ALBERTH

Please don't just answer to the title, this isn't what it seems

I just saw a documentary about people in parts of Africa. It was terrible.

A huge majority believe that children can be possessed by the devil and be witches, causing disease in their towns and villages, deaths in their family, poisoning of food stores, and casting wicked spells. These children, once called a witch by any religious leader, will go one of two days. Either: Spend weeks in the presence of the religious leader and be starved, beaten, go through terrible rituals (made to drink poison, poison put in their eyes) to get 'rid of the devil inside them'. The religious leader is payed alot of money for each child. Not many of the children are ever 'cured'. Families will pay the religious leader time and time again, to try and try again.

Once the family has no more money, the children are sent back, stigmatised. The whole of the towns and villages beat these children. Try to kill them - including their own parents and siblings.

-One child was wrapped in barbed wire and starved, beaten.
-One child was burnt with acid.
-A chiild was set alight with fire.
-One little girl had a nail hammered into her head, and is now brain damaged.
-Little girl attacked with a machete and had deep scars.
-One girl made to sit on a fire by her FATHER.
-A beautiful little girl was threatened with a machete on camera while the man was trying to convince the village she was not a witch. She was crying. They had to take her away lest the man kill her.

These are only a few cases. This is not isolated or rare. It is extremely, extremely common. This happens every single day, while you are reading this - hundreds of children are getting severely beaten for being a witch. The children are more often than not killed and left in the street to rot, or abandoned with wounds by their parents.

You'd be forgiven for thinking this was a 'tribe' religion. But no.

Christianity. They do this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and Our Father. They say it is what the Bible teaches.

My question is: How can a book that was sent directly from Our Lord God be used for hatred? If it is our LORDS WORD then no matter who the person is, how psychotic they are, they could not twist it's *'clear meaning'* to justify their evil. If the Bible is from GOD and is CLEAR, then surely the only thing anyone could get from it is love? Is the Bible not as clear as we think?

How can these people mistake Gods word for condoning this behaviour, and mistake Gods word thinking that the Bible includes children being witches? Maybe they have it merged in with another cultural beliefs - but I thought Gods word was clear?

A woman makes films and writes books about these children being witches, how to spot the signs of a child-witch, and how to deal with them. Popular films. She makes alot of money.

If anyone is interested in watching the documentary, here is the link:
http://www.channel4.com/video/brandless-catchup.jsp?vodBrand=saving-africas-witch-children
Be careful. It is very disturbing and made me cry to see these beautiful children with wounds and scars.
I'm not talking about teenagers (although that is bad enough) I am talking about children of a mere 3 years old and upwards.
Oh, you need a pin to see the documentary on that website since it is 18+ (horrific disturbing images)

The documentary is called:

'Dispatches: Saving Africas Witch Children'

It will most likely be on Google video soon enough. You must watch it if this news horrifies you. We cannot ignore this.,
You fell asleep during hearing about this horrendous and deadly child abuse?

Are you not intelligent enough to be able to read?

Shame on you.
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/dispatches/saving+africas+witch+children/2780062

Jenny

I FELL asleep 2 words into your essay

DDog

All in the name of a Lie.

dirtrider4

I don't think they are 'mistaking 'gods' word'.......the bible very clearly says that 'god' approves of all sorts of torture and murder in his name....he even promotes it......stoning children to death because they are bad is one of many examples. "From there Elisha went up to Bethel. While he was on his way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him. "Go up baldhead," they shouted, "go up baldhead!" The prophet turned and saw them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two shebears came out of the woods and tore forty two of the children to pieces. " (2 Kings 2:23-24)"Whoever strikes his father or mother shall be put to death." (Exodus 21:15)"Make ready to slaughter his sons for the guilt of their fathers; Lest they rise and posses the earth, and fill the breadth of the world with tyrants." (Isaiah 14:21)"Anyone who is captured will be run through with a sword. Their little children will be dashed to death right before their eyes. Their homes will be sacked and their wives raped by the attacking hordes. For I will stir up the Medes against Babylon, and no amount of silver or gold will buy them off. The attacking armies will shoot down the young people with arrows. They will have no mercy on helpless babies and will show no compassion for the children." (Isaiah 13:15-18)

ibee0000

People who say "that's in the Bible" usually haven't read it or could not tell you where it is found in scripture.

hotchick23

Money making. Is there any other reason for this kind of continued corruption? Personally, what I would do is go down there with a gun and shoot all those low life religious leaders in the head for drilling this kind of mentality in their people. And that woman? Force her to donate 80% of her earnings to stopping this crisis. Shes just another religious leader looking to profit from the murders going on.

Jenny

It won't let me view the documentary because I don't live in the UK.

DDog

this is why i don't like religion people only read and interpret it for what benefits them if religion was not around a lot of thing would not happened

ibee0000

It's horrible, I agree. Although they are doing this under the guise of Christianity, let's face it, it is Christianity intermixed with lots of tribal and pagan superstition.

I can't believe someone would say they fell asleep rather than read this -- WAKE UP, people! Children are sex slaves right here in the USA, and children all over the world are being horribly sexually abused. We should not tolerate this.

hotchick23

Ugh. That type of religion-pushing makes me disgusted with all forms of religion.

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