Editing West African Vodún (section)

==Definition==
[[File:Vodoun priest fetishes and asen Benin Jan 2018.jpg|thumb|right|A Vodun priest in Benin photographed in 2018]]

Vodún is a religion.{{sfnm|1a1=Forte|1y=2010a|1p=184|2a1=Landry|2y=2019|2p=6}} The [[Anthropology|anthropologist]] Timothy R. Landry noted that, although the term {{lang|mis|Vodún}} is commonly used, a more accurate name for the religion was {{lang|mis|vodúnsínsen}}, meaning "spirit worship".{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=ix}} The spelling "Vodún" is commonly used to distinguish the West African religion from [[Haitian Vodou|the Haitian religion more usually spelled {{lang|hat|Vodou|nocat=yes}}]];{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=ix}} this in turn is often used to differentiate it from [[Louisiana Voodoo|Louisiana {{lang|lou|Voodoo|nocat=yes}}]].{{sfnm|1a1=Long|1y=2002|1p=87|2a1=Fandrich|2y=2007|2pp=779, 780}} An alternative spelling sometimes used for the West African religion is "Vodu".{{sfn|Rosenthal|1998|p=1}}
The religion's adherents are referred to as {{lang|mis|vodúnsɛntó}} or, in the [[French language]], {{lang|fr|Vodúnisants}}.{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=ix}}

Vodún is "the predominant religious system" of southern Benin, Togo, and parts of southeast Ghana.{{sfn|Rush|2017|p=2}} The anthropologist Judy Rosenthal noted that "Fon and Ewe forms of Vodu worship are virtually the same".{{sfn|Rosenthal|1998|p=19}}
It is part of the same network of religions that include [[Yoruba religion]] as well as African diasporic traditions like Haitian Vodou, Cuban [[Santería]], and Brazilian [[Candomblé]].{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=5}} As a result of centuries of interaction between Fon and Yoruba peoples, Landry noted that Vodún and Yoruba religion were "at times, indistinguishable or at least, blurry".{{sfn|Landry|2016|p=54}} 

Vodún is a fragmented religion divided into "independent small cult units" devoted to particular spirits.{{sfn|Forte|2010a|p=189}}
As a tradition, Vodún is not doctrinal,{{sfn|Rush|2017|p=3}} with no orthodoxy,{{sfn|Forte|2010a|p=189}} and no central text.{{sfn|Rush|2017|p=3}} It is amorphous and flexible,{{sfnm|1a1=Rush|1y=2017|1p=5|2a1=Landry|2y=2019|2pp=2, 103-104}} changing and adapting in different situations,{{sfnm|1a1=Rush|1y=2017|1p=5|2a1=Landry|2y=2019|2pp=103-104}} and emphasising efficacy over dogma.{{sfn|Landry|2016|p=53}} It is open to ongoing revision,{{sfn|Rush|2017|p=3}} being eclectic and absorbing elements from many cultural backgrounds,{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=5}} including from other parts of Africa but also from Europe, Asia, and the Americas.{{sfn|Rush|2017|p=4}} West African religions commonly absorb elements from elsewhere regardless of their origin;{{sfn|Landry|2015|p=174}} in West Africa, many individuals draw upon African traditional religions, Christianity, and Islam simultaneously to deal with life's issues.{{sfn|Landry|2019|p=125}} In West Africa, {{lang|mis|vodúnsɛntó}} sometimes abandon their religion for forms of Christianity like [[Evangelical Protestantism]],{{sfnm|1a1=Landry|1y=2015|1pp=172, 182|2a1=Landry|2y=2019|2p=127}} although there are also Christians who convert to Vodún.{{sfnm|1a1=Landry|1y=2015|1pp=179, 183|2a1=Landry|2y=2019|2pp=140-141}} A common approach is for people to practice Christianity while also engaging in Vodún rituals,{{sfnm|1a1=Rosenthal|1y=1998|1p=20|2a1=Landry|2y=2019|2p=132}} although there are also {{lang|mis|vodúnsɛntó}} who reject Christianity, deeming it incompatible with their tradition.{{sfn|Rosenthal|1998|p=20}}