Religious Impact of Earthquakes in Haiti and Japan

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World Religions: Religious Impact of Earthquakes in Haiti and Japan Topic: Religious Impact on Earthquakes in Haiti and Japan Word Count: 3,869 Abstract This essay researches the religious impact of earthquakes in Haiti and Japan. On January 12, 2010 a 7.0 magnitude earthquake erupted in the heart of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince; leaving over 200,000 dear, over 300,000 injured, one million displaced and a series of aftershocks. Similarly, on March 11, 2011 a 9.0 magnitude earthquake erupted off the coast of Japan killing over 25,000 dead, over 27,000 injured, 340,000 displaced, a tsunami and nuclear power plant crisis. Although these two countries suffered virtual the same natural phenomenon, For the purpose of this research statement these religions along with their respective practitioners will be studied to understand religion's influence on their daily lives. Buddhism/ Shinto and Roman Catholicism/ Haitian vodou ability to complement one another as far as ritual belief explains the reason behind choosing these cultures. This essay discusses use of religions to cope. For Japan, the major religions are Buddhism and Shinto; for Haiti the major religions are Haitian vodou and Roman Catholicism. With the use of photos and religious understanding and interpretation religion emerges the main coping mechanism for the masses once a natural disaster has occurred. Religion has a major influence on reaction and rehabilitation towards catastrophic events. People look to religion as a means to answer questions that reality is unable to answer. Contents Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………......1 Acknowledgement ………………………………………………………………………….…....3 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………...……4 Why Haiti and Japan?

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