Late to the party as they say, as anyone who reads FR can says. And the Lord of all stated
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. (Matthew 24:6)
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
But is also states:
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (1 Timothy 4:1)
You will not find much of anything negative on it searching Google, Bing, Brave, DDG, since SE's themselves overall favor the dark side. But sources as WP inform things ree. this demonic religion, as this:
Santería (Spanish pronunciation: [san.te.ˈɾi.a]), also known as Regla de Ocha, Regla Lucumí, or Lucumí, is an African diaspora religion that developed among Afro-Cuban communities following the Atlantic slave trade of the 16th to 19th centuries. It arose amid a process of syncretism between the traditional Yoruba religion of West Africa, Catholicism, and Spiritism. There is no central authority in control of Santería and much diversity exists among practitioners, who are known as creyentes ('believers'). ... In the 1960s, growing emigration following the Cuban Revolution spread Santería abroad.
Santería teaches the existence of a transcendent creator divinity, Olodumare, under whom are spirits known as oricha. Typically deriving their names and attributes from traditional Yoruba deities, these oricha are equated with Roman Catholic saints and associated with various myths. Each human is deemed to have a personal link to a particular oricha who influences their personality. Olodumare is believed to be the ultimate source of aché, a supernatural force permeating the universe that can be manipulated through ritual actions. Practitioners venerate the oricha at altars, either in the home or in the ilé (house-temple), which is run by a santero (priest) or santera (priestess).
.. Santería is an initiatory religion,[167] one which is organized around a structured hierarchy.[168] An ethos of secrecy pervades many of its practices,[169] with initiates often refusing to discuss certain topics with non-initiates.[170] For this reason, Mason described Santería as a secret society.[171] For ritual purposes, the Lucumí language is often used.[172] Sometimes referred to as la lengua de los orichas ("the language of the oricha"),[173] it is regarded as a divine language through which practitioners can contact the deities.[174]
Membership of the ilé requires initiation. Offerings to the oricha include fruit, liquor, flowers and sacrificed animals. A central ritual is the toque de santo, in which practitioners drum, sing, and dance to encourage an oricha to possess one of their members and thus communicate with them.
The scholar of religion Mary Ann Clark labelled Santería a "female oriented and female normative" religion,[154] arguing that all of its practitioners are expected to take on "female gender roles" during its rituals.[155] Women can hold the highest leadership positions,[156] although restrictions are placed on them while menstruating.[157] Similar restrictions are also placed on homosexual males, traditionally prohibiting them from taking part in certain forms of divination and ritual drumming.[158] Many gay men and lesbians are nevertheless santeros or santeras,[159] with Yemaja being seen as the patron of gay and bisexual men.[160] A stereotype exists that all male Santería priests are homosexual,[41] and members of other Afro-Cuban traditions with a more masculinist orientation, such as Palo, have often denigrated it for being dominated by women and men they consider to be "womanly".[161] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santer%C3%ADa
Initiates Must Get Possessed By A Spirit In Order To Join In Western culture, possession by a spirit or entity is generally something to avoid. In Santeria, if you don't get possessed by an orisha, you've done something wrong - possession is the intent of the initiation ceremony for Santeros and Santeras. After the sacred substances are implanted in the initiate's head, they are now considered in direct communication with an orisha. The initiate allows their body to be used by the demigod to communicate with the rest of the community, though they typically have no memory of the experience afterwards.
Extreme Fringe Practitioners May Occasionally Use Infant Remains In Spells One of Santeria's practices involves the use of infant remains or stillborn fetuses to invoke spirits - or orishas - and to cast spells and curses. Few practitioner will comment on the subject, and most will tell you Santeria is generally a positive practice; however police recovered from the New Jersey River the body of a 2-year-old girl stolen from a grave and used in a ritual. Customs agents also stopped a pair of women attempting to smuggle human fetuses into the US from Cuba in their luggage. The fetuses were given to them by a Santeria priest. More than likely, these cases are the extreme fringe of the religion and in no way represent the average Santeria practitioner. - https://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-facts-about-santeria/brent-sprecher
- Climb on the Internet, punch in the word "Santeria" and prepare for a tidal wave. Santeria (San-ter-EE-a), once a shadowy spiritual movement, is now a growing American religion found on nearly 2,000 Web sites.Santeria has become a force. Paul Simon and David Byrne record its music.
- "The problem is Santeria deceives people," says Misael Mayorta, director of Hispanic Affairs for the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake. "The church takes a negative position toward Santeria...Other churches take even harsher positions against it. - https://www.deseret.com/1999/6/5/19449177/santeria-stirs-suspicions-and-belief/
Of course, Catholicism has its own problems.
Meanwhile, searching a custom search engine brought up this:
Defeating the Occult: A Minister's Former Descent Into Darkness ...www.christianpost.comhttps://www.christianpost.com/.../defeating-the-occult-a-pastors-former-des...Nov 17, 2011 ... "I was drawn to the power and authority that the Devil gives you over people," Ramirez said. "I found that the more evil I acted, the more ...www.christianpost.comhttps://www.christianpost.com/.../defeating-the-occult-a-pastors-former-des...www.christianpost.comhttps://www.christianpost.com/.../santa-muerte-leading-to-increase-of-demo...Jan 4, 2024 ... A Roman Catholic priest and exorcist in Mexico has warned that the ... demonic activity in the country, including demonic possession.www.christianpost.comhttps://www.christianpost.com/.../santa-muerte-leading-to-increase-of-demo...www.christianpost.comhttps://www.christianpost.com/.../ex-satanist-warns-against-one-night-stands...Oct 16, 2022 ... From the time he was 8 years old, Ramirez, who's of Puerto Rican descent, was caught up in a satanic cult (Santeria and Espiritismo/spiritualist) ...
