This work examines the influence of religion on politics in Latin America over the past three decades. It includes: a new intrepretation of Liberation Theology, the arm of Catholicism which encourages the empowerment of oppressed people; an examination of other religious movements in Latin America; and a review of the Marxist and Weberian perspectives of religion, throwing new light on the influence of Catholicism over capitalism. In the 1960s, Liberation Theology addressed itself to the problems of a continent racked by poverty and oppression. Comprising a network of localized communities and pastoral organizations, it soon became something much more than a doctrinal current. Liberationist Christianity defined itself in a multitude of social struggles, particularly in Brazil and Central America. Many of the most momentous events in the continent's recent history - the Nicaraguan revolution, the development of the PT (Worker's Party) in Brazil, the tortuous ascent of President Aristide in Haiti and the uprising in Chiapas - have borne witness to the influence of a distinctive Liberationist Christianity. This book proposes a new interpretation of Liberation Theology and of the rival religious projects in Latin America. Michael Lowy is the author of ''Marxism and Liberation Theology'', ''Redemption and Utopia: Liberation Judaism in Central Europe'' and ''Marxism in Latin America''.

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