Tom Barrett’s atrocious hit piece titled “Haiti, Government Of The Devil, By The Devil, And For The Devil”- a preliminary response by USAfrica’s Chido Nwangwu. Other comments follow, and are welcome.
USAfrica Jan 19, 2010
Rev. Obie Obiekwe, via e-mail: africa4jesus@aol.com Founder/President, Africa for Jesus Ministries International, Dallas/FW, Texas
cc: corpprayresource@aol.com
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My dear Sister Rev. Obie,
Happy new year. I pray all is well.
Many of us are deeply pained about the destruction of parts of Haiti, and the deaths of almost 210,000 Haitians — most of those no less children of God than any one of us.
I write you, today, because I am very concerned that the one-angle and brutally-insensitive, sweeping “reports” by some christians/evangelists (below) which you are distributing (but did not write) neither bring mercy nor the much needed christian compassion to our ancestral folks, traumatized women and children, in earthquake-struck Haiti.
I am especially concerned by the bile titled, Government Of The Devil, By The Devil, And For The Devil by an ordained minister and Republican/conservative activist Tom Barrett.
Permit me to humbly note, as you already know, that I did not meet Jesus Christ in Nazareth but I believe that He would have taken a more gracious, loving, uplifting efforts and prayers for Haitians than those malicious, insensitive bunch claiming Christ. I did not meet Christ in Samaria but I know He would have shown caring effort to give and show mercy and love to the needy and little children, like the two young Caucasian sisters Alison and Jamie McMutrie have done in bringing 53 orphaned Haiti children to Pittsburg, today.
See USAfricaonline.com breaking news this morning: https://usafricaonline.com/53-haitian-orphans-flown-into-pennsylvania-championed-by-sisters-alisa-jamie-mcmutrie-gov-rendell/
We have look at the broad angles of history, or these folks who claim to be christians will continue to lie in God’s name, against all of us, our heritage and our shared faith!
Four things to note, therefore:
1. The views of the “christians” and evangelists who wrote and share this toxic “report” by Tom Barrett and others (below) draw from the same well as goldmine merchant in Africa known as evangelist Pat Robertson. They are tied by the common thread which, viciously, criminally and falsely, claim that Haitians entered a pact with the Devil. Pat Robertson said on his TV show, the 700 Club that this 7.0 shattering earthquake happened because, in order to gain liberty from the French, Haitians made a pact with the Devil. I will quote him: “Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the Devil. They said, we will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French. True story. And so, the Devil said, okay it’s a deal.” But the facts must be told. Another christian, Paul Raushenbush, holds a very different view; he is the religion editor of the Huffington Post and has a column on our community’s website www.USAfricaonline.com.
Paul has a different set of historical facts which you may read and share with your list, too. It’s titled: USAfricaonline.com: Haiti needs help, not Pat Robertson’s stupidity, lies
https://usafricaonline.com/patroberston-lies-against-haiti-vs-paul-raushenbush-2/
Paul’s point? “Haiti was the first island in the Western hemisphere to overthrow slavery and white oppression — this is what you call a pact with the Devil? God’s heart is breaking with this tragedy, and ours should be too. You never had much credibility — but now it is all gone…. Let’s get back to thinking how we can call upon all of the goodness in our traditions and in our country to help the people of Haiti.”
2. Without avoiding the facts, there are voodoo proponents/followers in Haiti (as in your home country Nigeria, and parts of these same United States).
I assume those evangelists do not reflect your views and their reckless issue of emphasis at this time of Haiti’s needs, yet it is regrettable you are distributing them for these characters. Like you, I do NOT accept or condone or appeal to voodoo; like you I claim and proclaim the power and centrality of Jesus Christ!
3. Reasonably, based on facts, I ask: is it too much to ask of these people to minimally show grace and kindness rather be sources of toxic stereotyping of the entire country of Haiti, distorting the entire history of Haitians and viciously assaulting persons who share your own Igbo ancestry?? These “christians” largely seat on their hypocritical fannies, speak condescensions and shout insensitive distortions as other less privileged children of God largely die, by the hour, by the minute….
Again, I state the fact there are some voodoo worshippers/followers in Haiti; just like they have same in your Nigeria, Louisiana and other places, with difference in percentages. Again, I do NOT accept or condone or appeal to those; like you I claim and proclaim the power and centrality of Jesus Christ!
