Benin is a small country bordering western Nigeria. It is the birthplace of voodoo, and Christianity is viewed by many in the north as a threat to their traditional beliefs. Every village and many homes in the north have a designated place for animal sacrifice (and sometimes human sacrifice). Voodoo is an official religion, and Voodoo Day is a public holiday. Witchcraft is deeply ingrained in the local culture and is openly practised. Christianity is considered a foreign religion that steals a community’s youth and prevents them from being properly initiated into the local tribes. Every village chief serves as both a political leader and a voodoo priest and local politicians in Benin are often strongly influenced by voodoo priests.
In one part of the country, voodoo practitioners have convinced police to arrest four pastors because of songs they heard Christians singing during worship services. The complaints about the Christians’ songs have interrupted the services and activities of roughly a dozen churches in that area.
One pastor spent a week in jail because of a persecutor’s sway over local officials. That pastor has found a Christian lawyer to defend him in court, but he expects a long and costly legal battle.
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