Voodooism—the national religion

When the slaves came from Africa, they brought with them their religion, a system of spirit worship known as Voodooism—the worship of Satan as a god. This belief system contributes to the poverty in Haiti, because the people believe that everything—good or bad—happens at the whim of the spirits. Sickness, for example, means the spirits are angry with you. Thus, they have no control of their destiny and accept no responsibility for their situation.

On August 14, 1791, many slave leaders of Haiti held a secret meeting at which they dedicated their country to Satan. Every year since then, witch doctors have met to rededicate the country to Satan, and President Jean-Bertrand Aristide—a Roman Catholic priest—renewed the vow in 2004. When the Haitians won their independence from Napoleon’s armies in 1804, they attributed their victory to voodoo.

Voodooism in Haiti is mixed with the Catholicism that their French oppressors imposed upon them. It is not uncommon to see vehicles, buildings, etc., adorned with what appear to be Christian messages. "One common saying is that Haitians are 70 percent Catholic, 30 percent Protestant, and 100 percent voodoo," says Lynne Warberg, a photographer who has documented Haitian voodoo for over a decade.

In Haiti, witch doctors are relatively wealthy, because they exploit people who come to them with problems and take all the money they have in exchange for a "cure."

As always, there is hope.

Interestingly, many witch doctors believe they cannot be released from their commitments to Satan, yet send their children to church, Sunday school, and Christian schools--places where they will hear the Gospel.

A number of organizations have been established in recent years to help the people of Haiti by providing educational sponsorships for the children, shoes and meals for the elderly, the building and repairing of churches and clinics, and so on. Many of these projects are the work of Christians in America and Europe. (Please see our Partner Sites page.)

An important part of the effort of Bon-Bagay, as well as some of these other organizations, is to communicate to the people of Haiti that there is a loving, personal God Who does want them to lead full, productive lives. This goes hand-in-hand with helping them to discover and develop their God-given talents--and their ability to pull themselves up and out of their often dismal circumstances.

This isn’t about offering money, food, or other necessities in the hope of "converting" Haitians to someone else’s belief system. It’s about building relationships between cultures and offering hope.

And it's working.

Read what Pastor Jim Glynn of From the Heart of God Ministries has to say about his experience with visiting his church’s sister church in Haiti:

"When it was over and time to say goodbye, the Haitian pastor stood before us and said,

‘The leaders of our church sat together and thought about all the money you spent in order to come here to Haiti. We are a poor people, and what you spent just to get here is more than any of us can ever imagine. Yet, we feel that what we received is the priceless gift of HOPE. Your being here in person to share with us and love us was most special to us. If you had chosen to send us $10,000 instead of coming to visit us, it would not have meant anything in comparison! Now we have established a relationship together. What if a hurricane comes now and blows the roof off our church? We know now that you will be with us as best you can, especially in prayer, no matter what happens. God has shown us His special care through your visit. This mission was like a vitamin to us; now we are fortified with new strength and courage!’"

Evidence suggests that voodoo's hold on the people of Haiti lessens with each generation.