Dominican Beliefs

Guatiao · Sep 4, 2005

I just don't get humans, I can present people facts & yet they don't believe but if you instill since birth myths as truth they will never question them. So today I had like about a 3 hour debate with my mother on evolution, god & everything in between. My main concern is how "religion" affects her mind & affects others Dominican. I showed my mother different pictures on emerging universes as proof & her response is "anybody can do that on PC" but I diss Adam & Eve and I get called an "atheist". Since I don't just want to pick on Catholics, what is up with Dominicans who belief in this voodoo crap opps I mean "Santeria", how can a person believe that a flower will bring them luck or fortune, thank god nobody in my family (that I know of) practice this crap. I know alot of posters are married to Dominicans or live in DR, how has this "cultural" difference affect your perspective & adaptively to Dominican culture?

Peace,
Capo

P. S. I am not dissing Catholics or you people you believe in Voodoo, I am just saying not everything is super natural there are scientific explanations for some events. For example you did not get fired because a jealous co-worker wanted your job & put a spell on you, it was because your lazy. You did not get sick because your stepmother hates your guts & went to see your witch, it's because you haven't been to the doctor in over 10 years, you're bound to get ill one day. And finally you're wife didn't leave you because of spells or witches it's because you're bad in the sack. Dominicans don't understand simple logic there is always something behind the scene, an invisible hand

aranoid:.

MerengueDutchie · Sep 4, 2005

That's the question; must one stand up and take arms against a sea of trouble or rather suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune ?

Here's my take...if you're not in a position to take control over your life and change things but must take things as they come.. what better to believe it's all part of one big plan, behind which there is some logic..

This is quite an old dilemma and one of the main reasons for the existence of religion in itself.. it provides people with a strong grounding and a system of values rather than let them drift along meaningless on a river of time..

Once a person makes his choice there is little one can do to change it..

Mirador · Sep 4, 2005

capodominicano said:
... Dominicans don't understand simple logic there is always something behind the scene, an invisible hand aranoid:.

They do!, it's just they have this uncanny, gnawing feelings that there's something more to it than meets the eye. But don't we all? ;-)

Guatiao · Sep 16, 2005

MerengueDutchie said:
That's the question; must one stand up and take arms against a sea of trouble or rather suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune ?

Here's my take...if you're not in a position to take control over your life and change things but must take things as they come.. what better to believe it's all part of one big plan, behind which there is some logic..

This is quite an old dilemma and one of the main reasons for the existence of religion in itself.. it provides people with a strong grounding and a system of values rather than let them drift along meaningless on a river of time..

Once a person makes his choice there is little one can do to change it..

Hello MD,

My basis for this topic is philosophical, I'm taking a philosophy class and some of the questions you ask are the same I am bing asked. I bet most Dominicans are not well versed in philosophy, so why would they go all this trouble to make potion? Is there logic to Dominican thinking? Does the average Dominican believe in Science or "other explanations" for worldly events?

Thanks for your input.

Mirador said:
They do!, it's just they have this uncanny, gnawing feelings that there's something more to it than meets the eye. But don't we all? ;-)

Hello Mirador

I rarely get that feeling, I believe things are what they are & most things in life can be explained with very few exceptions... When in DR I speak to these old folks in the country side, they swear "others things" happened due to XYZ... their stories remind me of the show SuperNatural on the WB. I should have written them down I could have a show on the WB

.

Peace,
Capo

audboogie · Sep 16, 2005

I know alot of posters are married to Dominicans or live in DR, how has this "cultural" difference affect your perspective & adaptively to Dominican culture?

