16416: Harvey: Re: 16444: Zachary: Re: negative comments on Christian missionaries (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Sean Harvey <seanharvey@juno.com>

Thanks, Lori Zachary, for the posting to the Corbett list. I certainly do
not consider myself to be especially judgmental, nor do I want to be. In
fact, I found the Cunningham posts to be shockingly intolerant of another
faith, Vodou, which is older than Christianity and deserves respect --
not mis-labelling as Satanism. Nor do I appreciate the statement that
Haiti has been a curse upon the world for the past 200+ years. If the
Protestant groups would end their horrifically racist judgementalism
about Vodou, I would have no objection to them whatsoever, and would be
happy for any and all benefit that they might confer, in Haiti and
elsewhere.

Perhaps it doesn't seem immediately obvious why I call this purposeful
misrepresentation of Vodou "racist". Christianity is the dominant faith
in our hemisphere because Europeans colonized it and brought Africans as
slaves. Had Africans colonized the New World and brought Europeans as
slaves, we would all be practicing Vodou right now, referring angrily to
the US President's "Christian Economics" and mis-labelling the Christian
faith (for which I have great respect) as superstition and cannibalism
(due to a misrepresentation of the Communion). I don't think Christians
would want to be represented that way, and so I don't think they should
smear Vodou as devil worship and so forth. Do unto others...

I feel I am merely responding to the devastating intolerance that was
palpable in the Cunningham posts. If you disagree with my
self-representation, I would be interested in your response. I want to
explain myself in as collegial a manner as possible and no personal
offense is intended whatsoever.

Thanks and I wish you all the best,

Sean Harvey