16481: Dorce: Re: 16425: Cunningham: Christians vs Voodoo (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: LAKAT47@aol.com

In a message dated 8/20/03 4:57:04 AM Pacific Daylight Time, Patti Cunningham
<cunningham4haiti@yahoo.com> writes:

<< August 14 will go down in the history books. A day
 that the Churches of St. Marc came to together in one
 voice to declare Jesus as Lord and renounced voodoo,
 with its destructive influence as it has affected
 Haiti^s past.>>
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This is the kind of arrogance that allows the world to term us "Ugly
Americans."  Let me tell you what I think Jesus is saying to these people.  "Do no
more harm in my name!!"

Vodou is as authentic and non-harmful as Christianity.  In other words, any
religion can be good or bad, depending on its practitioners.  You cannot deny
that Haitians have embraced Catholicism and every sect of Christianity and
still misery is a persistent condition there.  In Vodou, God, the high and mighty
Dieu bon Dieu, is an observer not an interceder in life's struggles and
triumphs.  The lwa are the ones who talk to the faithful.  I think this makes
perfect sense, based on the random atrocities and tragedies that hit people and
countries daily.  If God made bad things happen to good people, then what the heck
good is He?   Especially over 200 years!  I think Haiti's misery has a human
(and white) source.  But I digress.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
>>Finding a local street vender I quickly asked;
^how much for all the water and refreshment you have?^
I had place in my wallet $1000 Haitian Dollars the
night before for such emergencies, but I didn^t know
how far that would go, later I would be surprised?
Buying all the vendor had and seeing the people
beginning to press for the needed liquid I quickly
assigned a local Pastor to control the crowd and
stepped aside. It worked! Truly God was with us.
Throughout the day, I continued purchasing from
vendors. This morning, the day after, when opening my
wallet to see the financial damage I was shocked to
fine $820 Haitian Dollars! How could that have
happened I thought? I was handing money out in the
100^s and 50^s. I can only explain it by God^s
provision.<<
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Ladies and gentlemen, I hope I do not offend the devout among us when I say
that, what is the difference between believing the omens of the lwa,
possessions, the mysterious signs of Vodou and this lively description of Christian
superstition....?  I ask you.  Can we not agree that mysticism has a powerful
place in all religions and Vodou is merely one of many paths a person may take to
speak to God?  Vodou does not say that Baptists will burn in hell because they
do not believe in Erzulie.  There is no need to destroy in order to build.
Teach by example, let Haitians see how well you live your faith but do not try
to destroy theirs in order to promote your own.  It's not the way of God.  No
matter what you were taught.

Reading this post made me feel ashamed.  It is not my shame but it is the
shame of some of my people and I must share it.  White, Christian, superior,
all-knowing, paternal.  Did they know how to hit the Haitian people where they
live or what?  Right in the superstitious solar-plexus.  Nice touch with the
fireworks.  I hope these Haitians do not believe all Americans are like this.

Kathy Dorce