Breaking the Power of Voodoo
By Julian Lukins

After centuries of oppression, the nation of HAITI is still locked in a spiritual battle against occultism and poverty. The scene was like something out of an old horror movie. The mourners at the young man's funeral watched silently as the coffin was inserted into the crypt. They shuffled aside as a man stepped forward to brick-and-cement the casket inside. The deceased's brother etched a farewell message in the wet cement. Then, a metal gate was fastened in front of the seal and locked. Why this strange, sinister burial ritual? Actually, it was a practical necessity. In Haiti, Voodoo is a prevalent evil. Even the dead are not safe. Voodoo practitioners have been known to raid tombs to steal recently interred corpses and then use their body parts in gruesome ceremonies.

With justified fear, the grieving family dreaded their loved one being turned into a zombie-the legendary Voodoo image of the “walking dead.” Many in Haiti believe the zombie is more than a mere myth. They believe the spirits have the power to make the dead walk. As one evangelical leader in Haiti told Charisma: “Voodoo is not a game. Satan has power. And the Voodoo power is very real.”

Voodoo's Grip

“Voodoo is ingrained in the Haitian culture,” explains Becky Noss, a former U.S. missionary to this troubled Caribbean island nation just two hours by plane from Miami. “It keeps many Haitians in bondage.” Noss, who witnessed the funeral service described above, encountered the deep-rooted influence of Voodoo during her 18-month term in Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. “Many Haitians are absolutely terrified of curses,” she says. “Voodoo has a grip on their lives.”

As Haiti's evangelical and charismatic churches experience tremendous numerical growth, church leaders report that many Haitians from Voodoo backgrounds are finding freedom in Christ. Noss, who is fluent in Haitian Creole, relays the testimony of a former Voodoo priest, known as a houngan. For years, the priest sought to appease five spirits that controlled him and gave him healing powers. Then, one of the spirits told him to sacrifice a specific type of cat. The priest searched everywhere but could not find the animal. The spirit reacted by throwing him to the ground, badly injuring him. The priest's fear turned to anger as he realized he had spent his life appeasing a spirit that treated him with contempt. He began a search that ultimately brought him to faith in Christ and led him to tear down his Voodoo temple. “Today,” Noss says, “a church stands on the site … praise God!”

The Real Voodoo

In the U.S., Hollywood portrays Voodoo as a theatrical form of witchcraft in which practitioners stick pins into dolls to cast spells and curses on their enemies. “Many people in the U.S. think that Voodoo is a game, just a little play theater,” says Dr. Hubert Morquette, a Haitian physician and former stage actor. “They do not know, they cannot imagine, the power that this thing, Voodoo, has.” Haiti is often seen as the “home” of Voodoo, but Voodoo actually traces its roots back centuries to the region of West Africa that today includes parts of Nigeria, Togo and Benin. African slaves brought Voodoo with them when they were forcibly shipped to Haiti and other islands in the West Indies. In 1791, the story goes, a group of these slaves dedicated Haiti to Baron Samedi (even in Voodoo, the equivalent to Satan). Haitian folklore teaches that the nation's independence in 1804 came as a result of that satanic ceremony.

Voodoo-sometimes called Vodun or Vodou-teaches that there is a chief god, Olorun, who is remote and unknowable. Olorun, Voodooists believe, authorized a lesser god, Obatala, to create the earth and all living things. A battle between the two gods led to Obatala's temporary banishment. This mysterious religion revolves around a spirit world, the realm of demons. In a society riddled with fear of evil spirits and curses, many Haitians think spirit appeasement affords the best protection against personal calamity.

The purpose of Voodoo rituals, often staged in a temple known as a hounfour or humfort, is to make contact with a spirit and gain its favor and protection by offering animal sacrifices. At the center of the temple is a pole called a poteau-mitan, where the spirits communicate with the participants. During a ceremony, followers of Voodoo believe that part of a person's soul leaves the body when he or she is possessed by a loa, or spirit. Their greatest fear is that the soul will be harmed or captured by evil forces while it is absent from the body.

