Dominican - Preparing Your Head and Heart

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.......The Worldview that people have is one of THE most important things that you must know in order to be effective in making an eternal difference in their lives. THIS IS OUR MISSION. We are going to the Dominican Republic to "assist" Jay and the team there in making an "eternal" difference. What ever else we do we MUST keep in mind that ALL that we do is done to lay a foundation for us to share Christ with those we encounter.

If you do not understand THEIR worldview, you will very likely be ineffective in reaching them for Christ. The fact is that all of us are the product of our genetics and environment and we "respond" to information that we encounter based on our experiences within that environment. The environment of the people we will be encountering is NOT just made up of the poverty of the area, but most predominantly the worldview they have developed as a result of that environment, which includes the religion that they have been taught, and the fears and beliefs they have developed as a result of that teaching. IF YOU CAN NOT SEE THINGS AS THEY UNDERSTAND THEM AND ADJUST YOUR CONVERSATION TO MEET THE DECEPTIONS THAT THEY MAY HAVE EMBRACED, ALL OF YOUR EFFORTS WILL BE EXTREMELY DEMINISHED!


It is our MOST IMPORTANT responsibility to "be PREPARED to give a reason for the hope that is within us" (1 Peter 3:15). If the "reason" we give can not be "reasoned" by them, the hope is lost. Thus we must have some understanding of their view of the world, faith, and reality. This is commonly refered to as their "worldview."

The purpose of this link is to give you at least a novice understanding of a Haitian/ Dominican typical worldview and then help you begin to learn to speak to the their hearts and minds in a way to share the universal truths of Jesus Christ. Following are excerpts from articles that may be helpful as you prepare to speak into this OTHER worldview with clarity.

Quite often certain belief systems will not be readily appearent to us and even at times purposely hidden, but it is important that we know the underlying worldviews we encounter and use that knowledge to share the Truth. We will look at two different religious influences which individually and syncristically (explanation to follow), will have influenced those we are going to serve. They are "the State run 'Catholic' church" and "Voodoo".


VOODOO

Voodoo is common among the Hatians and some Dominicans that we will be working with in the Dominican Republic. Voodoo is a form of Animism that is proactive in its efforts to control events and circumstances that surround their lives.

"The word Voodoo itself is spelled sometimes as vo-dou or vo-du. The prefix "vo" means "introspection" and the suffix "du" means "into the unknown". Consequently, the rituals form the sum total of this introspection; that is, they are studied accomplishments that proceed from psychological information that is passed down in the form of verbal traditions. Deities are honored along with the veneration of ancient and recent ancestors. This faith system is widespread across groups in West Africa. Diaspora spread Voodoo to North and South America and the Caribbean.

In short Voodoo seeks to influence the work of "spirits" (Voduns) which they believe are their dead ancestors. They believe these spirits are their connection to god and that if these ancestors are angry with them that they will do bad things to them and their families BUT if these same spirits are pleased that they will go to work for the individual or family and report good things to god about them, thus assuring blessings.

As we know ANY seeking out of an intercessor other than Jesus Christ is an abomination to God. I personally believe that these spirits are real rather than imagined and that they really are demons that these people are crying out to and seeking to please by their activities. Given this as a reality, it does not take much to see why this practice is so dangerous and why so many are being led astray and brought into sinful, evil and wicked lives that often seek to devestate others in order to benefit one's self. (see the article on Morality in Voodoo below)

Public relations-wise, Voodoo has come to be associated in the popular mind with the lore about Satanism, zombies and "voodoo dolls." While there is evidence of zombie creation, it is a minor phenomenon within rural Haitian culture and not a part of the Voodoo religion as such. Such things fall under the auspices of the bokor or sorcerer rather than the priest of the Loa.

The practice of sticking pins in dolls has history in European folk magic, but its exact origins are unclear. How it became known as a method of cursing an individual by some followers of what has come to be called New Orleans Voodoo, which is a local variant of voodoo, is a mystery. Some speculate that it was used as a means of self defense to intimidate superstitious slave owners. This practice is not unique to New Orleans voodoo, however, and has as much basis in European-based magical devices such as the poppet and the nkisi or bocio of West and Central Africa.

These are in fact power objects, what in Haiti would be referred to as pwen, rather than magical surrogates for an intended target of sorcery whether for boon or for bane. Such voodoo dolls are NOT a feature of Haitian religion, although dolls intended for tourists may be found in the Iron Market in Port au Prince. The practice became closely associated with the Vodou religions in the public mind through the vehicle of horror movies and popular novels.

There is a practice in Haiti of nailing crude poppets with a discarded shoe on trees near the cemetery to act as messengers to the otherworld, which is very different in function from how poppets are portrayed as being used by voodoo worshippers in popular media and imagination, ie. for purposes of sympathetic magic towards another person. Another use of dolls in authentic Vodou practice is the incorporation of plastic doll babies in altars and objects used to represent or honor the spirits, or in pwen, which recalls the aforementioned use of bocio and nkisi figures in Africa.



The Essence of Voodoo

Within the voodoo society, there are no accidents. Practitioners believe that nothing and no event has a life of its own. The universe is all one. Each thing affects something else. Voodoo practitioners say: "Scientists know that. Nature knows it. Many spiritualists agree that we are not separate, we all serve as parts of One. So, in essence, what you do unto another, you do unto you, because you ARE the other." Voo doo. View you. We are mirrors of each others souls. God is manifest through the spirits of ancestors who can bring good or harm and must be honored in ceremonies. They believe that there is a sacred cycle between the living and the dead. Believers ask for their misery to end. Rituals include prayers, drumming, dancing, singing and animal sacrifice.

