Santeria Growing In Catholic Venezuela

RELIGION IN THE NEWS

Now Religion in the News: a report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media. This week’s item is from the Sandusky Register, February 16, 2008, with a headline: Santeria Gains Ground in Catholic Venezuela. The following are excerpts: The man says he is possessed by a god. He shouts, his body trembles, and he lifts a sacrificed lamb to his lips, drinking its blood from the jugular. This initiation ceremony, seldom witnessed by outsiders, has become increasingly common in Venezuela as the Afro-Cuban traditions of Santania, and other folk religions gain followers. The rituals have become an attractive option for Venezuelans seeking an unique spiritual path, including healing ceremonies aimed at curing everything from illness to heartache. Some even believe certain gods will offer protection for Venezuela’s rampant violent crime. In overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Venezuela many shops have sprung up in recent years selling roosters, goats, and other animals to be sacrificed in Caracus’ working class barrios. Hundreds of white-clad believers recently crowded into a Catholic church praying before a statue of the virgin De Los Mecerdes, a manifestation of the virgin Mary, who they said represents Obatala, a patriarch in the pantheon of Yoruba gods. Santeria was born in Cuba among Yoruba slaves from West Africa. They were forbidden to practice their own religion so they fused their beliefs with the Catholicism of their masters, starting a tradition that has spread throughout the Americas. Catholic leaders consider the rituals idolatrous, but have come to tolerate the popular practice. “Santeria is on the rise because there are many people who need the help of higher powers to overcome their problems,” said Belkis, a 51 year old “Santera.” It has grown in popularity in New York, Miami and Peurto Rico in the past following influxes of Cubans.

Tom:

Dave, this is the 21^st century. This morning in our devotions, our staff devotions, we’re going through Isaiah, Isaiah 44. God is laying out the stupidity really, of forming an idol, making it with your hands and then bowing down before it. But Isaiah…what is that, how many years ago would that be? What, about 800BC?

Dave:

Right, something like that.

Tom:

Something like that. Now, this is the 21^st century, and this is not some backwater place, this is Miami, New York, Peurto Rico certainly, but even in Venezuela. These are city folks, these are professionals who are going to these priests for these rituals. How do you explain that?

Dave:

How about New Orleans? That’s the headquarters of, not Santeria, but of—Tom:

—Voodoo, in this country.

Dave:

Right, voodoo. And yet it’s the largest catholic…percentage of Catholics.

Tom:

And again, the people who are participating in this—well, I’ll give you another example, Dave, I visited a Hindu temple outside Chicago. You want to talk about money, the cars in the parking lot were Mercedes, Lexis, the people were engineers, doctors, lawyers, and there they are offering meals to Ganesha the elephant god, to Hanuman the monkey god. How do you explain that?

Dave:

Well, Tom, the explanation is given in the Bible: The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it? I the Lord search the heart. We see it in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, they’re not going to obey God. This is rebellion against God. So now, I don’t want to follow the one true God, Romans 1 says. They didn’t like to retain God in their conscience, so God gave them up…You want to worship creeping things and so forth…? And you referred to Isaiah earlier…God mocks these people through his prophet Isaiah. And I think Jeremiah does much the same. Oh you cut down a tree and part of it you burn, you know, to keep yourself warm; some of it you use to roast your meat; some of it you use to pick your teeth, make a little toothpick, or whatever; and then the rest you form into the shape of a man and you bow down and worship it. And God says, It has eyes, it can’t see, it has ears, it can’t hear, he’s got feet but he can’t walk, you’ve got to carry it around. So this seems to be, it’s just built into mankind, and you find it everywhere.

Tom:

Now Dave, with regard to the statement: Catholic leaders consider the rituals idolatrous but have come to tolerate the popular practice. Well, in many ways they can’t separate them: the practices, the so-called idolatrous practices of these Santeria, these people who are involved in Santeria, from Catholic ritual and liturgy! Talk about carrying a statue around, talk about vote of candles before statues, lighting candles before—you know where are they going to, how are they going to make a separation? Because really, there is no separation, Dave.

Dave:

And Tom, this uh, is just a superstition but it’s a fanatical religion. And I know that in some parts of maybe um, Miami…there are certain areas that the police don’t go into, because the Santeria is so strong there that you just don’t mess with them, leave them alone.

Tom:

And again, this is not white magic, there are Santeria priests who are into the dark side, who will help criminals kill people through the spirits, through these, you know, as it began here: The man says he’s possessed by a god—no not by a god: by a demon. And you’re going to…the fruit of that leads to man.

Dave:

So getting back to where we were earlier, Tom, what’s the proof that any of this is true? Well, you’ll see it, we’ll put a curse on you and you’re going to die. Well, that’s their proof, okay? Well sometimes it works, curses will work. But, this is not God, this is not God’s blessing. This is Satanic, these are Satanic…this is a Satanic ritual, Santeria is exactly that.