Hello I am new to santeria, am in the process of being initiated, you are right sadly there are?

Before I became a Christian I was involved in Santeria. It is a very demonic practice along the lines of voodoo. They draw you in by telling you things about yourself that you wonder, how did they know that about me?

So you think they have some 'power' or are really 'spiritual' - when really they are operating under the influence of a 'familiar spirit'. A familiar spirit is one who knows things about you and feeds these 'priests/godfathers' information about you-(they are demonic spirits). Then once you start paying the money for protections, limpias (cleansings), beads, etc.They keep drawing you deeper in.

They do animal sacrifices and have you meditate in rooms filled with all kinds of idols. They give you all the names of 'spirits' you are to pray to and tell you that you're praying to 'saints' but they're not - they're demonic spirits. They have you do all kinds of creepy things like watch chickens get their heads popped off and they have you pray to ancestors that are dead.

And through all of this your going to be paying money, and more money. The types of people that I found were really drawn to it were people who wanted to put curses on others, or get others to 'fall' for them, people who wanted power and to be invincible in all the crime they were doing.

Take it from someone who was once involved in this wickedness and demonicness, this is not the way you should go. It only leads to destruction. If you're looking for true answers to life and for peace and direction, you need to turn to the Holy Bible, to Jesus, He is the only One that can give you that.

You will continue to search for something to fill the spiritual void you have in your life until you find Jesus. He is the only One who has the answers that you need in your life.

If you have any other questions about this religion (cult), let me know and I'll tell you all about it...

" All ways point to you having to go under someone's wing. Regardless of were you go, this is religion just like the rest of devotion and practice. When you are not satisfied with the direction that you are being taken.

If you are not satisfied with the instructions that your being given?. If you are not satisfied in general.Do not continue with these individuals. One continues to search until you find a place suits your style of living, express thought in a way that you can understand.

Finally, take your time. Getting involved and being a practitioner takes a life time. One day at a time, observation, interpretation, research, this is never ending.. I am always learning.. meet new people all the time.

They learning from me, and I from them... Hence, there is no right or wrong way to learn... It's what we experience that teaches us in the long wrong...

First I would like to say, I'm am very sorry you experienced this. I became an initiate in 2005 and I was exposed to the religion 5 years prior to that. The experience I had was a very good one.

I think I was fortunate to have been in a house with good people with good morals and values. Before I made Santo I had mental problems due to molestation and abuse. I needed help and I can honestly say it was a true miracle of god.

I felt so clean after I made Santo, I felt like all the heaviness and mental anguish was gone. In my heart and mind, I truly believe it saved my life. I am also a confirmed catholic.

I don't have a problem being both, a Santera and a Catholic. In this Religion you will find good and bad people as with any religion. My advice to you is to really take your time with getting to know people and keep your eyes and ears open to any foolishness.As my godfather has said to me in the past "This is a house of Santeria not witchcraft".

When people go that far as to use witchcraft, I think that is completely wrong and demonic. But Santeria I don't believe is demonic in any way shape or form. Its just a shame how there are people who ruin peoples idea of what Santeria is by their terrible behavior and con artists who take peoples money.

I agree with Friend of Truth on some sentences he or she have stated but I don't believe the religion itself is too blame for the evil deeds people do. It would be like blaming Catholicism for the priests molesting children. How does that make sense?

I understand how animal sacrifice can be a very touchy subject for many people and that the religion itself can be very foreign. But consider this, what is normal to one part of the world may not be to another. Santeria is a culture, a way of life as well as a religion.

But it is understandable why FriendofTruth would portray the religion as something demonic based on his description, its sounds like it was a bad experience and costly for him.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.