Rituals are often complex, involving various steps including the sprinkling of cornmeal on the ground and the shaking of a rattle accompanied by the beating of drums. As the ritual intensifies, the priest or priestess chants and enters into a frenzied dance, at which point he or she is possessed by a loa. Finally, a sacrifice is made-usually of a chicken, sheep, goat or dog-and the blood is collected in a vessel. The possessed dancer drinks the blood to “satisfy” the loa. The ritual is a mockery of God's covenant with His Old Testament people, Morquette says. “Everything God asks His people to do, Satan asks his people to do the same.That is why you see [animal] sacrifice in Voodoo … because the spirits ask for blood.”

Spiritual Warfare

Clive Calver, senior pastor of Walnut Hill Community Church in Bethel, Connecticut, described his experience at a Voodoo ceremony in Port-au-Prince. Calver watched as the possessed priest writhed on the floor, rolling in fire only to emerge unscathed. “There was a definite sense of evil,” he recalls. “As C.S. Lewis said, Satan's key strategies are to convince people that he is too powerful, or to convince them of his nonexistence.”

The unnerving experience reaffirmed to him the vital role of spiritual warfare. “We have to recognize our enemy Satan, expose him for what he is doing, and oppose him in the power of the Holy Spirit,” Calver says. “So many of us do not see the victory because we are too scared to go into battle.” Although some will speak out, there is tremendous pressure on evangelical and charismatic leaders in Haiti not to “interfere with” or condemn Voodoo. “There is a lot of manipulation,” Morquette explains. “People say: 'Voodoo is our culture. We should not speak badly of Voodoo or our ancestors.' Let me tell you plainly: Voodoo is a satanic religion.”

During a Voodoo ceremony, the loa considers the possessed person to be his horse. “The spirit rides his horse,” Morquette explains. “After the ceremony, the possessed person does not know what has happened to him … the spirit used his body. This is totally different from the God of the Bible who works through our will, not replacing our mind. The true God respects our personality and our will.” Despite its intimidating nature, the power of Voodoo fades in the presence of Spirit-filled believers. “The Voodoo spirits have power to heal, kill and do supernatural things,” he says. “But they are completely ineffective in the midst of true Christian believers. This is well-known in Haiti. Voodoo spirits cannot show up in the environment of Christians praying. It is so obvious that there is complete incompatibility.”

However, the pervasive influence of Voodoo on Haitian culture has, to some extent, penetrated the church. Lack of theological training and Bible teaching has left some converts vulnerable to false teachings and the acceptance of some Voodoo practices alongside Christianity, even in some evangelical churches, Morquette says. Pastor Sylvain Exantus, a seminary professor with the Church of God in Port-au-Prince, confirmed that theological training is desperately needed in Haiti's growing evangelical and charismatic congregations-in part, to enable the church to confront effectively the Voodoo influence.

“Voodoo is just one element of our culture,” Exantus told Charisma. “It is not the culture. Haitians are a spiritual people, searching for God, searching for purpose and the truth. Our pastors need to be equipped to shepherd their people … to live out the gospel of mercy and compassion.” The arm of Voodoo, though, is far-reaching and extends into every sphere of Haitian life. Claude Jacquet, pastor of a 100-member Baptist church in Port-au-Prince, says Voodoo feeds Haiti's AIDS crisis because it promotes sexual immorality. “The Voodoo priest is a very important person,” Jacquet explains. “He can choose to have sex with any member of his temple.”

Priests regularly prescribe sexual acts as the remedy for curses or sicknesses. For those who truly seek to serve Jesus in Haiti, the cost of discipleship is likely to be high. In the past, high-ranking officials have included Voodoo sympathizers and practitioners. “If you speak badly about Voodoo, you risk being threatened with going to court because some Voodoo practitioners are top officials,” says Rev. Varnel Jeune, director of Radio Lumiere, the nation's influential evangelical radio station. “Voodoo is everywhere in Haiti.”

Because of its official status as a state-sanctioned religion, Voodoo ceremonial marriages are legally recognized and Voodoo practitioners have been known to conduct marriages to dead people, Jeune told Charisma. “I would say to the church in America: Please pray for Haiti!” Jeune pleads. “I believe in the future of the church in Haiti because Jesus has promised to build His church. There is much darkness in our land … but the light will come, of that I am sure.”

