well some countries do not allow religions or cults so not everyone is free to join a cult without consequences ..but some countries don't care what you do as long as the cult do not violate the governmental laws

yep

I've been to Voodoo rituals, and it's not my thing, but to each their own.

I do know that the true followers have quite a presence, you can feel their energy.

People here where I live used to practice snakehandling. Scholars say that it came from voodoo.So evidently there was some kind of cultural connection.

I didn't sum it up! I just mention one practice they did.

Funches, why do you always have to come into these threads spewing the blatant truth?

It's really getting old.

really then name another one...

well like someone put it to me yesterday...I'm being a fu_king moron

religion = cult

I am trying to understand why you attack the very person who started this thread. I am just trying to understand it. It seems you are getting defensive when I mentioned that they have odd ways of practicing their religion/cult. I live in Miami and know quiet a few who practice it. I never got involved and thought it would be nice to hear other peoples opinions around the nation.

Here is some information I gathered from the internet.

It would probably be no exaggeration to say that Vodoun, (Vodun, Vodou) the traditional religion of Haiti, is one of the most misunderstood religions of all time. The persecution of Vodoun began when French slave owners, suspicious and highly afraid of practices unlike anything in their limited experience, outlawed the religion in Haiti. (In retrospect, they were probably right to be frightened- Vodou played a large part in Haiti's successful slave rebellion) Hollywood hasn't done much to rectify the issue, producing lurid tales of zombies, evil sorcery, and ritual murder, which reinforces the Western association of voodoo to images of black magic, curses, zombies, sticking pins in dolls, and human sacrifice.
Because of misunderstandings about the nature of Vodoun, many attempts have been made to rid the world of this "demonic" religion.

The use of magic and the practice of trance possession is very alien and even intimidating to many people raised in Christian traditions- the Loas are seen as demonic rather than divine, symbols misinterpreted. During the thirties, mass persecution intended to rid Voudoun from the world was unsuccessful. In 1996, Vodoun was declared the official religion of Benin, its land of origin.
"Voodoo" as we know it today originated with African slaves in Haiti; traditional Dahomey regional practices were blended with other African traditions, with elements of Masonry, ritual magick, and Catholicism, creating a unique faith that has survived some of the worst persecutions. The word 'voodoo' is a corruption of the word 'vodun,' a word that means 'god' or 'spirit' in the West African Fon language.

Vodoun traditionally embodies two traditions- obeah, or folk magic, also known colloquially in America as 'hoodoo,' and the ancient African worship of the Loa, an initiatory religious system. The primary worship practice in Vodoun is through possession, whereby the Loas or ancestors are enticed to inhabit or "mount" the bodies of worshippers, using their bodies and voices to communicate with devotees. This practice is the true Vodoun, the traditional ancestral root of the religion.

Vodou cosmology

In the cosmology of Vodoun, there are three levels of divinity:

Gran Met, or "grand master," also known as Bondye, from the French 'bon dieu: good god' -the true deity, a boundless entity which presides over the spirit world but is not directly worshipped.
The Loas, or Lwas, the "Mysteries," the lesser divinities which are central to worship. The Loas are not gods, per se, but the most powerful ancestral spirits- great men and women, Kings, and divine messengers.
The Dead- the collective ancestral spirits and the spirits of saints. These are ever present with the practitioner, even prior to initiation. It is their actions that usually propel the practitioner to initiation.
Vodou is an initiatory system. There are three levels of initiation: kanzo, sur pointe, and asogwe. These may be taken one at a time, as in western systems, but this is rare. One is likely to remain at the initiatory level one attains from the beginning, and initiation is not necessary to be a Vodouisant. The kanzo is the lowest level, a worshipper. The Sur Point is further initiated into the tradition of a particular Loa, and is considered a priest or priestess -Houngan or Mambo. The Asogwe is the supreme human authority.


Damballah -the serpent; a primordial deity, who with his companion Ayida, created the cosmos. Those possessed by Damballah do not walk or speak, but writhe on the ground as a serpent.

