Voodoo and the Laws of Religion

Religion is a hallmark of human society. more nation define their lives by means of the use of religion, which is as vary as the cultures that usage them. Haitian Vodou is often misunderstood as a malevolent practice based solely on Voodoo dolls, curses and blood sacrifices. In truth, Vodou is a complex and high-energy religion that involves the use of signs derived from African mythology, the symbiosis of imagery betwixt Vodou and Catholicism and the use of participation, reflectivity and possession as a way for the community to nowadays relate to their religious deities.\n out-of-pocket to the similarity of the click in Vodou and Catholicism, and the apparent reverence Haitians put on for this symbol, many scholars assume the Vodou cross is borrowed from Roman Catholicism, but the symbol of the cross is derived from African mythology, unrivalled example being from the Fon mythology in Benin. According to Paul Mercier, the Fon recognize the universe as a sphere interse cted by ii planes, caused by the Godhead, Mawu Lisa as she move to the quad cardinal points of the universe, hence creating the sphere (Mercier 1968, 220-21). Mawu Lisa traveled passim the universe, stopping at the four quarters of space, which gibe to the four cardinal points of the mankind (Desmangles, 101). Mawu traveled from west to east, consequently north to south, forming a cosmic cross. The symbol of the cross is non restricted to one African culture group, but is base throughout Africa, as the Bambara people as well as recount the movements of a cross in their groundwork myth. The cross, as seen in Vodou and in its original African mythology, is a symbol of reverence and has huge significance for these groups. The cross is also seen as the symbol of Legba, the shop steward of the gates, and as a introduction in the midst of the two worlds: That of the blue human world, and the sacred world of the laws who reside in Vilokan.\nIn Haitian Vodou there is a sym biotic relationship between Roman Cath...