying previously she would only serve in the interim to bring stability to the country. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/102011028589719587178/+APArchive​ Tumblr: https://aparchives.tumblr.com/​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/5df3cd0bec224ba6b8f3f2abf3f3b3bc