Post by Paddy by Grace on Jan 15, 2010 18:46:14 GMT -7
Pat Robertson announced the other day that the Haitian earthquake was a judgement from God because of their making a "pact with the devil" in 1791. (It really has been documented that they did this but it could be a legend too. No one really knows for sure). But we all know of their use of Voodoo which is witchcraft/Satanism for over 200 years. So is this a Judgement of God? Let's do a comparison here because we do have something to look at that makes this quite interesting.
Haiti is on the island of Hispaniola which they share with the Dominican Republic. Now I could go into a long history of the island but I think a brief one will suffice:
1. First dicovered by Columbus in 1492
2. Aboriginal natives were indians known as 'Tainos', (tranplanted from
the South American Arawaks.
3. Spanish conquest enslaved them
4. Blacks were imported from Africa as slaves as the indians died out
for lack of immunity to European diseases.
5. Africans are known for having a wide variety of beliefs in pagan gods
and these Africans were imported from many different parts of the
country bringing with them a 'jumble' of beliefs.
6. Mix all that with Catholicism and a resistance to slavery and you get
another version of Santeria known to them as "Vodou"
7. French colonist took over and treated the slaves with extreme brutality.
8. Hatians purportedly, (by way of Vodou/Voodoo), made a pact with the devil that if he would help them remove the colonists, they would serve him.
9. Voodoo and all forms of sin continue in Haiti to present day.
10. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. Haiti now ranks 149th of 182 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index
11. Crime is rampant because they have no opportunity to rise above the poverty line through education. Haiti has consistently ranked among the most corrupt countries in the world. There is no major manufacturing to provide jobs to low income.
Haiti is a largely Christian country, with Roman Catholicism professed by 80% of Haitians. Protestants make up about 16% of the population. Haitian Vodou, a New World Afro-diasporic faith unique to the country, is practiced by roughly half the population. Religious practice often spans Haiti and its diaspora as those who have migrated interact through religion with family in Haiti. (OK, these numbers don't jive. If you have 96% of your pop. that claims some sect of Christianity, and then you claim half of the population practices a form of Satanism, something is wrong!
(Before you move onto the next part, click HERE, and take a look and the Haitian coat of arms. The coat of arms is on their flag as well. You can read more of their history if you want as well.)
~~~~~
Dominican Republican history
1. Also discovered by Columbus, (same year, same island...DUH).
2. (Same indigenous people too).
3. Capital originally named Santo Domingo, it was the first European settlement and the first captial in the New World. (Other firsts include: university, cathedral, and castle).
4. Gained Independance in 1821, lost it to Haiti immediately and regained it in 1844.
5. After 3 centuries of slavery, the country could not govern itself until their final civil war in 1965 when the USA interviened and they then were ruled under authortarian Joaquin Balaguer until 1978 when they became a Representitive Democracy.
6. Estimated 800,000 Haitian immigrants that are not well liked but tolerated.
7. DR Has crime in the way of drugs flowing through the country from Columbia and prostitution which is legal for adults and the government has been prosecuting those in the drug trade and destroying the drugs.
Not a perfect country but they seem to be in better shape than Haiti at least financially.
Oh and take a look at the flag and the coat of arms. I think you'll notice a difference.
~~~~~
Let's look at tradgedies befalling both countries...
Haiti
Some of the worst natural disasters to batter Haiti:
• 1770: Strong earthquake devastates Port-au-Prince in then French colony.
• 1842: Earthquake destroys Cap-Haitien and other cities in northern Haiti and Dominican Republic.
• 1935: Unnamed storm kills more than 2,000 in Haiti before moving on to Florida as hurricane, where 400 die.
• 1946: Magnitude-8.1 quake strikes Dominican Republic and Haiti, causing tsunami that kills 1,790 people.
• 1954: Hurricane Hazel kills hundreds in Haiti.
• 1963: Hurricane Flora leaves more than 6,000 dead in Haiti and Cuba.
• 1994: Hurricane Gordon blamed for hundreds of deaths in Haiti.
• 1998: Hurricane Georges destroys 80 percent of Haiti's crops while killing more than 400.
• May 2004: Three days of heavy rains cause floods that kill more than 2,600.
• September 2004: Tropical Storm Jeanne causes flooding and landslides that kill 1,900 and leave 200,000 homeless in Gonaives, Haiti's third-largest city.
• October 2007: Tropical Storm Noel triggers mudslides and floods, killing at least 57 Haitians.
• August and September 2008: Three hurricanes and tropical storm kill some 800 in Haiti, devastate crops and cause $1 billion in damage.
• Jan. 12, 2010: Magnitude-7.0 quake levels buildings in Port-Au-Prince, raising fears of tens of thousands of deaths.
DR
I found a Wiki page that said the DR has had 25 different Hurricanes hit them but I can find nothing about fatalities. (Probably hidden to help the tourist trade).
I found only one earthquake for the DR but that is mentioned above in the Haiti list and it happened N.E. of DR in the ocean and killed people by way of a tsunami the hit both the DR and Haitian shores.
