Submitted by richard on Wed, 2007-03-14 13:07.
This is one example of the twenty topics or "polemiques" that we recorded with Koffi, Esther and Floresse of Nostalgie Ya Mboka for Telephone Trottoire.
Here, Esther invites comments about Priests abusing their position in society when they separate and divide families.
Priests(Esther).mp3
The family have a problem – this problem is caused by a priest. The priests are destroying families. For example – when two sisters attend the same church and one decides to leave that church for whatever reason, the priest then convinces the remaining sister that the other is a witch. The role of the priest is to bring people together and not to separate people. Is it normal for a priest to behave this way ?
Also we as the followers – many of us attend particular churches because we heard that the priest is good, we listen to the advice of friends and relatives, but don't we have a judgement to make ourselves ? Isn’t it up to us to decide whether a priest is good or bad ? Shouldn't we decide whether a priest is fit to hold his position ? Should we blindly follow what we are told without realizing the implications of manipulation and used by some people who call themselves priests yet use their power purely as a means of self profit ?
Do you have some comment to make upon my statement ?
1. listen
I got your message and I really thank god for this, because if us Congolese, we start to spread messages like this –we can return the glory to god. But if we pass bad and stupid messages – its really, really sad. My comment on what you say in couples, in families - concerning pastors – I am convinced that the problem is not with the pastors but within us, the followers. If we the congregations know exactly the person who we serve, we will not be manipulated. Us London Congolese – we don’t know whom we are serving, we follow blindly and we neither understand nor work with the word of god.
2. listen
Hello I am Flori. I listened to your message. It is good the question you raise. Your question is so pertinent to our community, because this problem, we have to really fight it, so that such things are stopped. Things must change.
3. listen
Yes sister, I agree completely with everything you have said. Some people back home were not even pastors, they just came here and learn’t some scripts from the bible and became pastors, They do this because they know if they start a church they can get money and that can help them for their personal gain. That is why they are not doing the work of god properly, because obviously they are fake pastors. Some of them here in Birmingham – for example – we have one pastor who has made three women pregnant. Is this the work of god ? Its very sad, those pastors are not pastors. They should be part of the congregation within churches. They need to learning god’s way, and not to be abusing their positions, corrupting his morality. If we have a problem we must go direct to god ourselves instead of going through these people.
4. listen
My advice is this, as a pastor if one of your members has left the church and you hate them for that, both of you – you don’t have love. Because someone who has love will not destroy the other person and my advice to the sisters in your story is they should really know the god they are serving. If they don’t know god, then they will only follow the same road as the pastor, I am asking that they love each other even more than each of us love our self, because if you don't love your fellow man you will end up in hell. That's all I have to say.
5. listen
My comment is that I am sad to hear that - supposed - men of god are the people destroying families instead of the damage being done by people who have rejected or don’t know god. Those pastors or supposed brothers and sisters of god, who are destroying our families, causing trouble amongst us, have truly never met god. Because once you have met god you become a new creature. Once you have encountered good you’ll never sow a bad seed inside people, therefore the pastor who divides our people is a pastor working for himself. He is not working for the lord. And to those of you who follow those people, I say to you to ask yourself - have you ever met the lord? My final word to you all is to seek your own encounter with jesus to become a new creature – then you will understand my friends.
6. listen
I have just a small comment to make. The problem is that here in Europe these supposed pastors are just here to do their business, to make their money. They have a little knowledge of the bible and they treat the words of the Lord as commerce – a way to make their money. That is why they face criticism.
7. listen
Oh – there are lots of pastors – especially here in Birmingham – one of them just made 4 women pregnant and another one is following a married woman. It’s sad. Our pastor’s must change – do the right thing.
8. listen
Really we follow your statement. Its very, very good. For the problem of the pastor, what we must do is to ignore the advice addressed specifically to us as women. Don’t follow what they say. But we should follow the teachings of the lord. Do not allow the pastor to speak his words, but listen to the words of the lord. The fault is our own especially as women. It is our weakness. If today you hear something from the pastor, you should always check it out. As a woman you have the power to speak to god yourself in prayer. Whatever you want, your prayer could be answered by god. We don’t always have to bend our knees before the pastor, because he is a pastor. If the pastor tells me something I will look at it to see if he is right. If I disagree it, does not mean that I will quit the church, but it means that I will show reserve. I will show caution.
9. listen
Allo, Norbert. This problem of the pastor we should really fight it. It is the fault of the pastor, but also the fault of the follower. Those who blindly follow the pastor. There are honest and good men of god but also there are fakes. We have to see ourselves – be vigilant. Because some of the pastors can be clearly seen as con men. But remember – if you do decide to enter their shops – then do not cry after. God gave us the intelligence to know what is right and what is wrong – we should use that.
10. listen
This is what I want to say, for me, some people consider the pastor to be god. But the pastor is not god. The pastor is a human being like all of us. He can make mistakes, commit sins, just like each of us. Sometimes a family problem is family problem – it should remain within the family. When you are speaking about the church – that is the pastors concern, unfortunately some people see the pastor far beyond his duty. That is why the pastors become big headed, because when we go to them for everything, we run the risk of allowing them to make us objects of ridicule.
11. listen
My comment is very simple. Congolese people we need to reform. To change our mentality. As long as we remain unchanged, we will always be open to those that seek to exploit us. The problem of religion, the problem of politics, unless we change our situation will never change. We must change.
12. listen
My comment is not so big. I just want to speak about what I heard. There are also some good pastors, not all of them are bad. But because you ask – then I tell you we should help those bad pastors, because after all we are all human beings. It is true that some pastors – the way they behave is really deplorable and for me – the thing is that they themselves are surrounded by weakness – a pastor like anyone else sometimes needs advice. If because of your project – we can help them, give them advice it would be very good for them. And also please help us women – through your show – as to how to guide our children – to put them on the right path. Lots of women – have problems with their children because they don’t know how to guide them. We must always remember that we are in Europe, back home that dialogue does not exist, but here we need that dialogue. It is the way to secure our children’s future.
13. listen
I thank you for this project because you are tackling the everyday problems that affect us. Concerning pastors – we always criticise pastors, but we have to look the bigger picture. The real problem is to do with our culture, we follow because we believe we need to follow. We expect to follow. I don’t think that the pastors impose upon us to attend a particular church, whether good or bad. It is our families or our relatives who expect us to attend this or that church. It is our families that leave us open as individuals to the weakness through which we may be exploited – like in the story you relate. We must stop considering that when we have a problem we must seek the advice of the pastor for every small thing. The bible is our guide. It is the word of god. Personally I have never had a problem with the church – but I attend a good church – and I tread carefully in life.
