A South African pastor asked his congregation not to bury him in case he died, because he believed he would be resurrected. Unfortunately, he was buried after spending more than two years in the morgue. Indeed, Pastor Sylvain Moodley founded the Miracle Center and believed that Christians couldn’t die of disease. However, he fell ill and died on August 14, 2021. His body was preserved in a funeral parlour in Johannesburg.
The 53-year-old pastor’s family thought he would be resurrected, but in the end he was buried in West Park Cemetery. It was Ryan Brown, a claims manager from said Rotana High Court funeral home, who gave the go-ahead for the burial after the morgue raised health concerns. The family had remained silent for over a year, despite the funeral home trying to reach them after 28 attempts with E mails, WhatsApp messages and lawyer’s letters to receive instructions. The wife and children were not present. This is justified by the fact that the deceased’s wife had declared that she had had a vision of her husband being resurrected.
A Lire: Trafic d’organes et abus de pouvoir : Sectarian aberrations in African churches
Pastor Moodley’s miracles
In keeping with Moodley’s teachings and beliefs, his website states that it’s normal to see radical healings such as the opening of blind eyes, deaf ears, leg growth and the disappearance of cancers and tumors. This website also records miraculous events over the last few years. In 2003, for example, he claims that Kyd Belly was the first person to be raised from the dead at a Moodley meeting. In 2013, after dying during childbirth, the infant was reportedly raised during a miracle service by this pastor. Another weight was the supernatural weight loss after these prayers.
The importance of staying connected to reality
It’s important to keep a cool head and not lose touch with reality, no matter what we believe. It would have been very inspiring if this pastor had really risen from the dead. But alas, it has been buried, and all this will give way only to mockery and insults. Blind belief can lead to harmful consequences, and it would be wise to be discerning.
This is precisely the problem that persists in Africa. We can see that the number of believers in Africa is very high compared to other continents. But despite their strong religious faith, some African countries continue to face problems such as poverty, suffering and conflict. What’s the point of all these prayers? Many of them pray just to make demands on God, such as health, money, marriage, power and so on. These people don’t do it just for the love of the Almighty, but rather out of self-interest. Their “unshakeable faith in God” doesn’t prevent them from being jealous, tribal and selfish. It’s worth noting that the countries with the most beliefs are those where suffering, poverty and famine reign.
A spirit of discernment will not go amiss when it comes to fending off the false teachings preached in religious establishments. Indeed, it’s because of these false doctrines that many Africans today find it hard to stand up and demand their rights, to protest against the government in power that mistreats the people, under the pretext that God is the supreme authority. What’s more, many false doctrines advocate the rejection and abandonment of one’s family, and many don’t hesitate to put this idea into practice.
Faith is accompanied by action
It’s essential to believe, but also to act and stay connected to reality. Belief must be accompanied by love, compassion and support for others. Furthermore, it would be wise not to lose sight of reality and let blind belief lead us to damaging actions.
Note that praying doesn’t necessarily mean being a good person. Actions and behaviors reflect a person’s true nature, and simply praying is not enough to show kindness and love to others.
Finally, it’s crucial to combine belief with positive action, to keep in touch with reality and to pay attention to the people who influence us.
Totally inspired by Zack Mwekassa’s video
