Voodoo in Haiti as seen through the eyes of a 30-year veteran missionary

Yesterday, I talked about two articles written by a youth pastor who had visited Haiti a second time, giving his impression of Voodooism in Haiti and comparing it to America. Today, I am posting a message from a veteran missionary, responding to the youth pastor's articles.

Dear Barbara,

Greetings from Haiti. Thank you for sharing these two blogs with me. I found them to be rather interesting reading. I always like to get the post-visit perspectives of people who visit and hear the stories that they have to tell.

Sadly, often many of these stories are impressions which have been made in the minds of very impressionable young people who do not understand the language and often get told very colorful stories by those who help them while they are here, for one reason or another.

Some of the details given have some basis in truth. A lot of the others seem to be sensationalizations of things which he was obviously told and made to sound much more commonly practiced than they actually are.

To say that the quake was a direct result of a group of pastors praying that Haiti would be released from a 200-year-old pact with the devil is, at best, wishful thinking - just like some have gotten on TV in the US and condemned Haiti, saying the quake was judgment from God.

I think that the blog is giving Satan much more credit than he deserves and that he not only loves getting credit but would do all he can to hold people in deeper bondage because of it if it were even remotely true. And if they were praying for God to break a pact of 200 years, would He destroy the very nation which had repented and was giving themselves back to Him through the prayers of these very pastors?

The glorification of the voodoo rituals (while may have some details of truth to them) can, in some instances, be seen in American church settings. I recall seeing a student who slithered under the pews at a youth camp back in the '70s. I sure don't go around saying that it's a regular occurrence to see such manifestations. I have also seen some mighty outpourings of the Holy Spirit and yet would not say that is the regular order of the day either. The truth is, it happens...on occasion...but not at every service - just like in Haiti with the voodoo services.

It is the truth that many are bound in darkness, both here in Haiti and in America. Many souls are lost and going to Hell and need to be saved. But to take and make such wide, sweeping statements, based on a couple of visits by someone who is not fluent in the language and knows next to nothing of the workings of Haitian culture - No way!!!!

I have been here since 1979, and we have done serious battle with the enemy over the years. And while I have seen our enemy manifest himself in various means during this time, I think that it is a totally unjust and irresponsible thing to make such wide statements concerning the nation of Haiti.

In North America, you throw salt over shoulders, knock on wood, avoid stepping on cracks or breaking mirrors, and are cautious around black cats and also leery of Friday the 13th, but it does not mean that the entire population of the United States of America, or Canada, or even half of Europe is deeply steeped in the practice of witchcraft and black magic; yet virtually everyone knows about these things. Well, guess what? It's the same with many of the things concerning voodoo in the Haitian culture. It is not nearly as widely believed or practiced here as the article would have you to believe.

I know several who have come out of voodoo, and I know several people who are still involved in it very deeply. I also know thousands who name the glorious name of Christ as their Lord and Savior, and I stand here to testify that it's been a lot longer than the past 6 months since the quake that Christ has been lifted up and glorified in this nation. It's been a lot longer than 6 months that churches have been filled with people seeking God. Yes, since the quake, there was higher attendance for a while, but it's gone back to pre-quake levels, I believe.

Yes, we have people meeting in fields, on piles of rubble and in the streets - but, of course, when your church collapsed, you sort of have very little other choice. I mean, I live in a shed (behind my earthquake damaged home), but that doesn't mean I've taken up yard work for a living.

Please note that I appreciate the author of the blog's willingness to come to Haiti and help. I just wish that he was a little less zealous in his wide statements and had taken time to get his facts straight.

Now tell me, who would you tend to believe? The youth pastor who made a couple of visits to Haiti and doesn’t speak the language or the missionary who has lived there among the people of Haiti 30 years and speaks their language fluently?