African pastors have recently hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons for their weird methods of ministration to their followers. Last month a notable number of pictures circulated on Social media of an identified Tanzanian pastor who claims that his anointing will leave him when his feet touch the ground.
So, how to achieve this feat? People must carry him around on their backs standing up, or he steps on their backs whilst they lie down.
“My feet should never touch the ground-Papa. Anointing would leave me.”
The pastor told his congregants.
The pictures show him being carried around on people’s backs and also show him stepping on their backs while they kneel.
The pictures attracted an ungodly amount of bad press from across the globe, with many citizens and media outlets saying the clergy has gone too far in his ‘pious’ conduits.
This case has stimulated more stern dialogue on the weird practices that the new age clerics are doing.
Many pastors and prophets have been in the spotlight for the various antics they use in conveying their messages, curing medical conditions and exorcising demons. Most of the methods are incredulous and comical; from spraying congregants with insecticides, making people eat grass, live snakes and weave, drink petrol, to touching derrieres of naked women seeking miracle husbands. As horrible and insensitive it may look, all this is done in the name of Jesus Christ and presented with this, the world can picture Jesus as a very disturbing Lord.
With exception of a few whose practises are still ethical and less shocking, it appears every day our clergies try to discover a new way to make us look stupid or say, very superstitious in front of the rest of the world. Like, what would people make out of a prophet who makes people eat grass or spray a hazardous doom in congregants’ faces, an insecticide that’s specifically labelled “avoid contact with skin‚ eyes and clothing”?
It is this stubborn clinging to religion, which strips away all faculties of reason, which makes Africa a laughingstock, and perhaps the most backwards continent in the world at this point in time. Matter of fact, this also gives a bad impression of our highly regarded Christian faith.
So, to members of our community we say this, yes we love miracles and God’s touch, but we also need to be very careful who we follow, men of God or God because as long as we continue to let people control our lives without discernment, we are not getting anywhere. We would end up being hypnotised by exploitative human beings who claim to be a godsend.
And to all pastors, preachers and prophets or ministers who are doing these practices, you may need to reconsider, lest we will continue to cry that our Religious freedom is eroding! Shepherd the Lord’s flock as the Bible instructs and do it in ways that do not have Christianity smeared.
Remember, you are ambassadors of Christ.
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