On a subjective note, the miracles/signs and wonders performed in these churches are “so real to be true”. Poverty and hunger which sometimes lead to misfortunes and miseries (prolonged sickness, accidents, and untimely death) have left many people in Cameroon to seek for causal forces behind these happenings. While some go to the hospital, a majority equally seek help from churches especially when the hospital (use of prescribed medicine) as well as native doctors/sorcerers (use of charms, herbs, and magic) provides little or no solution to their problems. In line with these, it seems religion comes in when science and magic fail to provide causality to everyday ordeals of life. Further, it is believed to enhance important social cohesion and emotional fulfillments by providing hope especially in the case of a misfortune like death. More often, these misfortunes are believed to result from witchcraft. It is assumed that politics, economic, social and cultural institutions in Africa can be articulated within the framework of the occult economies. Arguably, this is very true in Cameroon when one takes into account the various controversies that connote a sudden wealth accumulation by a young pastor within a short period of time or unbelievable signs and wonders performed in various Pentecostal churches as well as the growing number of Pentecostal churches.
I recall vividly, in the year 2000, rumours emanated from Pentecostal churches that the world was to come to an end (the rapture), spread like wildfire all around Cameroon. This incident brought fear and panic among many people who thus resorted to seeking salvation from these churches. Many of them who were originally Catholics, Presbyterians and Baptist left for Pentecostal churches to become so-called “born-again” Christians. This is 2016, about sixteen years after these rumours and the world is still very much active. If these churches talked about evolution or development, one would understand because evidently there have been enormous development changes in the world throughout these years. I raised this issue because this is what these churches are using to capture their congregations worldwide. The born-again community articulates the problem of subjection through their prescribed strategies to help members overcome the ordeal of life with the central theme being the relationship among salvation, wealth, and power.
In this regard, the production of value through miracles (signs and wonders) in many ways mirror the production and accumulation of wealth, power and domination in the political economy of Cameroon as the likes of Nigeria, Ghana, D.R. Congo, etc. The rate at which these churches are growing in their numbers across most cities and villages in Cameroon and with their emphasis on preaching about “evil” causes panic which has culminated to lack of trust among people. This has a direct effect on the nature and process of social interaction between individuals and groups in Cameroon because it shapes their nature of behaviour towards one another. Equally, their emphasis on “prosperity” has made many people consider that “the preachers are in for it for the money”.
The emphasis on prosperity in these churches bolters new forms of wealth accumulation, social mobility, and prestige among pastors and congregants. It has led to the birth of a subculture of competition between congregants in the church especially during the payment of tides, offertory, and thanksgiving ceremonies. Also, pastors ride in latest cars, puts on the most expensive clothes and pieces of jewelry, take holidays abroad, live in the most beautiful neighborhoods in cities, they virtually live in luxury and affluence meanwhile a majority of their congregants languish in pain, abject poverty, and misery, endless thoughts which sometimes lead to emotional and psychological breakdown.
On the other hand, one will not blame these pastors with their many churches because some have ventured into it (church business) out of frustration resulting from hardship caused by joblessness and unemployment in Cameroon. This is a very big issue in Cameroon and across most African countries where young educated graduates experience “waithood” by roaming the streets jobless. Some thus venture into uncertain means of survival including becoming pastors so as to make a living. In a dire need to attract people to their churches, they dwell their preaching/teachings on what the people want to hear (wealth, success, prosperity, long life, employment, marriage, children).
Subjectively, salvation is personal; miracles, signs and wonders must not be showcased to the ends of the world by those who perform them. Let’s take a simple case in the Bible; when Jesus Christ performed miracles, He did not announce it to the world by Himself. The people He healed and those who witnessed it spread the good news to the ends of the earth. For instance, in Genesis 21; God blessed Abraham and Sarah who were above 70 years with a son named Isaac, in Exodus 14; God helped the Israelites through crossing the Red Sea, in John 11; God raised Lazarus from the dead. As such, I see these churches as another form of capitalism leading to wealth accumulation by specific people who have the power and ability to manipulate the public. Thus, while they get richer, their followers get poorer. If such initiatives were taken across Africa it will go a long way to limit these activities and thus create a society equal for all.
By Gerald AKAME
Social Analyst, BaretaNews