4. Finally, I will not foolishly engage or join them in minimizing the calamities almost EVERY country in the world has faced but making FALSE and broad claims they all are due to the claims of the citizens being voodoo worshippers (even when Haiti holds 83% of its population as Catholics, however imperfect. Pls share this response and the USAfrica-powered site www.IgbosForHouston.org wt those who received your first post. I will do same on USAfrica’s e-List.
With love and affirmation of Christ’s grace,
CHIDO NWANGWU
https://usafricaonline.com/chido.html
Founder & Publisher, USAfricaonline.com & CLASSmagazine
Houston. wireless: 832-45-CHIDO (24436)
E-mail: Chido@USAfricaonline.com
USAfrica and USAfricaonline.com (characterized by The New York Times as the largest and arguably the most influential African-owned, U.S-based multimedia networks) established May 1992, our first edition of USAfrica magazine was published August 1993; USAfrica The Newspaper on May 11, 1994; CLASSmagazine on May 2, 2003; www.PhotoWorks.TV in 2005, USAfricaTV in 2010
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On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 11:25 PM, Rev Obie Obiekwe <africa4jesus@aol.com> wrote:
FYI
In His Service
Rev Obie Obiekwe
Founder/President
Africa for Jesus Ministries International
—–Original Message—–
From: corpprayresource@aol.com
Sent: Fri, Jan 15, 2010 11:29 am
Subject: Haiti History – Government Of The Devil, By The Devil, And For The Devil
Intercessors….find below a history of Haiti that will explain much in spiritual terms and their effect on that nation and it’s people, as well as effects with the current situation after the earthquake. I believe this understanding will help our prayers and possible support for recovery. May the $$ flowing there get to places to help the people and not be siphoned off, once again, for personal gain. And may the true Church of the living God shine and flourish at this time…and receive the resources it needs to do the work of God it has been called to. Pat
http://www.americandaily.com/article/95
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| Government Of The Devil, By The Devil, And For The Devil By Tom Barrett (03/11/04) "Haiti is the only country in the entire world that has dedicated its government to Satan. Demonic spirits have been consulted for political decisions, and have shaped the country's history." Thus speaks Reverend Doug Anderson, who grew up in Haiti with missionary parents, and served there along with his wife Dawn as a missionary until 1990. The leaders of Haiti make no attempt to hide their allegiance to Satan. Haiti's government is a government of the devil, by the devil, and for the devil. It is a matter of well-documented historical fact that the nation of Haiti was dedicated to Satan 200 years ago. On August 14, 1791, a group of houngans (voodoo priests), led by a former slave houngan named Boukman, made a pact with the Devil at a place called Bois-Caiman. All present vowed to exterminate all of the white Frenchmen on the island. They sacrificed a black pig in a voodoo ritual at which hundreds of slaves drank the pig's blood. In this ritual, Boukman asked Satan for his help in liberating Haiti from the French. In exchange, the voodoo priests offered to give the country to Satan for 200 years and swore to serve him. On January 1, 1804, the nation of Haiti was born and thus began a new demonic tyranny. At the time of the pact Haiti was France's richest colony, and was known as the â€Pearl of the Antilles for its singular beauty. But it soon became one of the world's poorest and most benighted nations. Scoffers may say that there is no connection between the fact that Haiti was the richest nation in the hemisphere, and then became the poorest after selling its national soul to Satan. But the scoffers can't come up with a better explanation. Voodoo is a practice based on a mixture of African spiritism and witchcraft. Depending on the source of one's research, between 75 and 90 percent of Haitians practice voodoo. This seems to fly in the face of the fact that the country is predominantly Catholic. But, like their African ancestors, voodoo practitioners have no problem embracing multiple religions. In fact, most who practice voodoo believe they must be Catholic first. Until recently, voodoo was practiced in secret. Practitioners would go to the Catholic Church on Sunday, and attend voodoo ceremonies deep in the woods at other times. Voodoo was forbidden during the colonial times, and the 32 Haitian governments that followed independence also suppressed the practice because of world condemnation. But on April 8, 2003, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide approved Voodoo as an officially recognized religion in Haiti (see links below). Voodoo priests can now perform marriages and other ceremonies previously reserved for Christian religions. "An ancestral religion, Voodoo is an essential part of national identity," Aristide said in the decree recognizing Voodoo. Aristide has been a controversial figure since he became the first freely elected president in Haiti's