Misrepresentation of Voodoo

Voodoo is a religion rich in heritage and founded in faith and community. The religion has been villianized by western culture and has been wrongly portrayed as malignant and dangerous. The religion is not founded in any of the ¡§black magic¡¦s¡¨ or fear popularized by Hollywood films, but rather it is based on balance and tradition. The religion is not something which should be encountered with inhibition or fear induced from childhood horror stories, but embraced for its¡¦ strength and history. Voodun is commonly called Voodoo by the public and American society. The name is traceable to an African word for "spirit". Vodun's can be directly traced to the West African Yoruba people who lived in 18th and 19th century Dahomey. Its roots may go back 6,000 years in Africa. That country occupied parts of today's Togo, Benin and Nigeria. Slaves brought their religion with them when they were forcibly shipped to Haiti and other islands in the West Indies.
Voodoo (a...