Considering that this is the thread that lead me to this forum, Iāll add my 2c
A few years ago this wonderful country of ours saw the birth of a cult. Whilst I noted this event with initial fascination, I am progressively becoming horrified with what is happening.
An English potato farmer (of all bloody things), fell unto hard times in 2003, and decided to write a book on his faith in the Lord, named āFaith like Potatoāsā. His success, moved him to have a conference in the name of God on his farm, and the first āMighty Men conferenceā was born ā its first gathering attracted 240 men, the next 600 and then 1060, and 7 400 in 2006, in 2007 it attracted some 60 000 afrikaans speaking men ā it is for men only ā as per the traditional Afrikaner faith.
Quote:
āGod gave me a directive to turn fathers back to sons and sons back to fathers, to take back the family unit,ā he explained, saying he was still pinching himself to see whether it had not all been a dream. unquote
Quote:
āTo be prophet, priest and king. They must be the breadwinners, protect their wives and discipline their children.ā unquote
http://www.gearhouse.co.za/in_gear/n...16/story_1.htm
This year, he attracted some 200 000 men. He charged camping fees, entrance fees and had a collection at each āshowā. You go do the math. A potato farmer generates far FAR less than this for his yearly toil. (I guess faith like potatoās DO apply in his case though)
He is currently travelling the world doing his evangelical thing, but not for the foreigners, no, no, he seeks out the Afrikaans speaking people in the foreign countries (heās got a gullible audience).
Now, my afrikaner kappie got rattled this morning with the following article:
http://www.news24.com/Content/SouthA...own_Mighty_Men
Quote:
Women get own āMighty Menā
Her aim is to fill the vacuum left by the fact that Angus Buchan speaks to men at his Mighty Men Conferences, while there is no one to deliver the complementary message to women. unquote
Ok, fair enough, but then:
Quote:
And yes, this means she will be talking to women about subservience. And no, according to Wiid, subservience has nothing to do with being subordinate or being a doormat.
She explained that when the Bible said a woman was her husbandās helper, it actually meant she was his warrior. She was the stronger one in times of crises; she was his protector. unquote
and
Quote:
Anointing your husband
There will also be other elements, such as teaching the women to anoint their husbands. The women will receive a specially blended ointment for this purpose. unquote
WTF???
Out of all my hunting around the webs this morning, I found ONE SINGLE LONE female voice trying to bring some attention to what is happening and it was obscurely tucked away in the middle of a column about our daughters ā she too donāt have the guts to blatantly speak out aloud against the men in this country:
http://www.women24.com/Women24/ChatWā¦_22773,00.html
Quote:
Which is why something like Angus Buchan Mighty Men Conferences are problematic. To justify male domination using the Bible in a country like this is a potentially lethal exercise. There is too much rage and psychic toxicity around for him to simplify things this way. Buchan cannot possibly address the complexities many of men in this country sit with and reinforcing their dominance in a context such as the one we are faced with is irresponsible.
Daily we read about men who murder their children and their spouses, men who rape their girlfriendās babies as an act of revenge, men who try to beat their women into submission. The horrors are endless and what makes it worse is that men seem to feel entitled to do so. Culture and religion and the attitudes towards women that are stubbornly embedded in these two constructions or understandings of the world are the biggest threat to women in this country.
I hate the fact that I cannot trust South African men. unquote
My buzz about this whole Angus Buchan thing, is that heās not duping a portion of a population, heās attracting a whole culture, and it spells disaster for the women and the future of the children who will be indoctrinated into these beliefs. As it stands, the majority of afrikaners lack the ability to think for themselves, to logically and systematically analyze a situation and act on it, theyāre the perfect flock to gather around a strong male voice that speaks in the the name of God, and this saddens me.