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Investing in Miracles: El Shaddai and the Transformation of Popular Catholicism in the Philippines | 
 enlarge | Author: Katharine L. Wiegele
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Category: Book
Buy New: $21.00
New (5) Used (9) from $7.00
Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 1128330
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 228
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6
ISBN: 0824828615
Dewey Decimal Number: 267.182599
EAN: 9780824828615
ASIN: 0824828615
Publication Date: November 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Since the early 1980s, approximately ten million people have turned to charismatic businessman-turned-preacher "Brother Mike" and his Catholic "prosperity" movement, El Shaddai DWXI Prayer Partners Foundation International, Inc. Investing in Miracles offers an in-depth look at this unique indigenous movement, characterized by its effective use of mass media and its huge, emotion-filled outdoor rallies. The book investigates the sociocultural, political, and economic contexts of El Shaddai's popularity among the Filipino urban poor and aspiring middle classes and explores its significance for its followers, which reaches well beyond promises of appliances, salary raises, jobs abroad, and healing. Katharine Wiegele argues that Shaddai's theology directly engages and affirms desires for the material signs of modernity in ways that the mainstream Philippine Roman Catholic Church and Filipino leftist movements do not. At stake for its many adherents are their place and identity within the broader society; the meaning of their experiences of poverty, suffering, and oppression; and the relevance of their very notions of God, Christian community, and Christian life. Wiegele evocatively captures the religious and everyday experiences of her informants' lives in poor squatter neighborhoods of Manila. She is particularly sensitive to El Shaddai's delicate and often contorted relationship with the Catholic Church, which accepts the movement reluctantly, fearful of losing the loyalty of millions of faithful Catholics. While anchored in the local realities of the Philippines, Investing in Miracles will be of great interest to readers elsewhere for its exploration of religious seduction and interpretation, the interface between religion and politics, and the relevance of religion for the urban disenfranchised.
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| Customer Reviews:
An outstanding read, a wonderful ethnography November 27, 2004
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I loved this book. It was written with sensitivity, thoughtfulness, and openness.
I learned so much about the poverty in the Philippines, about this nutty religious revolution [el shaddai] that gets poor people to give their money to a modern day Elmer Gantry who is laughing all the way to the bank. I also learned a lot about beliefs in demons, devils, angels, etc.. What a bunch of nonsense. Of course the author tries her best to be nonjudgemental, to paint a fair portrait of this religious culture with respect and interest. She shows that this religious movement isn't all bad; it does seem to give people hope. But is is false hope, of course. The book ends with a dramatic climax as the author witnesses an El Shaddai leader abuse and berate a woman -- blaming her for all the troubles in her life.
This book was top-notch cultural anthropology. It was very well written, very intellectually-satisfying, and really painted a moving portrait of these poor people who are so desparate that they will give their last pesos to "God" in hopes of a few breaks in life.
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