| Child witches: accused in the name of Jesus
Posted: 5/26/2009 10:21:43 AM | Christian Pastors in Congo Paid to Perform Violent Exorcisms; Children Banished From Homes, Abandoned by Families
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Story?id=7613395&page=1
In a dirt-floored, back-alley church, 8-year-old Bobby and his 6-year-old brother Henock were made to kneel before a pastor wearing a white, flowing robe adorned with pictures of Jesus.
Looming over the boys, Pastor Moise Tshombe went into a trance, during which he claimed the Holy Spirit took over and the voice of God spoke through him. "I see that witchcraft is in these two," Tshombe said. "The threats inside of them are very strong."
These young brothers were the latest victims in an epidemic of accusations of child witchcraft here in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is raging in the name of Jesus. It continues seemingly unabated despite flags raised by organizations such as the United Nations, Save the Children and Human Rights Watch.
Accusing children of witchcraft is a relatively new phenomenon in the Congo. Experts say it's the result of a toxic combination of causes, including decades of war, an economy in collapse, and a new breed of Christian pastors who profit by telling impoverished parents that all of their problems -- economic, medical and emotional -- are caused by the family's weakest members.
Unwanted children are often accused of witchcraft as a pretense for abandoning them. Save the Children estimates 70 percent of the estimated 15,000 street children in the capital city of Kinshasa have been accused of witchcraft.
Why would a parent ever believe their child is a witch? Mushiete says in a culture where death and divorce have destroyed families, parents are easy prey for greedy, ruthless pastors.
The ceremony does not come cheap. Tshombe was charging $50 -- an exorbitant cost in a country where the average annual salary is $100.
He insisted to us that Jesus Christ would approve of his actions.
"I don't do it for money. I do this because the Holy Spirit gave me the gift to cure," he told ABC News. "If I were a liar, you wouldn't see so many people here. That proves that I am not a charlatan."
As cruel as Tshombe is with the children in his church, exorcisms can purportedly be exponentially worse. There are reports of children being beaten, burned, starved and even murdered
Life for girls accused of witchcraft is especially horrific. Critics say they are often raped, abused and forced into prostitution.
Many of these girls now have children of their own. We saw them leaving the babies on the side of the road to sleep at night while they went off to turn tricks
Has anyone ever heard of anything so horrific?
Any thoughts? Any ideas on what should be done? | |
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| Child witches: accused in the name of Jesus
Posted: 5/27/2009 2:17:40 AM | Deliverance from demons can be really badly done, but Tshombe may not have any authority in Jesus name at all. Probably not.
The greater church, the leadership, there and abroad should insist on reformation, and if need be gain police assistance. As we do if people behave really badly in church.
Also the preachers in that and other churches should teach just and spiritual ministry from false. To the masses, on TV and radio, asking for help from Benny Hinn and Reinhardt Bonnke, also Kenneth Copeland and powerful, firm, popular ministers. They can correct the masses.
Deliverance service, not sadism. | |
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| Child witches: accused in the name of Jesus
Posted: 5/27/2009 3:59:28 AM | A video called those pastors rank amateurs. After watching those cermonies, and hearing the parents talking about their child being a demon, I get the feeling those poor kids are being brought up by bigger kids. 
One little boy was in a cast and the excuse was he was some old man spirit, who injured himself while trying to kill his father. Whaaaaa?!
Whose is going to step in and educate those people in order to get them to grow up and understand how to bring up children properly. This reminds me of that "The Girl in the Window" story, where the mother felt it was the child that was the problem and not her own inadequate parenting skills. | |
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| Child witches: accused in the name of Jesus
Posted: 5/27/2009 10:27:12 AM |
Has anyone ever heard of anything so horrific? Yes. In Benin, also in Africa, many villages believe in the Voodoo religion. The local adult Voodoo priests require that children are required to be educated in the Voodoo religion, and serve as Voodoo priests. However, that costs, and as the people usually get paid a pittance, barely enough to live on, they can only afford to pay these fees by selling their children into working for employers far from home, for years, which often includes beatings and sexual abuse. The parents feel they have no choice, because if they refuse to have their child trained in Voodoo, the Voodoo priests will curse them, and the same will happen if they refuse to pay the Voodoo priests for the training. Thousands of children are regularly being sold into slavery and abuse, in a cycle that is doubtful to ever end, unless someone steps in.
