Crackdown of Cameroon Churches Disputed Following Reports of Faith-Healing Services
Thousands of Christians in Cameroon have apparently stood up to what some reports have called a government crackdown on places of worship, though other church leaders have disputed the information and said that officials are right to investigate churches whose faith-healing services have lead to deaths.
"No state can do without a Church and the Bible says whosoever calls the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved. The Bible says that our weapons are not carnal, they are spiritual. When the devil attacked Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus said it is written, he never picked a stone to face the devil," said Reverend Theres Nchanji, pastor of the Holy Ghost Zone church which has been closed down for three months, according to Voice of America, the U.S. government's official broadcast institution.
The report says that the government of President Paul Biya, who has been in power for over 30 years, is cracking down on what it says are illegal churches who have been engaging in activities that have nothing to do with the Bible. Mgr. George Nkuo, the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kumbo, Cameroon, shared with The Christian Post in an email on Tuesday that talks of a crackdown are overblown and the government is not trying to shut down Christian churches.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"Cameroon is a state of Law and the churches should be the first to show the good example of being law abiding," Nkuo told CP.
"All I know is that there are some churches offshooting from the backyards of people's homes without proper authorization and there seems to be no control of what goes on in some of these churches. That is why the government has asked any church running to show proof of authorization to run, which to me is quite legitimate. I do not see this as the persecution of any Christian church."
Cameroon's 20 million population is mostly Christian: 38.4 percent identify with the Roman Catholic Church, 26.3 percent are Protestants, other Christian denominations make up 4 percent, while 21 percent of the citizens are Muslims.
Highlighting the contrast in opinions on the situation, the VOA report notes that officials have also questioned the crackdown that has reportedly been protested by thousands of Christians who joined together for a peaceful march, including Jean Paul Tsanga, the divisional officer for Yaounde three Sub Division, who is closing down the churches.
Tsanga apparently rejected the notion that the government is going after critics of President Biya, who is a Roman Catholic.
"He said most of those churches refuse to respect the laws of Cameroon. He said that creates many problems and causes disorder. He said the churches separate families, but that there are forces of law and order in Cameroon to stop them," the report explained.
Reports of the alleged activities that have gone on in some of the closed-down churches include faith-healings that have led to deaths. One man shared the story of his HIV positive sister, who instead of being taken to a hospital, was taken by her family to church for a prayer healing, but later died.
The Cameroon government has remained committed to closing down such churches, so far shutting down 15 Pentecostal church denominations in Yaounde and the North West Regional Capital, Bamenda, and has said it plans to close down more.
