Times Of Swaziland: YOU IMPREGNATE MEMBER, YOU MARRY HER - CHURCH

YOU IMPREGNATE MEMBER, YOU MARRY HER - CHURCH
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Sibusiso Shange on 12/02/2024 09:03:00


MBABANE - Should a couple be forced to marry once they have a child before
marriage?
The answer is yes for Sandlasemusa Church in Zion, while a human rights lawyer
holds a different view. Interestingly, the church cites its constitution, which
is derived from the Holy Bible, while the lawyer cites the country’s
Constitution. In an interview yesterday, the church founder, Bishop
Mkhumbikanowa Gina, said the church had a constitution which served as a guiding
principle for the congregants. He said the constitution was clear on what should
happen if congregants had a child.
Valued
“As a church, we say all women must be valued and appreciated. If a man has
affection for a woman, he must make sure that he loves to marry her, not to
gratify his sexual desires,” he said. The bishop said like in all other
churches, couples might be successful in hiding their relationships until
children are born. He said in the event children were born, the couple was
compelled to marry. The man of God said the church had the responsibility to
engage the couple before it facilitated a meeting between the two families.
“The purpose of the meeting is to afford the couple a six-month period to
prepare for  marriage. If one party shows reluctance, the church executive has
no choice but to remove them from the church. The church cannot allow a person
to plant a bad seed in the congregants,” he said.
Gina stated that the emphasis on marriage was aimed at avoiding a situation
where the church had men and women who did as they pleased, resulting in
orphaned and vulnerable children.
He stated that the principle was derived from Exodus 22:16, where it reads:
“If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with
her, he must pay the bride-price and she shall be his wife.” He stated that
there were rare instances where congregants impregnated their church mates. He
said he believed that their constitution and constant reminder through visits to
all the branches had yielded fruitful results. Gina shared that the constitution
of the church was against women wearing pants, short skirts, painting nails and
having tattoos, as well as earrings. On another note, Gina stated that the
church did not believe in the anointing of women.
Teaching
He said as per the teaching of the Bible in 1Timothy 2:11-12, women benefitted
from the titles of their husbands. 1Timothy 2:11-12 reads: “A woman should
learn in quietness and full submission.” “I do not permit a woman to teach
or to have authority over man; she must be silent. The scripture calls twice for
women to be quiet and it does not allow any form of teaching,” he added. Asked
about the background of the church, Gina shared that it was founded in 2015, at
Nceka in Siphofaneni, and had grown to have 14 branches across the country.
He said the church was formed following a series of events. At first, Gina
stated that he fell sick, resulting in people saying a lot about his illness. He
stated that as he consulted, a woman warned him against listening to all voices,
but stick to what appeared to him in dreams.
The bishop mentioned that he used to have a dream where he layed hands on people
inside a hut. He said he was sometimes shown mountains and rivers as well as
pieces of clothing. “One day I was shown Melika Jericho Church in Zion Bishop
Khanyakwezwe Vilakati, whom I had never seen before. I was told that Vilakati
would give the exact interpretation of my dreams,” he said.
Dreams
Gina shared that Vilakati interpreted his dreams to mean he was called to
establish a church with a huge following. He stated that Vilakati took him to
the mountains and rivers that appeared to him in the dreams. He also shared that
Vilakati warned him to listen to the Holy Spirit, as the church would be
controlled in Heaven. Coming to the constitution of the church, Gina stated that
it came as a result of fasting and praying. He mentioned that he wrote what was
revealed to him while praying on the mountain. “I must say that even though a
large portion of the constitution of the church was reveled in prayer, I sought
input from some elders before we applied for membership from the League of
African Churches. The constitution was approved and accepted by the League of
Churches,” he said.
It appeared that the church condones polygamy. The bishop stated that the church
accepted polygamy only if it was taken according to the Bible. He said polygamy
was allowed in Exodus 21:10 where it reads: “If a man who has married a slave
wife takes another wife for himself, he must not neglect the rights of the first
to food, her clothing and sexual intimacy.” Gina said it was better for men to
have more than one wife than commit adultery in secret, for nothing was hidden
from God.
Understanding
He urged people to read the Bible with understanding before accusing men of God
of having more than one wife. He said there was nowhere in the Bible where God
said church leaders should have one wife. Instead, he said the instruction for
one wife was specific to men with specific roles in church, such as deacons. He
shared 1Timothy 3:12 where it reads: “A deacon must be faithful to his wife
and must manage his children and his household well.” He said the church had
deacons who adhered to the Bible verses. To them, the bishop said the deacons
were in charge of the administration of tithes which were collected after three
months. He stated that the tithes were used to cater for the welfare of widowed
women orphaned and vulnerable children.