Another Round About Haiti

Andrew Apter, professor of history and anthopology at UCLA, was interviewed by Thomas Rogers on Salon.com about Haiti's voodoo traditions, the ignorance behind the evangelical community's distortions and the real cause of suffering in the third-world country.

Is there any truth to what Pat Robertson is saying?
Of course not! Haitians are Christians. Pat Robertson's language is the reductio ad absurdum of the Christian right. It's so absurd it's almost funny. This notion of a pact with the devil is basically an echo of an old colonial response to the successes of the 1790s Haitian revolution.

What is this pact he's talking about?
Part of the revolution mythology is that one of the revolution leaders sacrificed a pig in Bois Caimin in a voodoo ceremony and made a contract with Petwo [Haitian voodoo spirits]. It may or may not be true, but to call that a pact with the devil is a gross misrepresentation of what voodoo is. It's about anything but the devil. He's imposing an evangelical religious order on a much more sophisticated practice, and he's turning it into a cheap invocation of Satanism.

This is hate speech. It's saying these people are damned. It's a frequent theme among some Christians that Haiti is being punished for this supposed pact with extreme poverty and humanitarian crises. Tragically, many evangelical Christians in Haiti may actually, in their own extreme confusion and suffering and desperation, believe that God is punishing them.

The reason Haiti is poor is because Europe imposed a blockade on trade after the slave revolt in 1804, and you have an extremely polarized class structure in which a few families stepped into the positions of the former colonial plantation owners. There has been a horrible cycle of plundering and autocracy within Haitian leadership.

Why do you think this kind of obsession with Haitian voodoo persists? There's a fascination with all things voodoo, not only in New Orleans but also on TV, on shows like "Bones," and it stems from the occupation of Haiti by the U.S. Marines in the first part of the 20th century. There were campaigns under certain Haitian governments in conjunction with the church to rout voodoo, but it didn't come close to working, because voodoo is part of everyday life in Haiti.

Do you think this has been holding Haiti back?
I think other factors are more important in holding Haiti back: the class structure, the dispossession of a largely illiterate populace, the links that the underclass increasingly has with drug gangs, which has generated a lot of violence, and the tradition of sweatshop labor. I think the backlash against voodoo is a kind of reflection of the problems, rather than a cause of it.

Pat Robertson Strikes Again

In the midst of the horrific tragedy of the earthquake and its aftermath in Haiti, we have Pat Robertson pronouncing a word of divine wisdom.
Something happened a long time ago in Haiti and people might not want to talk about. They were under the heel of the French, you know Napoleon the third and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said 'We will serve you if you will get us free from the prince.' True story. And so the devil said, 'Ok it's a deal.' And they kicked the French out. The Haitians revolted and got something themselves free. But ever since they have been cursed by one thing after another.

Unsurprisingly, CBN soon had to offer a corrective word. From its website is this official clarification:
Statement Regarding Pat Robertson's Comments on Haiti
CBN.com – VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., January 13, 2010 -- On today’s The 700 Club, during a segment about the devastation, suffering and humanitarian effort that is needed in Haiti, Dr. Robertson also spoke about Haiti’s history. His comments were based on the widely-discussed 1791 slave rebellion led by Boukman Dutty at Bois Caiman, where the slaves allegedly made a famous pact with the devil in exchange for victory over the French. This history, combined with the horrible state of the country, has led countless scholars and religious figures over the centuries to believe the country is cursed. Dr. Robertson never stated that the earthquake was God’s wrath. If you watch the entire video segment, Dr. Robertson’s compassion for the people of Haiti is clear. He called for prayer for them. His humanitarian arm has been working to help thousands of people in Haiti over the last year, and they are currently launching a major relief and recovery effort to help the victims of this disaster. They have sent a shipment of millions of dollars worth of medications that is now in Haiti, and their disaster team leaders are expected to arrive tomorrow and begin operations to ease the suffering.
Chris Roslan
Spokesman for CBN

I do not doubt Pat Robertson's compassion for people who are suffering, and I am glad that he prayed for them and is organizing relief efforts.

Nor do I doubt his theological miscue, though. The claim that "countless scholars and religious figures believe the country is cursed": is disingenuous at best. Many people may look at the overwhelming poverty of the country and feel that the people of Haiti have labored to overcome countless barriers to alleviating the situation without believing that the root of the problem was a voudon ceremony in the 18th century. Even presuming that the leaders of the slave rebellion in 1791 pledged their allegiance to the devil in exchange for freedom, what difference does that make for the people who were killed in the earthquake in 2010?

