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A look into the challenges, achievements and influences of the Hindu, Muslim, Pentecostal and Spiritual Shouter Baptist religion.

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Wednesday 12th April
I must admit that my feelings toward this course has made a complete turn from my first encounter. I remember vividly at the beginning of the sesmester, the orientation session for the course. What i felt was strong dislike for this course, my exact thought was," ANOTHER BORING HISTORY CLASS, I HAVE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE." But no, i had not heard this all before, this was revisionism, a peculiar truth about history that i could finally accept. It was not the textbook truth that painted colonialism as a gift to the Caribbean, but a scorge ! Apart from the content presented in this course, the online delivery was also admirable, exciting and different from any teaching i had ever experience. Dr. Campbell offered a very exciting and enjoyable method of discourse. He was very interactive with students and always listened to the opinions of others even when they seem to stray from his topic, and though i myself never volunteered to speak, there was a sense of warmth displayed by Dr. Campbell to the students that I too could have felt. Below is a qoute which I found interesting as I embarked on this jourrney of Caribbean Civilisation. I have understand that though I may view history as boring, it is important to gain knowledge of it for the purpose of understanding my culture identity and the possible origins of my ancestors. Thanks to Dr. Campbell, my tutor Aakeil and the course coordinator for STA, Ms. Lynette Sampson, I am a leaf with full knowledge of the tree to which I belong.

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The first Shouter Baptist Primary School

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The first Shouter Baptist Primary School

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Monday 17th April
After years of intense stigmatization  left on this religion by colonizers , the shouter baptist have not only been merited by being given a date of recognition ( Shouter Baptist Liberation Day, celebrated on March 30th), but in 2012, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago opened the first Shouter Baptist School, The St. Barbara's Spiritual Baptist Primary school. In my opinion this was long overdue, since our independence in 1962 to which there have been the opening of several other schools throughout the island. Nevertheless, this shows a great accomplishment for the spritual Baptist community and display of great respect on the part of the governement of
Trinidad and Tobago. Since they were once banned from practicing their religion through the 1917 Shouter Baptist Ordinance, implemented by colonizers, they now have a forefront to teach their upcoming generations about this culture. This also reduces the stigma placed on the Spiritual Baptist community, the ownership of an educational institution puts them in a place to be recognitized as important  as any other religion in the Caribbean.

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Monday 17th April
The video displayed below features my church choir, at Bloodwash Assembly, Arouca, doing a rendition during the praise and worship session on sunday morning. I belong to the pentecostal religion, a protestant religion , which  I learnt during this  course that it was developed in the Caribbean in the 20th Century. There is a joy that fills my heart during this time of the service. It is not just any old boring singing hymns, but incorporation of a guiter, shak shak, tamborines and even clapping which makes the singing so exciting and enjoyable. Hence, I have come to understand why so many people have joined this faith, particularly people of African Descent , as it gives a sense of connection to African culture. Observe also, the ratio of women to men in this choir, women is dominating, and the choir's conductor is in fact a woman. The pentecostal faith is one that I have great admiration and love for, it gave my family and I a safehaven, a place other than our house to call home and a group of people other than blood relatives, to call family. Yes, these people that are seen here I consider my family, my family in christ, this is the importance of protestant religions to me, and by extension, I believe, to Caribbean people.

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Wednesday 19th April
The Haji Gokool Meah is a Islamic Mosque located in my community , St. James. It is one of the oldest Islamic mosque in Trinidad and one of the many located in the vicinity of St.James. This artifact has represented to me a thought of peace, harmony and love in my neighbourhood. It drew my attention to the Muslim festival of Hosay, a celebration to commemorate the assasination of the grandsons of the Prophet Muhammed, Hassan and Hussein. Though this is a Muslim festival, the street parade is an event attended by many people in the St. James community. People of various religious denomination gather in celebration together with the Muslim community and this to me is a admirable. Religion seems to be a factor which divides society, but this religious festival has created a sense of togetherness. St. James is known for the "limelight"and the several bars located on the Western Main Road, however it is much more than that. It is a community of tolerance, mutual respect and . That is to say the negative potrayal in the media of the Muslim community (Involvement with gangs and terrorist actions) is a matter of who, where and what they stand for, since those in my community displayed nothing less than peacefulness.

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Monday 10th April
Hindiusm is one of the oldest religions of the Caribbean and most popular among the indian community. Recently, there had been a challenge to their practices as displayed in the video below. It is a long standing tradition of Hinduism to marry off their young women before the legal age of 18, however to the rest of the society, this is considered an illegal practice of child marriage. In my opinion this is a battle of morality vs religion. Religion is a scared issue among any community, and if we live in a country where we are free to practice whatever religion we want. According to Hindu organisation Maha Sahba in the video below, the reason for underage marriage is to protect their pregnant teenage girls, then who are we ( the outside community and government) to interfere with the workings of their religion. On the other hand, there is to think about the morality behind child marriage. As somebody who has just left the teenage years behind, I can testify that it is indeed one of the best times of any young boy or girl's life, most for that fact. Child marriage does nothing but deprive them of their youth, innocence, and the childhood experience. Not to mention, having to marry a much older man at times and committing to a life of servitude at such a young age is atrocious. The question then stands , " What is more important, the rights of the constitution or protecting and preserving the innocence of a young girl ? I think the latter.

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Maha Sabha: No need to amend Hindu Marriage Act

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The Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha says that there's absolutely no need to amend the Hindu Marriage Act at this time. The Act currently allows for the marriage of young Hindu girls and boys at ages 14 and 18.