Voodoo Christianity
Essays, Featured — By Karen Spears Zacharias on October 29, 2009 at 12:00 am
When I was a young girl I had an albino friend. Annie’s hair was as light and wispy as cotton candy. Her eyes as pink as Valentine Sweet-Tarts. At church, whenever we sang that song about Jesus washing me whiter than snow, I thought of her.
Almost from birth, I was marred with freckles. Angel-kisses, Granny always said, trying to fool me into thinking I was pretty. But I knew better. Annie’s skin was as white as a fresh piece of typing paper. There wasn’t a blemish on her anywhere. Annie reflected light like an angel that’s come straight from the presence of God.
Annie and I went our separate ways after we ended up at different high schools. I hadn’t thought of her in years, until I caught a Dateline special about the slaughter of albinos taking place in Tanzania.
Dateline’s Aaron Lewis reported that Leticia Bahati, a 9-year-old albino girl watched as human poachers attacked her 14-year-old sister, Eunice. “Euni tried to run away,” Leticia said. “But she fell to the floor because they had hacked her in the neck.”
These human-hunters then cut off Eunice’s legs. Left her to bled to death, like so many others. News reports say at least 53 people with albinism have met similar fates since 2007 in this east African nation.
The lack of prosecution for such heinous acts has created an atmosphere of great fear for Tanzania’s albino population – about 170,000 people. Authorities have arrested over ninety people – including four police officers – for their part in such killings, but until recently, Tanzania’s leaders have turned a blind eye to the brutal slayings.
In September, Tanzania’s high court sentenced three men to hang for the slaying of a 13-year-old albino boy, killed for the same reason as Eunice – for his body parts. The leg of an albino child can fetch a thousand dollars or better. A great temptation for the poverty-stricken, especially when you add to the mix that the reason body parts of the albinos are in such high demand is because witchdoctors insist that it can bring good luck, specifically great riches. And that belief seems to be spreading. Twelve albinos in Brundi have been killed in the past year. Not all those attacked die, however, many are just left maimed for life.
Peter Ash is an albino and founder of the Canadian-based human rights organization, Under the Same Sun (www.underthesamesun.com), which is seeking to put an end to this gruesome genocide. Following a recent trip to Tanzania, Ash said, “The body of a two-day old baby with albinism was exhumed from a grave dug the day after its birth. This tiny infant was found without arms or legs. There are repeated accounts of throats slit, blood drained, and sometimes drunk on the spot by the killers. Victims have no one to trust and nowhere to turn because evidence shows that in many cases, relatives or close friends of the victims are directly involved in the murders.”
That was the case for Eunice, whose parents were arrested days after her murder for allegedly aiding the human poachers for a cut of the profits.
Here in America, few of us have ever experienced the kind of poverty that causes a parent to cannibalize their own child. Yet, we are not above practicing our own form of Voodoo Christianity.
One only has to look at the proliferation of preachers, and evangelists touting a Cash & Cadillac Gospel and the thousands flocking to hear a message that distorts Jeremiah 29:11 and John 10:10 as God’s promise of Your Rich Life Now. Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer both routinely assure their followers that God wants to prosper people. Their books sell in the multi-millions.
The Charlotte, N.C. based Inspiration Network took over where Jim Bakker’s PTL left off. It’s CEO, David Cerullo, is currently building a $4 million lakefront home in western South Carolina. It’s not like he needs a new home. Cerullo already owns a 12,000-square-foot home in North Carolina.
So just where’s he getting all that money?
A portion if of it’s coming in $58-increments, known as seed-faith money.
“If you can’t trust God for $58 you’ll never be debt-free,” says Mike Murdock. Murdock is just one of the many pitch men featured on the Inspiration Network.
Act now. In Jesus name!
“Tomorrow, somebody’s gonna drive a Mercedes.”
It could be you. If only you’ll have enough faith.
“My goal is for 300 people to hear the wisdom that God gives my heart for them to become millionaires for the sake of the Kingdom of God.”
Georgia’s own Creflo Dollar is getting filthy rich, promising others that God is going to make them richer, if only they practice the Voodoo common to Word of Faith theology: Send in your money. Pray the big prayer. Expect God for miracles. Chiefly, a car with a big-ass chrome grill or a McMansion in a gated community.
The aptly-named Dollar is only one of several Prosperity Gospel leaders who’ve been under Senate investigation for fraud. Others include Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer, Eddie Long and Paula White.
It appears that Voodoo theology is on the rise not only in Africa but right here in America.
While cutting the limbs off albino children and weaving the hair of an albino victim into fishing nets in hopes for a bigger catch, a greater profit, and increased wealth, is hardly the same as a person on a fixed-income sending in $100 of seed faith money in hopes that it will incur favor with the Almighty, the theology behind the two actions is ultimately the same.
It’s Voodoo. A belief that we can manipulate God (or the Universe for all you Secret-adherents) into making us richer, if only we come up with the right incantation and sacrifice.
Somebody, please, warn the children.
Karen Spears Zacharias is author of the forthcoming Will Jesus Buy Me a Doublewide? ’cause I need more room for my plasma TV.
15 Comments
thanks for this karen.
Few things in Christianity rile me up like the Prosperity Gospel. The worst part of it, IMO, is the attitude it creates within the person who’s listening to it. It’s no longer about serving God, but becomes about “what’s in it for me?”
What complicates things is that in many ways, God does tell us what’s in it for us. That is, He tells us what benefits we will have if we follow Him, and what bad things will happen when we don’t. So it’s as if He feeds into our selfish desires because He knows that is where we are, but then as we get closer to Him, we care less about what happens to us, and focus more on Him and how we can serve Him.
