THERE has recently been a lot of trouble about pastors making followers eat strange substances.
And some members of Divine Glory Ministries believe their leader has gone too far and might kill them.
This is because he recently made them eat Rattex Pills washed down with Domestos!
At a bizarre church service in Kagiso, Mogale City on Sunday, Pastor Sipho Mphakathi apparently told his congregation he was performing a miracle.
He said they should drink rat poison and toilet cleaner. He said he was doing this to prove the power of God, as no one would be hurt.
The church members were soon lining up and opening their mouths to swallow the poison. The pastor then gave them Domestos.
Afterwards, some congregants started fainting while others sang praise songs.
The pastor told Daily Sun: “This is a healing process for those who are ill. It will heal them. Nothing can come in the way of God and his will for his children.”
While some church members were furious with the pastor, others praised him.
One member said: “The pastor is gifted and this was just showing that everything is possible with God.”
Ntsiki Boleo condemned the practice, saying it was dangerous.
“When you drink poison like this you will be sick and you could die. Even if you don’t get sick now, you will suffer in the future,” she said.
“How can one eat rat poison? This is just insane. I’m telling you, people are going to die in the name of God.”
The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Religious Communities has condemned these practices and has called for churches to be regulated.
Commission spokesman Mpiyakhe Mkholo said: “We have transferred the responsibility for monitoring churches to the National Religious Leaders Council. We cannot comment much as they are now responsible for such matters.”
Dr Mpho Mushadu from Ndofaya Mall Medical Centre in Soweto said the products are harmful.
“Both Rattex and Domestos are harmful and dangerous when ingested by human beings.
“Rattex contains a blood thinner known as warfarin, which if ingested in huge doses causes internal bleeding. This can also lead to seizures. Someone can bleed to death due to poisoning.
“Domestos is a bleach and contains a corrosive which can destroy human tissue and burn your oesophagus and stomach, which could be deadly.”
The Human Rights Commission’s Buang Jones said people must come forward if they believe d the pastor’s practice had violated them.
“So far we have not received direct complaints from people who feel their rights were violated. But anyone who does feel violated by the practice can come and lodge a complaint with the commission.”
