The
Liberation theology originated in Latin America. From what did they need to be liberated? From dependence.. The terms of international trade are such
that Third World countries not only are dependent upon the rich but are
destined to remain so. Their economies
are geared to supply primary commodities at low cost to the developed
nations. These are then used in the
manufacture of expensive goods which are sold to the poor countries. There is an enormous difference between the
standard of living of the rich and the mass of the people, whether in towns
around the cities or in the countryside.
Poverty and hopelessness enter into the mind so that those who are
marginal to the main economic and cultural life of the country remain
outside. The theologians in Latin
America have now embarked on the revision of all Christian doctrine from the
perspective of liberation.