Campaign seeks to lift Jamaica’s ban on Obeah

| 13/08/2013

(BBC): For hundreds of years Jamaicans have been prevented by law from practising Obeah, a belief system with similarities to Haiti's Voodoo. Now, campaigners and practitioners believe they have a chance to overturn the law. Until recently, the practice of Obeah was punishable by flogging or imprisonment, among other penalties. The government recently abolished such colonial-era punishments, prompting calls for a decriminalisation of Obeah to follow. But Jamaica is a highly religious country. Christianity dominates nearly every aspect of life; and it is practiced everywhere from small, wooden meeting halls through to mega-churches with congregations that number in the thousands.

The island claims to have the highest ratio of churches to people in the world. So the proposal to decriminalise what many Christians regard as black magic, a scam, or even evil, is highly controversial.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Any form of religion should be banned.

     

  2. Anonymous says:

    There are many in Cayman who adhere to strange religions whose dogma and practices are based on stories of magic and strange supernatural behaviour.  There is also obeah practitioners.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Obeah is another name for witchcraft. Evilness is what it is and the whole world is full of it, not just Jamaica and Cayman but I am a Christian and no Obeah man/woman can tango with my God! I pray for those who are caught up in such a false 'religion'.

    • Anonymous says:

      Believe what you will, but this is not a reason to ban it.

    • Anonymous says:

      And witchcraft is another name for Obeah… Get back to work!  This is your employer!

  4. God Squad says:

    Oh, yes, the history is Christianity is without evil and they are such good people today.  Oh well. looks like one silly superstition is jealous and afraid of others–again!

  5. Anonymous says:

    10:16 it is such a thing as mind over matter, but one should always strive to make sure it's their own mind over the matter , obeah feeds on the weak just like cults ,most of the Jamaicans are lying to themselves about being Christians and good servants circumstance speaks for it self  .

  6. Hoping for better days says:

    People should not turn a blind eye from these things, but also they shouldn't get involved if they do not fully understand the consequences. Obeah is serious. I am sure people practice it in Cayman also. Nothing that doesn't go on here in Cayman….we are kind of like sin city.

     

    • A1 says:

      I am not a full bible believer, but I do believe in evil. I know atheist who believe in evil. And I know if there is evil, it is like a parasite, it uses people to harm other people. And just like you have religious priests who practice rites and ceremonies, I can conclude that you must have those who do similar pratices for the wrong reasons. I am not superstitious and believe in every hocus pocus story, but these people who practice such things have "faith" in what they do, and when you believe in something so much that you start do works in secret to actualize that belief, I think it can come true. There is such a thing as mind over matter.

      • Knot S Smart says:

        All that I have to add to your post is that I am certain that my last ex-wife was EVIL…

        • A1 says:

          And knot, did you notice how she walks around the house with her underwear, and all of a sudden your under a trance, following her all over the place.. I'm starting to think my ex was doing something too, and no it's her fault that the door was left open!

      • Anonymous says:

        it can only harm you if you BELIEVE it can harm you. don't be a victim to your own BELIEF-SYSTEM. 

    • Anonymous says:

      Yeah, right the drug lords, murderers, theives, politicians and gangs in Jamaica are highly Christian. Cayman slowly heading that way too if we ain't careful

    • Anonymous says:

      Think we have neough dodgy churches here already, this one should be banned from our shores…and a few others with it..