This INFURIATES me -- "Child Witches: Accused in the Name of Jesus"

[OneGrassRoot]

Good Morning America just had a segment on this. These children (in The Congo) are being burned, beaten and other unspeakable things in the "name of Jesus" (actually, for money...these charlatans are taking advantage of conditions of fear and ignorance).

I realize all religion has the potential to degenerate into abuse of followers, since it is often about power and getting the masses to follow certain rules. I'm not trying to bash any religion in general; I believe, at their core, the intentions were good...the teachings themselves. Man's quest for power corrupts even the most admirable tenets.

This happens to be deviates within the Christian religion; there are extremists in all of them, but we here in the U.S. are largely affected by the extremists within the Christian faith.


http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=7613395&page=1

Considering their influence on more than we prefer to admit, I want to remind you of the connection between Palin and another African "Christian witch doctor." No doubt these people believe liberals are possessed by demons, so if they had their way, they'd be burning us at the stake, all in the name of Jesus.

They are a minority, but a dangerous minority and, in my opinion, we must remain vigilant and not allow them to be the face of America with their crusade-like military approach, influence on policy, etc., etc.

http://www.alternet.org/election08/99118/sarah_palin_linked_her_electoral_success_to_prayer_of_kenyan_witch_hunter/

[OneGrassRoot]

1. In looking at merely half of the GD page this morning, here are others....

which involve the influence of religion and how it affects others when crazy or even merely misguided individuals use it.

Again, I don't intend for this to be bashing religion. There are many wonderful things done in the name of faith. I am focused this morning on this being a reminder of how dangerous the use of religion -- using it as an excuse for one harmful thing or another -- can be.



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5694665

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5694186

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5694484

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5694679

[get the red out]

6. Why are sociopaths people allowed to rise to the top?

That might be a question we could ask ourselves, why are sociopaths and authoritarians allowed to become leaders in so many religious bodies? Political organizations consider people like that for leadership also, Dick Cheney and the US torturers aren't much different (why I consider the Christopublicans the proper name for the party opposing the Democrats). They are more sophisticated and get their bribes filtered through companies like Halliburton; and they have others to do the hands-on dirty work for them, but that's only the difference.

Do we live in a world where a sociopath or authoritarian is right when he says he is, and everyone else just falls in line? What is wrong with people? Where are individual ethics or morality, or even instinctive compassion?

[OneGrassRoot]

9. All great questions....

I don't know. Again, to me, it comes down to fear. People often make choices based on fear, and these Cheney-type "leaders" feed off of that, and indeed continue to feed the fear as we have seen. It's a neverending energy source for them.

At the risk of sounding pollyanna, woo-woo, flower child...whatever...a very simple question should guide our most important, far-reaching decisions: Am I choosing based on love or fear?

There are scary things out there. Harmful, destructive people, though not always in the form we expect or are told to expect.

I know there are people who want to do America harm (again, sometimes these people are on the inside -- in "leadership" positions), not only the Islamic fundamentalists who truly despise America). Sometimes security and one's safety, and the safety of family, must guide decisions. Absolutely. We ARE afraid at times, rightfully so.

But to compromise our integrity and everything we personally, and as a nation supposedly stand for, at what cost do we choose to react and make choices based on fear? When fear is the basis for our choices and that is our pattern -- not the exception but the pattern -- we lose the heart and soul of who we are.

On edit: Maybe a more appropriate word is "respect." To make choices based on respect (for oneself, for others) not fear.

[ccharles000]

2. ....

:mad:

[AngryOldDem]

3. I was sickened by that.

WTF is up with people torturing kids these days?

Then the "pastor" had the unmitigated gall to hit up the reporter for money.

I wonder why the reporter didn't bring along someone from the UN or another international agency while he did the story.

The look on that little girl's face after her "exorcism..." her life is ruined. All in the name of "Christianity."

It's going to be on Nightline tonight, and God forgive me, I don't know if I'll be able to watch. :cry:

[get the red out]

4. Sarah Palin was "blessed" by a witch hunter

I had been reading articles about this type of horrific cruelty prior to Palin's nomination and subsequent revelation of her witch hunter blessing. The fact that her church took an African witch hunter seriously is deeply disturbing. Her beliefs are not at all "mainstream" but they have followers in this country. This issue isn't just some terrible practice in a far away land. There are people who believe in "witchcraft" (and I don't mean peaceful people who are of the Wiccan belief system) right here at home; and who knows how far they would take it?

Abuse of children by those claiming the religious right to do so is becoming more popular than McDonald's cheeseburgers in this world, either that or we are just becoming aware of its popularity (perhaps both). What drives people to enjoy harming the most innocent and helpless members of their society?

[OneGrassRoot]

5. "What drives people to enjoy harming the most innocent..."

Fear.

I believe that for the vast majority of people, fear drives them. And those who seek to manipulate those who are in fear, by creating MORE fear (these witch hunters, politicians, etc.), are the ones I hope are exposed, as the vast majority of them are such hypocrites it's astounding. But, they say what those in fear want to hear.

No, these beliefs are not mainstream, but if the fear mongering continues, the manipulation of societal fears will continue and it is an insidious, dangerous process. We've watched it since 9/11, and that minority is attempting to play that fear card VERY strongly again.