Unfortunately, Rev. Robertson, like many other Christians, are quick to lay the blame for great disasters at the feet of people who are affected by it. Somehow, the old adage that one reaps what is sown has been applied to hurricanes - think Katrina - and disease - think AIDS and cancer - and now earthquakes. Somehow, some people feel so much better thinking, "Well, after all, they had it coming."

Muslims Speak Out

In the City Of Brass blog - "by Aziz Poonawalla approaches issues from the perspective of a Muslim of the West" - on BeliefNet comes the report about an edict, a fatwa, issued by a group of Imams condemning attacks on Canada and the US by Muslims. Here is the item:

Attack on Canada and the United States is Attack on Muslims
Over 10 million Muslims Live in North America

(Calgary) Twenty Imams affiliated with the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada have issued a Fatwa today declaring the attacks on Canada and the United States by any extremist will be the attack on 10 million Muslims living in North America. This is the first Fatwa by the Muslim clergy declaring attacks on Canada and the United States as attack on Muslims. Following is the text of the Fatwa.

FATWA (religious edict)
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

We, the undersigned Imams, are issuing the following Fatwa in order to guide the Muslims of North America regarding the attacks on Canada and the United States by the terrorists and the extremists. In our view, these attacks are evil and Islam requires from Muslims to stand up against this evil. In the holy Qur’an Almighty Allah orders Muslims,
"Let there among you be a group that summon to all that is beneficial commands what is proper and forbids what is improper; they are the ones who will prosper." (3:104)
"Believing men and believing women are protecting friends of one another; they enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong; they perform salat and give zakat..." (9:71)
"Those who, if We establish them in the land (with authority), establish regular prayers and practice regular charity and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong..." (22:41)
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said in a Hadith;
"When people see a wrong-doer and do nothing to stop him, they may well be visited by God with a punishment."
Therefore, it is an obligation upon us (Imams) to inform all Muslims around the world that Muslims in Canada and the United States have complete freedom to practice Islam. There is no single city in Canada and the United States where MASAJIDS (Mosques) are not built. In all major cities Islamic schools provide education to Muslim children about Qur’an and the Islamic traditions. Thousands of Muslims perform Hajj every year and travel to Saudi Arabia with complete freedom and respect. In the month of Ramadan, both Canadian and the United States governments recognize the occasion and greet all Muslim citizens. Muslims pray five daily prayers in mosques without any fear or restrictions. Muslims have complete freedom to pay Zakat (poor due) to the charity or a person of their choice. Muslims have complete freedom to celebrate their festivals openly, publicly and Islamically. Muslims enjoy freedom of religion just like Christians, Jews and others. No one stops us from obeying Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him). No one stops us from preaching Islam and practicing Islam. In many cases, Muslims have more freedom to practice Islam here in Canada and the United States than many Muslim countries.
In fact, the constitutions of the United States and Canada are very close to the Islamic guiding principles of human rights and freedom. There is no conflict between the Islamic values of freedom and justice and the Canadian /US values of freedom and justice.
Therefore, any attack on Canada and the United States is an attack on the freedom of Canadian and American Muslims. Any attack on Canada and the United States is an attack on thousands of mosques across North America. It is a duty of every Canadian and American Muslim to safeguard Canada and the USA. They must expose any person, Muslim OR non-Muslim, who would cause harm to fellow Canadians OR Americans. We, Canadian and American Muslims, must condemn and stand up against these attacks on Canada and the United States.

May Allah save Canada, the United States and the entire world from the evil of wrong doers. Ameen.

Signed by:
1. Prof. Imam Syed B. Soharwardy - Calgary
2. Allama Imam Ghalib Hussain Chishty - Calgary
3. Allama Imam Syed Mukhtar Naeemi – Houston, USA
4. Allama Imam Muhammad Nasir Qadri - Montreal
5. Allama Imam Abdul Latif No’mani - Vancouver
6. Imam Hafiz Muhammad Zarif Naeemi - Airdrie
7. Imam Nizamuddin Sayed Qadri - Calgary
8. Imam Qazi Bashiruddin Qadri - Hamilton
9. Imam Osman Qazi - Toronto
10. Imam Saeed Ahmed Saifee - Toronto
11. Alimah Hafizah Sister Zaheera Tariq - Calgary
12. Imam Ayaz Khan Qadri - Calgary
13. Alimah Sister Fatimah Zohra - Toronto
14. Imam Shahid Bashir Lahori - Calgary
15. Imam Hafiz Intizar Ahmed Qadri - Montreal
16. Imam Sayed Sajid Qadri – Calgary
17. Imam Arif Mahmood Naqshbandi - Calgary
18. Imam Muhammad Anees Siddiqui – Calgary
19. Sister Shahana Kamil – Mississauga
20. Mr. Mushtaq Khan - Mississauga

