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'These controversial churches give hope'

Poverty, social exclusion and limitless constitutional freedoms are among the factors fuelling the explosion of controversial churches in SA.

"The inability of many people to access basic necessities have led them to subscribe to religions or churches that will give them the things they need.

"Society also excludes the poor from participating in many activities. As a result, the excluded poor will look for alternatives in church because the church gives hope.

"On one side you have desperate pastors who want to demonstrate to their congregants what powers they have or can do," said Dr Alex Asakitipki of the Sociology department at Monash University.

He was speaking yesterday at the Commission for the Promotion of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL) round-table discussion about the psyche of South Africans and how it affects their religious beliefs.

The discussion held at CRL's Braamfontein offices featured hypnotists and psychiatrists. It was prompted by CRL's 2015 investigations into the commercialisation of religion and abuse of people's religious beliefs by some church leaders.

Asakitipki said the poor tended to turn to church to get a sense of security and belonging, divine protection and for economical networking which church leaders often took advantage of. He was referring to recent media reports of church leaders who make congregants drink petrol, eat grass or spray insecticides on their faces.

Women were more susceptible to such because they are very emotional and less empowered financially compared to men, he said

"Unfortunately, they use abnormal methods to demonstrate what they can do, and in so doing, attract controversy and media attention. They see this as a cheap source of advertising themselves and more people get drawn to them because of the media. Also, there are no boundaries in the constitution when it comes to freedom, so they do as they please," said Asakitipki.

He said job creation, creation of cohesive communities and promotion of cultural and social values can be used to eliminate the abuse of poor people.

Dr Lennart Eriksson from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and SA Society of Psychiatrists said pastors did not necessarily posses special powers to put their congregants in a trance during worship.

He said the process starts in the brain and a trance was merely induced by loud music, dance and screaming inside the church, fasting or drugs.

Hypnotist Thomas Budge said hypnotherapy was also linked to religious practices because of how they are both performed.

sifilel@sowetan.co.za

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