I've also heard that many people in Africa believe that they can cure AIDS by having sex with a baby, and many do so. So they sexually abuse babies, and infect these babies with AIDS at the same time.
I've also heard that something like 1 million people in Angola in Africa have limbs missing, blown off by mines, sold to them by countries like the UK and the USA.
I also had a flat-mate from the Congo, who told me that it was common for people to get disembowelled down there. That's when they cut your guts open, and they spill out on the floor, and you die slowly, in horrible pain.
All these things are happening in many places in Africa, and in plenty of places all over the world.
Any thoughts? Any ideas on what should be done? This is ONE case where I would consider it moral to enter such countries, and remove the problem people, and then leave, without trying to force their ideas on the people. But Americans and Europeans seem unable to do this. Either they don't want to go into a country at all, or they go in and rape its natural resources, and try to convert its people to thinking that they should worship the Western lifestyle and slave for our benefit.
Maybe one day, we can convince our countries to act like human beings. | |
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| Child witches: accused in the name of Jesus
Posted: 5/28/2009 2:37:34 AM | vvvvvv
"Any thoughts? Any ideas on what should be done?"
what about missionaries. they have done much to enlighten and effect change.
can they do more?
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| Child witches: accused in the name of Jesus
Posted: 5/28/2009 6:25:43 PM |
I've also heard that many people in Africa believe that they can cure AIDS by having sex with a baby, and many do so. So they sexually abuse babies, and infect these babies with AIDS at the same time. Okay now that is my new record for the most horrifying thing I've ever heard of. | |
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| Child witches: accused in the name of Jesus
Posted: 5/29/2009 12:28:29 AM | Was it not Africa that has/is named the "Dark Continent".
And if so ..... go figure.
need to let more Light shine in.
any ... any .... ANYONE who will and can effect this harm unto innocent children has to be totally debased. Sickening.
those poor little babies.
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| Child witches: accused in the name of Jesus
Posted: 5/29/2009 8:04:44 AM | Yes, I have heard of such things before, throught Africa, Central/South America and Assia. This is actually a relativly comon problem, esspecially in places that have very high child poverty. It is also not a christian problem, this goes on in Muslim, Hindu, Bhuddist and Tribal religions as well.
There is a solution though, but it is not a simple one. End Child Poverty.
In Ghanna and Guinee at the moment, there is a massive problme with child abuse of this nature. Children in Guinee have been torchered and burnt alive after acusations of witch craft.
fortunatelly the governemnt in these two places are taking the problem seroiusly, but there is little they can do when no one will come forwards and say what has been happening. About the only protection these children have at this time, is Christian and Muslim Missionaries, no one else sems willing to stand up for them at the moment. | |
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| Child witches: accused in the name of Jesus
Posted: 5/29/2009 8:13:30 AM |
I also had a flat-mate from the Congo, who told me that it was common for people to get disembowelled down there. That's when they cut your guts open, and they spill out on the floor, and you die slowly, in horrible pain.
Two years ago I had a flatmate from Uganda that ussed to scream his lungs out every single night from the nightmares.
Before coming to Britain he had been a hydrological enginear with a wife and four kids. six months later he was a refugee with no familly and deep emosional trauma. He refused to ever talk about any issue associated with children and if the subject did come up he would retreat to his room to cry.
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| Child witches: accused in the name of Jesus
Posted: 5/30/2009 9:27:38 AM | Message #1
Has anyone ever heard of anything so horrific?
The persecution of individuals and groups accused of witchcraft dates back, most likely to pre-history. Certainly, sanctions against “witches” were formally codified in law as far back as Ancient Egypt and Babylon. “Witches” were seen as competitors in the arena of supernatural belief, and religious leaders of the monotheistic faiths were sanguine about removing the perceived threat to their own religious hegemony. Hence, in the Torah in Deuteronomy, and Exodus exist verses that describe witchcraft as an abomination, and exhortations that
"thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" . Christianity in its zeal (both Catholic and protestant), has at times used these “Old Testament” commands to justify some of the most abominable acts of cruelty imaginable against humanity.
