Children in the Congo

[Maledicte]

Caught this on ABC this evening: children in the Democratic Republic of Congo are being accused of witchcraft by their families and by local pastors who perform excruciating "exorcisms" on them. The children are abused, abandoned and/or killed by their family members. Once on the streets, the children are subject to starvation, prostitution, and other hardships. Article here: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=7613395&page=1

At the crux of this problem, which has been going on for several years now, is the incredible poverty going on in the Congo. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/13/world/africa/13iht-witches.4.8320813.html Because of the poverty, people are looking for any legitimate reason to conserve their resources, and their children are considered most expendable. Add in pastors who have not been theologically trained and a government that prefers to look the other way, and a host of other factors, but at the end it's the children who suffer the most.

What else is disturbing and tragic is the fact that these horrors are committed in Jesus' name, despite that Jesus blessed the children and said that the kingdom of Heaven belonged to them. Please pray and spread the word so that those who truly believe in Jesus can combat these horrors and give these children hope.

[Tsukuyomi]

Asdfkl, that's.. I'll be praying for them ^__^

Witchcraft?.. Really o.O? You would think they wouldn't believe is such things u_u

[Cap'n Nick]

A lot of it is just trickery, but it's hard to deny that a different kind of spiritual reality exists in certain parts of Africa. Every person I know who has been to Africa performed multiple exorcisms while they were there--not the fake, torturous kind, but the real kind, based on prayer. This new abuse could cast a shadow on these actions and allow Satan to roam unhindered.

[Doubleshadow]

I'll keep praying for the Congo. That's just the tip of the iceberg.