No place in Christianity for strange rituals
THE theatrical and misleading acts of some local and foreign pastors constitute a mockery of the Christian faith and its practices. This is the view of local men of the cloth who believe those who encourage their congregants to drink Dettol and eat rat poison should be investigated and prosecuted for deceiving worshippers.
A petition, The Total Shutdown of Foreign Prophetic Churches in South Africa, was started earlier this month following the trial of Pastor Timothy Omotoso in the Port Elizabeth High Court. He is accused of rape and human trafficking.
The petition has so far gained more than 6 000 signatures.
It states: “As the citizens of South Africa, we stand together in one voice, requesting our government to please close down all these foreign prophetic churches based in South Africa with immediate effect, to avoid more victimisation of our citizens, whether sexually, financially, emotionally or otherwise, in the name of miracles. We request that our government regulate our churches and monitor and evaluate their activities.”
Community activist and pastor for more than 30 years, Reverend Cyril Pillay, condemned the practices of foreign churches and its pastors. He said they put the lives of congregants at risk.
“These are just cheap stunts and theatrical acts of these so-called pastors, who are actually rogue elements of the Christian ministry. Eating dog meat and snakes, drinking Dettol and spraying congregants with Doom.
These are harmful and strange practices and are totally foreign to the Christian faith.”
The central theme of Christian faith, explained Pillay, is the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.
“Therefore, anything or anyone who deviates from this is automatically disqualified from representing the Christian faith. Furthermore, it is a mockery of our faith. These strange rituals have no place in Christianity.”
Pillay said the practices only served the pastors’ own twisted and private agendas.
“People attending any church to worship must be able to do so freely without fear of being manipulated into being part of these bizarre practices.
“Congregants must be protected from these shenanigans and those who manipulate them for their own personal gain.”
Pastor Paul Lutchman, of the Christian Revival Centre, said: “Fake prophets use people for their own selfish gain and this on its own is a sin. Congregants must not be gullible.
“These pastors must be exposed for their wrongdoings and brought to book.”
Father Anthony Kudupadam of St Anthony’s Parish added: “What they are doing is not biblical.
“They are taking advantage of worshippers because of a lack of education.
“The Bible does not state one must drink detergents and eat snakes to show your faith.”
He said churches needed to unite and form a body to monitor the practices at churches.
At a media briefing on Friday, the chairperson of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL), Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, said pastors needed to be vetted and governed by an umbrella body.
“This body will certify, vet the pastors and then issue them with licences.”
Mkhwanazi-Xaluva made the statement a day after meeting church leaders belonging to the Great Commission, an umbrella body for pastors.
She said if some religious organisations had stopped engaging in debates with the CRL and focused on real issues, such incidents would be few and far between.
The commission is in the process of taking its fight to the Constitutional Court for a ruling on where freedom of religion is limitless and how churches can be regulated.
The deputy chairperson of the commission, David Msoma, said during a meeting with pastors at the Rhema Church last month it was proposed that umbrella bodies be formed to govern churches.
“In South Africa, it is not only foreign pastors who are misleading congregants but the local ones as well. Shutting down churches goes against our Constitution, which allows us freedom of religious practices. We can however monitor them through the umbrella bodies.”
He said some pastors have been abusing their right to freedom of religion and abusing their congregants sexually and for monetary gain and that this was unacceptable.
The director of Freedom of Religion South Africa, Michael Swain, said that the Department of Home Affairs was responsible for monitoring foreign pastors in the country.
He said it was up to the department to ensure foreign pastors had their work permits and were in the country legally; and if not, they needed to be deported.