Accusations of witchcraft, have been usually made against people least able to defend themselves, (children, women, the poor, the elderly, the infirm, the insane) though when the power of accusers and beneficiaries of “witch” persecution is sufficiently secure, even the wealthy and normally well connected are not safe from persecution.
Without discounting the tragedy and dire hurt visited upon children in third world countries accused of being witches, literally hundreds of thousands, and possibly some millions may have perished, often in excruciating agony in Europe during the main period of witch hysteria from approximately 1480 to the early 1700s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
The self sustaining dynamic of the witch accusations at the height of the witch hysteria in Europe, bears close resemblance to the kind of processes involved in child witch accusations presently evidenced in Africa. Chapter 7 of of Carl Sagan’s book “The Demon Haunted World – Science as a Candle In The Dark” describes this self sustaining dynamic quite chillingly.
It quickly became an expense account scam. All costs of investigation, trial and execution were borne by the accused or her relatives, down to per diem for the private detectives hired to spy on her, wine for her guards, banquets for her judges, the travel expenses of a messenger sent to fetch a more experienced torturer from another city, and the faggots, tar and hangman's rope. Then there was a bonus to the members of the tribunal for each witch burned. The convicted witch's remaining property, if any, was divided between Church and State. As this legally and morally sanctioned mass murder and theft became institutionalized, as a vast bureaucracy arose to serve it, attention was turned from poor hags and crones to the middle class and well-to-do of both sexes.
The more who, under torture, confessed to witchcraft, the harder it was to maintain that the whole business was mere fantasy. Since each `witch' was made to implicate others, the numbers grew exponentially.
Why is the phenomenon of child witchcraft accusation happening? There is no single, simple answer to that question. For a detailed analysis of the issue, I recommend that you take the trouble to read a paper delivered by Gary Foxcroft, Program Director of Stepping Stones Nigeria (A secular NGO) to UNHCR (2009) called “Witchcraft Accusations: A Protection Concern for UNHCR and the Broader Humanitarian Community?”
http://www.steppingstonesnigeria.org/files/UN_doc.pdf
As far as I can see, some of the major contributing factors of the problem (and this is by no means an exhaustive list) are as follows.
* Dire Poverty (of individuals, families, communities and nations)
* Superstitious belief systems that are deeply rooted in the popular mentality of the people (there and elsewhere)
* Legal and political institutions that don’t have the resources and/or the will to protect its citizens against the predatory practices of witch accusers
* Lack of literacy and education in general
* Ignorance (Irrational explanations for natural phenomena as opposed to rational evidence based explanations i.e. science)
* Greed
* Corruption at various levels of government
* Evangelism that is poorly governanced by its sponsors
* Individuals and groups who have grudges and scores to settle
* Individuals and groups who gain a direct or indirect benefit by making witch accusations (step-parents wishing to dispose of step-children, relatives and others who hope to sequester confiscated money / property, etc)Confidence tricksters,
* charlatans and carpet baggers intent on extorting money by “bogus” exorcisms etc.
Any thoughts? Any ideas on what should be done?
* Improve the standards of living of societies that are plagued by superstition.
* Improve the political and legal institutions that at present are ineffectual in mitigating the harm caused by witch accusers.
* Improve child and adult literacy, numeracy and education in general
* Oversight evangelistic missionaries, making them – their sponsoring organisations accountable for the conduct of their priests in the same way that churches in western societies are made accountable for the conduct of their clerics that abuse positions of authority e.g. paedophile priests etc.
* Support the enforcement of international conventions for the protection of children and human rights generally.
* Remove incentives for people to make child witch accusations against others with impunity.
* Support NGOs that are working in the field of mitigating the harm made against those accused of being witches.
* Embarrass governments into doing something about the problem.
Message #2 Csonka
asking for help from Benny Hinn and Reinhardt Bonnke, also Kenneth Copeland and powerful, firm, popular ministers
Benny Hinn????? Are you serious??? I’m surprised that you didn’t mention the very accomplished Elmer Gantry in the pantheon of all time poweful, firm, persuasive evangelists. The last thing that the victims of these abusive priests need is for their persecutors to become more professional and polished in their abilities at fleecing their flock.
