There’s a reason they call religious believers a “flock”—because they’re so easily fleeced. In this case, though, the attempted removal of wool met with pushback. The miscreant here is one Pastor Paseka Motsoeneng of Incredible Happenings Ministries in Katlehong, South Africa.
The pastor, also called “Prophet Mboro,” is said to have healed many people, and delivered stones and fish through the private parts of women impregnated by demons. Here are two headlines (go to screenshots to see original articles):
Here’s a video of the Prophet delivering stones from a woman apparently impregnated by a demon. It’s very convincing, no?
Motsoeneng has a long history of this kind of chicanery, and I feel sorry for the helpless people who believe his scam. In fact, they believe it to such an extent that they’ve enriched him considerably. As the BBC reports:
The pastor, reportedly a multi-millionaire who owns a fleet of luxurious cars and was once the subject of a BBC documentary, is no stranger to scrutiny over his financial affairs. In 2015, he was questioned by a public commission investigating the commercialisation of religion. He denied all wrongdoing, remained defiant, and told his supporters that he was determined to go to jail if that is was is necessary to protect his church’s image.
His methods are, let us say, somewhat unsettling. From iol.co:
According to the Sunday World newspaper, the pastor acts out carefully staged and managed situations on his weekend television show.
Motsoeneng has also been labelled as a “pervert” because of the unusual way he heals people, as well as a “thief” who steals the church’s money.
The newspaper reported that thousands of people had attended his service in Katlehong last week to witness his miraculous demon-banishing service which “resembled a porn movie”, rather than a religious service.
The self-styled prophet Motsoeneng put his fingers into the vaginas of two female congregants as part of a ritual to expel the demons that had allegedly possessed them.
Motsoeneng’s unorthodox demon-banishing methods, which may constitute indecent assault, alarmed other miracle-seekers who attended.
Sitting on the lap of a 17-year-old girl, Motsoeneng placed his hand on her head, and started praying for her.
Motsoeneng told the congregants her tummy had swelled up because some sorcerers had cast an evil spell on her.
As he was praying for her she collapsed. Motsoeneng then told the teenager to open her legs, which she did.
He then plunged his fingers into her vagina.
As he was busy with his “healing process”, Motsoeneng ordered her to call him by his nickname, Mboro.
“Mboro” she said, with a stifled cry.
He was interrupted by a female congregant who brought him a glassful of what looked like ice-cream, which she spoon-fed him. He was still sitting on the woman’s lap.
Despite the huge outcry following Motsoeneng’s “demon banishing” service last weekend, Katlehong police say they are not investigating the matter.
Now, however, comes a scam of epic proportions. According to the same report by the BBC, Motsoeneng actually visited heaven and took pictures with his cellphone:
But Motsoeneng, popularly known as “Prophet Mboro”, may have gone a bit too far with his latest otherworldly boast.
A South African news site quoted a church spokesperson on 30 March saying that “the prophet did go to heaven” during an Easter church service and that while there “he took pictures” using his smartphone.
But here’s the rub: you don’t get to see those photos for free.
Those eager to see photographic proof of the afterlife will have to open their wallets though. Mboro has asked those who wish to view the pictures for a donation of 5,000 rand (about £240 or $340).
This has, predictably, led to a spate of mockery on social media. Here are a few tw**ts reproduced by the BBC (more at the site):
There are none so blind as those who cannot see—or who wish to see only what they believe. I hope someone manages to reproduce those pictures taken by Motsoeneng during his sojourn in Heaven.
h/t; Barry
