Friday, July 4, 2014

The Persecution of Witches, 21st-Century Style - NYTimes.com

Western (American) Christians going over to other nations to preach the word against homosexuals (see John Oliver) and witches. Which then creates the space for the locals to get involved:

The Persecution of Witches, 21st-Century Style - NYTimes.com: Another factor, particularly in Central Africa and its diaspora communities, is the advent of revivalist churches, in which self-styled pastor-prophets rail against witchery and demon possession. They often claim to specialize in the casting out of evil spirits, sometimes charging for the service. Many of those congregations have emerged from Western evangelizing efforts.

One of Nigeria’s most popular Pentecostal preachers, Helen Ukpabio, wrote that “if a child under the age of 2 screams in the night, cries and is always feverish with deteriorating health, he or she is a servant of Satan.” As that implies, children in those communities are especially likely to be identified as possessed.

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