Ayida Wedo- the consort of Damballah; the rainbow.

Baron (Baron Samedi)- the Loa of the Dead; usually pictured as a grinning skeleton in a top hat- one of the most recognized of the loas outside of Vodoun

Ogoun -a warrior; martial masculinity; related to the Yoruban Orisha of the same name.

Erzuli - The embodiment of femininity and love. Similar to the goddess Venus, and related to Santeria's Oshun. Erzulie also has a "dark" aspect, Dantor, who embodies righteous anger, is a protector of women and avenger of domestic violence.

Agwe - The primordial sea, ruler of the depths of the ocean.
Legba, or Papa Legba- like the Yoruban Eleggua, Legba is the guardian of crossroads. As in Santeria, he must be honored before any other Loa, and it is he who opens the doors between the worlds.

Marassa (Mawu-Lisa)- the Marassa are the divine twins, the first man and woman, the first ancestors. They embody archetypal, polar forces akin to yin and yang.

Ayizan- the legendary first Mambo(Priestess)of Voodoo, who is honored at every ritual.

There are three main "families," or classes of Loa, sometimes called Nations. Rada are the original African Loas. They are gentle, beneficient. The Petro (Petwo) are fiery, vengeful aspects, patrons of the slave revolutions of Haiti. They are named for Don Pedro, a principal in the Haitian slave rebellion. The third family, Ghede, "Les Morts," are spirits of the dead.


Magic

Another important tradition of Vodoun is magic. Magic is worked for both good and ill, by initiates and by non-initiates. Orthodox traditions generally despise and prohibit harmful magic, but it is not unknown. Spells in Vodou take a variety of forms, the best known being the wanga, or charm. Wangas are usually worked for protection, for healing, for love. The charms known colloquially as gris gris or mojo bags are a form of wanga; these are not restricted to voodoo practice. The "voodoo dolls" so recognizable to Westerners did not originate in Vodoun, but were incorporated into American Voodoo from European folk magic. (Another descendent of the same tradition is the Wiccan "poppet.") In West Africa, where Vodoun originated, there is not to be found anything resembling a "voodoo doll."


I didn't sum up the whole religious or cult belief (however anyone wants to call it) by saying that they only stick pins into dolls. That was a assumption from you. I do not have time to argue with you and would appreciate if you just provide information on your belief of what voodoo is and share your knowledge on the topic instead.

Great, you can cut and paste....

i can tie my shoes..

That's about the same thing I think...

I see nothing wrong with cut and paste and I even mentioned that I got the information from the internet if you read my last post. What is wrong with cut and paste? Are you trying to say you are a genius who knows everything and doesn't use information from any other source. Please if anything you are arrogant for saying another cut and paste. I encourage people to use cute and paste if it provides good information to contemplate on and for those who don't know much about a subject it is useful. If one knows the answer then of course that is also good. What does it matter as long as one can have a decent conversation amongst each other.

No, what I am saying is....

You started a thread asking for information, then made an ignorant statment about voodoo dolls, and when I called you out on it, you had no information of your own, you cut and pasted it.

This tells me one of two things.

You want controversy.

or

You like to fancy yourself an intellectual.

As long as you have a rational explanation for your virtuous behavior it’s cool.



May the fairies kiss your buttocks

and the leprechauns serve you spirits

and all the Kingdom’s voodoo subjects

worship the earth upon which you walk.

Praise your truth to the highest my son!

Amen

Well you are incorrect in both accounts. Those who know me know that I don't brag about intelligence or want controversy. I merely mentioned that "I know that voodoo uses dolls and pins them". It is not ignornance to share what one knows about the religion/cult. I also didn't say that this practice sums up the whole religion. You said this to me. I also know they use other methods that most don't understand. I truly don't understand alot of it.

Now my question was is it a cult or religion and I am truly interested in knowing everyones opinion. I got a great reply from it from people who explained their opinion and feelings about it.

http://www.waltermartin.com/cults.html

voodoo is just a game we play when we want to hex some one