Ex-pastor rapped for ‘unholy’ text ‘to start own church’

THE former pastor of a well-known church who published statements on Facebook with the core message being “how to steal money using the Bible” was ordered by the South Gauteng High Court in Joburg to remove them immediately.

The respondent was also interdicted and restrained from publishing any further defamatory statements on social media regarding the church and its bishop.

The name of the respondent and the church are not revealed in light of the defamatory statements made against the church.

The respondent made various allegations against the church, including that it had forced him to marry one of the ushers and undergo a vasectomy.

He accused the church and its leaders of being money grabbers and in his social media posts attached a picture of a bishop who is one of the church’s leaders and its public face.

The postings were all about the church and its leaders’ “love for money”.

The church, which has many branches around the country, turned to court in a bid to gag their former pastor from making the allegations on social media.

One of the church leaders said in papers before the court that this church was involved in national outreach projects and the statements made by the respondent were harmful to its reputation and defamatory.

When the respondent first published the statement on Facebook, regarding “How to steal money using the Bible”, he defended his actions, citing the defence of “truth and fair comment”.

He later posted on Facebook: “We are soon going to reveal the video where bishops are seen dancing, celebrating the money received during the campaign.”

He said on social media that “the video will surely shock you on how bad the love of money is in the church”.

The respondent also posted that “the church is led by wolves who are after money”.

In follow-up social media postings, he accused the church leaders of conducting body searches of its flock.

According to the church, it has suffered reputational harm arising from these statements and will continue to suffer such harm for as long as the material remains in publication.

The church said all the statements regarding it were untrue.

In his opposition to the application, the respondent said he had resigned as pastor of the church.

He said pastors were sworn to secrecy and are “promised” harsh punishment and suffering for disobeying the church. He said he found himself drawn into a “systemic web of control and manipulation” and became totally dependent on the church for his livelihood.

According to him, pastors are “trained to make money” and he had to conduct multiple services a day where he had to coerce members of the flock to donate money.

He alleges “to have been financially exploited by the church, who only gave him money for meals, with a room in the church premises to sleep in”.

“It is nothing more than a moneymaking scam” he told the court. Apart from the church choosing his bride, he said he had to undergo a vasectomy as a sign of his loyalty and true commitment to the church.

He said he could take the life of “hardship and misery” no longer and resigned to start his own church.

He said the statements he made were true and that he could prove it.

But Acting Judge G Nochumsohn said the ex-pastor had failed to prove any of his allegations.

The judge said he agreed with the church that the social media posting portrayed it as “an evil organisation in the service of the devil”. This was definitely not fair comment, as claimed.