Priests 'mustn't do witchcraft'
16/08/2006 18:06 - (SA)


Johannesburg - Southern Africa's Catholic bishops have warned priests to stop moonlighting as witchdoctors, fortune tellers and traditional healers, and to rely on Christ for miracles.

The Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, which represents bishops in South Africa, Swaziland and Botswana, said on its websites some priests were adopting the traditional African practice of calling on ancestors for healing.

The bishops ordered priests to "desist from practices involving spirits", and to steer clear from witchcraft, fortune-telling and selling spiritual powers or magic medicines.

"The belief that ancestors are endowed with supernatural powers borders on idolatry. It is God, and God alone, who is all-powerful while the ancestors are created by him," said the pastoral letter to priests issued earlier this month.

Many in Southern Africa turn to sangomas - or traditional healers - to cure illness, ward off evil spirits and even improve their sex lives. Sangomas, who play a key role in rural communities but are also revered by many in towns and cities, call on ancestral spirits to heal and give advice.

Some Christian sects, like the South Africa-based Zion Christian Church, fuse traditional African beliefs about the power of the ancestors with orthodox Christianity.

The Southern African bishops said Catholic priests should instead heal in the name of Jesus Christ, and should tend to the soul, not just the body.


Got this from our local papersa,

wow

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“The subject no longer has to be mentioned by name. Someone is sick. Someone else is feeling better now. A friend has just gone back into the hospital. Another has died. The unspoken name, of course, is AIDS.”
“From the point of view of the pharmaceutical industry, the AIDS problem has already been solved. After all, we already have a drug which can be sold at the incredible price of $8, 000 an annual dose, and which has the added virtue of not diminishing the market by actually curing anyone.”

I only hope that this leads to a peaceful sectarian breakaway by those that wish to continue in the traditional path. I hope that in this modern day we do not see the Church loyalists kill "heretics" and create a massacre.
Why must religion be such a power game?

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"It's never over... BOY!"
The Tall Man, Phantasm III

Out of all the religions in the world, Christianity, Islam, Buddha, Evolution, whatever. Out of all of them, I believe only one can be right.

Our time is short here. Choose wisely and good luck. Because then it's forever.



Mac

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Before the sun goes down. Someone in this world will be shot. Don't let it be you.

Hey Mr. Black

Yes, I do agree with you whole heatedly! As a student of Religions, I have always been saddened by the fact that there is so much that is the same in all the different religions, that their differences seem less important to me. But I guess it is human nature to rather focus on the differences that celebrate that which is the same, that that could potentially bring us together.

Luckily, I think it highly unlikely that this will lead to violence. As you have noticed, this came from the Bishops, not grassroots. South Africans are strangely tolerant.

Roman Catholicism is not huge here, mostly due to historical facts - it was always under the colonial rule of Protestant European powers. It id grow in stature of late, mostly due to it's fight against Apartheid and it own mysticism, which is very atractive to Africans.

The largest church, as is mentioned in the report, is the ZCC, which mixes Traditional African Religion (TAR) with Christianity. They are so big, that the leader of this church even greatly influences our elections (not necessarily a good thing!!!).

There is just one problem with these priests doing the work of sangoma's - I have no problems with TAR, but some of the practices of the Sangoma's are plain wrong. For instance, and this is horrific - A few years ago there was a massive increase in the number of child rapes in SA. The police then realised that Sangoma's where teaching people that sex with a virgin will cure you of HIV-AIDS. Positive men therefor went out and raped children on advice of these sangomas. The government acted swiflty on this, but it does still happen. Some of the magic of these sangomas are also made by using body parts, and quite often, what is called 'muti-murders' muti being magic potions' still take place in modern SA.

But come to think of it, it might then a good thing that RCC priests take over these task, as they (hopefully) will be less likely to take part in these practices!

But yes, Religious intolerance is a huge shame, and proof that we have indeed not come that far in the last few milenia!


A

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“The subject no longer has to be mentioned by name. Someone is sick. Someone else is feeling better now. A friend has just gone back into the hospital. Another has died. The unspoken name, of course, is AIDS.”
“From the point of view of the pharmaceutical industry, the AIDS problem has already been solved. After all, we already have a drug which can be sold at the incredible price of $8, 000 an annual dose, and which has the added virtue of not diminishing the market by actually curing anyone.”

Ha ha ha - "Pascal's Wager"?

"Only one can be right?" Mwah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.... HA....

Whoever has ears, let him hear.....

I think you had better explain Pascal's Wager, Non.

Maybe all the religions that claim they are the only true faith are wrong.

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LET ME SEE YOUR WAR FACE!!!

The forces of grime scale have truly corrupted you!

Jessudhism is the one true path and rightly claims to be so! Shall death come to those who would deny Big Al and his holy disinfectant (that includes the heathen hordes of those who call themselves 'Nawbutters').

The Big Flush will be upon us soon, and the righteous will be saved and live for eternity in Big Al's house, while the evil doers shall wallow in His sewage system!

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It's the difference between suicide and slow capitulation... - Jim Morrison

You have been made stubborn.
Have you not seen the glory of Joker's neighbor, the son of Bob?
Big Al was but another idol just like the Geico gecko and the holy chiewuauah of Ta Ko Bel.
All glory to the son of Bob and to Bill Murray.

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"It's never over... BOY!"
The Tall Man, Phantasm III

It is Joker's neighbour who is the false idol!! He lives near the holy land of Big Al's Grocery store and became jealous of the glory of Big Al and the righteousness of his followers. And thus did the forces of grimescale corrupt the Son of Bob as they corrupted you and the original heathen, nawbut!

The Son of Bob proclaims 'Bow before me, for I am your God!' yet how can a god have a father? He is but a mere human, or a low-strength disinfectant sent into the toilet bowl by Big Al who was claimed by the forces of grime scale. Repent! Repent while there is time, for Big Al is all loving, but if you do not worship Him, He shall be mighty pissed! And shall put His holy foot so far up your arses it will wiggle out like a holy leather tongue!

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It's the difference between suicide and slow capitulation... - Jim Morrison