Protest in Brooklyn Against Cardinal Chibly Langlois of Haiti for supporting the illegitimate Martelly/Lamothe regime. June 29, 2014 https://facebook/photo.php?v=806393139378901&set=vb.484017601616458&type=2&theater Elections in Haiti have been suspended since Nov 2011. via Ezilis Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network (HLLN) The Cardinal is a Big Problem by Jerry M. Gilles and Yvrose S. Gilles Ezili Dantòs Note: Its always a treat when the Haiti wife and husband team Jerry and Yvrose Gilles, respond to public ignorance about Vodun, Haiti or Haiti history. Writing both in Kreyòl and English, these favorite Haiti scholars respond at directly, critically, interestingly and with scientific facts to the Cardinal in an article titled: The Cardinal is a Big Problem. Heres an excerpt to enjoy: bookmanlit/cardinal.html, In an article published in The Guardian on July 13, 2014, the cardinal is quoted as saying that Vodou offers only magic, but no real solutions to the politically voiceless people of Haiti. The Catholic Church has a long history of criticizing magic while applauding miracles. Vodouists do not divide spiritual intervention along those same lines. Rather, they believe that events have either natural or supernatural causes. To address the natural cause of disease, they use herbal remedies, while to address supernatural causes, they use incantations. For Vodouist, magic and miracle are equally supernatural. What is miraculous to one person, is simply magical to another. Cardinal Langlois cannot criticize magic while upholding a mountain of miracles professed by the Catholic Church. Church leaders recently invited the Haitian population to celebrate the 125th anniversary of an alleged miraculous intervention of the Virgin Mary in stopping a smallpox epidemic estimated to have killed some 100,000 people. Church leaders attributed the end of the epidemic to the efficacy of prayers to Mary. They seemed not to understand that the epidemic stopped because many received a traditional inoculation, while others developed their own natural immunity, having acquired a less malignant form of the infection. In other words, the Virgin Marys intervention was a non-event that could only be regarded as part of the superstitions that the cardinal claims to be combating. Unbeknownst to the cardinal, Vodouist have ventured beyond superstitions to make significant contributions to modern medicine. One of the earliest publications to report on inoculation (vaccination) came from the island of Haiti. There, Vodouist were addressing the natural cause of disease by introducing into the skins of healthy people the secretions from those sick from smallpox to prevent the infection from spreading (Gazette de Medicine Pour Les Colonies- 1778). This preventive measure was called achte verèt. When the Queen of England heard about this practice in Africa and in other places, she decided to try it herself and that helped to launch vaccination as a modern medical intervention worldwide. Since concrete medical contributions like this are unknown to the Cardinal, he says that Vodou offers no real solutions as if his churchs claims to miracles were more tangible solutions to disease treatment. As shown by the neurologist, Bruce M. Hood, the human mind is superstitious in its thinking. For this reason, no religion is free of superstition. If Cardinal Langlois wants to purge religion of superstition, he ought to start with his own. He should ask all Catholics to remove crosses from their homes, cars, and necklaces as talismans for protection. The fact is the world is a better place when people can keep their religious articles so long as they do not violate the rights of others to practice their own religions and superstitions. If the Cardinal wants to eradicate superstitions, he can study whether Catholics can distinguish between tap water and holy water. Such an experiment might be useless to his congregation, but it could help tame his arrogance. (Complete article at bookmanlit/cardinal.html ) #FreeHaitiMovement #Haiti
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 07:15:42 +0000
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