Question by goatman: Shamans or Voodoo practicers, how do you feel about the misuse of your religions in pop culture?
Such as Voodoo equated with Satanism and black magic, and the Shamans in warcraft and shaman king, etc.
Star me please
Kevin, you are the biggest idiot ever. Shamanism and voodoo are both religions. Varying games and books should not be allowed to use them in that manner. Stop being immature. If you dont understand the question dont answer it.
Best answer:
Answer by Marguerite
GARGYLES, SYKIKS, AND DARK-SIDED STUFF!!!!
Add your own answer in the comments!
I guess there is dorks out there whom think video games are real life. What a nerd. Go get lost in Dungeons and Dragons already.
i know some voodoo practitioners and have been to some of their rituals. satan was definitely not there lol. they’ve never mentioned the relationship between what they do and what’s on tv, but i imagine they don’t like it
My significant other says “Don’t even get me started”.
I, however, WILL get started.
It bothers me that these are the spiritual paths we as humans have been dealing with for the longest amount of time and yet they’re the paths we as humans know the least about.
When will mankind climb out from under its rock and stop looking to hollywood for answers to life?
I feel for those whose honorable beliefs are treated in that fashion. this is religion here.
lol, popular culture or the mainstream of society can screw anything or anyone up at any given moment. we all have to deal with it. i’ve tried to dispose of stupidity in society and have been unsuccessful rather i choose to associate myself with those that have the ability to think for themselves and weigh the situation in a balanced manor. we live in a free society and can voice things (as i am) but don’t have the right to legally make someone shut up. i haven’t seen shaman king but there are other movies that portray magus in a more realistic light. the thing about reality is that it doesn’t make for a good movie because it bores people to death…
historically speaking when a tribe went to war with another they called the shaman to curse the opposing army. but that was one small function of a shaman not the whole deal or concept by any means. a shaman is a medium between the worlds who can give direction and healing as well as other functions.
actual voodoo is one of the darker magicks that is technically in the same lump as black magick. personally i leery of it and do not support any form of spiritualism that doesn’t weigh its actions in balance with reality and the rest of the world. that goes for any form of religion/ non-religion that someone practices, pagan or christian. it is wrong to victimize undeserving people and the truth is you better watch who you are victimizing! they might just come back to bite you on your butt! it’s not my job to judge just to understand… 😉
Well as a practitioner of Vodou I dont care much what people do. I would like to inform people about the truths of the religion but that can not and does not always happen. I know what the truth is and I will not go into details as you can read some of my previous posts on it. I believe many non main stream religions are exploited in this way though. It would be great if people knew the truth but many are so set in there ways that even the truth would not matter. There is no Satan or black magic associated with Vodou but again closed minded people will not care what the truth is.
Naturally, anyone who is actually a spiritual practitioner is dismayed at the misrepresentation of our religious traditions in mass media. However, we must look at this from an historical perspective in order to understand it more fully.
Reviewing images of Africa and Africans from early writings, illustrations and paintings, one can trace the development of these negative stereotypes with regard to the African continent, African peoples and their cultures and religions to the beginnings of the chattel slave trade. I use the term chattel slave trade to make the distinction between the African slave trade as developed by the Portuguese and spread to the so called New World and slave trade prior to those times, for example under African chiefs and the Romans wherein slaves were a responsibility for the master and the slaves themselves had rights as well as responsibilities.
Upon the advent of chattel slavery, images of Africa and Africans became decidedly more lurid with emphasis given to African women as licentious (an image which was used to justify rape of African women during slavery and continues today as a means of excusing negative sexual behavior toward and negative stereotypes regarding women of the African diaspora), African men as barbaric, violent and aggressive (an image used to justify lynchings and carries forth today as “the scary black man” defense which can be used by just about anyone except African-American women), the African continent as dark and dangerous (which was used to justify slavery, mass murder, and appropriation of lands that did not belong to the Europeans, and the African culture as backwards and superstitious (which was used to justify all of the above and was promoted by the various religious movements of those times for the purpose of helping generate more wealth for their churches and/or their patrons — the crowns of Europe).
When one traces the origins of these negative stereotypes back, it is no wonder that these negative images continue in modern media. Because it goes against nature to attack the same species without cause, in order to make the slave trade palatable to the powers that be and their subjects, Africans had to be de-humanized. A review of the literature from the early days of European exploration of Africa will show that the missionaries were particularly helpful in this regard. Once the word spread about this barbaric race of people who needed to be saved by the one true “white” god, there was no place for African traditional religions. The smear campaign began and continues today.
In reality, the African Traditional Religions (ATRs) are traditions based on the concept of spiritual balance. Working under God’s light, we seek to work with our ancestors and the spiritual energy of our lineage to balance ourselves mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally. As we strive toward that balance we should find ourselves on our spiritual path and bringing light into the world at large. Our goal is that through good character we bring peace and blessings into our lives and into the lives of those around us.
Mambo Michele
http://www.vodouspirit.com