16535: Lafleur: RE: 16535: Laleau: Re: 16434: Cunningham: More of God in Haiti!! (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Lourdes Lafleur <lourdeslafleur@videotron.ca>

I have never been a voodoo follower myself, even though I do recognize
voodoo as a very important part of my cultural identity, and, no matter how
much Haitian Christians want to deny it hypocritically, voodoo plays and
will always play a very important in every Haitian person's life.

Voodoo has destroyed my family and that is a very painful experience that
I've been living for the past month. Some people in my well to do Haitian
family do believe in it and even the most trivial ailment can be attributed
to the meanness of someone else in the immediate family just because the
"houngan" said so. There is no way, anyone with good sense can make them
believe otherwise and for the past month we have been at each other's
throats.

Can anyone on the list help me with this very delicate and painful matter?
Is there a way to convince, the doctors, the accountants, the engineers of
my family that adversity, sickness, pain and death are part of life and that
they do not happen because one of their peers made them happen? Can someone
on the Corbett list come up with one phrase or sentence that will make them
change their minds?

My message is a cry for help. Your comments will be greatly appreciated.


Lourdes Lafleur