Freie Vachon's testimony is proof that the Holy Spirit can turn the foulest darkness to light. “The Voodoo power is brutal,” says Vachon, a former Voodoo priest. “When those demons possess a person, that person can do anything. You need to make a sacrifice … demons want blood.” For Vachon, the ultimate goal was to sacrifice a Christian girl. But, Vachon testifies, he was hit by the power of God, came to faith in Jesus, and began proclaiming Christ.

No longer does Voodoo have a hold on him. Instead, the Holy Spirit is his source of strength. “I know that the real power is in Jesus,” he says, “not in Voodoo.” 3 Julian Lukins is a freelance writer based in California. He traveled to Haiti to compile this report.

Voodoo'sCurse

In Haiti, poverty, AIDS and family breakdown all have their roots in the national occult religion. Voodoo's destructive influence extends beyond the spiritual realm and into the physical lives of Haiti's vulnerable people. Many Haitians actually fear prosperity because they are terrified their good fortune will attract the jealous attention of others-and make them a prime target for a curse, says Dr. Hubert Morquette, a Haitian humanitarian worker with World Relief. Subdued by such oppression, many Haitians are reluctant to acknowledge if they are healthy or doing OK, he says. In response to the question Kijan ou ye?-”How are you?”-most prefer to use the Creole phrase pa pi mal, literally, “not worse.” To admit otherwise could be to invite a curse.

Immersed in this culture of fatalism, Haitians suffer from very low self-esteem, fueled by the knowledge that their nation is the poorest and least developed outside Africa. AIDS is a national crisis, rife among the most sexually active age group: 15- to 49-year-olds. However, Haiti's churches are taking the initiative. Mobilized and trained by Baltimore-based World Relief, young volunteers in Haiti's churches are spreading the dual message of abstinence and marital fidelity through a network of anti-AIDS clubs.

As a result, thousands of young Haitians have made public pledges of abstinence before their peers and churches. “It is a very spiritual ceremony in which we ask each young person to publicly take a stand in front of the assembly of the church,” explains 23-year-old Marckenzy Deteriere, a World Relief staffer in Port-au-Prince. “A young person is responsible before God and himself. There is no control, no pressure from us.

“We remind them: 'When you make a vow, you have to keep your promise before God. Think about the vow you are making … think before you take the vow and not afterwards.' We read Proverbs 20:25: 'It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows'” (NIV).

Deteriere reflects: “Our society would make a young person feel ashamed for being abstinent. We encourage youth to stand up and say: 'Yes, I am going to be pure. I am going to be set apart for God, and I am not ashamed.'” Sexual exploitation of children is another ugly reality being addressed by local churches with the support of World Relief, the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals in the U.S.

Child sex workers are known as Degaje-a derogatory term that refers to being in survival mode. “Many girls in our cities, and even in our churches, practice prostitution,” says World Relief's Philippe Nicolas. “Their parents are desperate for food, so they encourage their 15-year-old daughters to have sex to bring in money. It's a desperation trade.” In response, World Relief equips and mobilizes local churches to distribute food and provide tuition scholarships to at-risk children in Haiti's slums.

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Julian Lukins is a freelance writer based in California. He traveled to Haiti to compile this report.

Voodoo is a combination of Paganism and Christianity, and Voodooists think that this is OK....but is it?  

LET"S LOOK AT WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS...

Don't take my word for it...here are the Bible verses I found that don't jibe with what Voodooists believe. Get a Bible, look them up for yourself. Get a glass of milk and some cookies, because it's going to take you a while.

