Ringing a bell, talking in tongues, lighting a candle or even sprinkling water to release blessings are still considered “simi dimi” or obeah by followers of other religions. This according to one baptist leader who believes that even after 203 years, the faith still has not gained the full respect it deserves.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian, the leader who holds the title of Bishop and is a member of the National Evangelical Spiritual Baptist Faith Archdiocese Incorporated, said that although the faith had gained some respect because of the national holiday, there is still a lot of discrimination and stigmatisation.
The bishop who has served in the faith for over two decades did not want to be identified, but added that the negative belief that Spiritual Baptists dabble in necromancy, has to some degree, hindered the growth of the Spiritual Baptist religion in T&T.
“You still find that even today, other religions or denominations don’t want to associate with us because of that stigma,” he said.
“Sometimes people are even afraid to say that they are Baptist when they fill out forms for jobs or otherwise, for a fear that they might be viewed negatively or discriminated against.”
The Baptist elder defended the rituals of lighting candles, burning incense or sprinkling water by saying if people read the Bible carefully, they would find passages which speak about these rituals being performed and they were not considered to be evil.
“The funny thing is. These same other religions that speak against us, often times members of their church come to us for help and then return to their own. We do not discriminate.
“The only difference between the Baptist and other religions is the way in which we administer our praise. But at the end of it all, our whole concept is in Christ.”
Baptists are not backward
The bishop who heads a church of more than 106 members in east Trinidad also dismissed the notion that the Baptist religion was backward.
He said the churches are quite modern in their architectural style and the faith is made up of some of the best and the brightest.
“We have members who are engineers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, mayors etc. It is not a bunch of inadequate people from demographically-challenged areas as is often thought to be,” he noted.
He said in every religion there will be good, bad and indifferent people.
But the thing that must remain foremost in the mind is keeping Jesus Christ at the centre of their lives.
“Religion is just an attraction to the life of Christ, but the relationship (with Christ) is what brings salvation.”
The Bishop also said the faith plays a vital role in society through outreach programmes, which involve prayer meetings, counselling and mentorship programmes.
“Many people’s lives have been transformed through this faith. I have see many thieves and gunmen change their lives around and now they are ministering to the younger ones. We are not about hypocrisy.”
Great strides made
While the Bishop comments focused on the discrimination of the baptist faith, secretary of the Council of Elders of the Spiritual Shouter Baptists, Junior Barrack, said over the past 20 years the Spiritual Shouter Baptist faith in T&T has made significant strides. He said the steady progress was to credited to former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday who recognised the faith with a holiday, fulfilling a lifelong dream of the patriarch Archbishop Elton George Griffith who fought for the repeal of the shouter prohibition ordinance which criminalised shouter baptists.
“Since then the faith has made steady progress with the advent of the holiday and now the religion is also taught in school for the first time,” said Barrack.
Additionally, the Spiritual Shouter Baptists also received their own primary school and Early Childhood Care Centre. Barrack believes this has placed intellectual and academic development in the hands of the Shouter Baptists.
Another great achievement was the revision of the table of precedence by the current government to include the faith.
“The so-called stigma is diminishing. They has been significant movement. We are no longer where we were 20 years ago.
“For those who laboured in the vineyards, there will be some gnashing of teeth at times and joy at other times. But there is progress and that is important and it brings joy to the hearts of the Shouter Baptists who remained steadfast in the faith, to see the seeds that were sown have indeed harvested,” said Barrack.