Wanting to pray, but becoming the prey
People warned to be careful of dodgy priests
LOCAL Hindus treat priests as if they were deities, making it easier for con artists to prey on them, says social anthropologist and cultural researcher Raj Govender.
Govender said this atti- tude created opportunities for “fake” priests to exploit those seeking spiritual help.
“The bigger problem is that our people have turned priests into gods and have forgotten that they are just conduits between people and spirituality,” he said.
“They have spoilt some of these priests and that is why they are taking advantage. We need to be cautious. Once these people get used to commercial gain, it is difficult to get them out of it.”
A public forum was needed “where uniformity in prayer must be discussed”, he said.
“Those who are in dire straits do not need to be subjected to further abuse.”
His comments followed a call by the South African Hindu Maha Sabha (Sahms) this week for people to be careful about the “priests” they went to.
Sahms said it had received numerous complaints from people about “individuals who are accountable to no one and with no proper train- ing who priests”.
Sahms president Ashwin Trikamjee advised young women not to visit anyone advertising themselves as a priest.
“Young women especially are advised not to meet or visit priests alone if they do
are
posing
as not know them,” he said.
“Also beware of adverts and e-mails sent by mass communication groups.
“Adverts are no guarantee of ethical practices and mass communication groups list anyone without proper background checks.”
Cultural expert Bisram Rambilass supported Sahms’s stance, adding that it was “very sad when those looking for comfort and solace from their religion are met with deceit. We need to look at the introduction of some form of legal recourse so that such people can be named and shamed.”