Verses of The Bible That Condemn Worship of Other gods/idols, and verses that affirm followers of YHVH worship him aloneBefore you think you can worship any old deity that floats your boat, maybe you better read these:

Genesis 35:2-4, Exodus. 20:3-5&23, 22:20, 32:8-29 (golden calf, Egyptian idol Aipis, god of nature) 34:13-14 Lev. 18:21, 19:4, 20:27, 26:1 Numbers 25:2-5 Deuteronomy 4:15-19, 4:23-29&35 4:7-9, 6:4-5, 6:14-15, 7:4-5&25-26, 8:18-20, 9:12&16, 9:20-21, 12:2-5&12, 13:30-31, 16:22, 13:6-9, 13:12-15, 17:3-5, 18:9-10 & 14(observers of times, astrologers), 27:15, 29:16-18, 26-27, 30:17-18, 31:16-17, 31:20-21, 32:12, Joshua 23:7-8 & 11 24:14-17 24:20-24, Judges 2:2-3, 2:10-15 & 19-20 3:7-8, 5:7-8 6:25-28, 8:33-34, 10:6-16, 1 Samuel 5:2-12 (Dagon) 7:3-4, 12:24, 15:23, 2Samuel 7:23-24 (Israel serves YHWH and not the gods of Egypt) 1 Kings 9:6-7(Israel punished for worshiping other gods) 11:1-10&33, 14:9&15, 14:23-24 (Pagan groves condemned), 15:12-13, 16:25-26 (vanities [KJV] = idols in Heb.) 16:31-34, 18:15-40 (Elijah defeats Pagan priests), 19:18 (Ba’al worshipers undesirable) 22:52-53 2 Kings 1:3 (consulting Pagan gods condemned) 5:13 (only YHWH is God), 10:18-28, (Ba’al worshipers condemned), 11:18 15:4 (offering incense in Pagan sacred sites condemned), 16:2-4 (Pagan practices & child sacrifice condemned), 17:7-23 (Israel punished for worshiping Pagan gods), 17:29-41 (serving both YHWH and Pagan gods condemned). 18:3-5 (turning away from Pagan gods), 19:33-35 (Pagan gods did not help Israel), 21:1-16 (Ba’al & idol worship) 21:19-22, 22:15, 23:4-20, 1 Chronicles 5:24-26, 14:12, 16:25-26, 17:20, 2Chronicles 7:19-20 13:7-10, 14:2-3, 15:16, 20:33, 21:13, 23:16-17, 24:7& 18-20, 25:14-15&20, 28:1-5, 28:22-25, 31:1, 32:13-22, 33:3-9&15, 34:3-7 & 25, Nehemiah 9:17-18, 13:1-2, Job 31:26-28 (worship of sun, moon, and stars condemned), Psalms 24:4 (vanity = idols), 31:6, 40:4 (lies =idols or false gods in Hebrew), 96:4 (YHWH comes before idols), 106:28-29 & 35-40 (their own inventions = idols), 115: 2-9, Isaiah 1:29-30, (oaks, Heb. = terebinth, places of Pagan worship), 2:18 & 20, 10:10-11, 19:3-4, 26:13-14 (idols are dead), 31:7, 36:19 (YHWH more powerful than Pagan gods) 37:19, 41:21-24 (cause = idols in Hebrew), idols are nothing, 41:29 idols are nothing, 42:8 & 17, 43:11, 44:5-6 & 9-10 & 17-22 & 24-25 (YHWH thwarts occult practices), 46:1 & 6-7 & 9, 47:9, 48:5, Jeremiah 1:16, 2:5 (vanity = idols), 2:11 (nothing gained by worshiping idols), 2:23 (Baalim pollutes)2:27-28 (idols cannot save), 4:1 (abominations = in Heb., idols) 5:7 (Pagan gods aren’t gods), 5:19, 7:6 & 9, 7:18, 7:30-32 (Tophet = a place of Pagan child sacrifice), 8:1 (worship of stars forbidden), 9:19 (vanities = idols) 10:3-5 & 8-11, 11:12-13 & 17, 13:10, 16:11 & 18-20, 18:15, 19:4-6, 19:13-15 (Tophet = place of Pagan child sacrifice)22:8-9, 25:6-7, 27:9-10 (sorcerers Heb = kashawf,people who practice magic,diviners Heb = kawsam, tells fortunes by lots or a scroll, enchanters Heb. = hawnan, a practitioner of magic), 27:18-20 (queen of heaven = Semiramis, goddess worship forbidden) 29:8, 32:28-30 & 34-35, 43:12-13, 44:3-8, &15-27 (goddess worship condemned!!) 48:6-8 & 35 (HIGH PLACES = Pagan places of worship), 50:2, 51:17-18, Lamentations 1:10 (Pagans cannot worship with followers of YHWH! ), Ezekiel 5:11, 6:3-6 & 9 & 13-14, 7:20 & 24, 8:3 & 5 8:13-17 (Tammuz worship an abomination), 11:18 & 21, 14:3-8, 16:-20 & 36, 18:12 & 15, 20:7-9, 20:16 & 18, 20:23-26 & 31-32 & 39 21:29 22:3-4 & 9(eat upon mountains = Pagan festivals), 30:13, 33:25, 37:23, 44:12-13, Daniel 3:17-18 & 28 (Daniel and his companions did not have to worship Pagan gods), Hosea 2:13, 3:1-4 (Israel’s worship of false gods likened to an unfaithful spouse) 4:12-18, 8:4-5, 10:5-8 (calves of Beth-aven = idols), 11:1-2, 13:1-4, 14:3 & 8 Amos 5:26-27, 8:14, Jonah 2:8 Micah 1:7 Nahum 1:14, Habakkuk 1:11 (Chaldean’s god is Marduk) 2:18-19, Zephaniah 1:3-5(stumbling blocks=idols), 2:11, Malachi 2:11 (Israel not to intermarry with idolaters),  Matthew 4:10, Acts 15:19-20, 17:16-25, 19:24-40 (worship of Diana condemned), 17:16 & 29-30, 21:25 (Christians not to worship idols), Galatians 1:8-10 (no other path), 5:20, Colossians 3:5, Romans 11:4 1Corinthians 10 14 & 19-22 (Christians cannot worship Pagan gods and YHWH!) 10:6-7, 12:2 2Corinthians 6:14-18, (Christians not to worship with Pagans), Galatians 4:8, 1Thessalonians 1:9 2Timothy 2:20-21(idols), 1Peter 4:3 1 John 5:21, Revelations 2 14 & 20 & 24 (again, you cannot combine Paganism and worship YHVH!!!) 9:20-21 (idols & sorcery wrong)