Voodoo is a practical religion, playing an important role in the family and the community. One's dead ancestors, for instance, are believed to be a part of the world of the spirits, of the Loas, and this is one way that Voodoo serves to root its participants in their own history and tradition. Another practical aspect of Voodoo ceremonies is that participants often come before the priest or priestess to seek advice, spiritual guidance, or help with their problems. The priest or priestess then, through divine aid (which includes ceremonies that seek out these spirits), offer help such as healing through the use of herbs or medicines (using knowledge that has been passed down within the religion itself), or healing through belief (that amounts to mind over matter) by itself as is common in other animistic religions. Voodoo teaches a respect for the natural world.

Voodoo is a religion of many traditions. Each group (clan or family) follows a different spiritual path and worships a slightly different pantheon of spirits, called Loa. The word means "mystery" in the Yoruba language.

Yoruba traditional belief included a chief God Olorun, who is remote and unknowable. He authorized a lesser God Obatala to create the earth and all life forms. A battle between the two Gods led to Obatala's temporary banishment.

There are hundreds of minor spirits. Those which originated from Dahomey are called Rada; those who were added later are often deceased leaders in the underworld and are called Petro


First and foremost Voodoo is a religion. It is the dominant religion of Haiti. Many of the practices and descriptions of Voodoo belief may sound to us like rank superstition, but then, imagine the beliefs of Christianity to people who know nothing about it. Tell them about the trinity or the resurrection, or the presence of Jesus in the individual Christian life. Any of these practices which very intelligent Christians believe in the fullest would seem no less superstitious to someone unfamiliar with Christianity. Thus we need to have some understanding of their worldview and be able to distinguish it from the truth.

I urge you to recognize that Voodoo is Haiti's religion, it is taken very seriously not merely by unlettered peasants, but many intelligent and learned members of the Haitian society believe as sincerely in Voodoo as do German theology professors in their Christianity. But, please do recognize that it is every bit as real a religion as the major religions of the world. (Read More of this article Here)

What are Zombies?



Voodoo Morality

A Christian perceives the lie as an evil act perpetrated by the man upon the woman, against whom he sins. The woman who believes the lie is an innocent victim, to be succored but not blamed. Indeed, she is considered the spiritual superior of the man, because she did not lie. The man who lied is exhorted not to lie again, because lying is hurtful to others and therefore displeasing to God.

A Vodouisant, by contrast, perceives the lying man as a "winner" who has won a victory against the woman, the "loser", who deserves to be mocked and blamed for her credulity, the weakness which enabled the man to victimize her. She, not he, is in need of correction. She is exhorted by her neighbor women not to trust others, and it is considered perfectly permissible and even admirable if she is able to recoup her losses by lying to the man or to another completely unrelated individual.

To read more on morality issues in voodoo click here

Lastly here it is important to realize that those that practice voodoo can, and often do, "integrate" some Christian thought or practice into their personal religion. This is called sycretism and is probably even more dangerous than the pure practitioner of voodoo or animism. This is because it can "appear" Christian to the casual observer and thus it is always important to ask questions that lead to syncristic belief systems being revealed so that they may be addressed.


The State run Catholic Church

Roman Catholicism is the island's state-sanctioned official religion. The majority of the people of the Dominican Republic claim to be "Christian', BUT with over 90% of those claiming Roman Catholicism as their religion. Dominican Catholicism is an eclectic mix of Roman Catholic traditions and African-rooted religions/ceremonies, or Santeria, and is widespread in the Dominican Republic.

The key words in the previous paragraph are "mix" (which is syncretism) and "traditions" which have more to do with ritual than with any genuine faith or belief system. Santeria (sometimes pronounced with a "g" where the "t" is) is a very passionate and ritualistic religion that combines heavy influences of the Roman Catholic Church with powerful elements of voodoo and other animistic belief systems. As we have stated before these are probably the most dangerous in that often people with these belief systems will claim to know Jesus, speak of His power and even enjoy times of prayer with Christians, but in reality have such a perverted view of who Jesus is, so as to in every way be speaking of another Jesus altogether than you and I know.

Many Domincans claim to be Christian ONLY by way of Catholic traditions. They will cross themselves, pray to mother Mary and the other Saints, but not have any real understanding of Catholic doctrine or why prayers by way of anyone other than Jesus (including Mary and the Saints) is an abomination. These people in many cases are celebrating the traditions of heritage more than the workings of a genuine faith. And as has been previously stated this syncristic brand of Catholic would be seen even by the Church of Rome to be heretical in that so many elements of Santeria and Voodoo have slipped into the tradition they celebrate.

If you run into these issues while in the Dominican, please do not hesitate to call on Pastor Josh or Pastor Dave in helping you speak with people that might have questions. You don't have to go it alone, but it is important that you be able to help us identify people that need to have these conversations.

We are looking forward to a great trip. Please be praying NOW for your wisdom, health, courage, and usefulness to God while on this trip. Also please pray for those we will be meeting while we are there, that God would even now begin to prepare their hearts and minds to receive the "good news" of salvation. Further please be lifting Jay and his team in prayer as they continue in Christ's service daily.