Scientology in the Armed Forces?

A retired Colombian general pins an award recently
on Scientology leader David Miscavige

Revelations that the Church of Scientology, whose history is filled with bizarre beliefs and accusations of cultism and abuses, has worked closely with Colombian military personell have generated justified concerns.

There are many people - including some Hollywood celebrities - who are dedicated followers of Scientology, and appear to believe that they have obtained great benefits from it.

But the belief system - does it deserve the respect of being labeled a 'religion'? - includes some truly bizarre ideas about faraway planets and ancient volcanoes filled with hydrogen bombs and has been repeatedly accused of abusing its followers and engaging in exploitative cultlike behaviors.

A Colombian military man at a
Scientology event.

That's why it's worrisome when such an organization has an institutional influence over members of an armed forces. In case of conflict, where would these soldiers loyalties lie? Whose orders would they obey? What sort of values would they apply?

In particular, it's frightening and contradictory for an organization accused of imprisoning members
and forcing women to have abortions to be allowed to teach human rights to Colombian troops.

And Scientology's grandiose, even bizarre, claims about itself just make one shake one's head and wonder whether the organization has its head on straight. A 2015 Scientology press release about the inauguration of its new Bogotá building boasted about the legal and military high officials attending the ceremony, and called the event 'one of the greatest things ever to happen to Colombia.' Scientology has even credited itself with slashing Colombia's crime rate, boosting its tourism and reducing human rights violations.

That said, Scientology is clearly on the offensive in Colombia, with its expensive new headquarters in the city's north.

Interfering with others' religious beliefs is always sensitive. But when it comes to Scientology, both the government and potential followers should exercise lots of caution.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

A Papal History of Bogotá

The ruins of the Archbishop's Palace in 1948, after the Bogotazo riots.

The Museo de Bogotá, located on Calle 10 between Carreras 3 and 4, has an exposition about the two previous papal visits: Pablo VI in 1968 and John Paul II in 1986. The city carried out some urban projects related to the visits, in particular a neighborhood built for Pablo near Simon Bolivar Park, which still carries his name. These are documented in the exhibit. But the real interest are the historic photos of central Bogotá sites.

Papal paraphenalia. Religious consumerism isn't new.

Plaza Bolivar in 1868.

Another view of Plaza Bolivar in 1868: A cattle pasture?

Plaza Bolivar around 1930.

Pope Pablo VI.

The interior of the Cabildo Eclesiastico.

And, to see Bogotanos' present-day Catholic fervor, take a look at the crowds still lining up in Plaza Bolivar today to see the image of the Virgen of Chiquinquira:

Waiting around. It's a long, long, line.

Pope Francis waves 'hi.'

Religious trinkets haven't gone out of style.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

What Can We Expect from the Pope?

The Caras celebrity magazine welcome Pope Francis.

Even before Pope Francis's arrival, we can thank him for the cease-fire agreement with the ELN guerrillas, who (in contrast with the FARC) have long ties with the church: They once even had a

Le Monde Diplomatique asks whether
Francis will manage to alter the
Colombian church's conservatism.

priest as a leader. A bit paradoxically, however, during his visit the pope is to beatify a Colombian bishop assassinated by the ELN in 1989.

But more substantial changes seem unlikely - despite all the anticipation and commercialization.

Francis will visit a Colombia whose Catholicism is declining, both in terms of the number of faithful and in terms of the church's influence. Altho about 79% of Colombians still identify as Catholics - one of the highest percentages in the region - a much smaller number appear to attend church. And evangelical churches are growing rapidly, particularly among the poor, as they are across the region. The Catholic Church has also lost its central role as an institution. The 1991 Constitution transformed Colombia from an officially Catholic to a secular nation. And during the recent, and successful, peace negotiations with the FARC guerrillas, the church did not play the role as mediator it had in earlier talks.

A demonstrator complains to the Pope that the Colombian
government hasn't fulfilled its obligations to displaced people.

Neither has the Catholic Church been able to prevent reforms
legalizing euthenasia, abortion in some cases, same-sex marriage and adoption by gay couples. Nor has the nation's Catholicism been able to prevent a world-high 84% of babies being born to unmarried parents.

At the same time, Francis will also encounter extremely conservative Catholics, led by ex-attorney general Alejandro Ordoñez, who reject not only those liberal legal changes, but also Vatican II.

José Galat, the conservative rector of Gran Colombia University, has even called Pope Francis a 'heretic' and claims that Francis 'is paving the way for the anti-Christ.' Colombian church officials have told believers not to watch the university's television channel, TeleAmiga.

A rough night for muggers. The night before the pope's arrival soldiers stand guard in La Candelaria.

The security for the Pope is extreme, and exaggerated. On the day of his arrival, Ave. 26 is to be closed down for the whole afternoon. And the morning he gives mass in La Candelaria, the whole neighborhood is to be shut to cars and even bicycles. All this, even tho one guerrilla group is at peace with the government, and the other just reached a cease-fire agreement. If anything happened to the pope, it would be a tragedy, of course. But wouldn't ordinary presidential security be enough?

