Comments on: Life in Haitian cathedral ruins?

By: Preston

Preston — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:16:46 +0000

How does voodoo count as an indigenous faith? Just because it’s not European doesn’t make it indigenous. Voodoo is very much a clash of cultures product at best, and its practice in the Carribean syncretic in many cases.

For some reason that really stuck out to me.

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By: Jerry

Jerry — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:16:56 +0000

The reporter does the wise thing and listens:

I think that sentence deserves to be emphasized.

One thing that I don’t see covered well if at all is what motivates people to help in disasters like Haiti. I think that many do it automatically without stopping to consider why they are so motivated. “my heart went out and I had to do something” is usually what I hear people say.

If I’m right, there is an interesting theological point about “original” virtue versus “original” sin that I wish someone would explore.

Or if this has been done, I’d love to read about it.

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By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:44:35 +0000

What are people saying and doing, when it comes to voodoo faith and practice?

I would like to see more about this, too. This catastrophe is a sharp test of whether voodoo is an active faith or just a hobby.

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By: tmatt

tmatt — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:27:02 +0000

Bern:

Well, I consider Robertson a politico and the whole second half of the piece is usual American suspects responding to ROBERTSON, essentially.

I am really more interested in the beliefs and comments of Haitians right now.

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By: Bern

Bern — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:16:42 +0000

PS: Lisa Miller at (non)Newsweek the worst editorial on this? Well, it typically re-bashes Robertson but I don’t think it’s the worst and there’s nothing whatever about American or any other kind of politicos in her piece, just the usual suspects. So?

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By: Bern

Bern — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:08:46 +0000

What a story—and so much more to come, it’s wrenching. When I clicked on the LAT link I gasped out loud at what had happened to the cathedral … . A “vicar general” (not a “general vicar”—Tracy Wilkerson probably knows the difference but a copyeditor might not) is second to the bishop, and can be a bishop, a monsignor, or “just” a priest. In the absence (death) of the bishop he acts as the bishop until the successor is named … so losing Fr. Benoit would be like losing the bishop again.

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