I would make two points. First, I agree with the comments of Aziz Poonawalla that this message should not have been delivered as a fatwa and as specifically oriented to Canada and the US. I would call on you to read his comments for reasons why.

Second, this fatwa was issued on January 8. I have not seen or heard any reference to it in any mainstream American news outlet. People question why Muslims do not speak out against the minority of Muslims who engage in attacks, particularly on innocent people, well, they do speak out. It is most often the case that the general public are not in a position to hear because the news is not reported.

Christianity VS Buddhism, Round 2

I comment on this without seeing the origin of the conflict. I read reports that FOX news person Brit Hume called on Tiger Woods to become a Christian, since Buddhism, which Mr. Woods is reported to follow, does not offer the kind of redemption and forgiveness that Christianity does. Subsequently, I saw the brief snippet in which Mr. Hume made his comments on YouTube, but I do not know the context of the discussion.

That said, I support Mr. Hume's rights to hold his own beliefs about Christianity and Buddhism. He also has every right in the world as a person to share his beliefs with any other person. I do not agree with him as a journalist using the bully pulpit of the FOX News channel to call for someone's conversion. I can imagine the uproar from FOX should the editor of the NY Times use the editorial page to call for Roger Ailes to convert to Islam.

With all of that as background, I read with interest the piece on Religion News Service which called on Robert Thurman, Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University to gain clarification about Buddhism, redemption and forgiveness. Here is part of the interview:

Q: Was Hume correct that Christianity and Buddhism do not offer the same kinds of redemption and forgiveness?

A: I don’t agree with that. Not only is his idea of Buddhism wrong, but his idea of Christianity is wrong. The implication that unethical behavior such as Tiger Woods committed will be forgiven just by turning to Christ is a misrepresentation of Christianity. It’s undervaluing the Christian emphasis on ethical behavior. It’s like the Muslims who think they can blow people up and go to heaven just because they were shouting “Allahu Akbar” when they died. It’s the wrong idea that you just have to believe, not behave.

Do you agree with Professor Thurman? Or, do you think it is enough for someone to say that they are a Christian or a Buddhist or Muslim without giving evidence in their lives that they really have embraced that faith?

2012? or 2011? Are You Betting on Either?

For centuries, Christian individuals have sought an answer for when the end of the world as we know it [TEOTWAWKI] will occur. A number of different years have been put forth, including, but not limited to: 100, 1000, 1033, 1844, 1914, and 1978. Obviously, all of these previous answers were wrong.

Recently, much hype has been given to the year 2012 as the definitive date. This is based, at least in part, on an assumption based on an ancient Mayan calendar. The calendar in question inexplicably ends at 2012. This has been interpreted as a prediction of TEOTWAWKI, and Hollywood has gotten in on the act, so there must be something to it, right?

Now comes another contender. In an article (found at http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/01/BA8V1AV589.DTL) written by Justin Berton, Harold Camping declares without any doubt that May 21, 2011 is the date. Camping, a Civil Engineer by training, who runs Family Radio, an evangelical Christian radio ministry that beams the gospel message in 48 languages, and has been studying the Bible for 70 years, has a mathematical formula, based on his interpretation of the Bible, that proves the point. From the article:

By Camping's understanding, the Bible was dictated by God and every word and number carries a spiritual significance. He noticed that particular numbers appeared in the Bible at the same time particular themes are discussed.

The number 5, Camping concluded, equals "atonement." Ten is "completeness." Seventeen means "heaven." Camping patiently explained how he reached his conclusion for May 21, 2011.

"Christ hung on the cross April 1, 33 A.D.," he began. "Now go to April 1 of 2011 A.D., and that's 1,978 years."

Camping then multiplied 1,978 by 365.2422 days - the number of days in each solar year, not to be confused with a calendar year.