at first it was kind of werid...i had no idea this thought was "voo doo" but this was 3 yrs ago and since then i have learned alot. still don't belive in it, but its interesting to me to observe how Dominicans do belive and the stories they have to tell....for example, they swear there are witches that fly on broomsticks..come out at night somewhere...now that is hard to belive....the other where theres a iron pole thats on fire and they touch it and don't get burned.....etc...but then there are little beliefs that i just let go for sake of not arguing=in the morning when the floor is cold to put slippers on me and the baby. i've learned like u said that they are taught these beliefs since birth and im sure it would be hard to change their beliefs therefor since its not harmful i just let it go. the only time it did bother me is when he believed someone put a spell on him and when he went to this lady she described the person who put it on him, and he swore he knew who it was. so hes doin all this stuff to get rid of it, and to me he was wasting his time, effort, and money so that kind of urked me. but this is an interesting topic and anyone else who has experiences please share!

yasmin · Sep 16, 2005

As I gave birth to my first girl in the DR, I know some in this area:

when you are pregnant, you can't open the refrigerator. When you gave birth, you can't wash your hair for one month! When the baby has hiccups, you should put a little piece of wiring on his forehead, to make the hiccups stop (finally it will stop, but not because of the wiring off course!)
You can't let the baby look in the mirror, because then he wil become mute. Don't let the baby crawl under the table, because then he won't grow anymore. The baby must have a bracelet with a "mal de ojo" it's a little black ball, to protect him for voo-doo and witches.

As I respect my family in law, I just accepted what they told me, once at home I dit my own things...

Dominican woman also do a lot of shower for luck "un ba?o para la suerte", they buy a bottle of something from a witch, and take a shower with it, than they are supposed to get luck soon!!

I 've lost two babies too, and they (my family in law) braught me all of weird kinds of "tratamientos para limpiar el cuerpo".
I never drunk of it, but when finally I was pregnant from my second girl, everybody was happy, and the "tratamiento" had done his job. (I never told them that I never used it, they would feel bad that I don't trust in them.)

Stodgord · Sep 16, 2005

audboogie said:
I know alot of posters are married to Dominicans or live in DR, how has this "cultural" difference affect your perspective & adaptively to Dominican culture?

at first it was kind of werid...i had no idea this thought was "voo doo" but this was 3 yrs ago and since then i have learned alot. still don't belive in it, but its interesting to me to observe how Dominicans do belive and the stories they have to tell....for example, they swear there are witches that fly on broomsticks..come out at night somewhere...now that is hard to belive....the other where theres a iron pole thats on fire and they touch it and don't get burned.....etc...but then there are little beliefs that i just let go for sake of not arguing=in the morning when the floor is cold to put slippers on me and the baby. i've learned like u said that they are taught these beliefs since birth and im sure it would be hard to change their beliefs therefor since its not harmful i just let it go. the only time it did bother me is when he believed someone put a spell on him and when he went to this lady she described the person who put it on him, and he swore he knew who it was. so hes doin all this stuff to get rid of it, and to me he was wasting his time, effort, and money so that kind of urked me. but this is an interesting topic and anyone else who has experiences please share!

The DR witches don't fly on broomstick, they are said to transform into an animal (rodent, chicken, dog, snake....). Their intention is to suck blood out of infants, this is why their is a rush to baptize a child or at least "santiguarlo" and present him/her at church to god. When you see a malnourished infant in the DR the first thing that comes up is that a witch a sucking his/her blood. There are countless of tales where people claim to have participated in catching a witch (Tumbar una bruja).

Quisqueya · Sep 16, 2005

Capo,

"Religion is the opium of man"

You can't change someones belief that was passed down from generation to generation. No matter how much facts or evidence you present to them it will never suffice...

Its fustrating to you because you've actually done research and read about different philosophical points of views which obviously lifted the blinders...

But look at some of the so called great philosophers "Sigmund Freud or Charles Darwin" some of the points of views are ridiculous and only Freud sounds like a damn pervert...but so called experts beleive in this crap..que baboso...

Advice if these people in your case your mom believe in these folklore then let it be..You don't want to dismantle your moms secure blanket and have her questioning certain things now...At least you know you are that generation which will change the next generation points of view.

Jasmin wrote: When the baby has hiccups, you should put a little piece of wiring on his forehead, to make the hiccups stop

Hey in my culture we do the same thing but we have to wet the wire/string first..LOL... Hey, I swear this one works te lo juro...do you know how many times my daughter had hiccups and she immediately stopped after putting that string on her forehead.

