What interests me about this field is that where the colonial power - and thus the slaveowners - were Protestant, the descendants of the slaves remain Christian. But where the ruling power was Catholic, new, syncretistic faiths adopting both West African (Yoruba) and Christian elements have been created - faiths such as Vodou in Haiti and Santeria in Cuba - which have even today large umbers of adherents.

The argument Luther, Calvin and others made about the laxness of Roman Catholicism does seem to be confirmed here. It was under the Roman Church that holidays such as Easter and Christmas were timed to coincide with Pagan celebrations, while adopting/allowing the use of Pagan symbols (egg, hare/rabbit, holly, miseltoe and so forth). It is notable that in both Vodou and Santeria, traditional portrayals of Catholic Saints were sometimes used to represent the loa or oricha spirits, thus allowing practitioners to claim they were taking part in Christian worship if challenged.

The sterner, starker Protestant practices common in North America - even in the Anglican or Episcopalian Church, but especially in Nonconformist churches - would have encouraged a more vigilant attitude to slaves' religious behaviour, stamping out any such developments at once.

Is this valid, do you think, or have I got it wrong again?