NOTHING should surprise South Africans, who have witnessed every kind of scam imaginable for decades.
However, the recent video of a pastor performing a ‘resurrection’ went viral – as much because of the poor acting ability of the victim as for the astounding claim of the pastor.
A media frenzy ensued, with funeral parlours claiming they were conned into being part of the scheme.
So seriously was the incident viewed, that the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities called for a regulatory framework to prevent illegal and/or unscrupulous activities in churches.
I for one am not sure how well that would work.
In practical terms, it is impossible for some religious tribunal to set the rules of what is and is not acceptable practice.
How far apart are claims of raising one from the dead to claims of restoring sight to the blind or enabling those born lame to walk?
Some claim ‘health and wealth’ as being the rightful inheritance of the faithful, and what is deemed acceptable in one place of worship is viewed as blasphemy in another.
One thing is certain: there is big money to be made in religion.
It’s no secret that wealth can be extorted from the poor, vulnerable and needy masses, and that ‘profits’ rather than ‘prophets’ are the ultimate goal for many charlatans.
One might say that ‘praying’ and ‘preying’ go hand in hand for those who have the power of persuasion.
But it’s nothing new. Enough pieces of the Cross have been sold over centuries to build a bridge from Africa to South America.
It’s always the trusting and naïve innocents who get caught, along with the greedy.
Fooling the gullible public is, however, no different in religion than it is in commerce or, for that matter, politics.
Scams with stones that turn to gems, and ordinary paper that morphs into R200 notes have been around for ages, as have pyramid schemes.
We agree: the vulnerable among us must be protected, especially from those who spray Doom and force congregants to eat grass – but by whom?
Simple. Religious scams, just like investment scams and online scams, are criminal offences.
They are fraud and the perpetrators should be treated like fraudsters.
On a lighter note, I heard of a ‘church’ in America that advertised it would raise a man from the dead at one of its services.
As the great moment was about to commence a person stood up, approached the open coffin and pulled out a gun.
‘Since you are going to raise him anyway, you won’t mind if I make absolutely sure he is dead?’ he asked politely as he prepared to pull the trigger.
At which point the ‘deceased’ jumped out of the coffin and ran away.
Anyway, what’s all the fuss about?
We’ve been raising the dead at election time, and employing them in parliament for decades.
During which time they revert back to their state of eternal slumber.
