Another Attack Against Ecumenism

It's funny how things work out sometimes. I wrote a blog on Saturday about my mission for ecumenism and The Miami Herald releases this disturbing story this week. It is events such as these that will continue to deflect better evangelism. My readers, if you believe that church unity is of utmost importance, I ask that you continue to pray for me as I continue down this mission. Posted below is the article from the Miami Herald that I refered to.

As unity unravels, a battle for Haitian souls is stirring
BY JACQUELINE CHARLES AND TRENTON DANIEL
jcharles@MiamiHerald.com

At first Haitians of all faiths turned inward, transforming their bedsheet camps into all-night religious revivals as they clung to faith and resilience, crying and praising Jezi.
But in the three months after the earthquake, the relationship among faiths has evolved from one of rare unity to a fight for the Haitian soul. All hope to increase followers even as they assign blame for the quake.

In the makeshift camps, along rubble-filled streets, Protestant preachers are battling Catholics as well as followers of Vodou, hoping to lure more congregants.

``When I hear some of the Protestant churches in the neighborhoods, you have the impression that only Catholics lost people in the earthquake,'' said William Smarth, a theology professor and diocese priest who was part of the liberation theology movement that helped oust former dictator Jean-Claude ``Baby Doc'' Duvalier.

``They say, `We [Catholics] don't believe in God, we don't believe in Jesus Christ.' ''

And both Catholics and Protestants clash with the followers of Vodou -- blaming the ancestral religion of Haiti's slaves-turned-freedom fighters -- for the monstrous quake. They lay blame on a centuries-old covenant taken on the eve of the Haitian revolution for the disastrous earthquake.

Fighting back, some Vodouists say it's not the curse of freedom that caused the quake, but the price for failing to properly bury one of Haiti's leading freedom fighters, Jean-Jacques Dessalines.

The tensions have only mounted as Evangelical and other religious groups from the United States fly en masse to a ravaged Haiti to feed and preach the Gospel.

Last month, Mario Joseph, a Haitian human rights lawyer, went before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights seeking an investigation of attacks against Vodouists after several were stoned by Evangelical pastors in the Cité Soleil slum.

``In other zones of the country,'' he told the commission, ``particularly in the commune of Verrettes in the Artibonite, literal witch hunts have been launched against priests and practitioners of this religion.''

ROBERTSON'S STATEMENT

Sitting in the courtyard of his cracked home on Good Friday, Smarth said the Catholic Church, which has lost more than 60 parishes and 100 nuns and priests in the disaster, has turned to science to explain the earthquake, and to counter myths fueled by conservative religious figures in the United States like Pat Robertson. A day after the quake, Robertson told his Christian Broadcasting Network audience that Haiti's pact with Satan is to blame.

``After the earthquake, we tried to give some light to the Haitian people about the meaning of what happened,'' Smarth said. ``We asked people to understand how the world works and to understand the laws of physics.''

But some religious leaders have sought to take advantage of the quake to preach a theology of doom, turning the radio airwaves into pulpits to espouse fear and recruit believers. The quake, they preach, is punishment for Haitians' sin and belief in Vodou.

``There is not an emphasis on the mercy of God; that is where the contradiction between Protestants and Catholics lie,'' said the Rev. Reginald Jean-Mary, a Catholic priest from Miami's Notre Dame d'Haiti Catholic Church, who listened to the debate on the radio during a visit. ``Our God is a God of mercy. He is not a God who punishes his children. And God does not inflict harm on his children.''

On a recent Thursday, as Haitians attempted to go about their lives, Guilbert Valcin stood above a cliff in the suburb of Pétionville, his lips to a megaphone.

A gray wall of concrete homes before him, and multicolored tents in a ravine below, he delivered a message to his audience. ``Everywhere you go, you need Jesus,'' said Valcin, 24, clad in a dress shirt and tie. ``Jesus has all the power.''

The roadside perch was one stop of many for the Protestant street preacher -- a self-described ``Evangelist for the people'' -- who sought to spread the Word.

``Vodou can't take you to heaven -- only God can,'' he said, in between sermons. ``Jesus, when he comes one day, he won't come to save the Vodouisants. He will save only those who serve God.''

CATHOLIC MAJORITY

Officially, more than half of Haitians are Catholic and roughly half practice Vodou. The small but growing Protestant movement here began with the U.S. Occupation, from 1915 to 1934.

In the painful search for understanding of Haiti's wretched luck, many in this deeply Catholic country have long turned to their tormented history for answers.

There is the religious ceremony in 1791 held in Bwa Kayiman, regarded as the catalyst for the Haitian revolution. Schoolchildren are taught that Jamaican-born Vodou priest Dutty Boukman presided over a ceremony where an animal was sacrificed and an oath -- considered by some to be the price Haitians now pay for their freedom -- was taken to ``live free or die.''

While Christians have blamed the covenant, some Vodouists say the father of an independent Haiti, Dessalines, never received a proper burial for his mangled body after he was assassinated.

Vodou doesn't believe in death, but worshipers believe that the dead must receive a proper farewell.

