ABSTRACT
One major problem in investigating the interrelations of religion and politics in Haiti has been the difficulty faced in evaluating the function of Voodoo in the politics of the nation. In 1970, one investigator wrote about the impossibility of accurately gauging Voodoo's role in Haitian politics. And in 1976, another investigator added that measuring Voodoo's impact on the politics of Haiti is an 'abstruse and doubtful' project. More than two decades later, and after a serious socio-political upheaval in which various religious groups played important roles, the question of the role of Voodoo is still unanswered. Part of the problem is assessing the influence of Voodoo on politics lies in the widespread misunderstanding of Voodoo. Several missionaries told this author that they thought there was a definite connection between Voodoo and poverty in Haiti, on the one hand, and Christianity and wealth in the United States, on the other.
