Redefining religion? A critical Christian reflection on CRL Rights Commission’s proposal to regulate religion in South Africa

Banda, Collium

doi:10.4102/ve.v40i1.1948

Cited by 15 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The commission started the investigation concerning the rationale behind the abuse of religion, the abuse of people's beliefs, and the commercialisation of religion on 03 November 2015 to 23 March 2016 (Banda 2019). The investigation was done by approaching some of the pastors mentioned in the preceding section, but most of them did not cooperate with the commission (Dube, Nkoane & Hlalele 2017:343).…”

Section: The Cultural Religious and Linguistic Communities Commission...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of ecumenical bodies in curbing abuses in New Prophetic Churches in South Africa

Kgatle

2022

In die Skriflig / In Luce Verbi

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The proliferation of New Prophetic Churches within the broader Pentecostal movement in South Africa has come with the challenge of the abuse of religion and people’s beliefs. These abuses have attracted the attention of the government through the Cultural, Religious, and Linguistic Communities (CRL) commission with calls for the regulation of religion to deal with the abuses. This article worked within the context of Christian ecumenism and explored the role of ecumenical bodies in curbing the abuses in New Prophetic Churches as opposed to the regulation by the government. In this article the ecclesiastical freedom theory is used to argue that ecumenical bodies are better positioned to deal with these challenges facing churches than the government and its commissions. It is suggested that, for New Prophetic Churches to be active in national ecumenical bodies such as the South African Council of Churches, they should be allowed to establish their own bodies to assure accountability. This will be achieved by defining the theory of ecclesiastical freedom, a discussion of the ecumenical bodies in South Africa and their relationship with New Prophetic Churches. In the last section the role of ecumenical bodies in dealing with abuses in New Prophetic Churches will be explored and recommendations made.Contribution: This article makes a valuable contribution to the ongoing discourses on the regulation of religion in South Africa through an ecclesiastical freedom theory. It is argued that churches can self-regulate and therefore suggests that instead of regulating churches, the government should rather rely on ecumenical bodies in dealing with abuses in New Prophetic Churches in South Africa. In addition, New Prophetic Churches should be allowed to establish their bodies that will ultimately become part of national ecumenical bodies to assure accountability.

show abstract

Section: The Cultural Religious and Linguistic Communities Commission...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of ecumenical bodies in curbing abuses in New Prophetic Churches in South Africa

Kgatle

2022

In die Skriflig / In Luce Verbi

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…44 These rights are enforced by independent institutions like the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities which has been established to specifically "promote and protect" all these rights of communities. 45 While the establishment of this commission is commendable, some scholars note that it also unwittingly contributed to the emergence of some tendencies which threaten the beauty of religion in society. 46 They argue that the protection of these rights has catalyzed the emergence of cult-like religious movements which violate human rights with their practices.…”

Section: Institutionalization Of Freedom Of Religionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Analysis of the State of Religious Pluralism between Intertestamental Palestine and Post-Apartheid South Africa

Nkuna

2021

EHASS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Religious pluralism has characterized societies since time immemorial and has been one of the sources of conflict in many societies. This article compares how religious pluralism was handled in intertestamental Palestine and the manner it is managed in post-apartheid South Africa. The study used academic literature which applied the Apocrypha to describe the religious context of Palestine between 336 BC and 63 BC. The themes that emerged from this analysis were then used to source academic literature that describes the religious context of South Africa from 1994 to 2021. This process led to the synthesis of the similarities and differences of the two contexts. The findings latently reveal the contribution of the Apocrypha to theological reflection while simultaneously showing that the Roman Empire’s violent attempts to undermine religious pluralism in intertestamental Palestine bred counterviolence. The paper further reveals that post-apartheid South Africa’s use of legal instruments to promote religious pluralism seems to contribute to the optimization of religious freedom and peaceful co-existence. These findings are likely to contribute to the discourse of religious pluralism, interfaith dialogue, and intercultural communications. Keywords: Hellenism, Apocrypha, Religious Pluralism, Democracy

show abstract

“…[r]eligious freedom in South Africa is one of the few rights which has not been blighted with a history of either intervention on the part of the state or restrictions in terms of its expression. (p. 2) Banda (2019) sought to investigate 'the recommendations of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission) to regulate religion in South Africa'. The article ends by identifying the dangers of the recommendation of the CRL Rights Commission that religion should be regulated in South Africa.…”

Section: Locating the Gap: Psychic Capture Theologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The reason for this is that, usually, when people visit churches or ministries, they hope to ensure a better future and find solutions for their social problems; however, in some cases, instead of problems being solved, people become entangled in exploitative acts that are easy to propagate through mental destabilisation. Mental destabilisation is partly as a result of religion has occupied a neo-liberal space, and resulted in misuse of the freedom of religion (Banda 2019;Henrico 2019;Magezi & Banda 2017;Mashau & Kgatle 2019). Considering the foregoing, it seems that some religious groups, especially in South Africa, thrive on mentally destabilising or incapacitating their adherents (Dayiman & Ntshobane 2018).Consequently, religion does 'not always significantly and positively relate to an individual's subjective well-being' (Eichhorn 2011;Leondari & Gialamas 2009), especially when elements of criminality encroach on the religious space.'Police arrested suspected criminals in a satanic place masquerading as a church ...…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Can religion (un)zombify? The trajectories of psychic capture theology in postcolonial South Africa

Dube

2020

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

‘Police arrested suspected criminals in a satanic place masquerading as a church … There is no church there, but there is Satanism … Those people are not praying for anything, but they have hypnotised abantu [people]’. Informed by a decoloniality lens in relation to motifs such as coloniality of power and knowledge and being, I argue that mafiarised religions in South Africa thrive through psychic capture theology. Some emerging religious movements subject their followers to unthinkable practices, which makes outsiders question the way in which both religious leaders and adherents operate outside the conventionally accepted practice of religion, and, instead, indulge in practices characterised by manipulation, corruption and mental destabilisation. I respond to two questions: What are the trajectories of a religion that zombifies, and how can the social pathologies of psychic capture theology be addressed? I respond to these questions with special reference to the Seven Angels Ministry and Penuel Mnguni. I argue that some emerging ministries strive to destroy the psychic ability of adherents, to achieve strategic distance that dehumanises, removes people from the zone of being, and causes them to question their ontological density. I end the article by arguing that there is a need for religion to be regulated, and reintroduced, to challenge religious mafias that thrive through mental destabilisation. In doing so, religion can be reconfigured and have relevance in a postcolonial state, such as South Africa, especially in contexts where the rationale of religious discourses is questionable.Contribution: The article contributes to knowledge in the sense that it calls for religion to be problematised and reconstructed within education and sociological space when it dehumanise and removes people from the zone of being. Through this approach, the article fits with the scope for the journal that calls for interdisciplinary approach to the study within the international contexts.

show abstract

Redefining religion? A critical Christian reflection on CRL Rights Commission’s proposal to regulate religion in South Africa

Cited by 15 publications

References 4 publications

The role of ecumenical bodies in curbing abuses in New Prophetic Churches in South Africa

The role of ecumenical bodies in curbing abuses in New Prophetic Churches in South Africa

Comparative Analysis of the State of Religious Pluralism between Intertestamental Palestine and Post-Apartheid South Africa

Can religion (un)zombify? The trajectories of psychic capture theology in postcolonial South Africa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About