Of all the religions widespread in the world, the voodoo cult is one of the most mysterious. Originating in Africa, he, along with native Africans, came to the New World centuries ago, and gained a certain distribution there. In the modern world, there are three different currents of voodoo that differ from each other. However, they still have more similarities than differences.
In the United States, the Voodoocult is widespread in Louisiana, where a large diaspora of descendants of Africans lives. An integral part of this religion is protective talismans. Usually they are small bags filled with various small items. Wear them around the neck. The most conservative and orthodox is considered the voodoo cult, widespread in Haiti. Moreover, he appeared as a result of mixing traditional African beliefs with the Catholic religion. In the African country of Benin, which (along with the neighboring state of Togo) is the birthplace of the Voodoo teaching, it has the status of an official religion along with Catholicism and some other creeds. About 17% of the population of Benin are Voodoo. Voodoocult dolls only by the uninitiated seem simple. The followers of this creed claim that the doll gets a connection with the person whom she symbolizes only after she has attached something related to this person, for example, a photograph or a lock of hair.
Those who practice voodoo are often considered powerful people who command spirits to do their will. In fact, the opposite is true – practicing voodoo priests consider themselves servants of spirits. Because of stereotypes, many think of voodoo as a dark religion, the priests of which can only do harm to the spirit and body of their enemies. However, this cult is more focused on healing and medicine than on doing harm. Followers of the voodoo religion claim that this creed can be used both for evil and with good intentions. Moreover, the “evil” direction is called “red,” and people believe that the eyes of an evil sorcerer turn red. Pope John Paul II maintained that he respects the practicing voodoo priests and recognized the “fundamental virtue” inherent in this teaching. John Paul II even attended the voodoo ceremony in 1993.
Vuduists are convinced that there are two interconnected worlds: visible and invisible. After death, people move into the invisible world. Voodoocult is widespread in West Africa, Haiti, and Louisiana. Also, this religion is sometimes practiced in places where many slaves from West Africa used to import – in Brazil, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Most Voodoocult believers in a higher being, although this supreme deity is considered infinitely distant and unknowable. This cult is essentially a monotheistic religion in which Bondier is considered the omnipotent god. The spirits subordinate to him with a lower rank are called “loa”.
Voodoo has been protected by law in accordance with the Haitian constitution since 1987, but this has not always been the case. Previously, the Catholic Church did not approve of this religion – in the late 1940s and early 1950s, voodoo shrines were often desecrated, and priests were attacked. This religion does not have a single leader, nor any official holy book like the Bible. The widely publicized voodoo dolls actually originate from the Hoodoo variety of African folk magic. The dolls, which were often made to curse someone, were made from ears of corn, potatoes, plants, clay, or clothing. Voodoo priests can be both men and women. They are known as hungan and mambo, respectively. It is believed that each of them is capable of their own enlightenment.