It’s the verses that apply to the above paragraph which are often taken out of context by Osteen and Meyer and the rest. At one point, i used to be scared for their souls. Now, I just pity them, and their followers, because what they think is joy is really just an emotional reaction to the idea that God might make you rich. And emotions are temporary, and are certainly no substitute for the experience of a real relationship with God, and the knowledge that just knowing Him is enough.
Very well put.
Let’s see, hacking off an Albino child’s legs and the prosperity gospel. Yea, that’s the same thing.?!?!?!? And, James: You are clueless and stupid.
Wow, what an awful comment. I think you could’ve made a point about the abrupt transition between the slaughter of albinos and Joel Osteen’s ministry, a point the author addressed here:
“While cutting the limbs off albino children and weaving the hair of an albino victim into fishing nets in hopes for a bigger catch, a greater profit, and increased wealth, is hardly the same as a person on a fixed-income sending in $100 of seed faith money in hopes that it will incur favor with the Almighty, the theology behind the two actions is ultimately the same.
It’s Voodoo. A belief that we can manipulate God (or the Universe for all you Secret-adherents) into making us richer, if only we come up with the right incantation and sacrifice.”
Instead, you decided to pass on all reasonable discussion, and just get right to the name calling.
Bravo.
Now please refrain from commenting on this site again unless you have something valuable to add.
@James: Responding to D.I.T. with “I’m rubber and you are glue”, on the other hand, would be totally justified.
(searches for sticking-out-tongue smiley)
By the way, when I read this, my first thought was also about how huge a leap it was from chopping off body parts to preaching prosperity. I dwelled on that thought for, I dunno, maybe half a second. I’ve read enough of Karen’s writing to know that she is no dummy. She chose her words carefully, and it is clear that she understands the difference in intensity between severing limbs and preaching materialism. We don’t really need to call her on this one. Her analogy is a good one.
I agree the analogy is a stark image, but necessary. A false gospel preached in favor of materialism, suggesting that the benefits reaped of faith can be quantified in a 401K does not seem to line up with the Son of Man who has nowhere to rest his head. And how are these preachers able to afford their own booty? The millions of dollars paid by good, if misguided, individuals who have bought into the crap.
Good article, Karen.
Good stuff, Karen. Sadly, the prosperity gospel is growing fastest in third world countries. It’s booming in Africa. Makes me sick.
James has a point in that none of us would be here talking about his if we didn’t, at some point, feel like there was something in it for us. But voodoo isn’t even an analogy for the prosperity gospel — they’re the same thing.
You know it’s funny…the word “prosper” means to make succesful (sometimes financially but not always). If God doesn’t want us to be succesful then you would have to say that He wants us to fail. You don’t believe God wants us to fail do you? God indeed wants us to prosper! Spiritually speaking of course.
I don’t agree with everything Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar and Joyce Meyer say but are we any better when we slam our fellow Christians? I’ve heard them speak and it seems to me the majority of their messages are about how Jesus can bring change to our crummy spiritual lives. But I guess the cool thing is to be negative toward evangelicals these days.
Absolutely loved it. You nailed it straight on. I want to throw something at the TV everytime Joel Olsteen, Joyce, or any of the others come on.
I hate the fact that so many people see them as representative of the rest of us who are just trying to live our part in the kingdom through mission and restoration.
Thanks for this.
akd
These are interesting points that are being made. Debate and discussion, although sometimes critical and harsh, is necessary. So I agree with differing points of view. I will add that I work for Joel Osteen Ministries and I have to tell you that our most harsh, most hateful critics are the very people we are suppose to be in Christian community with. I think sometimes satan is more interested in keeping believers busy with gossip, and criticism, so as to keep us from doing the work we are called to do. Let me start off by saying that I am the first in line when it comes to speaking up against things that I believe to be false or misguided. I did a lot of research and had a lot of discussion before I took the position here. I’m an educated late twenties creative who listens to indie rock on vinyl and reads Dave Eggers as well as Donald Miller if this helps you visualize my demographic. Are there things about this ministry and Joel’s teachings that I don’t totally 100% agree with? Sure. And I would guess that that is probably the case regarding each of your pastors and teachers. I cannot speak for the other ministries listed here, but this Ministry cannot be summed up in the 28 minute TV program.
I believe the greater point to made (and I don’t mean to get off track from the point Karen was initially making) is that we each need to trust that God can use a ministry for his glory no matter how broken or disjointed it might be. This Ministry here is very very involved in missions. We have small groups, and Bible Study. We have teaching pastors and youth groups. Get this, people in this church share their faith and their Christ experiences! I just left this very entry to go with our entire department and pray for a man who is having surgery tomorrow. There is fruit here and growth here. I see and hear people everyday who talk about how Joel and this church have changed their lives.
Is His message for me? Not really. Is it for someone? Probably so. We cannot overlook the growth and healing that a ministry can bring simply because we don’t like it.
Finally, I’m not saying that you need to support every ministry and side with every preacher or teacher that comes along, I believe that we are called to love people, to share Christ’s love for them, and proclaim to them through our giving and our love that a time is coming when all things will be redeemed. If we concern ourselves with those matters and not with hatred and criticism towards other ministries, God can and will take care of the rest.
I truly believe God will use the leaders in Ministry who are truly looking to grow His kingdom and He is big enough and mighty enough to shut the doors on the ministries and leaders that aren’t.
voodoo is very wonderful and works along side chistain beleifs a great study and respect to our saints.