By Casey Zachary

This is a series of posts that will cover the next several weeks examining the concept of sin and moral responsibility in the mind of a Haitian. Let me preface this by saying there are many Haitian Chrisitans who truly have felt the full force of the Gospel and are strong, faithful believers, and their example is a constant companion of mine, challenging me along the way. This survey of soteriology/ hamartiology is by no means exhaustive. My intention is not to project that I have the ultimate insight on such things. Many have lived in Haiti longer than I. In many ways, I am a weak and short sighted man. However, growing up as an MK in Haiti several things perplexed me, one of which was the perpetual disconnect in evangelistic efforts in regards to how the missionary and the host culture understood the Gospel. To this end, I invested a good deal of time studying. The following is a result of the research I did. Again, I do not intend to come across as presumptuous. There are as likely as many views on sin in Haiti as there are Haitian people. I simply believe it is good to think on these things. The content of the posts will be

1) an Introduction
2) A Brief History in the Development of Religion in Haiti
3) Poor Assumptions by Missionaries
4) Understanding the General Worldview of a Haitian
5) Haitian’s Understanding of Sin and Moral Responsibility
6) Towards a Biblical View of Sin and Moral Responsibility
7) Essential Shifts in the Haitian Worldview

A rural Haitian sees morality as a function of community, thus they view sin not as “missing the mark” or “failing to obey God’s righteous standards” but rather as the denial and disrespect of authority and the structure of the community.[34] In regards to responsibility for sin, the rural Haitian senses a greater accountability to those in his/her community that he/she does to God. The rural Haitian evaluates his/her actions in terms of how the community will measure them rather than how God will perceive them. This understanding is also shaped by the view of God being so far removed from daily life that interaction, and indeed a personal relationship with him, is impossible. If there is not a real relationship, then there is no means by which to offend or mar that relationship, thus the context of sinning against God is irrelevant.

The information above points towards the idea that, in rural Haiti, the community, rather than absolute truth or moral imperatives, establishes what is a “sin.” Although the community standardizes what behavior is appropriate and possesses its own system of consequences, the community is conscious that it is the spirit world that is to blame for the actions of individuals. If people do not have final control over their actions, then they will not feel genuinely at fault or blameworthy on a moral level. Their imperfection does not stem from violating a moral law but from not performing the correct rituals with which to coerce the spirits in order to produce a more favorable outcome.

By the brief survey of aspects that help comprise the Haitian’s worldview, it is evident that the culture in rural Haiti is an animistic and shame based culture. Missionaries from a western mindset often neglect to recognize this dynamic and how it has a marked bearing on how one understands both sin and moral responsibility. Western missionaries are born and raised in an individualistic society that promotes individualism while the Haitian culture shapes their views and ideas around the collective group. The cultural assumptions that lead to a breakdown in communication about sin are not unique to missions work in Haiti. Sound missiological work done by Paul Hiebert in an animistic context in Africa provides two key insights. First, the guilt is relieved by confession while shame is relieved by external sanctions; therefore, guilt cultures emphasize punishment and forgiveness as a means of restoring moral order while shame cultures stress self denial and humility to restore social order.[35] Second, he rightly observes that both concepts of shame (Old Testament) and guilt (New Testament) are essential to fully understand the biblical meaning of sin and salvation.[36]

[34] Metraux, Alfred, Voodoo in Haiti, 33.

[35] Hiebert, Paul G., Anthrolopogical Insights for Missionaries, 213

[36] Ibid, 213.