Haiti Voodoo Priest Claims Aid Monopolised by Christians
Haiti's voodoo high priest has claimed believers have been discriminated against by evangelical Christians who are monopolising aid sent to the earthquake-stricken country.

The question posed here: Is it discriminatory / biblical for Evangelical Christians to give aid to Haitian Christians and not to Haitian Non-Christians in particular Haitian practicioners of voodoo.

Matthew 15:22-28 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But He answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Can one imagine Moses or Joshua giving food, clothing and shelter to entire cities or enclaves of Canaanites? Just as this woman from canaan, there were individuals like Rahab the harlot that found grace in the eyes of the Lord, that are ready to make a profession of faith, and to pay the price whatever it may be to receive of the hand of the Lord.

It is the absolute duty of Christians to support and care for one another even in different cities and in different countries.

Acts 11:27-29 And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea: Here we see a great crop failure striking the known world. Following the words of Jesus Christ the Churches saw to it that Christians, Christians in other countries in the case Judea did not go hungry. Note that they did not lavish gifts and provision to the unbeleiving poor in general. This is not to say that they did not give provision to some individuals.

1 Corinthians 16:1-3 Now concerning the collection for the saints, (Greek the Holy or Righteous of God – Note Paul is again explicite to the words of Jesus Christ as to who this collection is to go to) as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, (The store or storehouse here is referring to algracultureal goods specifically grain. Paul was collecting wagons of grain not gifts of money) as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. (Gatherings as in harvesting and the thressing of wheat) And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.

By Nick Allen in Port-au-Prince
Published: 7:00AM GMT 01 Feb 2010

Max Beauvoir, Haiti's "supreme master" of voodoo, alleged his faith's opponents had deliberately prevented much-needed help from reaching followers of the religion, which blends the traditional beliefs of West African slaves with Roman Catholicism.

"The evangelicals are in control and they take everything for themselves," he claimed. "They have the advantage that they control the airport where everything is stuck. They take everything they get to their own people and that's a shame

"Everyone is suffering the same and has the same needs. We are not asking for anything more than anyone else. We're just asking for it to be fair."

Mr Beauvoir, 75, a Sorbonne-educated biochemist, spoke as a first convoy of aid arrived at his home in Mariani, a town just outside Port-au-Prince. It contained 400 sacks of rice from the World Food Programme and was mobbed by hundreds of hungry voodoo believers.

"It is the first delivery and it took a couple of weeks fight to get that for the voodoo people," said Mr Beauvoir.

At the weekend hundreds of voodoo houngans, or priests, gathered in the northern town of Gonaives to plan how to react to the earthquake that left an estimated 200,000 people dead on Jan 12.

Following the earthquake the US television evangelist Pat Roberston said Haiti made a "pact with the devil" 200 years ago when it defeated French colonists.

"I don't know much about him and I don't think I'm losing much," said Mr Beauvoir. "Voodoo as been discriminated against for 200 years.

"It was developed by our ancestors, it is a way of life. To ask us to stop would be like asking an American to stop heating hamburgers."

He also rejected the idea that voodoo consists of human sacrifices and sticking pins in dolls.

"That's Hollywood voodoo," he said. "No-one from Hollywood has ever sent an anthropologist to study voodoo in Haiti."

In Haitian voodoo, God is supreme and is not involved in human affairs.

Believers instead worship hundreds of spirits called lwa. Other beliefs include that trees have spirits.

As she waited for rice from the WFP Monique Henri, 36 wore a cross round her neck but she also believes in voodoo. She said she had an image of Ogu Feri , the voodoo god of metal and fire, at her home .

"The earthquake happened because people were sinners so God was angry, because people did wrong," she said..

Clavarus Filisca, 72, a houngan, invokes the spirit of Jambe Male to heal people of fevers, headaches and other maladies. "Voodoo is the most important religion. It's natural, it's everywhere," he said.

Mr Beauvoir rejected the suggestion that the earthquake was an act of God. He says it was a natural event but many voodoo followers still believe it was a punishment.

Christians have also been inundating radio stations asking anyone who has committed a crime to confess, thereby saving the nation from future disasters.

Inspiration, an evangelical station, said 11,000 people had rung up to pledge themselves to God since the earthquake.

Missionaries equating voodoo with devil worship have long tried to convert the population of Haiti but the religion, a mixture of Christianity and animism, remains ingrained. Like Christianity it has one God but incorporates pagan elements such as spell casting and calling spirits.

Mr Beauvoir’s grand house, the Peristyle de Mariani, is a voodoo temple where followers dance around a totem pole in the grounds to the sound of drums. Bonfires are lighted to attract spirits and the blood of animals, including goats and chickens, is drained and used to heal the sick.

However, since the earthquake, he has halted all ceremonies. “This is a big shock for people to absorb,” he said. Voodoo ceremonies are still going on in the countryside.

The elaborate ceremonies include secret languages, people dancing after being possessed by spirits and talismans including dried animal heads.

In rural areas there are said to be people who practice the darker side of voodoo, summoning evil spirits. However, practitioners argue that voodoo is a force for good.

Kompe Filo, one of the most popular TV and radio personalities in Haiti, and a vocal believer, said voodoo predicted the earthquake six months ago.

He said: “God is angry against humanity, not just Haiti but all humanity. This is a message that man must change, and reconnect with the natural world around him.

“We have a lot of beliefs modern people should believe in. For example we believe that trees have spirits which we should not harm otherwise we will all suffer.”