Personally as far as natural disasters go, I think Haiti has gotten the worst of it, but I do think that if Haiti's inhabitants would give up all sinful activities as well as the Voodoo, God might smile on them and life would improve. So is this a judgement of God? Well, it isn't a hug and kiss from Him.
Haiti is on the island of Hispaniola which they share with the Dominican Republic. Now I could go into a long history of the island but I think a brief one will suffice:
1. First dicovered by Columbus in 1492
2. Aboriginal natives were indians known as 'Tainos', (tranplanted from
the South American Arawaks.
3. Spanish conquest enslaved them
4. Blacks were imported from Africa as slaves as the indians died out
for lack of immunity to European diseases.
5. Africans are known for having a wide variety of beliefs in pagan gods
and these Africans were imported from many different parts of the
country bringing with them a 'jumble' of beliefs.
6. Mix all that with Catholicism and a resistance to slavery and you get
another version of Santeria known to them as "Vodou"
7. French colonist took over and treated the slaves with extreme brutality.
8. Hatians purportedly, (by way of Vodou/Voodoo), made a pact with the devil that if he would help them remove the colonists, they would serve him.
9. Voodoo and all forms of sin continue in Haiti to present day.
10. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. Haiti now ranks 149th of 182 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index
11. Crime is rampant because they have no opportunity to rise above the poverty line through education. Haiti has consistently ranked among the most corrupt countries in the world. There is no major manufacturing to provide jobs to low income.
Haiti is a largely Christian country, with Roman Catholicism professed by 80% of Haitians. Protestants make up about 16% of the population. Haitian Vodou, a New World Afro-diasporic faith unique to the country, is practiced by roughly half the population. Religious practice often spans Haiti and its diaspora as those who have migrated interact through religion with family in Haiti. (OK, these numbers don't jive. If you have 96% of your pop. that claims some sect of Christianity, and then you claim half of the population practices a form of Satanism, something is wrong!
(Before you move onto the next part, click HERE, and take a look and the Haitian coat of arms. The coat of arms is on their flag as well. You can read more of their history if you want as well.)
~~~~~
Dominican Republican history
1. Also discovered by Columbus, (same year, same island...DUH).
2. (Same indigenous people too).
3. Capital originally named Santo Domingo, it was the first European settlement and the first captial in the New World. (Other firsts include: university, cathedral, and castle).
4. Gained Independance in 1821, lost it to Haiti immediately and regained it in 1844.
5. After 3 centuries of slavery, the country could not govern itself until their final civil war in 1965 when the USA interviened and they then were ruled under authortarian Joaquin Balaguer until 1978 when they became a Representitive Democracy.
6. Estimated 800,000 Haitian immigrants that are not well liked but tolerated.
7. DR Has crime in the way of drugs flowing through the country from Columbia and prostitution which is legal for adults and the government has been prosecuting those in the drug trade and destroying the drugs.
Not a perfect country but they seem to be in better shape than Haiti at least financially.
Oh and take a look at the flag and the coat of arms. I think you'll notice a difference.
~~~~~
Let's look at tradgedies befalling both countries...
Haiti
Some of the worst natural disasters to batter Haiti:
• 1770: Strong earthquake devastates Port-au-Prince in then French colony.
• 1842: Earthquake destroys Cap-Haitien and other cities in northern Haiti and Dominican Republic.
• 1935: Unnamed storm kills more than 2,000 in Haiti before moving on to Florida as hurricane, where 400 die.
• 1946: Magnitude-8.1 quake strikes Dominican Republic and Haiti, causing tsunami that kills 1,790 people.
• 1954: Hurricane Hazel kills hundreds in Haiti.
• 1963: Hurricane Flora leaves more than 6,000 dead in Haiti and Cuba.
• 1994: Hurricane Gordon blamed for hundreds of deaths in Haiti.
• 1998: Hurricane Georges destroys 80 percent of Haiti's crops while killing more than 400.
• May 2004: Three days of heavy rains cause floods that kill more than 2,600.
• September 2004: Tropical Storm Jeanne causes flooding and landslides that kill 1,900 and leave 200,000 homeless in Gonaives, Haiti's third-largest city.
• October 2007: Tropical Storm Noel triggers mudslides and floods, killing at least 57 Haitians.
• August and September 2008: Three hurricanes and tropical storm kill some 800 in Haiti, devastate crops and cause $1 billion in damage.
• Jan. 12, 2010: Magnitude-7.0 quake levels buildings in Port-Au-Prince, raising fears of tens of thousands of deaths.
DR
I found a Wiki page that said the DR has had 25 different Hurricanes hit them but I can find nothing about fatalities. (Probably hidden to help the tourist trade).
I found only one earthquake for the DR but that is mentioned above in the Haiti list and it happened N.E. of DR in the ocean and killed people by way of a tsunami the hit both the DR and Haitian shores.
Personally as far as natural disasters go, I think Haiti has gotten the worst of it, but I do think that if Haiti's inhabitants would give up all sinful activities as well as the Voodoo, God might smile on them and life would improve. So is this a judgement of God? Well, it isn't a hug and kiss from Him.
