WTFisWallace?
All Star
Have you guys ever questioned just how recently your family / friends’ family converted to Christianity (if they are)?
For my family and most of my Haitian-American friends….most of our grandparents were not Christian or converted late in life. A lot of them either practicing or believing in voudou….or idk.
My dad converted to Wesleyan in his late teens or early twenties. Due to ‘missionaries’ coming to countryside. And from what I understand, while my dad was a ‘true’ believer late in life….a lot of the initial conversion was due to trade offs of being provided more opportunities. He then converted his own parents. Sick imo, but hey.
Most of the older non-Christians have passed. I would describe myself as agnostic atheist for the most part. Grew deep in the church til about 8/9….
Growing up in Miami, you would think Haitians have primarily believed in Christianity for many generations. The voudou practicers felt few and far between in our circles. And with my family it’s not that they thought voudou was fake…but they feared it. It was always brought up in a negative light, but even as a child I saw nothing inherently negative about it….especially juxtaposed to knowing how Christianity is tangled in with slavery/colonialism/etc.
Feel like a lot of us are only a generation or two removed from being more disconnected with a lot our ancestors’ traditions.
For my family and most of my Haitian-American friends….most of our grandparents were not Christian or converted late in life. A lot of them either practicing or believing in voudou….or idk.
My dad converted to Wesleyan in his late teens or early twenties. Due to ‘missionaries’ coming to countryside. And from what I understand, while my dad was a ‘true’ believer late in life….a lot of the initial conversion was due to trade offs of being provided more opportunities. He then converted his own parents. Sick imo, but hey.
Most of the older non-Christians have passed. I would describe myself as agnostic atheist for the most part. Grew deep in the church til about 8/9….
Growing up in Miami, you would think Haitians have primarily believed in Christianity for many generations. The voudou practicers felt few and far between in our circles. And with my family it’s not that they thought voudou was fake…but they feared it. It was always brought up in a negative light, but even as a child I saw nothing inherently negative about it….especially juxtaposed to knowing how Christianity is tangled in with slavery/colonialism/etc.
Feel like a lot of us are only a generation or two removed from being more disconnected with a lot our ancestors’ traditions.
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