Abstract
This paper begins with the perspective from which studies of religion in Cuba have developed: studies of organic forms of religious life in their content, practices, cultural modalities and organic structures. In Cuba, these forms are diverse and have coexisted for many years. Cuban religion is characterized by syncretism. Cross-breeding and migration have blurred religious and ethnic divisions and many different sects besides Catholicism are to be found. The approach adopted is of an interdisciplinary type, yet based on observation of facts and a dialectical interpretation, unencumbered by confessional interferences and ideological presuppositions. Within a Marxist perspective, religion is studied as a form of social consciousness. Yet it is not a simple passive “reflection”, a mechanical copy of reality, as some have believed in a simplistic interpretation of Marx. Any representation is a universal property of the consciousness forcefully manifesting itself. While at the same time refusing essentialism, the author defines religion by its reference to the supernatural. He studies, notably, the following elements: religious consciousness, religious activities, the organizational factor, and the rapports between these various elements and the functions of religion. Finally, the author defines the concept of religiosity as the type and degree of effect of beliefs and practices on actors and social groups.