Vosloorus elders take a stand against religious charlatans
South Africa should have no room for con men and tricksters who want to use religion as a means to enrich themselves while they exploit the poor.
I take my hat off to the group of local religious leaders and elders who have taken it upon themselves to root out what most people regard as the rot that is peddled by most charismatic churches in the townships under the guise of religion.
The new group calls itself the Vosloorus Council of Elders (VCE) and it consists of a number of respectable religious elders and priests from various reputable religious communities around Vosloorus. VCE was formed during a community gathering held at the Vosloorus Civic Centre with the main aim of bringing religious sanity back to the township.
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The group has been formed against the background of countless allegations of abuse levelled by congregants against some of the religious charlatans who lead these controversial congregations. Many of these dubious leaders have no understanding of theology or the teachings of the Holy Scriptures they profess to impart to their followers.
VCE is also questioning the informal tent church formations which are used by the charismatic leaders to lure innocent and unsuspecting people, most of whom are women and young girls. There are also claims that many of these tent churches have been linked to nefarious activities. Among these are drug dealing, money laundering, fraud, human trafficking, sexual grooming and prostitution.
A number of these church leaders are currently in prison while others are appearing in court on charges of human trafficking, including allegations of grooming teenage girls for sexual exploitation and prostitution. Scores more have been accused of sexually molesting female members as well as dangerously violating the human rights of their congregants by subjecting them to some of the most absurd if not downright degrading practices.
Their rites include spraying congregants with insect repellent, forcing them to eat grass or live animals (such as snakes) or feeding them household cleaning detergents and numerous other deadly and unsavoury concoctions, all in the name of salvation, wealth and the promise of heaven.
Charlatan church leaders have become instant millionaires and live in lavish homes, drive expensive cars and wear imported designer clothes, while the majority of their followers live in abject poverty.
VCE believes it is time to turn the tables against these church leaders who think nothing of flashing their ill-earned wealth in the faces of their poor congregants while taunting them to aspire to a life of heavenly bliss and unattainable wealth.
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Unsuspecting followers, many of them from poor communities, are led to believe that by paying substantial tithes to the churches and purchasing any of the churches’ fake paraphernalia in the form of “charms”, “oils”, “holy water” and “amulets” they will attain enormous wealth and a hassle-free entry to heaven.
VCE has taken it upon itself to be the custodians and protectors of society’s morality, and they also believe that the majority of the people of Vosloorus who are tired of being religiously exploited will give them the support they need to fulfil their obligations. The VCE deserves more than just a pat on the back for having taken this step.
As South Africans, we all need to stand up and give the VCE our support in their efforts to rid the country of such blasphemous practices. As a God-fearing nation, we need to revert to the nation’s old ways of glorifying our Maker.
Maybe it is about time that South Africa takes the same steps that were taken by the leader of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, who last year shut down more than 6 000 charismatic churches in his country.
Kagame’s government now requires anyone starting a church in Rwanda to have at least a master’s degree in theology, something many of our local “pastors” and “prophets” in Mzansi simply don’t have.
It looks like the good old days of church bells ringing on Sundays to summon the faithful to worship will soon be filling the air again if the VCE succeeds in its bid to bring religious sanity back to our communities.
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