La vieja Guardia

How falling back moves you forward. In Springfield, Massachusetts there exists a small community of Latinos, mainly Puerto Ricans that attend the Hispanic Baptist Church of Springfield, which is located in the center of the city. The church is composed of different types of Puerto Ricans, Peruvians, Guatemalans, and Dominicans. They are different in many ways like in the way they talk, dress and what they eat but, what they all share is faith and how they go about it.

Although not biblical, a small group of the elders at the Hispanic Baptist Church of Springfield (HBCS) believe in performing certain routines and attitudes establishing a person as "Spiritual". These elders are said to come from "La vieja Guardia" (the old school), their beliefs come from the Pentecostal Protestant movement in Puerto Rico or the countries mentioned above. Their traditions are steeped in African traditions, which they have successfully passed somewhat to the next generation. They are usually the oldest people in the church, and some have a college education Homepage.

Some of the things they believe make you spiritual are when a person: Responds to the preacher's preaching by yelling (call response) "Amen", "Alleluia", "Gloria a Dios" (Glory to God) and many other words of praise and approval to the preaching. Waves their hands in the air during a preaching or a song as a form of worship. "Speaks in tongues. " (This is when the Holy Spirit manifest himself in a person and they begin to speak in a language unknown to those around them and sometimes to themselves. ) Falls back while others pray for them.

(This means the Holy Spirit has descended upon them. ) Has a "Spiritual fit". (This is when the Holy Spirit manifests itself in them and they begin to act uncontrollably). These are just few of the norms that are believed to make a person "Spiritual". One of the performances that identify a person as being "Spiritual" that is most interesting is when a person falls back while being prayed for. The person appears to have lost control and in a still trance they lay down for a while. The question I pose for my research is, "What role does falling back play in a charismatic-church prayer setting?

" In search for an answer for my research, I interviewed several members of the church and asked them how they felt about "falling back" while being prayed for. My interviewees ranged from the ages fifteen to twenty-five. The interviews lasted about 25 minutes each. They were done after church at a local restaurant. Each person described his or her most recent experience with falling back. I observed in church how many times it occurred on any given Sunday, which ranged from 10-23 times (the amount varies from the number of people in church that day).

They each had mixed feelings about "falling back". Many performed the act of falling back even though they did not understand it. Many felt it was the thing to do. These are some quotes taken from my interviews. "When I was younger I was scared and would resist falling back because I did not want to, and it felt like they were pushing me without applying much force. As I grew older I realized that if you fall back the elders treat you differently. As if you're more 'spiritual' than others who don't fall back. " ~Rafael Osorio, 21year old Music student.

"To be honest with you, the first time I fell back I was too busy thinking when should I get up. It was more of a nerving experience than a spiritual one. I was busy thinking about what people were thinking about me. " ~Koppel Verma, 24 year old Consultant Having experienced this myself, I understand where my interviewees were coming from. In my years in church I seemed confused about what it meant to fall back. Later on in life I understood the various meanings behind "falling back" and how doing it or not doing it can change your position within the church community.

The patterns I have observed in my research of "falling back" usually consist of a person being prayed for. When the person saying the prayer lays their hand on the person's head it usually implies the person is going to fall down. Now this is not highly crystallized within the community, not everyone believes the person being prayed for is going to fall back, but somehow it is assumed that if they are being blessed they will fall and if they are "spiritually -in- tuned"(To be "spiritually -in- tuned" meaning they are righteous).

Now if the person does not fall back, there are many implications that the elders and other members of the church often say to explain why they did not fall back.. Here are some examples of what the elders say if someone does not fall back: "They are not righteous. " "They are being resistant towards God's will. " "The person does not want to be spiritual or be considered 'spiritual'. " To understand what it means to fall back one must understand that there are cultural units within this communicative event.

The word "righteous" means that the person is "redeemed" of any sins by Christ forgiving them. Within this particular group, "righteous" does not mean being perfect but just redeemed of their sins. Within this community the will of God is important to all its members. For someone to be resistant towards God's will is as if they were "saying I don't care about God. " Being considered spiritual is vital for some members, because they feel it validates them within the community as a true member.

When speaking to the main Pastor of the church about this dynamic he mentioned that many people go to church for many reasons, one is for a sense of community and validation of worth through that community. The Pastor said that many people do not hold degrees, many are jobless and do not feel they can offer much, but in church they can be a leader for a group of children or for prayer, and that validates them. The reason falling back is so prominent within the elders is because the majority of them do not have much education or money, thus church provides them an outlet for being "important.

" Falling back is a way for them to feel they are doing God's work when they are praying for someone, and it's a way for them to feel touched by God, when others pray for them. The event of "receiving prayer" in this particular Latino Christian community holds a symbolism that is central for understanding "falling back. " The symbolism behind receiving, giving, and joining in on prayer is that each one creates a community with those around them and it gives off a sign to everyone within the community that they (participant) need others and is willing to help others.

This is the attitude taken when thinking about prayer because it is Christ-like, and taking on the characteristics of needing help and giving it come from the belief that one must try to be like Christ. Another specific cultural practice that takes place within the production of falling back is when someone falls back and lays on the floor. This act is like being in a trance. One of my interviewees, Jennifer Cai?? izares a Communication student mentioned the following about being in a trance, "All I know is that the preacher's hands felt like... weird, like fire. He touched me and I fell and I didn't know what happened.

" This trance-like act when falling is cultural in that it stems from the African influence in Latino cultures. In Daniel and Smitherman's article "How I got over," they describe that the call response that characterized many African-American churches come from pre and post slavery African religious performances. The performances of call response and other performances that are from African descents are also seen in HBCS, but are not considered African. Many elders in HBCS believe that such occurrences are faithful to the experiences held by Jews and early Christians.

As I analyzed the significance of falling back I concluded that one of the normative rules for being considered "spiritual" is falling back. If one is being prayed for and wants to be considered "spiritual" it is preferred that one falls back. If one is able to achieve the goal of being spiritual the elders place them in a higher place within the hierarchy in the church. The goals achieved are being considered "spiritual," being part of a community and in a sense moving up the spiritual ladder. Spiritually the goals are to achieve connection with God and receive peace.