And also these verses from the Duterocannon:

1 Maccabees 2:15-25( High Priest Matthias kills Pagan priest and "universalist" Jew rather than worship Zeus idol!)

Verses that condemn occult practices

Exod.. 22:18 (witch = kawshawf Heb. Lierally, he who whispers a spell, a sorcerer, witchcraft condemned ) Num 23:23 Duet. 4:19 (astrology) 13:1-3 (psychics) 18:10-13 & 20-22 (psychics) Joshua 13:22, 1 Samuel 15:23 (witchcraft and idolatry compared to other sins) 1 Samuel 28:3-14 1 Kings 13:33 (first ordination mill, not unlike the Universal Life Church) 2 Kings 9:22 (witchcraft wrong) 4:24 (wizards, idols, familiar spirits) 1 Chronicles 10:13 Isaiah 2:6-8 (fortune tellers, idol worship condemned), 8:19-22, 29:14, 47:11-15 (astrology), Jeremiah 10:9 (work of "cunning men" condemned) Jeremiah 14:14, 23:13, 29:26-27 (people like Crowley and L. Ron Hubbard would have been put in prison) , Ezekiel 12:24, 13:7 & 9, 13:18-24 (condemns talismans; pillows and kerchiefs = amulets), 21:21-23 (false divination) 22:28, 23:7, Micah 5:12-14 (witchcraft and soothsayers) Daniel 2:7-12 (astrologers, psychics failed) Nahum 3:3-4 (witchcraft = sorcery), Zechariah 10:2 13:2 Malachi 3:5 (sorcerers) Acts 16:16-18, 19:11-19 (not everyone who calls on Jesus’ name has authority) 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 (Christians not to eat things offered to idols), 10:28, Galatians 5:20 Ephesians 5:5, James 2:19 (simply claiming to believe in a god is not enough) Rev. 21:8 (sorcerers) 22:15Verses that condemn Demons and evil spirits

