Discursive essay
Freedom of religion is abused by some churches
It should cover 1 and half pages in length
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Answer:
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Religion plays a significant role in the lives of most South Africans. In the last census (2011), just over 84 percent of citizens said they are Christian while a Pew-report from the same period found that 74 percent of South Africans say that religion plays an important role in their daily lives. Churches and religious leaders enjoy higher levels of trust than either the government or private sector.
Some suggest this is because of governmental moral and political failures. People feel they cannot trust corrupt politicians to look out for their best interests. Other researchers argue that religious leaders and institutions gain trust in situations where citizens face high levels of economic and social vulnerability, as is the daily reality for many South Africans. Religious groups are often the only sources of basic care and hope in the midst of great need and vulnerability.
However, this is where we encounter a dilemma. While South Africans are deeply religious and trust religious leaders and institutions more than the government, there is also evidence that some persons face abuse at the hands of religious leaders and communities. In some of the more visible cases, Pastor Timothy Omotoso is alleged to be involved in sex trafficking of female congregants. Numerous persons were killed and various other crimes were committed in the Seven Angels cult massacre. The self-appointed “Prophet” Lethebo Rabalogo sprayed a deadly insecticide on parishioners as part of a “healing” ceremony. While these incidents are not representative of the actions of the majority of South Africa’s religious communities and leaders, they are serious.
As a result of public outcry, the state has proposed new regulations on religious leaders and communities, including requiring leaders to hold graduate qualifications in theology or religious studies to lead religious communities and requiring registration and state approval of religious communities before they can operate. These initiatives began in January 2017 under the auspices of the “hate crimes” and “hate speech” bills. The state claims that it has a right to curtail religious freedoms, determining which forms of religion and religious communities are legitimate since they have a responsibility to safeguard the safety and human rights of South Africans.
However, various civil society organizations have raised concerns about the government’s approach. Allowing the state to determine the legitimacy of religious leaders and communities limits religious freedom with results that are potentially dangerous to democracy. Under apartheid, for instance, the South African government used “protect-the-people” reasoning to try to silence religious communities working against its human rights abuses. They called the situation a “state of exception,” where the state can remove or curtail rights– including the right to practice one’s faith–in order to secure important state interests.
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