Voodoo: mysterious religion or just a big scam?

Ever since our experience in Togoville we have been trying to discover more and more about Voodooism. Our education about the religion/belief was widened by our visit to Aboméy, which is a town 3 hours north of Cotonou in Benin. Aboméy is the centre of the once great civilisation of Dahboméy Kings. Our hotel manager and tour guide, Monsieur La Lutta is a local legend and a fantastic storyteller. He took us on a tour of the various ruined palaces, and voodoo temples in the town.

Everytime we asked him to explain lore about a voodoo tradition, like why people hand animal skulls outside their houses, or build piles of clay for fertility, his answer was "i cannot tell you; because you must be initiated first, to be able to understand!" But... to be intiated you have to spend 14 days in a house with a voodoo priest and eat and wear various things bought from the fetish market, e.g. monkey heads, cameleons, skins of various different animals. Apparently most of the population of Benin have not completed the initation ceremony which makes us think that they believe in something they dont fully understand. Fair enough, who does fully understand a religion when it comes down to it?

However when you look into it a bit deeper... There are 41 stages of Voodoo priest, with only 2 people in the whole of Benin making it to the top. When you think about the amount of money changing hands when a believer visits a priest and is told to buy all sorts from the fetish markets; Karin and I have made an completely unfounded conclusion that voodooism may be one big scam, with those 2 priests who have made it to the top having right good laugh for taking the whole population along for a ride!! At least, were definietly not buying it!