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False prophets inflict a new form of exploitation

I WILL cure your ailment, so claims a false prophet, or a charlatan.

Then thousands, particularly desperate Africans, respond with hope to the false and exaggerated claims made by the false prophets who masquerade as pastors and prophets but whose intentions are to exploit the poor and vulnerable.

Karl Marx was right in his critique of religion, seeing it as the opium of the masses which when applied uncritically to any situation, is capable of creating illusions that often defy reality and logic.

Disturbing, though, is the ease with which these unsavoury practices of clear-cut exploitation of the weak and vulnerable by the charlatans take place without detection from the police.

Some of the practices of the so-called prophets border on violations of human dignity. Chapter Two of the country's Constitution states that the citizens of the country possess inherent dignity, which must be respected and protected.

Recently, a newspaper report stated that in one of "church services" presided over by one of these prophets, a woman had her genitals tampered with by the male prophet-pastor in full view of the "congregation" gathered to witness a miracle healing.

The claim by the "prophet" was to exorcise demons from the young woman about "to give birth to stones". Now we all know this is a load of nonsense, yet these anti-intellectual practices are perpetrated under our collective noses by people who make false claims about religion.

Unfortunately some of our media condone and promote these misdeeds in the name of freedom of religion and expression. There has even been some instances in which opportunistic politicians were seen on TV lauding these false prophets "for helping our people".

The deceit by false prophecy is not a new practice; it is as old as life itself and often comes under the cloak of religion.

In the late 1930s through to early 1940s, a well-known sect predicted Armageddon or the demise of the world. To back up the end-time prediction, leaders of the sect produced tomes and tomes of propaganda material in which they explained how the demise of the world would come about.

But in the process they raked in huge profits for themselves as gullible adherents, mostly less educated believers, purchased the tracts in their millions to gain "insight" and "knowledge" of the impending Armageddon.

As it turned out the Armageddon scare was nothing more than propagation of false gospel about the demise of the earth with the sole intention of imposing fear on the under-class.

This quackery continues to this day, and the "faithful" believe, and hold the prophets in high esteem.

With HIV-Aids and conditions such as diabetes and other debilitating sicknesses on the increase, these so-called prophets have found a ready market to promote their worthless "services" to the less sophisticated, gullible African masses, and in the process to rake in millions of rand.

These pastors and prophets come from near and far. They have generally found South Africa's democratic landscape enabling to exploiting the poor and vulnerable as they ply their dodgy enterprise without fear of prosecution. They, through brainwashing, exploit the fears and anxieties of the poor and the vulnerable and those who may be less inclined to question the veracity of their "quack religion".

Over years of exploitation and dispossession, African people in this country were sold the Bible while the exploiters stole the land.

The promise to the African hearers of the biblical message during those heady days of colonisation was that they should be patient, and should not cause too much trouble for the colonisers as their rewards would come in the after-life.

Today, the new brand of exploiters whose pigmentation is black uses the same religious books that were used by the colonialists to exploit the indigenous Africans.

They do so with impunity, and give promises that disease, through the touch of their hand to the sick, will be healed. They abuse the Bible for their own selfish ends.

Exploitation and injustice cannot be justified when committed by Africans; they should be seen as exploitative as they were carried out by the white settlers who pushed the African people off the land. As Africans and people of this land we should resist this new form of exploitation by those who masquerade as pastors and prophets.

And this call must be taken seriously by the South African Council of Churches in whose name African people are exploited by the charlatans who falsely claim a miracle cure. Not to speak up against such blatant exploitation of our people will be to acquiesce, and turn a blind to evil.

  • Mdhlela is an Anglican priest and a freelance writer

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