history in 1991, 200 years after the nation was dedicated to Satan. A defrocked Catholic priest, Aristide was expelled in 1988 from his order, the Salesians. He was a hero of the resistance to Haitian tyranny, then president, then exiled, then restored to the presidency by his close friend, Bill Clinton. One of his first acts was to express his support for reinstating the Voodoo pact that expired the year he was elected. He claimed that Voodoo was the “national religion†of Haiti, and a source of national pride. Even before Aristide came to power, a U.S. embassy official in Port-au-Prince described Aristide as "a Marxist maniac." Newsweek Magazine called him "the flaky Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide." And none other than Henry Kissinger declared that he was a psychotic. While it is true that Aristide used Communism to gain power, I don't believe he is psychotic. What many see as madness is simply the pure evil that emanates from the man. The Media Research Center (see link below), which describes Aristide as a charismatic Marxist priest had this to say about the man: Aristide wasn't much of a Democrat, paying people to beat up his opponents, and becoming wealthy from drug trafficking into the U.S. For a good, brief primer on Aristide, see Aristide Must Go, the editorial in the March 8 Weekly Standard. It explains how It is not the democratic authorities that are being overthrown in Haiti, but Aristide's retinue of gunmen. (There is a link to this article below, as well.) Aristide was only in office eight months before he was ousted and fled to the United States. There he effectively lobbied Bill Clinton and other government officials, convincing them that he was not the tyrant that Haitians said he was. After Clinton sent 20,000 American troops to install Aristide in power in 1994, the president-turned-dictator disbanded the army. But the civilian police force he replaced it with has also brutalized the Haitian people, engaging in summary executions as well as the drug-running that has made Aristide the richest man in Haiti. This drug money allows Aristide to live in a lavish mansion in a nation where the average yearly salary is $350. As the Weekly Standard editorial by Christopher Caldwell says, Aristide, of course, did not create Haiti's problems, but he profits from all of them. His ten years of direct and indirect rule have been a disaster. His regime has been democratic only in the Haitian sense of one man, one vote, one time. The last free and fair election in Haiti was in 1990, the closely monitored contest that brought Aristide to power. Even then, Aristide was making use of street violence orchestrated by his ‘vigilance committees. Four years ago, Aristide received over 90 percent of the vote in a presidential election so transparently corrupt that several American and European agencies reluctantly froze hundreds of millions of dollars in aid money. With a mystifying regularity reminiscent of Saddam Hussein, Aristide has refused the simplest procedural inducements to unlock millions that could have been used to feed and treat his poorer compatriots. From humble beginnings as a Salesian slum priest, Aristide has become the richest man in Haiti. How? Last Wednesday in Miami, the Haitian mafioso Beaudoin Ketant, go-between for three Colombian cartels, was sentenced to 27 years in prison for transporting 30 tons of cocaine between Haiti and Florida. At his sentencing, Ketant said that Aristide "is a drug lord. He controlled the drug trade in Haiti. It's a one-man show, your honor. You either pay him or you die." Caldwell goes on to relate how Aristide created a series of banks that paid absurd rates of interest, which enticed Haiti's tiny middle class to deposit their hard-earned dollars. He then stole $90 million from the banks, effectively demolishing the middle class and creating a classic poor-against-rich uprising that resulted in his ouster. Democrat almost-nominee John Kerry spoke out in support of Aristide prior to his resignation, saying “This democracy is going to be sustained. Democrat Charlie Rangel and the Congressional Black Caucus, along with such upstanding citizens as Reverend Jesse Jackson and Alcee Hastings (the former federal judge convicted of bribery), have been calling for the US to once again install Aristide in power following his recent resignation. They have been irresponsibly trumpeting his ridiculous lies about being kidnapped by the US and forced into exile. The obvious facts are that Aristide begged for US help and we protected him. When it became clear that the only way his safety could be assured was to leave the country, we provided transportation for him. Had we not intervened, Aristide would have been dead in a matter of days, so furious were the people he had abused for years. He gladly boarded the plane, grateful for our protection. Now that he is safe, he is laying the groundwork for a possible comeback with his preposterous lies. Rangel, Maxine Waters, Barbara Lee and the rest of the Black Caucus should be ashamed of siding with a vicious dictator against their own country. I don’t have a bone of