Haitian Voodoo Priests Complain

There was an article online about the Chief priest of Voodoo complaining about Christians and trying to get people to be more understanding of their worship practices. This man was complaining about being misunderstood. They worship one God. They believe in many of the same things as the Roman Catholic Church. But they cast spells, call on spirits to bless and curse people, and practice elements of African animistic religion as a part of their historic belief system. In the article different "voodoo priests" and "preistesses" talked about invoking different spirits to accomplish good things. Some of them admitted that there were those who also practice dark arts as well. The article went on to say that some voodoo prophets had foretold the earthquake as a judgment from their god a few months earlier. These arguments parallel the arguments of Wiccans and Druids in our own western culture. A "neo-pagan" stone circle was recently erected at the Air Force Academy in Colorado to provide a "worship space" for wiccans, druids, and other neo-pagan peoples. These people and groups want us to believe that these beliefs are just a variation on a theme and that they just worship a god who is different than that of the Christian but also could as easily be the same god under a different name...so why the offense. Their credo of in so far as you harm no one do as you will is a restatement of no harm no foul...to each his own. Can't we all just be friends and respect each others beliefs?
Well, no all things and belief systems are not the same. And just because a people or group says that they are worshipping the one god does not make it the same as our Christian God anymore than allah is the same as our God. The difference is in what each person believes about who Jesus Christ is and whether they accept him as Lord and Savior. Do they see themselves as sinners in need of a savior or as pretty good people doing the best that they can? What we believe about Jesus and how we view and practice obedience to the scripture as God's truth and authority for our lives is the difference between faith and saving faith. So when the early voodoo practicioners made their prayer to their god (as differentiated from the white man's christian god)and made sacrifices and offerings as a part of a bargain they were really making a bargain with the devil. That is a part of the unfortunate truth, that when one is not dealing with the One Real and True God (the Great I Am) in prayer and in worship then (no matter what or who you call him) you are really dealing with the devil as the ultimate father of lies and deceit. You might call this god or goddess, allah, buddah, vishnu (or one of a million other hindu gods), thor, diana, cupid, baal, asherah, or a host of other names that have been worshipped. But from the Christian Scriptural perspective you are worshipping an idol and the power behind all of these little "g" gods is satan or the devil. So when wiccans say they are not devil worshippers really they can really believe this. The fact that they believe that they are not and say that they are not devil worshippers is not really important or valid spiritually from a Christian prespective. The haitian voodoo high priest can really believe that everybody should just understand and adjust...that their worship is just as legitimate. After all haven't they also been "good catholics" all these years as well? The fact that they added catholic beliefs to fit in with the Roman Catholic church but then held on to their animistic african religion meant that they were not really in tune with orthodox catholic beliefs at all. We cannot have it all and just a little of this religion and a little of that. They do have a right to worship and believe any of these things because God has given us all free will. But God gives us that "right" and the end result is death, hell and a burning lake in final judgment for those who choose poorly and fail to turn to Him. God does have mercy and He does understand our hearts. What is in a name? The Bible says that there is power in a name and that God is a jealous God not willing to share His power and glory with an idol. All others are idols including allah...even if billions believe. God has shown mercy by coming to earth as Jesus, our Emmanuel; He died on the cross and was raised from the dead so that all of these people who worship false idols can be saved. True believers need to reach out in compassion and in love, preaching the real good news of the Gospel. We need to pray for these Haitian voodoo preists and priestesses (as well as the neo-pagans who got the stone circle erected at the Air Force Academy); that their hearts and minds would be opened from the lie that they have believed. Their minds are clouded by the father of lies, the devil. And we are called by God to share the Good News about Jesus, not so that they can add Jesus to their list of gods but so they can accept Him and Him alone...nothing else will do.