Shouter's Baptist Portfolio

Shouter’s Baptist Portfolio

As a child growing up in the small borough of Point Fortin, I was introduced to many religions, as relatives of my large ancestry were part of almost every religion in Trinidad and Tobago. My matriarchal grandmother, although she was a conventional Christian, her sisters were Shouter’s Baptist. They referred to themselves as Spiritual Baptists but it is the same. I would admit that this religion scared me a lot in my pre-teen years, causing me to search for excuses not to attend any of my great aunt’s Spiritual Baptist thanksgiving services, which were held for the children in the family.

Yes, like many of the stereotypes, I thought they were noisy but when they fell in trances and fidgeted as if they were epileptic, I always wanted to go home. This would happen especially when I attended Sunday morning service at Egypt Village with my cousins. To me, the mother in the church was terrifying with her vociferous approached to praise and worship that was quite different to what I experienced at the Open Bible Church and the Catholic Church.

Do not get me wrong, I respect this religion and more so after this Comparative Religion Class when I learned about the reasons for their way of reverence to God. I was shocked to know that this religion was created in Trinidad and Tobago but was even more appalled when learning about the Shouter’s Prohibition Ordinance again Shouter’s Baptiste that was passed by the colonial government on November 16th, 1917. This legislation lasted by 34 years, which gave preference to more conventional religions that complained against the Shouter’s Baptist’s loud and emotional forms of worshiping God. This occurred long after the abolition of slavery yet this to me was an act ...

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...nning song, Soca Baptiste sounded like a hymn sung during Baptiste services. The rhythmic chants during the song are quite clear that his ideology of the melody had Shouter’s Baptist characteristics.

Not only in the melodies of songs were the Shouter’s Baptiste influential but also in the contents of the music. Some calypsonians such as the Growling Tiger chose to ridicule the religion because of it uniqueness to other Christian religion, however, great calypsonians such as the Mighty Sparrow and Roaring Lion based popular social commentaries on the plight of the Shouter’s Baptist Faith.

These three aspects of Shouter’s Baptist stood out to me and I maintain that it is a fascinating religion, which I want to know more about. I believe personally that their vociferous approach to worship is based on a heighten sense of spirituality which I hope to attain someday.