Nice to see you, get the red out. :)

[get the red out]

7. You are right, we have been manipulated too long

I wish there was some way to combat this kind of fear mongering. In the situation in Africa if people dedicated themselves to fighting it there would be those who said that people had no right to meddle in their religion. Personally, I believe harmful belief systems need to be fought with better information everywhere. It is only evil human beings that are touting them to begin with.

We need to watch our backs here too. The fear-mongering obviously had an effect on the Senate recently. I worry that as long as Republicans have fear, they don't need numbers in congress or even widespread political support to get what they want.

Good to see you too, by the way! :hi:

[SidDithers]

8. Praise Jeebus!!..nt

Sid

[WolverineDG]

10. A high school friend of mine runs an organization in Nigeria

& several of the children they are helping have been accused of witchcraft. I'd post the link to it, but since he's an evangelical Christian, I feel it wouldn't be welcome here.

dg

[OneGrassRoot]

12. So there are other evangelical Christian organizations....

fighting against these religion-based atrocities?

That's GREAT. I understand evangelical doesn't necessarily equate with extremism. All these labels can really do people a disservice.

While I'm against pushing one's beliefs on another, and I believe the term "evangelical" indicates it's their mission to do just that, I applaud your high school friend if he is working to help these children.

I hope the more reasoned voices within religious circles will rise to combat these human evils.

:)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

16. The nutty fundamentalists and Pentecostals think that we liberal Christians

are infected by the devil, too.

We have no influence with them, or maybe about as much influence as Democrats have on Trotskyites.

[WolverineDG]

17. I hope so too

I asked why he felt "called" to Nigeria, & said it was something always on his mind from the time he was a child. He felt he "had" to do something, but didn't know what. Then a few years ago at church, he met someone who had been a missionary in Nigeria & felt that was what he had to do. So he started working on that, actually did missionary work in Nigeria & is now the executive director of the organization (I don't know if he founded it or what.) But anyway, yes he's got money & yes he's a Republican, but he feels so strongly about this that it is now his "job." Right now they are trying to raise money to build greenhouses so that the people they help can become self-sufficient. The farms they currently have are not only supporting the people, they also sell the produce to others.

If anyone feels inclined to check his organization out & either donate $ or time, please PM me. There are stories on the organization's homepage that will make you cry.

dg

[get the red out]

14. That is one route to combating this

Many folks say we need to simply do away with organized religion. And I used to be in that camp. But that is absolutely impossible and even if it were possible it could lead to totalitarian thinking in the opposite direction, condemning anyone with any spiritual ideas (which I came to realize, would include me and many people I know). Perhaps offering aid to people in a way they understand, religion, while guiding them away from brutality and acting on fear of "ministers" is an avenue that would actually work! It is pretty hard to combat a misguided belief with the forced removal of that belief system entirely, it usually backfires completely.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

11. Accusations of witchcraft usually are used to gain power

That's what happened in Salem in 1692--the ministers used the powerless elderly to try for a grab for power. They tortured their victims into confessing whatever the ministers wanted them to confess--starting with other ministers with whom they disagreed, and eventually ending with the Governor's wife. The Crown wisely intervened and the hysteria "died down"--in other words, a deal was done so that the ministers who started the mess went unpunished as long as they didn't try to usurp power again.

Here I would say it is more for money, but I'm sure local power is involved. The ministry is one of those professions that attracts the unscrupulous, from the basic con artist to power hungry meglomaniacs. Not every minister is nefarious--but enough are that one needs to really listen to the minister's message to determine where they are coming from.

[OneGrassRoot]

13. Power...yep

And the use of others' fear to gain that power.

People are so easily led when fear is instilled, and it is so easy to instill fear...there are endless ways to do so, seemingly endless things to be afraid of.

As I've said before, the last eight years were a perfect example of this. And we're always on the cliff of the majority falling into the trap of fear again.

That's what I fear. ;)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

15. Belief in witchcraft is indigenous to Africa and other parts of the world

These free-lance fundamentalists are merely taking advantage of an existing tradition. The mainline missionaries went into Africa in the 19th century, after Europeans had given up belief in witchcraft. It is NOT the mainline Christians (Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, etc.) who are promoting this. It is syncretistic blends of Pentecostal, fundamentalist, and indigenous beliefs.

Here's a secular use of belief in witchcraft from Gambia:


Witch Hunts and Foul Potions Heighten Fear of Leader in Gambia

JAMBUR, Gambia — This tiny West African nation’s citizens have grown familiar with the unpredictable exploits of its absolute ruler, who insists on being called His Excellency President Professor Dr. Al-Haji Yahya Jammeh: his herbs-and-banana cure for AIDS, his threat to behead gays, his mandate that only he can drive through the giant arch commemorating his coup in the moldering capital, Banjul, and his ubiquitous grinning portrait posted along roadsides.

Not to mention the documented disappearances, torture and imprisonment of dozens of journalists and political opponents.

But then came a campaign so confounding and strange that the citizens are still reeling and sickened from it, literally, weeks after it apparently ended.

The president, it seems, had become concerned about witches in this country of mango trees, tropical scrub, dirt roads, innumerable police checkpoints and Atlantic coastline frequented by sun-seeking European tourists mostly unaware of the activities at nearby Mile 2 State Central Prison, where many opponents of the regime are taken.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/world/africa/21gambia.html?_r=1&ref=world

By the way, this is in an Islamic region.