Voodoo Secrets

Voodoo as a religion has its roots in traditional African religions. It original name is Vodu, but that paved way for the more widespread name; Voodoo. Other names referring to it include â€Å"Voudou, Vaudau, Voudoux, or Vaudaux† (Tallant 9). Captured slaves from West Africa carried its essential ideology into Haiti, then to America.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Voodoo Secrets specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The practice of Voodoo involves, â€Å"complicated rituals and symbols† (Riguad 7). It involves the worship of spiritual deities, with priests called papa loa, which means â€Å"father of the spirits† (Felix 21), and priestesses acting as intermediaries between the spiritual world, and humanity. Some of them also operate as oracles, revealing spiritual mysteries to those who seek their services. The term Voodoo also describes a charm that has supernatural powers known as juj u. Adherents believe that it acts as a protective force over them. They also use it to mete out revenge on their enemies. Voodoo therefore refers to an entire religious system and to certain specific aspects of its practice. Voodoo picked pace from the practices of a snake cult in Haiti during the slave trade period. The cult came from West Africa and spread with slave trade, in the Americas and to Haiti. As new slave communities grew in the Americas, different religious identities amalgamated into a unified faith as the slave communities tried to forge a common belief system to unify them in their new locales. Felix says, â€Å"Voodoo became the intermingling of essential attributes of all the religions of the different African tribes to which poorly assimilated elements of Catholicism were added† (20). Voodoo got its form in Haiti, which was an important station during slave trade. Missionary efforts among the slaves saw them incorporate elements of Catholicism in practice of the Voodoo religion. In the process, some Voodoo spirits replaced catholic saints because of close relationships between their roles. Currently, it is common to find prayers offered to Mary and other Catholic elements such as the Lord’s Prayer and the sign of the cross forming part of the Voodoo liturgy. In fact, many Voodoo adherents are staunch Catholics. In America, Voodoo practice first took place in New Orleans before spreading to other states. This was because of the role New Orleans played in slave trade.Advertising Looking for research paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Voodoo belief system builds on the idea of an all-powerful impersonal Supreme Being responsible for creation of the entire universe, but who does not get involved in day-to-day running characterized by the affairs of men. The adherents worship lesser deities known as Loa who are animistic spirits. The initial prac tice of Voodoo revolved around slave communities that sought to retain the vital link with their ancestral heritage. Present followers include descendants of these slaves spread throughout the Americas. In addition, tourists all over the world visit Voodoo priests and priestesses in America and Haiti to obtain special charms and amulets for all manner of purposes.  Its practice involves praying, dancing, and ritualistic expressions. It is important to distinguish between faithful adherents who actually believe in power of Voodoo, and those who participate in Voodoo recreational purposes. The use of dolls in Voodoo is the enduring image of the faith system though this is only a piece of the entire system. This view, propagated by Hollywood horror movies, depicts Voodoo priests as spiritual powerhouses using the dolls to control the outcome of an individual’s activities. There are a number of opponents to Voodoo who believe it is evil. Official catholic faith rejects Voodoo a s demonic and considers use of saints in the Voodoo liturgy as syncretism. The question of whether Voodoo is fact or fiction is hard to answer sufficiently using a scientific approach. It does not lend itself to purely scientific investigation to determine its efficacy. This is true for all faith-based systems. Evidence given by practicing Voodoo adherents does not meet criteria for objective study because they are likely to associate ordinary outcomes to their faith. It is difficult to dissociate outcomes of Voodoo mediated occurrences from random chance. The Placebo effect also applies to Voodoo. Someone may actually experience a favorable outcome because of participation in Voodoo rituals based on their belief in the efficacy of the service received. Taking a healing portion from a Voodoo priest may result in better physical health. We can therefore conclude that Voodoo is effective to the extent that such outcomes portray a positive relationship to Voodoo practice. Voodoo has ha d many tangible consequences in the world. The most notable was the drive towards independence by Haiti, which begun in earnest during a Voodoo festival, where all the participants took an oath to fight for independence. Consequently, Haiti became the first predominantly Negro nation to attain independence. Riguad also attest to some of the effects of voodoo practice when he says, â€Å"a curious moral consequence of the slave trade was the exaltation of the African religion by an increase of faith in the Voodoo divinities† (12). Berry identifies one of the mystifying occurrences of Voodoo when he says, â€Å"One of the most spectacular features of Voodoo is ritual possession trance, in which saints (loa) enter into and â€Å"possess† the practitioner, who can either be a believer (with no special psychological problem), a patient, or a priest/doctor who seeks to heal†. This shows that Voodoo is not without its share of paranormal occurrences that science cannot fully explain.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Voodoo Secrets specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Works Cited Berry, John, et al. Cross-cultural psychology: research and applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. Print. Felix, Emmanuel. Understanding Haitian Voodoo. USA: Xulon Press, 2009. Print Riguad, Milo. Secrets of voodoo. New York: Lights Books, 1985. Print. Tallant, Robert. Voodoo in New Orleans. Louisiana: Pelican Publishing, 1983. Print. This research paper on Voodoo Secrets was written and submitted by user Grady Barlow to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Subjunctive in German