Wiccans don’t believe Satan and the devils even exist. The Bible says otherwise. Gen.3:1, 14:15 (serpent,) 4:7 (sin as a personification) 6:1-2&4 (Watchers = fallen agels, demons, the "gods of Modern Wicca") 10:8-9 (Nimrod before [Heb = against] the Lord. Babylonians thought Nimrod was a god) Lev. 17:7 (devils, satyrs Heb.="hairy demons") Deuteronomy 32:17 (devil Heb. shade, evil spirit) Judges 19:22 (wicked men compared to as sons of Belial), 2:12, 1 Samuel 10:26, 12:10, 2Chronicles 11:15 (devils = Heb saweer, literally hairy demons) Psalms Psalm 91 names several demons by name. 91:3 (terror by night = Dever), 91:5 (Hez = arrow head), v. 6 (Reshepth = pestilence, Kitev = noonday devil), 106:37 (devils= Heb. shade, evil spirit) Isaiah 13:21, 14:12-15 (Lucifer, however you chose to interpret it, is clearly against God, and an evil thing) 28:15 & 18 (death=Movet, Canaanite god of the underworld) 34:14 (screech owl=Lilith satyr, Heb. = literally hairy demon), Habakkuk 3:4-5 (pestilence = Dever, name of a demon burning coals Resheb = name of a demon) Matthew 8:16 (demons powerless against Jesus), 6:28-34 , 9;32-33, 12:24-29 (black magic cannot work against devils) 17:17-21, 25:41 (devils condemned to Hell), Mark 1:13, 1:21-34, 3:11 (even the devils fear Christ), 315 (Christians empowered to cast out devils) 3:22-27, 5:2-20 (exorcism) 7:26-30(even Pagans sought Jesus for exorcism),9:14-29, Mark 16:9 (casts 7 devils out of Mary Magdelene), Luke 4:2-13 (Satan fails to tempt Christ), 4:33-36 & 41, 7:21, 8:2, 8:27-40, 9:38-42, 10:17-20 (demons are powerless against Christians), Luke 10:18 (Satan did eventually fall. He too is a demon now) 11:14-28, 13:32 (Jesus gives authority), 22:3 (Judas demonically possessed), 22:31-32 (Satan wants to destroy humankind), John 8:44 (devil is the father of lies), John 10:20, 12:31, 13:27 (Judas demonically possessed), 16:11 (Devil will be judged), Acts 5:3-11 (Satan causes people to sin), 7:40-43, 8:7 (devils cause sickness), 8:9-24 (power of Christ cannot be bought. Simon Magus condemned). 10:38 (devil represses people), 13:6-12 (Paul more powerful than sorcerers). Romans 16:20 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 (Christians cannot keep company with idolaters) 6:9, 2Corinthians 2:11, 4:4, 11:14 (Satan can deceive), Ephesians 2:2, 4:27, 6:11-12, 2Thessalonians 2:8-9 1Timothy 4:1, 5:15 (carnal life is evil), 2Timothy 2:26, Hebrews 2:14 (devils are destroyers) James 3:15 (sins are "devilish" Gr. =daimonodes , "demon like") 1Peter 5:8 2Peter 2:4 1 John 2:13 (devil must be overcome) 2:18 & 22 (Antichrists are evil. Wicca based on Crowley’s writings) 3:8-10, 4:3-4 (Antichrists), 2John v.7, Jude v.6 & 9, Revelations 9:11, 12:3-4 & 7-17 (accuser=Satan) Chapter 13 (final Antichrist, whom Crowley was obsessed with, even claiming he was!) 14:9-11 (Beast’s followers condemned!) 18:2, 19:2 (Beast’s followers condemned) 20:1-3, (demons condemned) 20:7-10 (deceiver)

 

WOW! That's a pretty big chunk of the Bible!

 You’d have to really ignore a lot of the Bible to get around all these verses!!! You might want to blow the dust off of your and actually read it! Get a good commentary such as Adam Clarke’s Commentary. An application called "E-Sword" is free and very useful for studying the Bible. You can even get things like Strong’s numbers and Scofield’s notes (these are good things. If you can dismiss this much of the Bible, you obviously don't believe in it as a holy scripture.

