Whilst visiting Kenya a horrific discovery was made.
One hundred and nine followers of the Good News International Church, based in the Shakahola Forest of eastern Kenya, are known to have died. Authorities have recovered 101 bodies from shallow graves since April 21 while eight cult members were found alive but died later. So far, 44 people have been rescued.
One reason for how this could have happened is the way Pastors become Pastors
How to become a Pastor in the UK
Candidates for the clergy according to the Christian faith must pass a residential selection procedure and attend theological college where training includes theological instruction and practical pastoral experience. Training can last up to six years depending upon age, experience and denomination
How to become a Pastor in Kenya
Wake up one morning and say 'I want to be a Pastor' and that is it, find a shed somewhere and you have your own Christian church.
The other reason is that the congregation gets so enthused by their belief that they will follow blindly what ever a particular charismatic Pastor tells them to do, even if that is starve yourself to death and meet Jesus.
These people, the victims of this church Pastor are an extreme example of people relinquishing responsibility for their lives they have reached a point in their lives where not a lot is working out for them, live can be very difficult in Africa. So when the Pastor especially a charismatic Pastor tells them that there problems will be over if they accept Jesus into their lives, they are really up for that, they are told they will find answers to and be relived of material problems, jobs, money a bigger house, all they need to do is praise Jesus and have faith.
Now this is wrong Christianity helps,or should help, with spiritual matters but the self proclaimed Pastors have had no bible training and no incline of pastoral care, they are in it for the money and the prestige so surely Jesus will be to. What makes it worse is when the emphasis switches from Jesus to the Pastor, a man, not a very good man. A man who has deluded himself at best or who is an out and out crook.
The message from this post is never stop thinking, questioning and hold tight to your own responsibility for your life. Never give it away to another no matter how charismatic they are, this goes for the charlatans as well as the worthy. Follow no man without thinking and no matter what they tell you to do you are still responsibly for yourself for you cannot give away responsibility because it will always land on you. The victims of this Pastor are still victims even though they gave away their responsibility but we should learn from their mistake for had they had not given away their responsibility they would still be alive to day, they willingly starved themselves to death on the word of one man.
Pages Records Found