Sent to The Star, Johannesburg, Tue
11/08/2015 08:17. Published Wed 12/08/2015
as “Right to religious freedom abused”.
Sir
On Sunday, EFF
members went to the Soshanguve meeting of the End of Times Disciples
Ministries, where they threatened the “Snake Pastor” and his followers, and
burned the tent used by the church. According to reports, SAPS members
watched and did nothing.
It appears that the
local EFF and SAPS members do not understand the concept of religious freedom
in clause 15 of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution. Everyone has the right
to practice their religion free of interference, if they do not break the laws
of the country.
If the pastor is
causing cruelty to animals, breaking the food health and safety regulations, or
endangering the health or lives of his followers, then the law should be
applied. If the church is disturbing the peace, there are by-laws that
should be enforced.
It is completely
wrong for anybody to force their way into the gathering, threaten violence, and
commit arson. The EFF members who took part must be arrested and
prosecuted, and buy a replacement tent. The SAPS members who failed to
act, must be disciplined.
The behaviour of
other sects may seem barbaric and bizarre to you, while the brutal and strange
practices of your own religion seem normal to you because you have grown up
with them.
Oh, your
religion has no such practices?
If you are a
Christian, have you ever received Holy Communion? You pretended to eat
the body and drink the blood of Christ? To me, this looks like ritual
cannibalism. If, outside of religion, your children made a game in which
they pretended to consume human body parts, you would probably be horrified.
Various belief
systems mutilate the genitals of children –and dignify it with the term
“circumcision”.
A final example,
one that causes untold harm, is when children, too young to think for
themselves, are indoctrinated into a fear of Hell. There is no evidence
that Hell exists –-nor Heaven, for that matter. Forcing irrational fears
on children is child abuse.
You get away with
these practices because they are part of your religion. In return, you
have to accept that other religions are allowed to practice theirs.
Rick Raubenheimer
