After the initial devastating events in their country, many Haitians of all faiths responded by turning their refugee camps into 24 hours religious revival centers. This religious fervor was marked by remarkable unity between people of different denominational backgrounds as they all became part of a sustained relief effort.
However, in the last few months the relationship between different believers has regressed into a battle for the Haitian soul. Not only are different Christian denominations battling to win the most believers, but they are also apportioning blame for the quake on whomever they disagree with most. Protestants battle and condemn Catholics while both are taking on followers of Vodou (the ancestral religion of Haiti).
Recently, Mario Joseph, a Haitian human rights lawyer, went before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights seeking investigation into attacks against Vodouists after incidents of stoning by Evangelical pastors in the Cité Soleil slum.
``In other zones of the country,'' he informed the commission, ``particularly in the commune of Verrettes in the Artibonite, literal witch hunts have been launched against priests and practitioners of this religion.''
Some believe that statements like that of the controversial conservative religious leader, Pat Robertson, have fueled this kind of animosity between denominations, and certainly between religions. Only a day after the quake, Robertson stated on National television his belief that Haiti’s pact with Satan was to blame for the earthquake.
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(Image is of a cross from Haiti).