The Liberation of Puerto Rico: A Theological Perspective

                                                 The Liberation of Puerto Rico: A Theological Perspective

                                                 Preface


The aim of this thesis is to set forth in writing my conviction that the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico should be an independent and sovereign nation. I am writing as an ordained Christian minister who has a theological commitment to the pursuit of social justice.  I am also writing as a Puerto Rican who believes that the people of Puerto Rico have an inalienable right to determine their own national destiny.  Because of my theological commitment to social justice, I believe that this project can have significance for the Christian involved in the social and political arena.  People who are engaged in the professional practice of ministry are called to lead the Church in working for the creation of a society in which justice will prevail.

I will begin by presenting a history of the struggle of the people of Puerto Rico for their self-determination. This will not be a history of Puerto Rico as such, but rather a general overview focusing on those movements  whose aim has been to achieve a free and sovereign nation.  In the final chapter of this book, I will be identifying the two  sources that I consider the basis for my conviction that Puerto Rico should be independent. These two sources are the Scriptures of the Judaeo-Christian tradition, and Liberation Theology as developed and expressed in Latin America. The reason that the Scriptures are being used is that they constitute the primary source of what most professing Christians believe to be right and true.  In that regard, it is possible to derive convictions from the Scriptures that concern the issues of the structures of society.  I will be using those Scriptures which, in my judgment are directly or indirectly related to the issue which is being raised in this thesis.

In addition, I will be making use of Liberation Theology because I believe that there is enough substance in its content from which to establish a valid argument for the liberation of Puerto Rico.  While I do not intend to deal exhaustively with the nature of Liberation Theology, I will be making use of those concepts in that stream of thought which I believe to be of relevance to the issue that is the theme of this project.  In this thesis, Liberation Theology will be treated as a secondary source of Christian beliefs.  In other words, I do not consider Liberation Theology to have the same canonical status as the Scriptures.  Esther and Mortimer Arias, Hugo Assmann, Leonardo Boff, Jose Miguez Bonino, and Gustavo Gutierrez are the major Latin American theologians quoted in this thesis.

I would like to express my gratitude to my adviser, Dr. Kenneth Smith (deceased).  He offered many helpful suggestions to me concerning the formulation of this thesis.  I would also like to thank Dr. Kenneth Cauthen who served as a member of my advisory committee.  His comments and suggestions were very valuable.  I am further grateful to Dr. Gayraud Wilmore, who also served as a member of my advisory committee. He provided some very helpful insights for this thesis with suggestions which he made in regard to the study of the relationship between Caribbean theology and Latin American Liberation Theology.  I would especially like to thank Dr. James H. Evans, who joined my advisory committee due to Dr. Wilmore's extended absence.  I also express my thanks to Mrs. Beverly Maville who assisted me in typing the final manuscript of this dissertation.  The end notes  and the bibliography are located at the end of this thesis.

I would like to dedicate this thesis to my former and now deceased wife Luisa, and to my children, Geoffrey, Jennica, and Jessica.  I am extremely grateful to them for the patience and tolerance which they demonstrated during the time that I was engaged in study and thesis research.

Since writing this book, two of my three children have graced me with three grandchildren, i.e. Geoffrey's daughters Gloria Belen and Abigail Nhaomi, and Jennica's son Benjamin.  I am very grateful to God for them, and glad that they are a very important part important part of my life.

I also dedicate this book to my dearly beloved wife Ruth.  She has been my cheerleader and motivator in my continued writing career, and also the driving force of my authorship of two subsequent books, "Liberation Theology: Under Arrest (Theology from the Prison Standpoint)," and "The Puerto Rican Diaspora: A Model Theology."  I thank her so much for her love and support, and also for being both my cheerleader and my biggest critic.

In marrying Ruth, I have come into a blended family.  Subsequently, I also dedicate this book to her children Cinnamon, Jeremiah, and Adora-rae. I also dedicate it to her grandchildren Briana Joi Ramos, Elliot Davis, Kendrick Davis, Kiana Ramos, Salvatore Ramos, and Isaiah (Choo Choo) Muniz-Ramos.

To all my family, biological and blended, I dedicate this work to them as member of the Puerto Rican community. My hope and prayer is that they will be committed to the struggle of our Puerto Rican people for self-determination.