HORNY FALSE PROPHETS
Pastors trick young girls into ‘Holy’ sex Church Council disturbed by randy pastors Parents withdraw daughters from dirty churches Young girls often ashamed to report abuse
The church has of late become notorious as a hub of sexual scandals involving congregants, mostly young women, suffering at the hands of their pastors. Recent revelations of pastors and prophets caught in the act have angered many in the society, with parents vowing to stop their girl children from attending service and other church related activities. Social media has of late been awash with pastors exposed by their victims who mostly claim the men of God used the word of God to trick them into having sex with them.
Botswana Council of Churches Secretary General, Gabriel Tsuaneng is aware of the reported transgressions and says it is unfortunate that such unholy acts take place in the church with some pastors found to be culprits.
In an interview, Tsuaneng said while the church is regarded as a holy place that should welcome and embrace the broken hearted, victims of sexual exploitation in churches end up broken hearted and lose hope in the institution and their relationship with God is often negatively affected. According to Tsuaneng, in the long run, the larger church institution may lose its integrity as a result of the pastors’ bad deeds. In addition, church participation may decline due to members losing trust in their leader.
Tsuaneng appeals to pastors and church leaders to be responsible and not take advantage of people’s situations in church. Boago Ramogapi of Royal Assembly Ministries Church in Gaborone also condemns such acts by men of the cloth. Ramogapi said unfortunately sexual exploitation has penetrated the church, a place considered safe for the broken and the abused. He however, added that human beings are prone to error and that is not an exception even in the church. Ramogapi said while such acts cannot be condoned, there are many factors that could
drive anyone in any position to do such.
“The nature of a pastoral job often times involves working with a lot of people on sensitive, emotional issues which can lead to lines being crossed and present an easy target to prey on by the pastor,” Ramogapi said. He noted that other factors may include lack of boundaries and the unsuspecting trust that often times church members place on their pastors while relating with them. Ramogapi highlighted that pastors are often not exposed for their ‘sin’ because of fear of stigmatisation on the part of victims. He added that pastors are generally viewed as morally upright people and to allege, let alone report them to authorities, may not be
easy. “Where does one begin? Who do you tell? And what will people say especially fellow congregants, who may be quick to jump to the defence of their pastor?” Ramogapi asked. Ramogapi said the law should take its cause for those involved. “Victims often want to see justice being served but the fact that the church hides these things, it does not happen in most cases,” he said. He added that there are victims who would choose to protect their pastor, thinking that they are protecting the reputation of their church. Such people, according to him, should be educated. This, in his view may also give room for the perpetrator to continue with their ill behaviour.
Founder of Men and Boys For Gender Equality, Desmond Lunga says pastors should not use their power to abuse members of their churches.
“Most women in churches tend to be abused by pastors and these leaders take advantage because they have power,” Lunga said.
Lunga encouraged women to speak out and not be afraid to report such incidents to the relevant authorities, adding that some victims end up having fear to expose pastors because the congregation might view them in a bad way.
“Sexual harassment and exploitation is very common in churches, only that we have a belief that churches are places of righteousness and we overlook the fact that anything that occurs in the outside world can take place in the church,” he said, adding that in most instances, “bakereki ba dira tsa selefatshe ba iphitlhile ka bible.” Gender Based Violence Activist Onkemetse Kwelagobe highlighted that females are in the majority in most of the congregations, hence some pastors prey on them. He observed that some women tend to blindly follow whatever the pastor says, and that is why it is easy for them to be lured into such sexual exploitation. “As much as we call for victims to come out and report any form of abuse, there is no how we can say exclude pastors. “We encourage students to report teachers, workers to report their bosses so we cannot spare anyone,” Kwelagobe said. He said churches are vital stakeholders in the fight against GBV and the society cannot keep congregants closed up under the pretext of preserving the name of the church and that victims should be encouraged to speak out. She strongly advocates that any pastor who violates women should be stripped off their title. “In most instances, the moment one commits a criminal offence one is suspended from duty so why should pastors be spared?” Kwelagobe added that society often overlooks crimes that occur in churches including sexual assaults and let pastors walk free.