Interfaith ministers ordained through ULC come from many faiths. Though some are more common than others, none are turned away due to unconventional beliefs. Anyone can be ordained as a an interfaith minister through ULC without question regarding your faith. This includes those of the Vodou faith. In Vodou, Bokor are priests who “serve the Loa “with both hands”, meaning they practice both light and dark magick. One occurrence that is often associated with Bokor are zombies. Not the undead, blood thirsty creatures of pop-culture today, but a human being who has had his ti-bon anj (awareness, or consciousness) captured by a sorcerer, leaving his body an animated corpse. Though not a common practice in Vodou today, zombies are very prevalent folklore in Haiti.

Vodou has roots in the West African Vodun practice, a faith with emphasis on ancestry, as well as one all-powerful God and several “actors” who do the God-Creator’s bidding. When Western and Central Africans were brought to Haiti in the late seventeenth century, they were forbidden to practice their African religion, and mandated to convert to Catholicism within days of their arrival to Haiti. In order to adhere to these provisions, Africans in Haiti concealed their religious practices through the use of Catholic imagery and saints. They implemented Catholic alters into their ceremonies and even assigned the images of Catholic saints to various spirits in their practice.

One ritual performed by the Bokor is the creation of zombies. This is done by using two powdered toxins, one of them being a fatal neurotoxin found in the flesh of puffer fish. This poison is then introduced to the bloodstream through an open wound, causing the victim to go into a comatose state. The victim is then presumed dead and buried, only to rise from the grave to do the Bokor’s bidding. The Bokor continues to give the “corpse” drugs to keep him in a state of delirium, mindlessly adhering to the commands of his master. This is when the person is termed a “zombie”. Unlike the Hollywood zombies, these corpses do not hunger for flesh. They are not the result of a disease or science experiment gone awry. They are humans who have had their consciousness removed, leaving them a mindless vessel. Haitian zombies are not seen as something to be feared, they are really free slaves to the Bokor, who uses them to do manual labor in most cases.

Today, more than 50 million people practice Vodou worldwide (not to be confused with Louisiana Voodoo). Ceremonies take place outdoors, opening with a Catholic prayer. Drumming and dancing begin, the priest draws a series of sacred symbols into the ground with cornmeal, and rum is poured on the ground. Although Vodou may not have a sacred text or structured leadership, it is sanctioned as an official religion. Vodou is not only a religion, but a worldview bringing cultures together for centuries. Through the Universal Life Church, anyone, including those practicing Vodou, can be an ordained interfaith minister.