The Church

-present everywhere and rarely questioned
-formal actions greatly important
-attendance at mass high, more serious among women than men- church attendance attested to womans virtue
-primary rites such as baptism, communion, marriage, and extreme unction marked the main turning points in life, identified you as a social being
-Part of everyones cultural heritage passed on like language

Class Influence

-members of upper class had close personal relations with members of religious hierarchy
-in the rural villages, they were more devout but their catholicism was different than those in cities- fused with practices of indigenous, African, and Spanish
rural villages more careful to fulfill religious obligations to protect themselves from supernatural punishment
-Virgin Mary and Saints were deeply revered, said to be more accessible than God and could intervene in ones temporal affairs

Social Influence

-church exercised considerable influence in many areas including education, social welfare, and union organization
-control over education in Columbia was strongest in Latin America and even greater than the officials suggested
-Center for Research and Popular Education organized by church and staffed by diocesan priests
-Colombian Charity and Communal Action set up by church for  social welfare

Resources: http://countrystudies.us/colombia/52.htm

https://prezi.com/6jlbkxadmhzy/religion-in-the-colombian-society-in-1950/