Nutcase Debunking

[bcholmes]

I mostly don't think that Pat Robertson's comments on the Haitian earthquake are worth noticing. I'd rather that people focused their energy on the Haitian people who are suffering. But rather than leave comments hither and yon around the Intertubes, I'll explain this here, once on my blog.

On August 14th, 1791, a large group of Haitian slaves and escaped slaves -- led by a religious leader known as Dutty Boukman -- met in the forest near (what is now called) Kapayisyen (Cap Haitian). In the forest, known as Bwa Kayiman, a Vodou ceremony took place -- according to some, the first ever Petro ceremony. In this ceremony, the lwa Ezili Danto possessed one of the participants and told the assembled group how to rise up against the French. According to Haitian legend, this event is the beginning of the Haitian revolution.

Obviously Pat Robertson reads this situation as "making a pact with the devil." I think he's dead wrong, but there you go.

I've been to Bwa Kayiman. There's a plaque there that reads:

The god who created the earth; who created the sun that gives us light.The god who holds up the ocean; who makes the thunder roar. Our God who has ears to hear. You who are hidden in the clouds; who watch us from where you are. You see all that the white has made us suffer. The white man's god asks him to commit crimes. But the god within us wants to do good. Our god, who is so good, so just, he orders us to revenge our wrongs. It's he who will direct our arms and bring us the victory. It's he who will assist us. We all should throw away the image of the white men's god who is so pitiless. Listen to the voice for liberty that sings in all our hearts.

I think it's clear that Pat Robertson would have been on the side of the slave owners.

Comments

[aquaeri]

Well, duh. It's very easy: it's the devil's work if white men don't get to be the lords and masters of creation and the only point of view that can be considered objective and reasonable.