prejudice in my body against blacks. But I am greatly prejudiced against the members of this Caucus because of their constant use of the race card, whether or not race is an issue. It is clearly not the issue here. The fact that Aristide is black is not why his countrymen want him gone. It is because he is an evil man. My biggest problem with this man is the fact that, not only did he make Voodoo an official religion, he used every device available to him to promote it. On the day that his government officially recognized Voodoo, he paid all the radio stations to play nothing but Voodoo music all day. He flew in 400 Voodoo priests from West Africa, the birthplace of the evil religion, to promote it. A missionary couple who run an orphanage and a school for 400 children in Haiti sent a report to their supporters last summer (see the link to Religious Persecution Intensifies in Haiti below). It reads, in part, Last week a baby was stolen from the hospital in St. Marc. The reason the child is to be sacrificed to appease the Voodoo gods for the so-called special day of celebration. Can there be any question of the horribly evil nature of this religion that former priest Aristide promotes? And now for the good news. Even with Aristide's support and promotion, Voodoo in Haiti is doomed. God's people have gone on the offensive, and the blood pact that has kept Haiti in darkness for 200 years has been broken. I first heard this account from Bishop Joel Jeune at a meeting of the Gospel Crusade Ministerial Fellowship ( www.GCMF.org). Jeune is the Coordinator of Haiti for the GCMF and oversees 64 churches there. The link, US Department of State Report of Religious Freedom below contains this report: In early August 1997, three evangelical pastors were arrested near Cap Haitien after they had proceeded with plans to hold a religious revival at Bois Caiman. Bois Caiman has a strong patriotic significance for Haitians, since it is the site of a legendary 1791 voodoo ceremony at which slaves swore to rise up against their masters and risk death rather than continue to live in bondage. The resulting slave rebellion was a precursor to the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804). The pastors, who had been prohibited by the authorities from holding the revival on the actual anniversary of the ceremony, proceeded instead with plans to hold the event several days before the anniversary, hoping to rid the area of malevolent influences. This offended much of the local populace and local authorities, who arrested pastors Joel Jeune, Jean Berthony Paul, and Gregor Joseph on August 4. They were released on the orders of a judge on August 6. The government account tells only part of the story. In the link Haiti - God's country after a 'holy invasion' you will see the following and much more (very exciting reading): "On 14 August 1997, God's people in Haiti experienced a historic victory over Satan, a milestone in winning our country back for God. The reason lies in history. The slaves brought here from Africa have suffered incredibly for many years. On 14 August 1791, a slave leader by the name of Boukman called a secret meeting in a wood called Bois-Caiman near Cap Haitien, which was attended by a large number of slaves. They celebrated a satanic ceremony, sacrificing a pig and drinking its blood, swore to serve the Devil and dedicated Haiti to him. For 206 years, Bois-Caiman was a very holy place, a high place which could only be entered by witch doctors during Voodoo ceremonies. For 206 years, they have been meeting there every August 14 to sacrifice to Satan. “A number of Christian leaders, including Paul and Gerald Clerie of 'Vision: Haiti' and Christian leaders among the large numbers of Haitians in the USA, Canada, France and other countries, called Christians to unite on 14 August 1997 to pray and fast that Haiti would return to God. In Haiti's towns, villages and mountains, Christians came together to fast and pray, held victory marches in the streets and a large event in the capital from 6am to 10pm during the holy invasion. Our church members started their march in front of the President's palace and marched for 6 hours to the place where the satanic ceremony took place 206 years ago. We had informed the government and media of our intentions weeks before the event, and were told that the witch doctors would be there, as they were every year. When we arrived, they had hidden themselves, unable to directly confront the Christians. It was a significant spiritual battle to reach the tree under which the pig was sacrificed in the original ceremony. We formed a Jericho march, circling the magic tree seven times. On the seventh time around, God gave many people a vision of the Devil fleeing from the area. The Christians were overjoyed. We cancelled the satanic contract and broke the curse, before celebrating communion and dedicating the area as a place of prayer. We also declared 14 August to be a national prayer day, on which people should pray that Haiti will return to God. On the same day, several witch doctors were saved during the events in the capital. Three days