Christianity in Belize

Belize is located on the northeastern coast of Central America, with the Caribbean Sea marking its eastern boundary. The country shares borders with Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the west and south. The capital is Belmopan, while the official language is English. Belize has many ethnic groups, including Mestizo (52%), Creole (25.9%), Maya (11.3%), Garifuna (6.1%), Indian (3.9%), Mennonite (3.6%) and others (3.7%). Christianity is the dominant faith at 87.6% of the population. Others are Atheism, 9.7%, folk religion, 1.5%, and other faiths, 1.2%.

Modern History

The country, known as British Honduras until 1973, was the last British colony on the American mainland. Its prolonged path to independence was marked by a unique international campaign against the irredentist claims of its neighbour Guatemala. Belize achieved independence on September 21, 1981, but it has retained its historical link with the United Kingdom through membership in the Commonwealth.

God’s Canvass in Belize

The major feature of Belize is its predominantly marshy coastline, with many lagoons along the coasts. It is the only Central American country with no pacific coastline. The country is shaped like a rectangle that extends about 280 kilometres north-south and about 100 kilometres east-west. The undulating courses of two rivers, the Hondo and the Sarstoon define much of the course of the country’s northern and southern boundaries. The north of Belize consists mostly of flat, swampy coastal plains, heavily forested in some places. The fauna and flora of the country are diverse across the geographical space.

Fauna

The country’s low human population and approximately 22,970 square kilometres of undistributed land, provide an ideal home for a variety of wildlife. These include snakes, armadillos, monkeys and birds. Some of the species are shown below.

Flora

The country has more than 5,000 plant species, including palmettos of the savanna, silver palmetto, pine savanna and coconut palm. The pictures are examples of the country’s rich variety of plant life.

Beaches in Belize

Culture

The culture of Belize is a mix of influences and people from Kriol, Maya, East Indian, Garifuna, Mestizo (a mixture of Spanish and Native Americans), Mennonites of German descent, Chinese and Lebanese. Ethnic and geographic identification coincide with areas where ethnic groups settled. The Mestizos dominate the north and west. In the central part, Creoles formed by the intermarriage of the British and their African slaves hold sway, while the south is dominated by the Garifuna, also called Black Caribs.

Traditional Attire

The Mayans stand out among other ethnic groups in their love for their tradition and culture. They make a square piece of cloth into a blouse, called a ‘huipil’. Men wear a less decorated huipil with a blue or red sash, but women often embroider them elaborately. The embroidery designs represent the cosmos and gods. Some of the popular traditional attires are presented below.

Cuisine

Status of Christianity in Belize

Though Belize is officially a Christian nation, ancestral worship permeates its culture, especially shaman and Obeah spiritism. The practice of invoking Obeah on certain houses is widespread. This is done by burying bottles with the ‘evil’ under a tree close to the targeted house. In the Garifuna dominated areas for instance, bereaved families celebrate what is known as ‘Dugu’. It is a tradition brought from the coasts of Africa by slaves. In the culture, it is believed that if a person becomes sick and no Western medicine or doctor can cure the ailment, it is due to the spirit of an ancestor who is displeased. The subsequent ceremony to please the ancestor and cure the illness is quite detailed and involves shamans (native doctors) determining everything from the type of dress to be worn (usually traditional Garifuna grab), food and other requirements.

        On their part, the Mayans traditionally place food and drink for their ancestors in October in a ceremony dubbed, ‘Night of Soul’. This is intended to honour their lives. Although the food and drinks are placed near the doorway, it is considered bad luck for Mayans to walk forward into the house when they are returning from funerals; for fear, the spirits will follow them into their houses. Another ceremony to the dead known as Caribbean Nine Nights is popular among Mestizos, East Indians, Garifunas and Creoles. This involves a special ritual performed nine nights after a corpse is buried. It is a sacred time when family members return to the grave with food, alcohol, cigarettes (if the deceased was a smoker), candle and other items, including machetes.

         The prevalence of these practices among people who claim to be followers of Christ begs for question. Obviously, their faith is very shallow due to lack of spiritual guidance by church leaders. We should therefore intercede for the entire country and ask the LORD to break the hold of the demonic principalities and powers controlling their lives.

 Prayer Points

1. Pray for God’s intervention in the life of everyone from the country living within its space or outside its shores.
2. Ask the Father to pour down His Spirit on everyone in the country using its Prime Minister, Johnny Briceno as point of contact.
3. Pray that God would destroy the faulty spiritual foundation laid in the lives of those who identify as Christians and open their eyes to the truth that is in Yeshua alone.
4. Ask the Father to judge all demonic spirits holding sway in the country and uproot all their properties from the hearts and minds of the people.
5. Pray that Christian believers would be sanctified by God’s word to be living epistles that can be read by people in their various spheres of influence.
6. Ask the Father to send workers into His vineyard in Belize to win souls for Christ.
7. Pray that God would reveal Himself to those who doubt His existence, especially people under demonic captivity.
8. Pray for a mighty revival of true faith among Christians in the country.
9. Ask the Father to empower Christian believers to preach the gospel with boldness.
10.  Pray that Christian believers would be freed by God from the spirits enabling them to engage in heathen practices, particularly ancestral worship.

Intercession Checklist

1. God expects all Christians to pray for the salvation of souls (1 Timothy 2:1-3). To be specific with our prayers for the people of Belize, we need to select towns, cities and regions for focused intercession. Accordingly, we suggest that our readers choose any of the geographical space that appeals to them and present it before God as their prayer vineyard.
2. Tell the Father that you are claiming this space for Yeshua in line with what He said in Psalm 2:8, “Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance , and the ends of the earth for your possession”