CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
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Gabon |
SOCIAL CONDITIONS
Worried by the proliferation of various sects and Churches,
the Government has decided to control religious affairs
Recently, there’s been a number of unexplained deaths among adherents of newly-founded Churches. So much so, that the Government has had to control the arrival of foreign pastors, mainly from Nigeria, and to classify the new religious movements so that they can receive an official status. Recently, following a meeting between Gabon’s President Omar Bongo and a number of religious leaders, a distinction seems to have been made between the main-stream Churches (Catholic, Protestant), and those which claim to have emanated from them. Indeed, the Government is afraid that the newly-founded «splinter» Churches may be trying to control people’s consciences and may be responsible for a breakdown in public order.
Gabon had become «the promised land» for foreign evangelists. But now things seem to be changing, and as Rev. Serge Itanda puts it: «The border police are no longer very welcoming for the likes of us». The fact is, the proliferation of all these places of worship results in a danger to public morals, and individual consciences are being disturbed. Recently, a Nigerian pastor was deported by the police for trafficking in false documents.
Proliferation of Churches and sects.
The new «Churches» excel in attracting people from amongst the poorer elements of society who are on the lookout for ways and means of bettering themselves. There’s more than 300 such Churches, among them: Mahikari (Light of Truth); Heavenly Christianity; Jehovah’s Witnesses; Adventists; Neo-Pentecostal; the Missionary Alliance for the Evangelisation of Nations; Bethany; The Candlestick etc. They’re capable of keeping people on tenterhooks between poverty and suicide.
Reverend Mike Jocktane is fighting to preserve the right to preach the Gospel. He says: «Rumour has it that religious freedom in Gabon is under threat. Recently, immigration officials objected to foreign evangelists entering Gabon. We cannot accept this, especially when those concerned had valid entry permits issued by Gabon’s consulates abroad. We detect in this a deliberate intention to influence the Gabonese people and to manipulate public opinion against the Church».
There are about 20 sects in Gabon’s capital, Libreville. In spite of being victims of sharp criticism, they have, strangely enough, managed to attract a numerous following. In an information letter to the people of Gabon, the various Christian associations and communities of Gabon, state: «Religious freedom, today, seems to be under threat. The various measures being taken prove the point. We wish to draw the attention of both national and international opinion as to the serious consequences that such a human rights violation could engender». Foreign pastors living in Gabon are now convinced the moment of truth has come, and they are asking that the evangelical and pentecostal Churches be approved in the same way as the main-stream Churches and religions such as Catholicism, Protestantism and Islam. The pastors make the point: «We aren’t any more dangerous than other religions!»
However, one of the unfortunate offshoots among the new Churches is the way in which they become sacred businesses. Many people have been quick to note that the new pastors lead grand life-styles in luxurious villas (with a car park) and are surrounded by a number of servants — all at the expense of their flocks. Sylvianne Mbourou, a widow with 6 children explains: «In our Church, the pastor has asked us to give one-fifth of our salary to God, so as to keep close to God and avoid being burnt in hell».
Psychologists get involved
With the appearance of new pastors bent on getting rich quick with the minimum of fuss, family life, at least for some, has suffered. Prayer meetings go on late into the night, leading some women to neglect their home, resulting in tension with their husbands.
Women are easy prey in these meetings because they’re more vulnerable and easily affected by life’s difficulties. Samuel Dongo, a retired carpenter, explains: «Women hope to find in these Churches answers to their questions concerning poverty, disease, sterility, their husband’s unfaithfulness; or children being deserted by their father».
Professor Onanga Opapé is a Gabonese psychologist. He’s counted in Libreville alone, twenty sects which, according to him, «have become places where morals are corrupted and consciences disturbed». He thinks that «the intermingling of cultures and the urge to find solutions for life’s difficulties has led people to seek refuge in sects.
«Everytime guiding principles are missing, then people feel they must be together if only to “seek strength in numbers”. And when there’s something seemingly new or strong involved which provides them with new-found certainty, then that’s their place». But a number of sects have mysterious rites, initiations and strange practices.
According to Onanga Opapé, there’s a difference between such sects, and organisations of a religious character which may have an initiation ceremony. These are groups which have existed for a long times. He says that to his mind, Freemasonry and the Rosicrucians are not sects but «traditional societies which have existed from time immemorial».
Most of Gabon’s population is Christian: 60% Catholics; 30% Protestant. 10% are either Muslims or followers of traditional religions. Freedom of worship is guaranteed for all, provided public order is respected. However, difficult economic situations have encouraged the arrival of pastors who have done nothing to contribute to the nation’s well-being. That’s why the Government intends to control the new places of worship.