The Subjunctive in German Konjunktiv I und II The German subjunctive mood (der Konjunktiv) comes in two varieties: (1) Subjunctive I (present subjunctive) and (2) Subjunctive II (past subjunctive). Despite their nicknames, it is important to understand that the subjunctive (in English or German) is a verb mood, not a verb tense. Both the so-called past and present subjunctive forms can be used in various tenses in German. What Is the Konjunktiv? What does the subjunctive actually do? Youll find subjunctive verb forms and expressions in almost any language, including English and German. The subjunctive mood is designed to convey a message. The message can vary, but the subjunctive is telling you that a statement is not just a plain fact (the indicative mood), that there may be some doubt, or something is contrary to reality. In English, when we say, If I were you... the verb form were is subjunctive and it conveys a message: I am not you, but... (The indicative form would be the rather unlikely I am you.) Other examples of the subjunctive in English: If we only had the money, we could...That would be a crazy thing to do.God save the Queen!They insist that she go.Be that as it may.He said he would not do that. Notice that in the examples above the words would and could often turn up. Its the same in German. In all of the examples given, the verb takes on an unusual form, different from the normal conjugation. Its the same in German. For instance, the indicative (normal) form would be God saves rather than God save. Instead of indicative she goes, we see she go in the subjunctive. In German, the Konjunktiv is also formed by altering the verb conjugation in some way. Which of the two subjunctive forms is more important for students learning German? Both of course! But the Subjunctive II is used more in conversational German than Subjunctive I. In fact, the past subjunctive is very common in daily German. It is found in many common expressions (ich mà ¶chte..., I would like...) and is used to express doubt or politeness. But well discuss all that when we get to the Subjunctive II lesson. Lets start with number one, the somewhat easier Subjunctive I. Konjunktiv I - The Quotative - Present Subjunctive In general, the Subjunctive I (present subjunctive) is used mostly for the so-called quotative or indirect speech (indirekte  Rede). It is heard or seen less and less frequently in modern German, with the important exception of news stories on radio and TV and in the newspaper. Sometimes the Subjunctive II is also used for indirect speech, usually when the Subjunctive I form is not obviously different from the indicative form. Recognize It When You See It! Since the Subjunctive I is encountered primarily in a passive way - in print or in TV/radio news, it is not necessary for most German-learners to learn how to produce it. It is more important to recognize it when you see it or hear it  because the subjunctive is sending a message you need to understand. What message? Generally the  Konjunktiv I  is telling you that someone said something that may or may not be true. For instance, in a news feature a newspaper may report what someone said, using the Subjunctive I: Der Nachbar  sagte, die Dame  lebe  schon  lnger  im  Dorf. The normal present tense conjugation is die Dame  lebt, but the subjunctive form die Dame  lebe tells us that this what someone said. The reporter/newspaper is not (legally) responsible for the truth of the statement. When you read the news in German or hear it on the radio, this so-called indirect speech (indirekte  Rede)  is a form of  indirect  quotation that says, in effect, thats what we were told but we cant vouch for the accuracy of the statement. The other terms sometimes used for the Subjunctive I also say something about its use: the quotative, indirect discourse, indirect speech. Other Uses The Subjunctive I is also used in formal or technical writing and in directions or recipes to express propositions or instructions: Technical: Hier  sei  nur  vermerkt, dass... (Here let it only be noted that...)Recipe: Man  nehme  100 Gramm Zucker,  zwei  Eier... (Take 100 g of sugar, two eggs...)Slogan: Es  lebe  der Kà ¶nig! (Long live the king!) Conjugating the Subjunctive I Many  German grammar  books or  verb guides  will list full subjunctive conjugations, but in practice, you really only need to know the  third person singular  forms most of the time. The Subjunctive I is almost always found in the third-person form:  er  habe  (he has),  sie sei  (she is),  er  komme  (hes coming), or  sie wisse  (she knows). This -e  ending (except for to be) rather than the normal -t  ending in the German third person is your clue to indirect quotation. The other non-third-person forms are rarely if ever used, so dont bother with them! Similarityto Command Forms The basic Subjunctive I form of a verb is usually identical to its imperative or command form. Although there are some exceptions, the third person singular subjunctive and the familiar (du) command forms often look alike:  Er  habe/Habe Geduld!  (Have patience!),  Sie  gehe/Geh(e)!  (Go!), or  Er sei/Sei  brav!  (Be good!). This is also true for the  wir-commands (lets, we-commands):  Seien  wir  vorsichtig!  (Lets be cautious!) or  Gehen  wir!  (Lets go!). For more about the command forms in German, see  Lesson 11  of German for Beginners. But remember, unless youre writing for a German newspaper or magazine, you dont need to be able to write or say the Subjunctive I forms. You only need to recognize them when you see them in print or hear them.