The information for this research was gathered mainly through the review of literature and from the internet. The research began on January 5, 2014 and was finished within a two week period. Information was gathered from different sources found on different websites and from literature as seen in the bibliography. How was the information collated? Summary of Findings The Baptist Faith was introduced to Trinidad and Tobago by emancipated African-American slaves who were brought there by the British during the years 1815-16.
Like Santeria in Cuba and Brazil, and Vodun in Haiti: the Spiritual Baptists is a syncretic African-Christian faith that goes back at least two centuries, to the days of slavery. Being a philosophical belief system, it did not come into being at a specific moment, but evolved over a long period of time. From 1917 to 1951 the Spiritual and Shouter Baptist faith was banned in Trinidad by the colonial government of the day. The legislation to enact this ban was called the Shouters Prohibition Ordinance and it was passed on 16 November 1917.
The reason given for the ordinance was that the Shouters made too much noise with their loud singing and bell ringing and disturbed the peace. During worship, participants danced, shouted, shook and fell to the ground in convulsions. Such behaviour was deemed unseemly by the more traditional and conservative elements in the society. Also, the established churches regarded such behaviour as heathen and barbaric. Furthermore, they were concerned about the large number of people who were leaving the traditional churches to join the Spiritual Baptist faith.
The Term Paper on Spiritual Need Assessment
Spirituality plays a vital role in every person’s life, especially during times of sickness. Spirituality is very personal. Peoples’ faith and religious beliefs aid them in handling stressful situations. Some of the positive impacts of spirituality are better coping skills, reduced anxiety, and the alleviation of the fear of death, and the promotion of relaxation and health. Adequate knowledge of ...
The police, who had been persecuting the Baptists for several years, also wanted them silenced. Although not said openly, the real reason for the antagonism towards the Baptists was that many of their practices were of African origin. Things African were associated with the shame and degradation of slavery and a large part of the population of Trinidad did not want to be reminded of this. Hence the strong lobbying to have the religion banned. Worshipers were arrested, beaten and jailed if they were caught practising their religion.
They had to flee to the hills and forests to practise their religion. Even then, the police still pursued and brutalized them. Nevertheless, the group prevailed and, in spite of being a relatively small minority, has inspired a national holiday since the 1990s. Analysis The researcher thinks that the ban placed on the Spiritual Baptists’ was irrelevant. Everyone should have a right to worship however they choose. It would have been more reasonable if they were asked to move their worship to a secluded area therefore not interrupting anyone.
Everyone is different, hence everyone worships different. It is unfair to discriminate how one worships. It would almost be as if you are discriminating someone. Just because they worship louder than the average people does not make it barbaric. Now that there are textbooks being used across the Caribbean outlining the Shouter Baptist religion, the society now knows more about the religion. Knowing more about something makes it easier to understand it.
The society can understand why they worship the way they do, why they are loud and what they are about. So the society is more informed. The persecutions of the Baptists are quite similar with the persecution in Christianity. This is so because, they were persecuted by people who did not understand what Christianity was about. Christianity was judged and because they did not like the religion they decided to kill the followers of the religion. This made people fear for their lives and refrain from worshipping the way they normally worship.
The Term Paper on Influence of Religion on Developing Societies
Religion has always had some influence on civilization. From the past to the present it has shaped the way civilizations interact, communicate and even fight wars. Religion started out with the different complex societies instilling their rules upon families and then allowing those kinds of families to organize into local government systems. Religion influenced economies to flourish and expand so ...
It also made them hide and worship. This was done with the Shouter Baptist religion. How do you feel about the ban that was placed on the religion? How do you feel about their expressions being considered ‘barbaric’? Now that there is a textbook being used across the Caribbean outlining this religion, what can you say about how the society has changed? Can you compare the persecution of the Baptists with persecution in Christianity? How is it similar? How is it different? Some questions to consider
