The lyrics to the song ‘Hotel California’ were written by Don Felder, Don Henley and Glenn Frey in 1976 and released in 1977. The song depicts the American people’s notion of California, which associated the city with women, wealth, and fame. The city is not described as a home for anyone but a rather a place where people who had different destinations and identities often meet. However, on reaching the city, most of these people become trapped and cannot move on with their lives, nor do they find what they had come looking for in the city. The team that wrote the song attested to the fact by admitting that they felt a lot of connection to the city despite the fact that none of the crew members had been born in the city. The song is about a culture of self-destruction and mixed cultures that dominated the city of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles is characterized by a diversity of faiths. Catholic statues of Catholic saints are some of the sculptures that dominate the city of Los Angeles. One of these sculpture is of St. Edward, who was a strong Catholic in the 20th century . As a sign of the strong ties between religion and other institutions of life, St. Edward enjoyed a great economic and political influence. Religion had a tremendous social force in Los Angeles. Part of this diversity in religion was partly influenced by the rising population in the country. Between 1890 and 1940, the city’s population rose from slightly above 50,000 to close to 1.5 million residents . Native Americans were, however, the least population in the city.
African American congregations was formed as an activist body which tore itself from the church to protect the rights of African Americans in the city. All people saw the church as a place where they could seek refuge from the racial prejudice. One of the churches major concerns was to challenge the discriminative hiring practices in the city. The whites in the city developed a deep-seated dislike for the African Americans as well as members of other religions which included Jews, Roman Catholics as well as other immigrants from the south. Segregation on religious grounds became commonplace in the city with many churches being restricted in various parts of the city. This resulted in violence which is still experienced in the city to date. The city of Los Angeles is therefore dominated by many places of worship which are evident in the city’s art. The city is characterized by sheik and Muslim temples and festivals, churches which include Protestant, Orthodox and Catholic, and Jewish synagogues which are used by people from all races collect to worship .
The Latinos form the largest minority group in the city of Los Angeles and therefore their religious beliefs are also significant in the city. The city has shaped the life of the Latinos and in turn, the Latino community has also shaped the culture of Los Angeles. Spanish Catholics are known to be part of the founders of the city of Los Angeles. The Latino community remained behind the scenes without holding any significant religious or political positions until the late 1960s when some Spanish Padres joined the Padre's association . The Pentecostal Revolution also affected the Latino community with many Latinos joining the Pentecostal church. Despite the fact that the number of Catholic Latinos is four times that of Pentecostal Latinos, the Pentecostal Latinos are more active participants than their catholic participants. Despite the diversity in religious beliefs, the Latino community is still faced with similar issues in the society which have constantly brought the community together. Catholicism is, however, dominant among the Latino community as most Spanish immigrants into the city are likely to be Catholic. Only when Spanish immigrants get into the city are they influenced by Pentecostalism causing them to become Pentecostals.
Judaism and the Jewish culture form a core part of the city of Los Angles. Just like in many parts of the world, the Jewish community has a significant position in the city’s leadership and activism. The Jewish community is especially committed to the African Americans. The Jewish community is overrepresented and gathers a lot of support from other members of the society and religious groups to an extent that Jewish meetings are almost secular . The reason for the dominance of the Jewish religion globally and in Los Angeles is embedded in the Jewish culture. Social activism is part of the Jewish culture and has been passed on from generation to generation. Social activism is considered by Jews as inspirational to the Jews. Jews Sunday schools are either reform or conservative. The lessons from Sunday school and their readings revolve around a culture of social justice in the American culture. Rabbis form models for the younger generation, and most of these rabbis are popular social activists. Parents have strong liberal causes and encourage their children to participate actively in such campaigns and reforms in the society. Even though the Jews are torn between reformist and conservationists, they are guided by similar causes. The city of Los Angeles is characterized by many social injustices which provide the Jewish community with an opportunity to practice their beliefs.
Urbanization has also influenced the lack of native identity in the city of Los Angeles. The indigenous tribe in Los California is believed to be an Indian community known as Gabrieleno. The community which lived in their ancestral lands was ignored by the government for many years and as a result, the community started disguising themselves as Mexicans to conceal their real identity . Discrimination and economic hardships forced the community to search for rescue in various religious missions and seek for work as cheap sources of labor in mines. The native Indians were considered to be hostile, and their only consolation rose from their religious beliefs. Most of them affiliated themselves with Christianity which settled well with the white community in the city of Los Angeles. The missionaries saw the Indians as a cheap source of labor for their ranches and projects.
The church has remained a key aspect of the African American community and the situation is no different in the city of Los Angeles. In a city dominated by discrimination, the primary role of the African American church in the society remains paramount. The nature of the city of Los Angeles presented various challenges and opportunities for the black church. The movement of the African Americans in the south had a great impact on the city of Los Angeles, with the population of African Americans in the city rising from an approximate 50,000 African Americans to over 500,000 . The movement saw the rise of various churches among the community as well as a number of prominent church leaders. The cities discriminative laws later pushed the population out of the city, even though the community did so after protests which led to riots in the city.
In conclusion, Los Angeles is characterized by a diversity of religious beliefs which were first caused by racial discrimination in the city, but this segregation has since changed, and the many faiths carry members from different races. Discrimination has remained a dominant aspect of Los Angeles. The city’s promise for success welcomed many immigrants leading to the oppression of the city’s dominant Indian tribes. Each of these tribes expressed their religious beliefs and at some point these religious groups have borrowed from one another leading to diversity of religious beliefs in the city.
Works Cited
Braudy, Dorothy. "Artist’s Statement: SACRED LOS ANGELES." Journal of the American Academy of Religion, (2013): 1-5.
Engh, Michael E. "'A Multiplicity and Diversity of Faiths'; Religion's Impact on Los Angeles and the Urban West, 1890-1940." The Western Historical Quarterly, (1997): 463-492.
Martinez, Juan. "The Latino Church." March 2012. Center for Religion and Civic Culture University of Southern California. Web. 30 July 2016. <https://crcc.usc.edu/files/2015/02/LatinoNext-2012.pdf>.
Raphael, Marc Lee. "Diary of a Los Angeles Jew, 1942-1972 (An Excerpt)." American Jewish History (2004): 299-311.
Singleton, Heather Valdez. "Surviving Urbanization; The Gabrieleno, 1850-1928." Wicazo Sa Review, (2004): 49-59.
Walker, Daniel E. "The Black Church." May 2011. Center for Religion and Civic Culture University of Southern California. Web. 30 July 2016. <https://crcc.usc.edu/report/the-black-church-next-challenges-and-opportunities-facing-african-american-congregations-in-21st-century-los-angeles/>.