Jasmin wrote:The baby must have a bracelet with a "mal de ojo" it's a little black ball, to protect him for voo-doo and witches.

Hey we have that one too..."mauvais yeux" which we use to protect the child from evil spirits..This one is a back up for baptism...Just in case Dios wasn't paying attention...LOL

Capo the fact of the matter is religion is a secure blanket for things we just can't explain...IMO, I dont believe in all of these belief because of well education but there are things science or man just can't understand..that's why I believe there is a higher power out there...God, Dieu, Dios...

Now I'm a die hard catholic because of my upbringing there alot of things I dont agree with either but my brainwash behind will not question....WHY? hmmmm..something for you to ponder on bloke...

Now voudou...is a something I was brought up believing was evil and negative...but as an adult I did some research and found out its just another religion. The head priest or witch is nothing more than a herbal doctor..now he/she can use there expertise to cure disease and do good or bad and use herbal medicine to harm people and extra BS to make it appear mystical but look at these dumb as westernised doctors..They will suggest you take a drug to cure one thing but leaves you with more health risk later on in life...

hmmmm?????

In conclusion, I think every culture has their own beliefs..and will seem odd or wierd to the outsider...its just of matter of respecting each persons belief and compromising...

Jews dont believe in Jesus and christians do. which one is right is in the eyes of the beholder...ok, I'm getting way off topic..

asopao · Sep 16, 2005

I've heard if someone has placed an evil vodou spell on you. The only way for you to brake that spell is to throw a stone to the witch right into the forehead and it must bleed. If it doesn't bleed, then the spell won't go away.

Other things is, never pick up coins from the ground. They might have evil spells,and if you pick them up, that spell will fall on you.

You can believe in these stuff if you want. Many people have said that if you really belive in spells, they will happen to you. If you think they're just bs, they won't. In DR, many people attribute vodou just to Haiti and Haitians, but the reality is that vodou has been in DR way before the African slaves went to the French western side. Most Dominicans believe that vodou spells can be real.

Quisqueya · Sep 16, 2005

Asopao,

In my cultures belief we can pick up coins fromt the floor, we just have to pick it up with the left hand..for some reason the spell doesn't work on the left side and can only work if you pick it up with your right hand..LOL..

Do you guys have this one..If someone is calling your name don't turn around on the first call, one has to wait for the third time because it might be a zombie calling you to steal you soul...damn, i still use that one..it works will when people are trying to hit on me..LOL

Not to long ago there was a dominican santeria priest on trial for digging up a skeleton from a cemetary in Passaic, NJ for his rituals ..LOOOOOOOOOOOOOL...he was appalled that they were prosecuting him for digging up a grave...

Asopao wrote: You can believe in these stuff if you want. Many people have said that if you really belive in spells, they will happen to you. If you think they're just bs, they won't. In DR, many people attribute vodou just to Haiti and Haitians, but the reality is that vodou has been in DR way before the African slaves went to the French western side. Most Dominicans believe that vodou spells can be real.

Thank you for stating the truth..damn when you dominicans stop blaming us for everything...LOL...

Forbeca · Sep 16, 2005

Quisqueya said:
Do you guys have this one..If someone is calling your name don't turn around on the first call, one has to wait for the third time because it might be a zombie calling you to steal you soul...damn, i still use that one..it works will when people are trying to hit on me..LOL

I've heard that you should not answer at all when you can't identify where the voice is coming from.

Quisqueya · Sep 16, 2005

Forbeca,

I think you maybe right on that one ...Geez, i'm forgetting all these beliefs...i'm trying to remember some really outrageous ones...I'll post them when i remember them...

deelt · Sep 16, 2005

Intellect, Spirits and Jesus

Well I'm not Catholic, but was raised Catholic. I had many of the same questions that could not be answered until I actually went to the source: "The Bible". (NB: I enjoy reading about other religions and do enjoy finding the commonalities among faiths, but I do consider myself a Christian).

