Dominican Republic Country Info: Religion
Dominican Citizens
One difference between native Dominicans and the Haitians which have immigrated into the country is the distinction of Religion. While Haitians lean toward the spiritist voodoo their nation has officially adopted, the Dominican Republic is officially Catholic. The brand of Catholicism practiced is based on the Spanish influence of a heavy reliance on statues and festivals that are not always based on Scripture.
Much of the population believes in God and the Bible, but have had little or no teaching with regard to the basics of the Gospel. There is a representation of "evangelical" Christianity in which people have a clearer understanding of the purpose of the Cross and Jesus' resurrection. Usually we are working alongside these types of churches to bring as clear a message as possible to the people. Many of the Haitians have been touched and transformed by these outreaches also.
Haitian Workers and Refugees
First, it is important to understand the background of the Haitian people. Currently they are living in a desperately poor society. The country is devastated. The first democracy in the early 90's evaporated after just a few months. The army coup that followed sunk the nation further into corruption and injustice.
Injustice as understood in biblically-based countries does not give a clear picture of what injustice can mean in societies which developed without a foundation of Christian principles. Terrible, unspeakable acts, so foreign to human imagination, are carried out without mercy. In many cases, voodoo ritual plays a large part in the grief brought to terrorized victims.
Haiti was officially dedicated to Satan in 1791. Voodoo is interwoven into everything, and many decisions even of national leaders are based on these practices. Because of this, true Christians are persecuted and threatened, especially if they stand against this false religion. President Aristide reconfirmed the nation's "cultural heritage" of voodoo during the national bicentennial of this satanic contract in 1991. He was ousted not long after.
In villages where we have worked with Haitian refugees, voodoo has been present to the extent that wounds are treated with the feathers of sacrificed chickens. People are nervous to denounce its power for fear that demonic forces could bring them bad luck.
The gospel is going out in this environment. Not long ago a voodoo priest came forward in church after seeing the Jesus Film the night before. He asked Jesus to come into his life. Immediately he got up and found his voodoo paraphernalia in his small hut. He piled it outside in the main clearing within the village and poured gasoline on it and burned it all. There was laughing, yelling, joy and anger among the villagers.