RELIGION IN PARACAMBI
VODOU BeliefsOften misrepresented as Voodoo and its fictional form of evil black magic and blood sacrifices, the truth is a lot less dramatic. Around 60% of all Paracambians follow the Vodou faith.
Vodouisants believe in a Supreme God called Bondye. Since Bondye is considered unreachable, Vodouisants aim their prayers to lesser entities, the spirits known as loa each of whom is associated with certain duties or areas of daily life.. The most notable loa include Papa Legba , Erzulie Freda , Simbi , Kouzin Zaka , and The Marasa, divine twins considered to be the first children of Bondye. These loa can be divided into 21 nations, which include the Petro, Rada, Congo, and Nago, each nation is associated with a specific sphere of life , for instance the Ogou family are soldiers, the Ezili govern the feminine spheres of life, the Azaka govern agriculture, the Ghede govern the sphere of death and fertility.
Coolness overall is valued, and so is the ability and inclination to protect oneself and one's own if necessary. Love and support within the family of the Vodou society seem to be the most important considerations. Generosity in giving to the community and to the poor is also an important value. One's blessings come through the community, and one should be willing to give back. As such a person being solitary is looked down upon and the community come together to ensure no one is alone, this sees many families inviting single neighbours for dinners, visiting old widowed people and other such practices of community support. This sense of community also means there is no single religious leader such as a Pope in Catholicms, instead communities select their own spiritual leader who may or may not be given a specific title. Being part of a group is seen as important and so many religious groups have sprung up including secret societies.
According to Vodou, the soul consists of two aspects, in a type of soul dualism: the gros bon ange (big good angel) and the ti bon ange (little good angel). The gros bon ange is the part of the soul that is essentially responsible for the basic biological functions, such as the flow of blood through the body and breathing. On the other hand, the ti bon ange is the source of personality, character and willpower. "As the gros bon ange provides each person with the power to act, it is the ti bon ange that molds the individual sentiment within each act .While the latter is an essential element for the survival of one's individual identity, it is not necessary to keep the body functioning properly in biological terms, and therefore a person can continue to exist without their physical body.
RASTAFARI BeliefsEmphasis is placed on the idea that personal experience and intuitive understanding should be used to determine the truth or validity of a particular belief or practice. No Rasta, therefore, has the authority to declare what beliefs and practices are orthodox and which are heterodox
Rastafari belief is deeply influenced by Judeo-Christian religion. It accords the Bible a central place in its belief system, regarding it as a holy book, and adopts a literalist interpretation of its contents. Rastas regard the Bible as an authentic account of early black history and their place as God's favoured people. They believe that the Bible was originally written on stone in the language of Amharic. For Rastas, the Bible is therefore viewed as the key to understanding the past and the present and for predicting the future. It is also regarded as a source book from which they can form their religious practices.The Bible's final chapter, the Book of Revelation, is widely regarded as the most important part for Rastas, having a particular significance for their situation.
However, Rastas also believe that the true meaning of the Bible has been warped, both through mistranslation into other languages and by deliberate manipulation by those who wanted to deny them their history.[They also regard it as cryptographic, meaning that it has many hidden meanings.They believe that its true teachings can be revealed through intuition and meditation with the "book within". As a result of what they regard as the corruption of the Bible, Rastas also turn to other sources that they believe shed light on black history.
Rastafari are monotheists, worshiping a singular God whom they call Jah. Rastas view Jah in the form of the Holy Trinity Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. As well as regarding Jah as a deity, Rastas also believe that Jah is inherent within each human individual. This belief is reflected in the aphorism, often cited by Rastas, that "God is man and man is God". ] As a result, Rastas speak of "knowing" Jah, rather than simply "believing" in him. In seeking to narrow the distance between humanity and divinity, Rastafari embraces mysticism.
Jesus of Nazareth is an important figure in Rastafari. However, practitioners reject the traditional depiction of Jesus present in Christianity, particularly the depiction of him as a white, believing that this is a perversion of the truth. They believe that Jesus was black and that he was a Rasta. Christianity is treated with suspicion out of the view that the oppressors and the oppressed cannot share the same God, with many Rastas taking the view that the God worshipped by most white Christians is actually the Devil. Rastas therefore often view Christian preachers as deceivers, and regard Christianity as being guilty of furthering the oppression of the black diaspora, often referring to it as having perpetrated "mental enslavement". One recurring saying among Rastafari is that "The Pope is Satan". Jesus is given particular prominence among a Rastafari denomination known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Rastas belonging to this group refer to Jesus as Yahshua and Yesus Kritos, and believe that his second coming is forthcoming.
TEKUISM The Native religion of Paracambi is Tekuism. The first recorded mention of the faith is from 800 BC, it was then adopted by the first settlers of Paracambi as they arrived. It believes that there is one God, known as Teku and that he has embodied many people with aspects of his power throughout existence.
Teku was the god of creation and the hunt , he one responsible for restoring the world each day. He carries a bow made of two great snakes, which appear in the sky as the rainbow for the people below, and each day carries out the task of renewing the heavens. As the sun sets he begins to capture the stars and gather their light together, assembling them so that they may be sent to the sun to restore it once again and give it the strength it needs to rise the next day.
Teku was also responsible for the creation of the humans as well and the animals which they hunt. It is the belief of the faithful that he gathered together clay, much like he does with the stars each night, and used it to craft the various peoples of the world. To create black people he used black clay and to create white people he used white clay. In these clay figures a soul, called the megbe, was introduced to the clay figures and gave them life while bonding them to the rest of the world.
However, several aspects of Teku are sometimes attributed to others who have lived among us at times. These people are known as the "Beloved" and are believed to have been when Teku sends part of his own soul to Mundus in order to live among us, either for a divine purpose, to guide humanity or simply for his own amusement