As for Voodoo/Santeria/Spirits, etc. many of these superstitious behaviours I would say yes they are cultural and even habitual, but I do believe that spirits exists. For even the Bible tells me so.

dawnwil · Sep 16, 2005

capodominicano said:
I just don't get humans, I can present people facts & yet they don't believe

Kewl. Which planet are you from?

(

Quisqueya · Sep 16, 2005

Deelt,

You had no choice...you were born catholic because that's what your parents are/were and their parents and so on and so on....If you look at the bigger scoop most people from latin america are catholics unless they've converted to something else or are non believers....Why? hmmmmmm????????????

I believe it is up to everyone of us to find their personal relationship with their higher being..like you said you read the bible and make your own decisions on certain issues...I believe the congregation walks within me....I was made in his/her image..wasn't I...

on the side note..I find that latin americans and africans from well africa duh are more spiritual than there westernised counterparts...Everything we do we put some kind of sabor or picante into it...while the gringo is so got damn bland....hope I haven't offended anyone but I've always been curious about this...are cultured people closer to the spirits than our westernised counterparts?..I dont know..I'm just babbling on a rant...this should be a PBS special...El gringo no tiene sabor...LOL

great post deelt..simple/short but has great content...

deelt said:
Well I'm not Catholic, but was raised Catholic. I had many of the same questions that could not be answered until I actually went to the source: "The Bible". (NB: I enjoy reading about other religions and do enjoy find the commanilities among faiths, but I do consider myself a Christian).

As for Voodoo/Santeria/Spirits, etc. many of these superstitious behaviours I would say yes they are cultural and even habitual, but I do believe that spirits exists. For even the Bible tells me so.

RHM · Sep 16, 2005

My mother used to say that if a man masterbated too much he'd go blind.

I said ok...I'll stop when I need glasses.

Scandall

Tordok · Sep 16, 2005

Great opportunity to crazily ramble on!

Some people go to extremes and choose to ignore science in favor of folklore. So?, Everyone is entitled to look at things in their own way, even if it doesn't always make sense to others.

Sir Isaac Newton helped us understand practical problems from the external world. Stuff like what in other words would be something like this:
in nature, no amount of energy ever dissappears; it is transformed to some other 'format'.

The Common law of the conservation of energy. Science. Reliable Data. .....and, it works time and time again.

We fly rockets into the outer confines of the known physical Universe, take pictures, watch sattellite TV, chat on the Net etc!, thanks to our ability to understand such mysteries and adapt technologies to those discoveries. No Bible/Koran/etc can teach that. Kids need to learn math and philosophy. Kids should be taught about thinking. We must teach about ethics, dialectics, neurocognitive science, anthropology, biology, astronomy. We owe quite a bit to the pre-Christian/Pre-Muslim, Hellenic civilizations for the discovery of science. But we don't pray to Zeus anymore. No Newtonian Church? Look around.

There are deep fears in all humans. Also we share many of the same mundane fears of family and social life that affect us all. To cover our 'existential gaps', we devise theology and religion in an effort to answer eternal questions. But, if you "believe in stuff", then spiritual and mental action work the same way of the laws of physics. Instead of quarks and photons we think of spirits and souls. Physicists and shamans all call the unquantifiable or unknowable the same, "forces". Hey, can any scientist show me the color or density of love? the volume or speed of honesty? or the square root of freedom. ? the temperature of hatred?

Humans - Dominicans included- are always emitting and receiving physical and spiritual forces, in every direction. So , even Freud and Jung may have been, after all, onto something. Mental life and culture are not static, like life itself they evolve...even in Santo Domingo.
:glasses:
- Tordok

Quisqueya · Sep 16, 2005

Tordok,

I usually like most your post but this one I'm shocked....You are letting your education and knowledge give you too much confidence in science...I believe all of the subjects you've mentioned below are covered in the bible...the bible teaches physics, and beyond.....

