I am a Preacher’s daughter. I thought I would go ahead and get that part out of the way before anything else. Now you can gather all your preconceived notions about who a preacher’s daughter is and should be and toss them out of the window. Please note that I do not fit either of the two traditional conceptualizations of the preacher’s daughter and who she is/should be. I am not a rebellious deviant nor am I a repressed bible thumper. I was brought up in the church as a believer and I still believe, however, I was also taught to question everything. Therefore, I operate as a Christian following a few basic principles adapted from fellow social psychologists David Myers.

1) I believe there is a God.
 

2) God is not me, and he surely isn’t you.
 

       a. Since I am not God and you aren’t either we both have ample space and opportunity to be wrong, and we are wrong quite often.
 

3) Everything can and should be questioned. The bible is full of inquisitive minds that asked questions. Following anything, even religion, blindly is dangerous. Christianity has led many to righteousness but has also been used to lead many astray to destruction.
         

          a.  “The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his   steps.” - Proverbs 14:15
           b. “Do not quench the Spirit.  Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22.
 

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The above beliefs made my journey to Cuba to explore Afro-Cuban religions easy because of my religiosity not despite of it. Thus, while learning about Regla de Ocha in Cuba, I had no crisis of consciousness or unease within my spiritual self. Now that you know a little about me as a Christian I hope you will read the pieces that follow with an open mind. In the following pages we will explore my experience with this course. I thank you for taking this journey with me, and I hope you bought your dancing shoes.