Next, Camping noted that April 1 to May 21 encompasses 51 days. Add 51 to the sum of previous multiplication total, and it equals 722,500.

Camping realized that (5 x 10 x 17) x (5 x 10 x 17) = 722,500.

Or put into words: (Atonement x Completeness x Heaven), squared.

"Five times 10 times 17 is telling you a story," Camping said. "It's the story from the time Christ made payment for your sins until you're completely saved.

This is not the first time Mr. Camping has ventured a prophecy about TEOTWAWKI. In the early 1990's, he assured all of his followers that September 6, 1994 would be it. So, they gathered in their Sunday best, holding open Bibles, and waited - in vain, as we now know.

The previous error is not discouraging some of them now, however. Again, from the article:

Rick LaCasse, who attended the September 1994 service in Alameda, said that 15 years later, his faith in Camping has only strengthened.

"Evidently, he was wrong," LaCasse allowed, "but this time it is going to happen. There was some doubt last time, but we didn't have any proofs. This time we do."

Would his opinion of Camping change if May 21, 2011, ended without incident?

"I can't even think like that," LaCasse said. "Everything is too positive right now. There's too little time to think like that."

There are some obvious unproven and unproveable assumptions in Mr. Camping's analysis, but such things could not deter true believers. So, which date are you betting on: 2012 or 2011? Or, are you like me and putting your faith on neither?

7 Points of Commonality Between Religions?

Jacqueline Leo, a Director at the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, asserts that Islam, Christianity, and Judaism share seven common beliefs:

The Seven Shared Beliefs

1. Monotheism--belief in one God. Christians believe in the Holy Trinity (The Father, Son and Holy Spirit), but the three are one according to the New Testament.
2. Divine revelation--truths are revealed through the word of God. 3. Daily Prayer--Muslims must pray five times a day; Jews are supposed to thank God every day for the gifts he bestows; and Christians who follow Catholicism are to pray seven times a day, while most simply say nightly prayers.
4. Muslims, Christians and Jews all participate in religious fasts. Christians have Lent, a 40 day period of denial leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus; Jews fast during Yom Kippur; and Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan.
5. Prophetic Tradition--all three religions believe in "messengers of God." Jews and Christians believe in Moses among others in the Old Testament; Muslims acknowledge many prophets of Allah cited in the Qur'an, the most important being Muhammad. All three honor Abraham as great prophet. Abraham believed in the one and only God. So if all three religions believe in Abraham, they would logically believe in the same God.
6. All three believe in almsgiving and charity.
7. All three believe in holy sites: Jerusalem for Jews and Christians, Mecca and Medina for Muslims.

Do you agree that these religions share these points? Do you think others do? Is it significant that these concepts are shared? What conclusions, if any, could you draw from this?

Whither Christianity in America?

America has long been seen by sociologists of religion as an anomaly among the nations of the world for our adherence to religious beliefs. Religion within the other industrialized and educated countries in the world has been on the decline for decades. Many Western European countries see the number of regular and frequent attenders in church services in the single percentages. In fact, it was this observed decline that led many sociologists to posit a secularization of the Western nations with the expectation that America would soon join the others and experience a similar downturn in religious belief and religiosity.

Unfortunately for those sociologists and their predictions, America’s faithfulness to religion remained strong. Some of these scholars even acknowledged their error.

Yet, in 2009, there were some interesting poll results that call America’s faithfulness to religion in general and Christianity in particular into question. For example, the 2009 American Religious Identification Survey showed that the number of Americans who claim no religious affiliation rose from 8% to 15%. Further, the largest concentration of such religiously unidentified was in the Northeast, the home of the Pilgrims and Puritans.

An April 2009 Newsweek poll showed that only 48% of Americans believed that faith will help answer all or most of the country’s current problems. This was a decline from 64% in a 1994 poll. And, 68% in the current poll said religion was losing its influence on American life.

Most telling, perhaps, are the results from a December 2009 Pew Research Center poll showing the amalgamation of religious views among Christians in America. From this research come the revelations that 17% of Christians believe in the “evil eye [the casting of curses]”, 22% believe in reincarnation, 23% believe in astrology, and 26% believe there is spiritual power in such things as mountains, trees, and crystals. None of these beliefs are accepted in traditionally orthodox Christianity.

So, what does all of this mean for religion in America? And for Christianity in America? Do you think it is a good thing or a bad thing?