Remember that our bodies are nothing but mere capsules for our spirits...I believe a little of both doesn't hurt...But to give too much credit to science is out right disrespectful to the mysteries of this world..yes, mankind has accomplished alot but we are still in my opinion in a fetus stage mentally..I believe we haven't even scratched the surface of our capablities...

que Dios te bendiga...remember "the meek shall inherit the earth"...no matter how much you think you know we do not have a clue...

Hope you dont take this the wrong way..which by reading your previous post I know you won't....Much respect..and remember to stay humble and pay hommage....to things we just can't explain...

Cuidate.....

Tordok said:
Some people go to extremes and choose to ignore science in favor of folklore. So?, Everyone is entitled to look at things in their own way, even if it doesn't always make sense to others.

Sir Isaac Newton helped us understand practical problems from the external world. Stuff like what in other words would be something like this:
in nature, no amount of energy ever dissappears; it is transformed to some other 'format'.

The Common law of the conservation of energy. Science. Reliable Data. .....and, it works time and time again.

We fly rockets into the outer confines of the known physical Universe, take pictures, watch sattellite TV, chat on the Net etc!, thanks to our ability to understand such mysteries and adapt technologies to those discoveries. No Bible/Koran/etc can teach that. Kids need to learn math and philosophy. Kids should be taught about thinking. We must teach about ethics, dialectics, neurocognitive science, anthropology, biology, astronomy. We owe quite a bit to the pre-Christian/Pre-Muslim, Hellenic civilizations for the discovery of science. But we don't pray to Zeus anymore. No Newtonian Church? Look around.

There are deep fears in all humans. Also we share many of the same mundane fears of family and social life that affect us all. To cover our 'existential gaps', we devise theology and religion in an effort to answer eternal questions. But, if you "believe in stuff", then spiritual and mental action work the same way of the laws of physics. Instead of quarks and photons we think of spirits and souls. Physicists and shamans all call the unquantifiable or unknowable the same, "forces". Hey, can any scientist show me the color or density of love? the volume or speed of honesty? or the square root of freedom. ? the temperature of hatred?

Humans - Dominicans included- are always emitting and receiving physical and spiritual forces, in every direction. So , even Freud and Jung may have been, after all, onto something. Mental life and culture are not static, like life itself they evolve...even in Santo Domingo.
:glasses:
- Tordok

dawnwil · Sep 16, 2005

Quisqueya said:
Tordok,

I usually like most your post but this one I'm shocked....You are letting your education and knowledge give you too much confidence in science...

and:

...But to give too much credit to science is out right disrespectful to the mysteries of this world...

hmm, I read Tordok's post exactly the opposite. No one mentioned Shakespeare, but he said it too: a rose by any other name smells as sweet.

The tone, as well, was not as a teacher with absolute knowledge, as you wrote, 'Remember that our bodies are nothing but mere capsules for our spirits.'

I was raised Catholic/Anglican, but thank Whomever I threw out that shitt at age 11. Made no sense.

Anyone kewl enough to be God ain't going to give a rat's a$$ if some poor naked soul running through the desert ever heard tell of him. AS IF he would tell the poor naked soul he couldn't come home at the end of the rat race. AS IF he would care what this warlike, peabrained species thinks. PULEEZE.

I'd fire that God if he existed: who needs another all powerful dictator type with a cosmos wide inferiority complex?

If there is a god, he's the biggest jokester in the universe. Now that I can deal with.

deelt · Sep 16, 2005

Most of the Santeria/voodoo practices is in the following of Yoruban Iwa religion. So that's the flavor/picante we add.

Because I love to conserve energy and gas, I don't drive an SUV. LOL I am also glad that all things come to an end...even the basic tenet of thermodynamic says so. However, I recognize that we only use 10% of our brain capacity.

Indeed T, I am with Q on this one. There is something to that "the sixth sense" some blessed people have.

Wish I can talk about this topic for a while but I'll be internet-less this weekend.

Spiritually yours,
D

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