BUT....

If you think Judeao-Christian God does have power, that He does care, that He did preserve His word, then you better re-examine your life! I know I did!

Visit a Christian church near you. If you don't find one that's right at first, just keep looking.

 

Why not visit a Charismatic Episcopal Church? Click on the seal above to visit their website.

Haiti at the Cross

By George Thomas
CBN News Sr. Reporter

CBN.com – PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - From a distance, the tiny tropical island of Haiti looks like a great vacation destination. Tropical weather, sandy beaches, green valleys and breath-taking views offer visitors a taste of heaven on earth. But the closer you get, the more this heaven on earth feels and looks like hell on earth.

CBN News asked Eris Labady, a pastor who oversees 15 churches, how he would describe Haiti today. Labady replied, “A sick nation who needs a doctor." Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, and is getting poorer every day. Half the population is undernourished. One in five children dies before he or she reaches five. The majority in the country do not even have access to clean water. Dr. J. L. Williams, an American based in North Carolina, has ministered the Gospel in Haiti for 30-plus years. Dr. Williams is the CEO of New Directions International. He said, “It went from this incredible place of prestige, a place of beauty, to what it is today -- just almost a barren, lifeless island.”

It is an island where hopelessness and despair are captured in the faces of needy Haitians.One Haitian girl said, “Our life is so difficult here. We have lost hope in all earthly solutions to Haiti's problems.” Many had pinned their hopes on Haiti's experiment with democracy, but that too has failed to produce much of anything. Still, the man in charge of running this country, Prime Minister Gerard Latortue, is optimistic about the future, despite his country's catalogue of problems.

Latortue said, "We know that democracy is difficult to implement, but we know there is nothing better than that."Yet the nation's top evangelical leader says there are deeper issues that plague his nation.Chavannes Jeune is the pastor of Mission Evangelical Baptist Church. When asked if he felt that Haiti is cursed, he replied, “Yes, because our forefathers, when they were celebrating their independence, dedicated Haiti to a voodoo spirit.” Haitians made a blood pact with the devil 200 years ago, after a witch doctor by the name of Boukman dedicated the island to Satan.

Labady was asked what impact voodoo has had on his country. He responded, "The result is all around us." According to Labady, voodoo permeates every level of Haitian society. CBN News got a glimpse into this dark world where African witchcraft mixes with Catholic rituals. A voodoo priest asserted, “Voodoo and the spirits on these walls have more power than the God of the Gospels, and all this power is now in me, and I can give that power to those who want it!”CBN News asked the priest, “So these are kind of demonic spirits on the wall?” The priest responded,“Yes!”

Lesly is one of the voodoo priests. But Lesly is not his real name; he says that is only his spirit name. Lesly runs a voodoo temple on the outskirts of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. He says that for the last three decades he has tended to the desperate needs of many Haitians. He said, ”Many come to me with all kinds of sickness. Some have evil spirits in them. They ask me to solve their problems, and I do. I also help them get voodoo spirits that can look after them in the future.”

In between gulps of Haitian moonshine, which he said helps to calm the other spirits roaming inside him, Lesly tried to sell our CBN News reporter a voodoo spirit.CBN News asked, “How much does it cost to buy a spirit?” Lesly responded, ”To buy a good spirit will cost you five, eight, maybe 25,000 Haitian dollars. It all depends on how powerful a spirit you want. Now, if you want to take a spirit with you home to America, you have to pay in American dollars!”

Our reporter was clearly not interested in buying a voodoo spirit. But many Haitians are, and they are paying lots of money for these spirits. We found a man at a major intersection in downtown Port-au-Prince singing about the voodoo spirits he bought, and who now rule his life.The man said, “Voodoo is everything to me. The spirits help me survive in my country, and I love to sing about them.”There is a saying in this country that Haiti is 70 percent Catholic, 30 percent Protestant, and 100 percent voodoo. But things are changing. An army of believers says it is enough that for 200 years this nation has suffered under the curse of voodoo.Spearheading that change is Pastor Jeune, Haiti's most prominent evangelical leader. On most days, you will find him traveling around the island with one goal in mind.