Hundreds of believers line up outside the Cathedral of Bogotá to see an image of the Virgin of Chiquinquira.

The Pope's visit means commercialism.

Readying seats in Plaza Bolivar for the Pope's mass.

Want a papal shirt?

A sign on a post asks the Pope to oppose Bogotá Mayor Peñalosa and neoliberalism.

A rare sight. The Simon Bolivar statue in Plaza Bolivar is free of graffiti and pigeon droppins.

A billboard on 26th St. welcomes Pope Francis.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

A Twisted Sort of Miracle

'Pilar Molano, a miracle amidst terrorism.' From Semana magazine.

For me, this headline captures what is either infuriatingly close-minded or touchingly naive about religious faith.

Pilar Molano in happier times.

I should be clear that I'm not against faith, which can provide comfort in times of crisis, like this one. And that I'm happy that Pilar Molano survived the bombing at the Andino shopping mall and hope that she recovers completely.

But calling a close call with death like this one a 'miracle' is a bizarre distortion of the world. Explicitly understood, a miracle is a supernatural intervention by a God to aid someone. If I could somehow suddenly jump 100 feet high or write like Shakespeare, then that would be a miracle.

But if God exists and he or she wanted to help Pilar Molano, then the about the worst way to do it would be to make her the victim of a near-fatal terrorist attack and then let her narrowly survive it, albeit with a terribly mutilated leg.

If God really wanted to perform a miracle for Pilar, he or she might have helped Pilar to achieve her life's dream, whatever it may be: playing music professionally, living in Hawaii, or flying an airplane. Or whatever.

But submitting Pilar to a incomprehensible terror attack and letting her barely survive it, seems like a twisted sort of miracle.

As for the bombing itself, authorities appear to still be at a loss as to the culprits. Fingers have pointed at three different groups, however:

The ELN guerrillas, who in February planted a bomb in a sidewalk above Bogotá's bullfighting stadium, killing two police officers and injuring about 20. But the ELN have denied being behind this bombing.

The Úsuga Clan, also known as the Urabeños or Clan del Golfo. The clan is into narcotrafficking, and illegal mining, which it protects with mass murder. But the clan doesn't appear to operate in Bogotá, and random, unclaimed terror attacks don't seem to be its style or in its interests.

The shadowy Movimiento Revolucionario del Pueblo (MRP), a group with links to public university students, which has planted bombs in Bogotá public restrooms and other sites over the last several years. But if the MRP did commit this terror attack, then why doesn't it claim it?

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

A Lesson from Abortion Protesters

Abortion opponents have been holding this protest/vigil recently beside the Iglesia Santa Ana in Teusaquillo, which is surrounded by women's clinics with a reputation for providing mostly illicit abortions.

A women's clinic across
from the Santa Ana church.

In the past, I've seen anti-abortions protests outside the Palacio de Justicia and Congreso, when they have considered abortion law. Colombia's abortion law, while relatively liberal for the region, is still quite restrictive (abortion is permitted only in cases of rape, incest, when the woman's life is endangered and when the fetus is inviable, and often hard to obtain even in those cases). Abortion rights supporters say that, either despite or because of the law, nearly all of the procedures performed in Colombia are done illegally.

So, it always seemed a bit absurd to me to see the protesters at the centers of lawmaking, when the law was obviously so irrelevent to reality.

This is the first time I've seen protesters at the of abortions. Yet, by protesting here, they're also underlining the fact that abortion prohibitions feed an outlaw, and often dangerous, illicit abortion industry.

The campaign is named '40 Days for Life.'

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

The Decision is Yours?

Profamilia, the well-known family planning and reproductive health organization, says it only wants girls and women to know that Colombian law gives them the right to an abortion in several specific circumstances.

But abortion opponents allege that the NGO's latest campaign, 'La decisión es tuya' (The decision is yours), on posters on Medellin's subway, is rather an invitation to abort.

Image from Twitter: @Cluna85 

In 2006, the Constitutional Court legalized abortion in cases where the pregnancy endangers the woman's life, when the fetus has a severe malformation or when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.

However, despite the relative frequency of these circumstances, no more than 1,500 legal abortions have been performed in a single year, 2010, and only 26 in 2012 and '13, according to the minister of health. That means that more than 99.9% of abortions performed in Colombia are illegal, according to the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute - and many of those are unsafe. As a result, more than 90,000 women seek medical help every year for post-abortion complications, according to Guttmacher.

But does Profamilia's campaign encourage women to seek abortions only in the legal circumstances? While Profamilia officials insist that's true, critics say it encourages abortion-on-demand and have called for Medellin's subway system to remove the posters. The subway has refused.