after our holy invasion, the witch doctors returned to Bois-Caiman to bring their sacrifices and call on the spirits. After days of effort, nothing happened, because we had commanded the spirits never to return and dedicated the area to Christ. The witch doctors complained to the government and media. At first, the government also protested, speaking in a press release of 'terrible damage to a Voodoo holy place in which no Christian had set foot for 206 years.' By the grace of God, the government relented and respected our legal right as Haitians to gather at any place on Haiti, including Bois-Caiman, where they now allow all Christian groups to meet. The place is now very popular, and local Christians gather there daily for prayer and fasting. All Haitians now know that the country no longer has a pact with the Devil; the contract has been cancelled, the curse broken. In 1991, 200 years after his predecessors had dedicated Haiti to Satan, Jean-Bertrand Aristide became president of Haiti and attempted to renew the contract. In 1997, the contract was broken forever. In 2003, in a last desperate attempt to retain power, Aristide made Voodoo an official religion. And now he is gone. Let us pray that Haiti, with its newfound freedom, will turn to the one true God. US Department of State Report of Religious Freedom http://www.cesnur.org/testi/irf/irf_haiti99.html Haiti - God's country after a 'holy invasion' http://www.jesus.org.uk/dawn/1998/dawn9802.html Victory Over Voodoo in Haiti http://www.christian-connection.org/print.php?sid=299 Religious Persecution Intensifies In Haiti http://www.andyfigueroa.net/haiti.htm Haiti; Satan's Stronghold http://www.raptureme.com/rap16.html Breaking the Blood Pact http://www.newdirections.org/index.php/pressroom Aristide Approves Voodoo as an Official Religion http://www.religionnewsblog.com/archives/00002966.html Voodoo – It’s Official in Haiti http://www.ccgm.org.au/articles/ARTICLE-0070.htm Aristide Defends Record http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/5060184.htm ARISTIDE MANSION http://www.salon.com/news/1999/03/12news.html Media Research Center http://www.mediaresearch.org/printer/cyberalerts/2004/cyb20040302pf.asp Pearl of the Antilles http://www.rminet.org/retreat_center.htm Aristide Must Go The Weekly Standard http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/795ywram.asp Aristide Claims He Was Kidnapped from Haiti http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040306/wl_nm/haiti_aristide_dc_1 Islamic Influences on Haitian Voodoo http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/voodoo/islam.htm The Challenges Facing Haiti http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/bookreviews/arisfarmplum.htm Email: Tom Barrett Tom Barrett has been an ordained minister for 30 years. He has written for local and national publications for most of his life, and has authored several non-fiction books. He has been interviewed on many TV and radio programs, and speaks at seminars nationwide. Tom is the editor and publisher of Conservative Truth, an email newsletter read by over fifty thousand weekly which focuses on moral and political issues from a Biblical viewpoint. Send Feedback To Tom Barrett Site: http://www.conservativetruth.org |
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USAfrica and USAfricaonline.com (characterized by The New York Times as the most influential African-owned, U.S-based multimedia networks) established May 1992, our first edition of USAfrica magazine was published August 1993; USAfrica The Newspaper on May 11, 1994; CLASSmagazine on May 2, 2003; www.PhotoWorks.TV in 2005
Mr. Chido,
I agree with man from uncle. But what seems so strange to me is that you are completely guilty of what you yourself accuse others of. You preach grace and mercy but in the next sentence call people toxic, stereotypical, vicious, assaulting, hypocritical (asses), insensitve, liars or distorters. Your facts are also not completely correct, but you seem to want to jump on any racially motivated bandwagon along with too many other christians of many races which continues to drive a wedge in the healing of race relations. Stand up for jesus first and the purity of his gospel. Seek the truth in all areas.
He's coming soon
It is beyond me that educated humans even think that any religion is true. If anything I think Christians, Muslims and any other religion that promotes superiority (which I must add is the imagionation of humans) is unspeakable evil. So when the USA has its turn to have its famous fault line errupt it will be no will of god but the natural course of events. Wake up…….there is no God wanting to punish us…We are just part of this beautiful earth equal to every other living organisuim. It is just so frustrating. If it was not so sad I would be laughing instead I feel sick sick sick…….Embarressed to be a human.
It would have been uncharitable for Mr. Barrett to publish this AFTER the event, however, it was published in 2004…and there is no untruth in it…sorry! We pray for the innocent people of Haiti and ask God's mercy for the rest. For none of us are perfect.
Cheers.