The 1801 constitution of Saint- Domingue written primarily by Toussaint L'Ouverture.
The 1791 constitution of France.
Obviously this is not my blog post for the Haitian Revolution.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Voodoo Raises Questions about Religion and Violence
Voodoo, an ecstatic rather than fertility based religion, is a combination of Roman Catholicism and the culture of the West African people. In August 1791, Dutty Boukman conducted a voodoo ceremony at Bois Caiman in order to deliver the enslaved blacks to freedom. Apparently, a woman started dancing “raucously” and sacrificed a pig. Then, on August 22, 1791, the slaves rose up against their masters. Voodoo was an integral part to the Haiti Revolution, because it provided people hope and it created unity. Now the question is whether or not Duke Boukman’s ceremony actually led to the enslaved people’s victory. Unfortunately, this ceremony has been widely misinterpreted throughout the years. Just recently, Pat Robertson said that the 2010 Haitian earthquake could be attributed to Haiti’s pact with Satan in 1791. He went on to explain that during the Haitian Revolution, the people agreed to serve Satan in return for their freedom and now they must pay consequences. While I do not agree with this statement, I must agree that ecstatic religions as a whole are not extremely ethical or civilized.
Voodoo appears to revert modern- day people to ancient practices. The barbaric tendencies, sacrifices, and additional archaic practices in voodoo promote violence. Furthermore, the principles of ecstatic religions contradict the basic scientific principles that govern the world.While I admire the principles that voodoo promotes such as health and protection of the family, the idea that spirits can enter a human body is dangerous and simply untrue. When the spirit consumes a person, that person is called a horse. It is this animalistic relationship between humans and voodoo that makes it extremely controversial. When should one draw the line during religious ceremonies? I believe that sacrifice and barbaric rituals should never be incorporated into a modern- day religion.
Violence and barbaric sacrifice are crucial elements to voodoo, though violence should never become an essential part of religion. Analyzing history clearly shows the unwanted consequences of this. For example, the Crusades, the wars fought in order to disperse Christian ideas, and the jihad of radical Muslims, which is used to justify violence, both have disastrous consequences. However, I believe that one should defend one’s right to the freedom of religion, because this is a basic human principle that each person needs. Fighting for one’s fundamental rights is more honorable than fighting in order to promote (and force) religion upon others.
http://kunsoo1024.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/bois-caiman.jpg
While violence and religion should never intertwine, the soldiers in wars probably heavily rely on religion to give them security and love when all they witness is hatred and horror. The purpose of religion is to create a belief system that explains one’s world. Therefore, the connection between violence and religion in this case is admirable; the people are bravely fighting for their countries always resort to religion in order to aid them.
Which rituals and ceremonies are socially acceptable and considered civilize in today’s world? When should religion use religion to promote its concepts? Are soldiers’ religious backgrounds admirable or hypocritical?
Voodoo appears to revert modern- day people to ancient practices. The barbaric tendencies, sacrifices, and additional archaic practices in voodoo promote violence. Furthermore, the principles of ecstatic religions contradict the basic scientific principles that govern the world.While I admire the principles that voodoo promotes such as health and protection of the family, the idea that spirits can enter a human body is dangerous and simply untrue. When the spirit consumes a person, that person is called a horse. It is this animalistic relationship between humans and voodoo that makes it extremely controversial. When should one draw the line during religious ceremonies? I believe that sacrifice and barbaric rituals should never be incorporated into a modern- day religion.
Violence and barbaric sacrifice are crucial elements to voodoo, though violence should never become an essential part of religion. Analyzing history clearly shows the unwanted consequences of this. For example, the Crusades, the wars fought in order to disperse Christian ideas, and the jihad of radical Muslims, which is used to justify violence, both have disastrous consequences. However, I believe that one should defend one’s right to the freedom of religion, because this is a basic human principle that each person needs. Fighting for one’s fundamental rights is more honorable than fighting in order to promote (and force) religion upon others.
http://kunsoo1024.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/bois-caiman.jpg
While violence and religion should never intertwine, the soldiers in wars probably heavily rely on religion to give them security and love when all they witness is hatred and horror. The purpose of religion is to create a belief system that explains one’s world. Therefore, the connection between violence and religion in this case is admirable; the people are bravely fighting for their countries always resort to religion in order to aid them.
Which rituals and ceremonies are socially acceptable and considered civilize in today’s world? When should religion use religion to promote its concepts? Are soldiers’ religious backgrounds admirable or hypocritical?
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