Just as it has been suggested that Intelligent Design is just Creationism in a cheap tuxedo….I view so called “christian” priests stigmatising children with witchcraft as just witchdoctors in cheap surplices and cassocks.
Message #4 Scorpiomover
Maybe one day, we can convince our countries to act like human beings.
Perhaps a more realistic goal might be to persuade our fellow human beings to act like human beings, then families, communities, and states might incrementally improve as a consequence. One needn’t force beliefs on others…that is what dictators try to do, and usually it doesn’t achieve any significantly sustainable success. It is better to offer better options and alternatives to people having to deal with witch hysteria and its consequences. One would hope that rational beliefs, will, with time and resourcing, overcome irrational beliefs. It took the Enlightenment and the weakening of church power by nationalism, among other things to start Europe on the road to controlling witch hysteria….perhaps the enlightenment by education and the improvement of economic, political, legal and social institutions might have the same effect in African nations plagued by witch hysteria. One can but hope…or one can do something about it…if only by donating to charities which are trying to mitigate the harmful effects of witch hysteria.
Message #5 Misfit
what about missionaries. they have done much to enlighten and effect change.
can they do more?
Missionaries have undoubtedly effected change for the worse rather than better, in a number of ways.
* Practitioners of “child witch “ stigmatisation, have been given a veneer of respectability by being able to identify themselves with religious authoriies with greater perceived Ju-Ju than any local tribal witchdoctor could ever hope to have.
* Religious institutions that sponsor priests who practice child witch stigmatisation, are as like to offer the same kind of institutional protections that have been instrumental in the shielding of paedophiles and other abusers in mainstream western churches.
* Superstitious references to sorcery and witchcraft in sponsoring religion / churches’ sacred texts and doctrines overlay and reinforce local tribal superstitions concerning sorcery and witchcraft, and thereby legitimise and give authoritative sanction to the activity of witch stigmatisation.
If missionaries and religious sponsoring institutions wish to do anything about combating witch hysteria, and reining in the “priests” that practice the vile practice of witch stigmatisation….they should earnestly abide by the “Guiding Principles and Best Practice for Working with Children Stigmatised as Witches” as recommended by Steppingstones Nigeria. I encourage you and other readers of this thread to read it. AND encourage your church missions to endorse and act on the recommendations
http://www.steppingstonesnigeria.org/files/ing_with_children_stigmatised_as_witches_doc.pdf
Perhaps there is some light at the end of the tunnel of ignorance and darkness…..Legislation is being enacted to stamp out child witch stigmatisation in Nigeria…hopefully other countries will follow suit
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/news/article10//indexn3_html?pdate=071208&ptitle=Child-Witch:%20Akpabio%20Outlaws%20Stigmatisation%20of%20Children&cpdate=071208
It remains to be seen, whether the measures taken are merely appeasing rhetoric, or a sustained concerted effort to stamp out a vile practice.
For a graphic exposition of the phenomenon of witch stigmatisation…have a look at
African Witch Children Part1 (2008) on You Tube. It is not for the faint hearted and some scenes may be disturbing. | |
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| Child witches: accused in the name of Jesus
Posted: 5/30/2009 5:32:29 PM |
Perhaps a more realistic goal might be to persuade our fellow human beings to act like human beings, then families, communities, and states might incrementally improve as a consequence. Our countries are made up of our fellow human beings, no?
One needn’t force beliefs on others… You mean like bringing democracy and MacDonalds to Iraq?
that is what dictators try to do, and usually it doesn’t achieve any significantly sustainable success. It is better to offer better options and alternatives to people having to deal with witch hysteria and its consequences. I'd agree entriely with you there, and that is exactly what the Bible required, because according to Biblical law, no-one can be put to death, unless they had been warned first, that if they commit those actions, that they will die for it.
One would hope that rational beliefs, will, with time and resourcing, overcome irrational beliefs. It took the Enlightenment and the weakening of church power by nationalism, among other things to start Europe on the road to controlling witch hysteria…. AFAIK, before the Enlightenment and nationalism, there cases of witchcraft trials are very rare. The most common cases appear to be groups like the Salem witch trials, which were held by Americans, which was composed of non-conformist Christians, who refused to submit their beliefs to inspection by any large group, such as the Anglican church, and left England in the pursuit of complete autonomy. It's easy to understand that if any group refuses self-examination, and just goes off on their own, that they'll develop all sorts of beliefs.
perhaps the enlightenment by education and the improvement of economic, political, legal and social institutions might have the same effect in African nations plagued by witch hysteria. One can but hope… Unfortunately, that happened in Europe with the intervention of 2 main forces: one was the drive of the Church to ensure that more and more people were somewhat educated, and the other was the elimination of a fragmented Europe, by its unity under Christianity, and its subsequent elimination of most civil wars.
or one can do something about it…if only by donating to charities which are trying to mitigate the harmful effects of witch hysteria. The only ones I know of, are Christian missionaries.
The UN is supposed to do something about this too. But the UN was in Benin as well, and they're staying hands off of that. | |
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| Child witches: accused in the name of Jesus
Posted: 5/31/2009 10:40:58 AM |
The only ones I know of, are Christian missionaries. We already have some there - they're the ones torturing kids for money.
Personally I don't see the use of any kind of religious missionaries as the answer, such an agenda-driven group would find themselves in a population of poorly-educated and desperate people, ripe for exploitation.
I think the best place to start would be trying to get through to the government, which at this time evidently feels that kids with bloated stomachs are "most likely witches." If they could be made to see reason, then we could look at ways of removing the pastors and educating the people about the wrongness of their actions and how their actions are not in accord with Christianity.
And chellovek I followed your advice, checking out "African Witch Children Part1 (2008)" on youtube was a brutal look at what these people are doing. | |
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| Child witches: accused in the name of Jesus
Posted: 5/31/2009 11:21:09 AM | Don makes a valid point- missionaries have been in africa for centuries. The brutality hasn't stopped. The logical conclusion is that missionaries alone are ineffective at best.
The problem is that african Big Man politics are notoriously ineffective, and lead to brutal reprisals against political rivals. The only people who have any rights are the ones the Big Man identifies himself as- the rest are little more than pawns.
There is some possibility for change, though it can't come from international intervention (look at Somalia. It's still a failed state, and international forces from the UN and AN have been there for over a decade), it has to come from within the country itself- or at the very least, within africa. Any move by an international body to step in would be seen as confrontational (like the ICC issuing a warrant for Bashir, and Bashir expelling every aid group from Sudan). | |
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| Child witches: accused in the name of Jesus
Posted: 5/31/2009 3:00:24 PM | ^^^ Interesting points, claretshade. Yes, a lot of things have been there for quite a while and not made any difference. But here's my issue with your idea about countries solving their own problems:
Why should ANY African dictator want to change?
Why should any Africans want to fight for democracy, when they are likely to be killed by his dictator's soldiers for speaking out against him?
Even if they would want to rise up in rebellion, how can they, when African dictators keep being sold arms manufactured by Western countries, and sold to them by Western companies, in exchange for their natural resources?
Seems to me that they only stand a chance, when their countries have nothing left worth having. | |
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| Child witches: accused in the name of Jesus
Posted: 6/22/2009 5:41:30 AM | I just saw a Four Corners report on this, it is akin to Nazi scapegoating,. They blame the children for evils, 5 yr olds... and reject them.
There is a false Pentecostal church going in Nigeria, and they make videos about child witches and wizards. It says they cause evil, that they are possessed, and "Bishops" deliver or kill them... Evidence of molestations.
The claims about the children are dark and extremely far fetched.
They play on superstitions, the non scientific/cause and effect thinking, they blame the children. And they are abandoned, beaten and forced to confess.
There are real churches that don't approve. And laws were enacted to protect them.
They need basic teaching, semantics, science and a wave of new Christian teaching for social justice and new videos about the real Jesus and Gospel.
It is something I will consider teaming up for. | |
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| Child witches: accused in the name of Jesus
Posted: 6/29/2009 5:59:07 PM | I have spoken to a radio show Christian company and they broadcast in Africa. They are interested in gathering ideas for effecting some change there. I and The Christian show people are Pentecostal, the Nigerians claim to be. Some, only some actually are.
Please contribute ideas for the accused children and the deviation from the real Gospel to be straightened. | |
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