Introduction Modern medicine has come a long way in the last 100 years. Science seems to be leading the way in breakthroughs for many illnesses. Different cancers and terminal or chronic illnesses are being cured or in the least made manageable, allowing people to live almost normal lives with medication and monitoring by a doctor. Sometimes it is amazing to imagine that humans have come such a long way in health care. So many so-called miracles have occurred because of positivity when undergoing surgeries and treatments. Sometimes humans, no matter what the diagnosis may be, require simplistic spirituality and optimism to overcome the obstacles that is illness, but also life itself. Voodooism Voodoo or also known as Voudon is an Afro-Caribbean religion which originated in Haiti. Voodoo followers can be found in other countries as well, including Jamaica, Brazil, Dominican Republic and the United States. Despite what the media exaggerates Voodoo has very little to do with voodoo dolls or zombies. Voudon believers worship many different spirits called Ioa. The Ioa can possess the bodies of their worshippers, and although this has been perceived as a negative or even scary experience; it is actually to be desired by the Voudon believers. There are both private and public ceremonies performed by Houngans and Mambos. These rituals are not free of charge and it is appropriate to bring a donation of sorts. Divination is the most commonly requested service. This ceremony is done
Voodoo is an old religion that finds its roots in west Africa. Remnants of its physical history can be found throughout the West African Coast where major slave trading markets were located. An Example of this are locations contain trees of forgetting in which slaves were “Zombified” by administering herbs to make them more compliant. Today these historical sites draw tourist learning about the horrors of the slave trade Voodoo beliefs originated from African animist religions that predate Islam and Christian influences and were not understood by the European slave owners who forbid its practice. It created a fear in the Europeans and is misunderstood even today. Its travel to the Caribbean, Haiti and America had a lasting impact and is still practiced.
Over the last one hundred years there has been a great change in the way nurses, doctors, and others in the medical field, as well as the general public, have come to view health and wellness. Where once health was thought to only be comprised of our physical body and the physical things that affect it, we now know that health encompasses so much more. We know that who we are is made up not only of the physical body, but also of mind, and spirit (Koerner, 2011), and that this not only affects each of us individually but also those
However, all rites employ the art and practice of constant prayer, songs, costume to channel spirits, drumming and dancing during ceremonies. Voodoo can be practiced by anyone absent their race, gender, age, national origin or sexual orientation. It is not required for one to renounce any pre-existing religious affiliation. In Haiti, the vast majority of Voodooists are also Roman
Voodoo religion is originally a West African religion which was brought to Haiti by slaves. Slaves where working for White plantation owners together suffering hardships and tribulations. Most of these Slaves where taken from tribes who had similar beliefs of Deities, morals and methods of worship (Dancing, drumming and rituals). They would use their religion as a way of mentally resisting against their white owners. The plantation owners did not like the rituals and dancing, forbid it and sealed the deal by having their slaves baptised and superimposed with catholic beliefs. Slaves began to adopt these beliefs and intertwined them with their own and worshipping their religion as well in a secretive way. This formed the true Voodoo religion that we see today that combines catholicism and african tribal worship. Voodoo comes from the word ‘Vodu’ witch came from the fon language of dahomey which was made from what we now know as Togo, Benin and Nigeria. It meant ‘Spirit’ which is definitely correlated with Voodoo as spirits are the core of the practice. The Voodoo practitioners allow Catholicism to expand their religion executing many of their Saints, Relics and Prayers in tribal rituals.
Though not a new religion, this religion has a lot of history and similar beliefs of other religions. The interpretation of death and the afterlife is interesting. Before, I touch on this its, important to know that community and the people is very important when it comes to Voodoo as a religion. In the event of a death the community gets really involved, if a loved one is dying, the family all tries to come together for prayer. People, who practice Voodoo, don’t believe that death is the end. When death occurs, they believe that certain rituals need to be done to help the soul. Loved ones of the deceased perform a “Rite of Reclamation” which is to call back the spirit. A priest or priestess, which are called houngan or mambo; serve as healers, diviners, psychologists, counselors and spiritual leaders; help during this time to bring the spirit back so they family can
The Voodoo tradition that is alive and well in Louisiana today is brought to the United States care of the slave trade from the early 16th century. West African slaves in the south kept their traditions alive in the US, despite an overwhelming and coercive Roman Catholic influence. Late in the evening, and behind closed doors, slaves returned to their roots to practice the traditions that their owners disapproved of. Despite their desire to keep their African traditions alive, they were powerless to stop the forceful nature of the Roman Catholic traditions. After many years, a new ritual order arose that blended Roman Catholicism and ancestral West African traditions: Louisiana Voodoo.
