Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies
including the dramatic role of a former priest, ex-president
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who continues to play an active role in
Haitian politics (see Aristide Presidency, February 7, 1991-September
30, 1991, and Democracy Restored, 1994-96, ch. 6).
Protestantism
Protestantism has existed in Haiti since the earliest days of
the republic. By the mid-nineteenth century, there were small
numbers of Protestant missions in the country, principally Baptist,
Methodist, and Episcopalian. Protestant churches, mostly
from North America, have sent many foreign missions to Haiti.
Almost half of Haiti's Protestants are Baptists; pentecostals are
the second largest group. A range of Protestant denominations
includes Nazarenes, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses,
the Salvation Army, Mennonites, and Presbyterians.
Protestantism in Haiti has grown rapidly since the 1950s. By
some estimates, around 25 percent of the population are Protestant.
The number of Protestant adherents, especially pentecostals,
continues to grow.
Protestantism appealed initially to the middle and the upper
classes, and has long played an important role in education.
Protestant churches subsequently focused their attention on
the poor and did so far earlier than the Roman Catholic
Church. Protestant churches and clergy are found even in
remote areas. Having long used Creole rather than French,
Protestant clergy promote adult literacy in Creole. They have
also established numerous schools and clinics in communities
otherwise without access to these much-needed services. Protestant
congregations encourage baptisms and marriages and
generally perform them free.
Protestantism actively opposes voodoo and for many Haitians
provides an alternative to serving voodoo spirits. Most
Protestant denominations consider all
loua, including family
spirits, as demons. When people convert to Protestantism, they
often come to view the folk religion as diabolical. Some Haitians
convert to Protestantism when they reject family spirits
that have failed to protect them. Others become Protestants as
a way to gain new forms of protection from misfortune.
In his struggle with the Roman Catholic Church, Francois
Duvalier welcomed Protestant missionaries, especially from the
United States. Although Protestants tend to compete with the
Roman Catholic Church and other Protestant churches for
adherents, in 1986 in an unusual show of interreligious solidar-
348