LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Santeria
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[T]he basis of Santeria is the worship of spirits, whereas in Christianity only God is worthy of worship even though demons do exist (see Eph. 2:1-2; 6:12). According to the experience of Jesus and the apostles, these spirits are evil and can possess people (see Matt. 12:43-45), even speaking with human vocal chords (Mark 5:1-13) and predicting the future (Acts 16). These deities promote practices-such as divination and sorcery-which are manifestations of the kingdom of darkness. Although the images, myths, and names of the Orishas hide the identity of the evil one-Satan's deceptions are unmistakably present. Those spirits of darkness that pretend to be loving beings of light are actually leading people down the path of destruction (see 1 Tim. 4:1).
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Santeria is a religion that is gaining more followers everyday. The reason that can explain why Catholic Puerto Ricans ... practice the Santeria religion can be that they had a lot of influence from Africans who stayed in the island as slaves. Puerto Ricans were left with some of the influence of their traditions, culture, and food. Africans contribute a lot to their culture. Puerto Ricans are proud of their African ancestry that has been incorporated in the Santeria religion.
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Once dismissed as mere entertainment for slaves and freed blacks, as superstition or witchcraft, Santeria has become fertile ground for research and artistic inspiration and acquired a huge following among Cubans, Latin-Americans and African-Americas. Lucumi is both a support system and a mediating institution in Cuba and the US; acting as a coping mechanism for dealing with stress, whether induced by living under a Communist regime, exile in a foreign land, socio-economic oppression and the politics of power. As such, it is often used as a psychotherapeutic method and an alternative medical system.
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Santeria has its down side ... according to Willey. "It's very closely related to the drug culture," he said. "Most drug dealers cast shells to see if the signs are favorable for a drug run."
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Santeria has identified popular Catholic Saints with the ancient Orisha of the Yoruba pantheon. Since Catholicism ... venerated their saints and believed in their miraculous powers, it is not surprising that the traditions began to merge.Whereas in Africa these deities were numbered in the hundreds, in Cuba a much smaller number survived. The principal ones or Siete Potencias (Sevens Powers), are those who seem to be most actively acknowledged in the United States:
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Santeria integrates beliefs held by the Yoruba and Bantu people of Nigeria, Senegal, and the Guinea Coast. These peoples were brought to the Caribbean as slaves and encouraged to convert to Catholicism so that they could be saved. In an attempt to retain their cultural heritage, Santeria arose. Followers of Santeria are known as Lukumi, which means friend, or Aborisha, which means worshiper of the Orisha.
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Santeria