Pastor Jeune said, “What we are trying to do to our country is to claim it back for the Lord.”Thousands of Christians are joining that campaign with fervent prayer and fasting.Church attendant Reginald Estarid said, "Second Chronicles 7:14 says that if my people [will] humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear them and will forgive their sins and heal their land. That's what I am clinging to today for my nation.” Last Easter, when Haiti's former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide officially declared voodoo as a religion, "...that become a galvanizing event that woke up the Christians in a special way,” said Dr. Williams.Weeks later, thousands of Christians began earnestly praying to see victory over voodoo. They held rallies officially declaring Haiti for Jesus.

In one rally, Dr. Williams declared, “This is the blood of Christ, and we lift it up tonight."This past week, Pastor Jeune and Dr. Williams held another series of prayer events called "Haiti at the Cross." It included the first-ever Christian prayer convocation at the Haitian White House. It was led by the president of Promise Keepers USA, Dr. Tom Fortson.Dr. Fortson said, "God wants to show himself strong here in Haiti. He wants to demonstrate His power, and what better place in all the world to demonstrate who He is, by changing the situation here in Haiti.”

Rumor has it that former president Aristide used the Haitian White House to hold voodoo celebrations, making this week's event of Christians gathering and praying in the presidential White House all the more historic.Dr. Williams said, “And so to have it, as it were, swept clean by the presence, by the prayers, by the praises of God's people, is historic beyond comprehension.”Other "Haiti at the Cross" events included a four-day Promise Keepers-style outreach to the men of Haiti.

Haitian pastor Daceus Abcoste said, “Men hold the keys to my country's future. When men understand the Godly roles in their families and in their communities, then they will see how God will use them mightily to overthrow the kingdom of the devil and replace it with the Kingdom of Jesus Christ!”Today, Haitian Christians are becoming catalysts for spiritual change in their country. Edmond Chantal said, “God has put a burden on my heart to bring my country to the foot of the cross because I know that only God has the solution to our problems.”

According to Pastor Jeune, the evangelical community is experiencing tremendous growth, and now makes up 42 percent of the population. He says, “Haiti is on the brink of revival."And Christian radio is playing a significant role in that revival. With equipment donated by CBN, Radio Luimer, Haiti's largest evangelical radio station, reaches every corner of the country with the Gospel.Radio Luimer director Varnel Jeune said, “We get a number of calls from voodoo priests who want to serve Jesus Christ and not the devil. We praise God when we get such calls, because it is often dangerous to go and witness directly to these voodoo practitioners. Radio allows us to reach them right into their homes.”

Pastor Labady said that the key to turning his country around is Jesus. He said, “Our people need to come to realize that this country has a problem, [and] there is someone who can solve it, and that's Jesus!”Back at the Prime Minister's office, a group of Haitian and American Christians gathers to present the leader of the country with a Bible, and to speak a blessing over the nation. Prime Minister Latortue said, “I believe Christianity has a big role, and has had also in the past a big role, and even for tomorrow, in order to free Haitians from hunger, from unemployment, God only could help us. That's why one thing I'll ask you: in your prayers, think about me, think about the members of my government, think about the Haitian people -- because we are fighting a difficult task, and only your prayers could help us to reach the objectives we want to reach.”

WHAT IS THE SECRET INGRIDIENT IN VOODOO OILS?

According to Robert Tallant, author of The Voodoo In New Orleans, he had voodoo oils chemically analyzed, and found out the following:

Lover's Oil  =  Strawberry Essential Oil

Flying Devil Oil  =  Oilve Oil + Red Pepper

Black Art Oil = Motor Oil

He also found out Jinxing Powder was just itching powder that kids use in practical jokes.

Yep, that's all there was to them! I've also discovered Voodoo stores and suppliers sell things like Baby Oil under many names, including Altar Oil. They even sell MOUTHWASH in tiny bottles calling it a Voodoo oil!

Vesta Powder is just flash powder. Superstitous and uneducated people thought that when the Voodoo priest or priestess threw it on a fire and it flared up that it was somehow magic!

Voodoo is just superstiton!