Voodoo is a thousand year old belief system that originated in Africa. The slave trade that brought slaves from the West Coast of Africa to America also brought new belief systems such as Voodoo. Voodoo is very old and extremely powerful for those that believe in the intercession of spirits. The Voodoo that is practiced in the United States today, finds a home in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. The large African American population in the city is the result of the popular slave trade route that ran from the West Coast of Africa. African slaves taken from the Slave Coast were most often sent to either Saint Domingue or Louisiana. Voodoo is one of the world’s oldest religions and is recognized to be the world’s most powerful form of magic
Voodooism is a religion practiced in different parts of the world and is still widely used today. Voodoo has easily been related back to Christianity and Buddhism because specific people believe in Gods, practices and rituals and different ways to celebrate their religion. Voodoo is a culture that is frequently mislead for what it really is. The religion is not merely as awful and horrifying as people think it is today. A substantial amount of people believe Voodoo is a defective culture for crazy people because of movies and books they have seen and read. Voodoo has affected American culture as it is today. American culture has been affected because a substantial amount of people began to settle in America which meant different beliefs and
Voodoo is the modernized term for Haitian Vodou. It developed in Haiti during the slavery era when African-Caribbean slaves were working on plantations. It has roots in African American spirituality, in Native American practices, and in Roman Catholicism. The central understanding in voodoo is that it is more about what you do than it is what you believe. While it may be referred to as a religion, this is actually more of a way of life for those who practice and participate in rituals. In doing these rituals, the practitioners are engaging in worship of the Lwa which is Haitian Creole for a group of spirits. These spirits act as an intermediary between the practitioners and God with whom they believe in a plane that is too high for humans
What do Devil worship, Voodoo dolls, black magic, and witchdoctors have in common? Voodoo is one of the most misunderstood religions; in fact, none of the aforementioned are in any way practiced by Voodooists. In reality, Voodoo is a melting pot of religions such as Catholicism and African religions such as Yoruba and Fon. The religion of Vodun, also known as Voodoo, is on of the world’s oldest religions and has gone through many changes in because of European exploration into Africa, the African slave trade, and American culture. The influences have led to the creation of different Voodoo traditions in different locations.
Many of today’s religions share strict beliefs that are found only within their own religion, they restrict the possibility to believe anything other that what the religion tells its followers to believe, in Voodoo you are not a follower. Voodoo is a religion influenced by many other religions; it allows its followers to feel free. When Voodoo worshipers left Africa and reached the far away island of Haiti, the Voodoo religion changed. Catholicism of the slave owners, and various alternative religions from native islanders, influenced Voodoo. Voodoo easily incorporated these other religions because of its welcoming nature. Voodoo was appealing, especially to the slaves and poor members of a community. Because it was so inviting, it became a way for people with troubles and turmoil to unite. The slaves united through Voodoo to throw off white rule. It was the first successful slave
I'm sure everyone has their own perception of voodoo inside their head. Most people think includes black magic, evil spirits, and causing harm to others. However, voodoo is actually a complex tradition of faiths and beliefs that combine into an overall world full of religion and magic. It is believed to have started sometime around 1724 in Africa, Haiti specifically. Today, there are still people in parts of the United States that believe in voodoo and practice it. Voodoo embraces the
Voodoo is a religion rich in heritage and founded in faith and community. The religion has been villainized by western culture and has been wrongly portrayed as malignant and dangerous. The religion is not founded in any of the (known) "black magics" or fear popularized by Hollywood films, but rather it is based on balance and tradition. The religion is not something that should be encountered with inhibition or fear induced from childhood horror stories, but embraced for its strength and history.
When entering a medical facility the last situation you ever hope to be faced with is whether or not to put yourself through medical treatment. Over the years treatment outcomes and survival rate have increase with difficult surgeries. However, for some individuals the quality of life is faced by the quantity of life that a lifesaving treatment may bring. This topic has been all through newspapers and spreads nationwide as individuals forego curative medical treatment because of religious beliefs.
This article focuses on Voodooism, which is a “religion” practiced in Haiti since the beginning of its creation. In this article, the author claims that despite the misconceptions that many have about the practice of voodoo, Haitians don’t consider it as their religion, but more something that they serve and use to meet their religious needs. While most of them consider themselves Catholics, Haitians serve the lwa, which are African spirits that are honored for their powerfulness. Practiced since the beginning of the Haitian Revolution in 1791, Voodoo helped Haitian descendants survived slavery,