Profamilia's website sets a broad definition for the health exception to the abortion prohibition, including cases where the pregnancy "affects mental health." Another abortion provider, Orientame, goes even further on its website, asserting that "anguish, depression, insomnia or other emotional or physical affects," constitute legal justification to abort. I've got news for Orientame: I'm not pregnant nor ever have been, but have at times experienced anguish, depression, insomnia and various other emotional problems.

Legalizing abortion is a positive thing, if only because when prohibited abortion happens anyway, just in more dangerous conditions. But, in a mostly conservative, highly Catholic, society, abortion activists should be cautious about pushing the limits of abortion rights for fear of producing a backlash.



By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

A Less and Less Catholic Colombia

Crowds of Bogotanos last night around the Christmas tree on Plaza Bolivar.

A Baptist Church in
central Bogotá.

Christmas is still a huge deal here in Colombia - but, according to a recent survey, it's no longer such a Catholic one.

According to the survey, by the Washington D.C.-based Pew Research Center, Colombia is still one of the region's most Catholic countries, with 79% of the population identifying themselves as Catholic. Paraguay, at 89%, was the most Catholic, and Uruguay, at 42%, the least.

But Colombian Catholics appear to be leaving the religion at the fastest rate. It is the nation with the largest proportion of non-Catholics who were raised as Catholics.

The fastest-growing evangelical churches are Pentecostals, who tend to be fundamentalists who believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible. As a result, the retreat of the generally conservative Catholic Church could mean that many people are becoming even more conservative in their values.

'As Catholics become more liberal on such questions (as gay rights and abortion), that points to looming American-style “culture wars”,' predicts an article in The Economist.

'Jesus Loves You,' say religious activists on Ave. Septima.

The Catholic Church could be losing adherents for various reasons, including scandals and a decreasing number of priests. (But while the Catholic Church has had headline-making scandals, Colombian evangelicals have as well.) In contrast to Catholicism, in many evangelical churches, almost anybody can become a minister, and celibacy is not required. As a result, Protestant churches can evangelize more actively and create a more personal relationship with members.

Protestant churches can be “family-like,” David Stoll, an anthropology professor at Middlebury College in Vermont, told The Economist.

Faith or materialism?
Christmas vendors
crowd Plaza San Victorino. 

The Pew study found a strong correlation between migration and conversion to Protestantism, probably because of the availability of Protestant ministers available to evangelize them. The evangelical churches are also growing most strongly amongst the poor.

The Catholic Church's slide in the region comes despite the popularity of Pope Francis, the church's first pope from Latin America.

Colombia has been officially secular since it created a new Constitution in 1991. However, its precise relationship to Catholicism is still being defined. Secular organizations recently protested the creation of a commemoration day for Madre Laura, a Catholic nun who evangelized indigenous people and in May of this year became Colombia's first Catholic saint. While a high court ruled in favor of creating a holiday honoring the Madre Laura, it stopped short of making her the patron saint of Colombia's teachers.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Can Religion and Eroticism Mix?

A 'Hidden Women' exhibition gets hidden itself.

Read our lips: Stylized vaginas
make a statement about
oppression.

Nobody who's been to a Latin American carnaval can doubt that Catholicism and eroticism do mix.

However, when the Museo Santa Clara, located in an historic convent off of Plaza Bolivar, scheduled an exhibition by Colombian artist María Eugenia Trujillo utilizing eroticism to make a statement about the control of women's bodies, conservative Catholic organizations protested and filed suit calling the artwork an "attack on the freedom of religion." Two days ago, a judge ordered the exhibition 'Hidden Women' (Mujeres Ocultas) closed on the eve of its inauguration.

The museum's shut door with legal notices
about the exhibition's closure.

Trujillo says she uses eroticism, female bodies and even a stylized vagina in the exhibition to denounce repression and control of women's bodies. The images I've seen are abstract enough that we couldn't be certain they were parts of human anatomy if we hadn't been told they were. It's hard to avoid the impression that for some people (read: el Procurador General) sexuality is beyond the pale, particularly when it is mixed with feminism. Ttujillo's art may be good or bad, but it doesn't look like the "open attack on the nation's Catholic community" as one Catholic organization charged.

Is the exhibition's closure - which may be temporary - censorship? I've seen much more polemical works in private spaces in Bogotá. If this exhibition were not in a publicly-owned church, the conservative Catholic organizations would have no prayer of closing it. The exhibit's organizers could move it to many other sites where it would cause fewer waves - and receive less attention. This was, after all, a Catholic institution, even if it's now used as a secular museum.

All of which evidences a much-repeated point: opposition, censorship and controversy generate attention. If not for the Catholic's protests, this exhibit would have come and gone unnoticed and unseen except by a few in this little-known museum.

But the media goes crazy over anything involving sex and polemics -which gave Trujillo's work incalculable free attention. So much for censorship.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Here Come the Inquisitors

The inquisitor's sign says 'Liberty is sin.' Where's the procurador right now?

All of the comparsas in today's birthday parade for Bogotá were colorful. But this one, sending up the Spanish Inquisition, was my favorite, for its opinionatedness and polemicity.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours