Touching God's 'anointed'

Rwanda, which has not exactly been a beacon of human rights and democracy amid tight restrictions on freedom of speech and the political space in the country, made headlines recently when a crackdown on the mushrooming of churches and other religious establishments was revealed.

Rwanda's government has closed thousands of churches and dozens of mosques as it seeks to assert more control over a vibrant religious community whose sometimes makeshift operations, authorities say, have threatened the lives of followers. Only pastors with a theology degree are permitted to operate churches.

President Paul Kagame said he was shocked by the high number of churches in the small East African country.

The closures elicited mixed reactions in Rwanda, where human rights groups have long accused Kagame's government of clamping down on freedom of expression, which the president has denied.

Six Pentecostal pastors who protested the church closures were arrested and accused of “illegal meetings with bad intentions,” and since then other critics have refused to discuss the issue.

Proposed legislation aims to regulate faith-based organisations separately from civil society organisations.

This has found resonance in Namibia, where fly-by-night 'pastors' and 'churches', who aim to isolate and milk congregants of their money, have proliferated over the years.

It is therefore unsurprising that formalised religious structures, including the Council of Churches in Namibia, have called for the need for greater regulation of churches in the country.

The exploitation of Namibians by so-called prosperity gospel churches is a fact, and instances reported in the media are just the tip of the iceberg.

Desperate individuals, who can ill-afford to be exploited are told to sow liberally into the pockets of the 'church' - and by implication the 'pastor', in order to receive 'blessings' in the form of material wealth.

This has left many families destroyed and divided, while 'pastors' drive fancy cars, live in fancy homes and often indulge in unscriptural relationships with female congregants.

Although all these churches cannot be painted with the same brush, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

And these incidents are mounting, while the money-hungry hide behind the scripture that God's anointed should not be 'touched' or criticised.

Regulation is needed, and needed urgently.