Belief Compass

Across families

Candomblé and Haitian Vodou

Different families with 16 axes in close agreement — the sort of pairing a quiz weighting only the divine axes would never surface. Mean distance across all seventeen axes: 0.03 (0 would be identical).

CandombléAfro-Brazilian

West African orixá worship carried to Brazil and preserved through initiation rather than through text — knowledge is transmitted inside a house, in stages, by a hierarchy. The body is where the divine becomes present, not an obstacle to it.

Haitian VodouAfro-diasporic

A distant creator and a crowd of lwa who are served, fed and who ride their devotees in ceremony. Initiatory, communal, intensely embodied, and consistently misrepresented by everyone who has not looked at it.

Where they agree

  • A1 Divine reality

    Both sit at a divine reality certainly exists — a gap of 0.00.

  • A3 Plurality

    Both sit at many powers and spirits — a gap of 0.00.

  • D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good

    Both sit at between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight — a gap of 0.00.

  • D2 Centrality of ritual

    Both sit at essential and prescribed — a gap of 0.00.

  • E1 Exclusivity

    Both sit at leaning many valid paths — a gap of 0.00.

  • E3 Locus of belonging

    Both sit at leaning a people, inherited — a gap of 0.02.

  • A4 Locus

    Both sit at fully present within it — a gap of 0.02.

  • B2 Reading of sacred text

    Both sit at metaphorical, or no text at all — a gap of 0.02.

  • E2 Origin of the cosmos

    Both sit at leaning an intentional act — a gap of 0.03.

  • A2 Personhood

    Both sit at leaning a personal being one can address — a gap of 0.04.

  • C3 The human condition

    Both sit at leaning ignorant but fundamentally sound — a gap of 0.04.

  • B1 Source of truth

    Both sit at between revealed and fixed and reason and direct experience — a gap of 0.04.

  • C1 Survival of the self

    Both sit at continues in some form — a gap of 0.04.

  • E4 Standing of nature

    Both sit at animate and itself sacred — a gap of 0.04.

  • D3 The body

    Both sit at leaning to be celebrated — a gap of 0.06.

  • B3 Institutional authority

    Both sit at clergy and tradition decide — a gap of 0.07.

All seventeen axes

AxisCandombléHaitian VodouGap
A1 Divine realitya divine reality certainly existsa divine reality certainly exists0.00
A2 Personhoodleaning a personal being one can addressleaning a personal being one can address0.04
A3 Pluralitymany powers and spiritsmany powers and spirits0.00
A4 Locusfully present within itfully present within it0.02
B1 Source of truthbetween revealed and fixed and reason and direct experiencebetween revealed and fixed and reason and direct experience0.04
B2 Reading of sacred textmetaphorical, or no text at allmetaphorical, or no text at all0.02
B3 Institutional authorityclergy and tradition decideclergy and tradition decide0.07
C1 Survival of the selfcontinues in some formcontinues in some form0.04
C2 Shape of timebetween one life, then judgment and cyclical returnleaning cyclical return0.13
C3 The human conditionleaning ignorant but fundamentally soundleaning ignorant but fundamentally sound0.04
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate goodbetween given as grace and achieved by effort or insightbetween given as grace and achieved by effort or insight0.00
D2 Centrality of ritualessential and prescribedessential and prescribed0.00
D3 The bodyleaning to be celebratedleaning to be celebrated0.06
E1 Exclusivityleaning many valid pathsleaning many valid paths0.00
E2 Origin of the cosmosleaning an intentional actleaning an intentional act0.03
E3 Locus of belongingleaning a people, inheritedleaning a people, inherited0.02
E4 Standing of natureanimate and itself sacredanimate and itself sacred0.04

Positions for Candomblé rest principally on Candomblé oral tradition and Bastide, The African Religions of Brazil; for Haitian Vodou, on Haitian Vodou ritual practice and Desmangles, The Faces of the Gods. Per-cell sources are listed on each tradition’s own page.

Which of the two is closer to you?

The questionnaire places your answers on these same axes and ranks all 65 traditions by how closely they match. Take it.