Tuesday, April 16, 2013

The Haiti Crisis (January 14, 2010)


This week’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Port Au Prince, the capitol of Haiti, is possibly the biggest natural catastrophe I have ever experienced in my lifetime. The death toll as of now is being estimated between 100.000 and 500.000 people.
Haiti, with a population of 9 million people, is one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere. It is politically unstable and thoroughly corrupt. It has a high rate of crime, violence, and it systematically abuses human rights.
I heard a well known TV commentator say that Haiti wouldn’t be this poor if they only would apply strong discipline, because the country, according to him, would attract a lot of tourism and prosper like its neighboring Dominican Republic with its numerous vacation resorts. He said that one of Haiti’s tourist attractions would be their rich cultural history including the practice of voodoo. Then I thought to myself that that is precisely the reason why Haiti is in such a devastating mess - because they adopted the evil practice of voodoo as their national religion. This practice of voodoo witchcraft is an outright abomination against God the Creator.
“And do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead.” Deuteronomy 18:10-11 NLT
“For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD,” Deuteronomy 18:12 NKJV
“Do not practice fortune-telling or witchcraft.” Leviticus 19:26 NLT 
“Yes, these calamities will come upon you, despite all your witchcraft and magic.
So disaster will overtake you suddenly, and you won't be able to charm it away. Calamity will fall upon you, and you won't be able to buy your way out. A catastrophe will arise so fast that you won't know what hit you.” Isaiah 47:9, 11 NLT
Voodoo is a religion that was brought to the Western coasts by slaves from Africa. It is believed to have started in Haiti in 1724 as a snake cult that worshiped many spirits pertaining to daily life experiences. The practices were intermingled with many Catholic rituals and the worship of saints.
Followers of voodoo believe in a Supreme Being and spirits who link the human with the divine. Spirits are thought to exist in many things - the earth, the wind, thunder, giant baobab trees, and pythons. But for centuries the religion has been associated with black magic used for evil purposes where animal and human sacrifices are incorporated.
Voodoo rituals are elaborate, performed in secret languages with spirit possessed dancing and special diets eaten by the voodoo priests and priestesses. The ancestral dead are thought to walk among the living during the hooded dances. Touching the dancer during this spirit possessed trance is believed to be dangerous enough to kill the offender.
Voodoo is clearly a force of evil that originated from Satan. People are remotely controlled and manipulated for evil. Through rituals including objects such as dolls, the voodoo practitioner casts spells on people they wish to curse or avenge themselves upon, casting sickness and death and other curses on them. It is obvious that countries which make voodoo their national religion, or has a large population of their people practicing it, remain the poorest countries in the world since they reap curses with devastating results upon themselves.
We as Christians need now more than ever to stand in the gap for Haiti and pray that its leaders will denounce the voodoo religion and turn from its wicked ways so God can heal their land and stop the suffering of the people.
“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.” 2. Chronicles 7:14 NLT
May God have mercy upon Haiti!

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