Between Belief and Skepticism: Religious Interpretations in the Broadside and the Porfirian Press (1890-1910)

Abstract

The analysis of documents other than those made by large religious systems, such as theological sums or the Bible, can help understand the religiosity carried out by the community less close to doctrinal orthodoxy from less conventional sources. When comparing the typographic culture of the last stage of the Porfiriato, we can see the existence of various active voices around issues of religious interest, such as the struggles between liberals and supporters of the Church as an earthly institution; and also, the dispute between those who interpreted natural phenomena as divine signs and their detractors. So, in this work we will explore the distinction between the discourse of newspapers and numbered press and popular newsprints, since, although sometimes these forms of typographic culture spoke about the same events, they did not do so from the same position. The former did so from a passive belief, and the latter from an active belief, from the point of view of the believers.