That is what they were attempting to do, they say, on behalf of the more than 200,000 quake victims on Feb. 27 in Cité Soleil when they were attacked by Protestant pastors.

Max Beauvoir, Haiti's Supreme Leader of Vodou, condemns the act and remains appalled at the lack of condemnation by Haitian authorities.

``What is mostly needed in Haiti is what? Unity,'' he said. ``I don't think Haitians are any more devilish than anyone else. We are all the same.''

Beauvoir said Vodouists were already treated as outsiders -- though many secretly practice or recognize certain aspects of the faith even as they profess to be nonbelievers -- before the quake. Since Jan. 12, their position has become even more weakened.

It's as if Haitians have been hit collectively on the back with a crow bar and they are lying on the ground, not able to stand up, Beauvoir said.

``Our justice has been weak. That's why those Evangelists people have been able to take advantage,'' he said, calling the fight for Haitian souls ``nonsense.'' ``They want to establish themselves here as if they were the sole owners of the land.''

Last month, Vodouists finally had their ceremony -- guarded by police. They held it near the bay in downtown Port-au-Prince. Wearing white, several hundred followers pounded drums, sang chants and summoned the spirits to bid farewell to those lost in the earthquake.

The rare, public ceremony -- gatherings are often held in temples -- was a stark reminder that Vodou plays a central role in Haitian culture even as the Catholic church loses ground to the growing Protestant movement.

`ANOTHER INJUSTICE'

Ever since, there has been a constant battle for the Haitian soul.

Jean-Mary calls the current fight another example of exploitation.

``This is another injustice, another lack of respect for people at this crucial moment. When you need to preach a theology of hope or rehabilitation, you are trying to make people feel worse by portraying yourself as perfect and the people who are victims did something wrong,'' he said. ``The reason why you are alive is not because you deserved it, or because you were better than others. The reason why you were not killed in the earthquake is because it's not your time.''



Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/12/v-print/1576546/as-unity-unravels-a-battle-for.html#ixzz0kzXf8wcl

Introduction: "Katholik-Ism"

I haven't really told anyone about this (except maybe Alexandra) but I feel that my purpose is becoming clearer as time goes on. A fusion of reflection, reading Scripture, prayer, history, and my experience with Christianity over the last five years has drawn me into ecumenism. And my first step in that direction is to do my part in cleaning house first (meaning pointing out flaws that I think need fixing in my own denomination). I am writing a book that I should finish by the end of the summer. The working title is Katholik-Ism: A Truly Universal Church. I thought I would share with you the introduction to that book, as it is one of the most heartfelt pieces of writing I have ever worked on (so far). Hope you enjoy!

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Introduction


I am no Martin Luther. My purpose in writing about the state of the Roman Catholic Church is not to radically separate myself from the beliefs of the Church. I am in agreement with nearly all of its theology. I find Christian theology that comes from a Roman Catholic perspective to be rooted heavily in Scripture, tradition, and history, which is why its the denomination I have chosen to fall in line with.

In contrast, the purpose for this particular piece of writing is to attempt to bridge the gap that divides the followers of Christ. It is indeed an arduous task to even consider trying to play a role in reversing five centuries or so of historical division. But after much reflection on Scripture, history, and in my own experiences, I truly feel that this is my purpose. This is God's will for my life.

There are many in the world, Christian and non-Christian alike, who have an overtly negative view of the Roman Catholic Church and her adherents. This view prevents Christ's church from being truly catholic (universal), which I consider to be a tremendous obstacle in the Christian mission to make disciples of all the nations. How can people consider committing their lives to Christ if those who follow Christ are so rabidly opposed to each other? Instead of being united as one Christian church, we tend to identify ourselves as "Catholic" or "Protestant", "evangelical" or "Calvinist", "Baptist" or "Methodist", "Presbyterian" or "Episcopalian", and the list goes on.

I am not so naive as to believe that everyone will adhere to one specific interpretation of Scripture. The different sects of Christianity, however, tend to demonize each other and claim the other groups as not being truly Christian because of differing ideas when it comes to doctrine. In reality, what you believe in terms of ordained ministry, the afterlife, and the literal/allegorical view of Scripture is not what makes one a Christian. What qualifies a person to be considered a Christian is his/her belief in one God, that Jesus (His son) was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was crucified and died for the forgiveness of sins, and rose from the dead three days later to conquer death and grant all who believe eternal life.

Instead of preaching the Good News to the world as a united Christian front, we resort to mindless intra-Christian attacks that deflect any non-believers from entering into communion with Christ and his church. By attacking each other, we are in direct opposition of Christ and are not heeding the words of St. Paul.

Before I get strayed into apologetics, the biggest issues with Roman Catholicism are its "clothing." It is not the Church's theology that I think need reform, but its public appearance to the world. That being said, if you are a Catholic who believes there are some aspects of the Church that need exterior reform, this book is for you. If you are non-Catholic Christian who, like me, constantly prays for the unity of Christians throughout the world, this book is for you. If you are an ordained Catholic minister (deacon, priest, pastor, bishop, cardinal...or the Pope himself), I truly hope you read this in its entirety.