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View Full Version : Tension among Haiti's religions grows after quake


phands
12 Feb 2010, 11:06 PM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100212/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_haiti_earthquake

Typical xtians.....you want to eat/have medicine/have shelter? Then you have to swallow all this other shite as well.....

Baptists, Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientologists, Mormons and other missionaries have flocked to Haiti in droves since the earthquake — feeding the homeless, treating the injured and preaching the Gospel in squalid camps where some 1 million people now live.

In many of the camps, trucks with loudspeakers blast evangelical music while missionaries talk to families under tarpaulin roofs.

The Rev. Florian Ganthier, of an evangelical church in the capital that was partially destroyed in the quake, said he knows of dozens of Voodoo followers have converted in the last month.

"People who practice Voodoo are living in the shadows," Ganthier said. "This earthquake was a sign to all those who do not accept Jesus Christ in their life."

Voodoo, or Vodou as preferred by Haitians, evolved in the 17th century when the French brought slaves to Haiti from West Africa. Slaves forced to practice Catholicism remained loyal to their African spirits in secret by adopting Catholic saints to coincide with African spirits, and today many Haitians consider themselves followers of both religions.

Voodoo's followers believe in reincarnation, one God and a pantheon of spirits. Voodoo leaders say that although they do not believe in evil spirits, some pray for the spirits to do evil.

Celsus
12 Feb 2010, 11:53 PM
Disaster vultures. TBF the humanitarian community isn't completely guiltless either

rog
12 Feb 2010, 11:58 PM
It is the nature of religious organisations to insinuate themselves into people's personal tragedies.

rog
13 Feb 2010, 02:34 AM
Disaster vultures. TBF the humanitarian community isn't completely guiltless either

In your opinion, what would be a 'pure' motive for helping?

DMB
13 Feb 2010, 06:20 AM
Reprehensible though they seem to us, you have to remember that for the religionists saving people's souls is more important than saving their bodies. Saving someone's soul is by far the most important service you can do for them.

Haswell
13 Feb 2010, 11:10 AM
I find it difficult to believe that humanitarian agencies are thrusting Bertrand Russell into the hands if these hapless people. Are secular societies distributing condoms from the backs of trucks? Have they managed to get Chris Hitchens blaring out in the camps of squalor? So how are 'humanist' societies without blame?

If these religious fucks are so keen to save peoples souls, why dont they just let them die? Isnt that the point of it all - or is it, as I suspect, perfectly Ok to give up the ghost - as long as you are numbered in their own flock? Are we talking numbers here with people's lives?

I don't care how sincere these fuckwits might be about peoples souls, they are just Hyena troops offering sad people lottery tickets to an imaginary destiny.

Alethias
13 Feb 2010, 03:56 PM
The message is you can eat my food as long as you accept my god. It is normal for there to be a string attached. Even secular charities have a string attached, although it's a different kind of string. The point with them is not limiting the people receiving the aid so much as being able to say they are better than the missionaries.

Since that string doesn't impact the poor sods receiving the aid, I prefer it.

Celsus
13 Feb 2010, 11:15 PM
Disaster vultures. TBF the humanitarian community isn't completely guiltless either

In your opinion, what would be a 'pure' motive for helping?
True empathy

LoneWolf
13 Feb 2010, 11:26 PM
Disaster vultures. TBF the humanitarian community isn't completely guiltless either

In your opinion, what would be a 'pure' motive for helping?
True empathy

Well, it would be difficult for large institutions, like the Red Cross to have empathy. They're institutions. Then among the people who work for the institution you will have people working out of empathy but also people who are just working for a pay check, or even people who are volunteering so they have something to brag about.

But I'm still glad we have such institutions.

crazyfingers
14 Feb 2010, 01:57 AM
Disaster vultures.

I have to remember that term. It fits to a T.