Virgin de Guadalupe

• I personally revile the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe for two reasons: it gives people false hope and it represents marianismo and female subjugation. False hope is fairly reasonable, the article even states that the "miraculus image" was probably copied by a local indigenous person. Yet people pray and cry and tithe to the church rather than seeking true salvation which is the acceptence of the fact that one day you will die. You won't live on forever. Celebrate now, instead of praying to some imaginary "big brother" in the sky. That's my problem with religion: it takes the human out of humanity. Everything that happens is due to someone or something else. "Oh, I cheated on my wife. The devil tempted me. Jesus will forgive me." This is simply absolving yourself from the blame of your misdeed, or "sin". Or "I got that promotion at work, God must have heard my prayers", when instead you got that promotion because you worked hard, God has nothing to do with it! Religion takes the human element out of all of our actions, whether "good" or "bad". Sorry, I got a little of track here.
• The Virgin of Guadalupe also represents marianismo and female subjugation. She is often portrayed and perceived as the "ideal" woman. Submissive unto the male figures in her life (God, Jesus), she is saddened for her son's suffering, just as the marianista weeps while she prays for the sins of the men in her life. Although it cannot be denied that not everyone views her in this light (e.g., during the War of Independence the revolutionaries affixed her image to their banners), she represents subjugation of women by men and religion.