Some Christians deem the earthquake a punishment, because they believe that the portion of Haiti who practice Vodou made a deal with the devil. Syncretism At this point, the exact number of Vodou followers and Christians in Haiti is unknown. Many Christians accept Vodou as part of the country's culture, though most Evangelical Christians consider Vodou incompatible with Christianity, though not universally. Vodou is an established religion. False representations in the media have led it to be considered "black magic," but its adherents recognize it as an official religion. (or at least not primarily, see bokor). Many observances are shared between the religions; for instance it is not abnormal for Vodou funerary ceremonies to be performed, followed by a Roman Catholic ceremony presided by a priest. Many Haitians celebrate Christian holidays alongside traditional Vodou holidays. As a whole it is a complex relationship where some consider the theologies to be incompatible, whereas others indeed view them as compatible. Vodou draws influences from a multitude of other religions and cultures, particularly Catholicism despite the counter-position between the two religions. Over the centuries, Vodou was shaped into the wide-reaching and unique religion that it is today. Some practices of Haitian Vodou are a result of the syncretism that occurred when the French colonizers forcibly converted West African slaves in the West Indies colonies to Christianity. Instead of completely converting to Christianity, the African slaves disguised their loa as acceptable Catholic saints. This way, they were able to continue to practice their traditional religion. This new form of the tribal African religions came to be Haitian Vodou which to this day still has its Christian influences. Despite the constant opposition between Christianity and Vodou, many Haitians often consider themselves practitioners of both Vodou and Christianity. Louisiana Vodou/New Orleans Vodou is another example of syncretism with Christianity and West African culture. The Church position During the colonial period, the Catholic Church first altered the traditional African traditions that would eventually become Haitian Vodou through slavery and forced Christianization. Missionaries sought to end any African influence on slaves in the New World to fully convert them to Christianity. The Church has put pressure upon the government to outlaw and disband Vodou. In 1896, 1913, and again in 1941 the church led its anti-superstitious campaigns to fight against Voodooism. During the campaigns, hundreds of Ounfos and ritual paraphernalia were destroyed and burned. In addition to the