BEYOND DEATH
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Rumi's famous poem describes a serene, non-judgmental space beyond earthly concepts of right and wrong, where souls can meet and experience true understanding. |
I grew up in a christian home. Every evening my family gathered around the dining table and my grandfather and later my father read from the family Bible, we sang hymns and then came the family prayer. This was the reality in my family home. Every Sunday we went to church and about once every three months we camped at church for the "nagmaal". I grew up with a steady rhythm of christian goodness.
Somewhere along the way, all that changed. At the time - while everything occured - I could not understand what was happening. I was already a born again Christian and my husband was a born again Christian. We were married on the 4th of October 1984 at Klipspruit Mission Station in Lebowa, South Africa. The names of our two children testifies to a life rooted in God and in prayer - Elizabeth Grace and Benjamin David.
For almost forty years I personally, but more so my husband and my two children have suffered immense psycological trauma as a result of a movement that spread like wild fire amongst Afrikaans speaking people in South Africa. My extended family - sisters, brothers in law, children with my mother and father somehow got taken up into this movement and that changed the whole trajectory of our extended family and for the past almost forty years it took a huge, huge toll.
It started in the late eighties, early nineties with a sudden change in the behaviour of my eldest sister, then my parents and two other younger sisters with their families. At first there was a sort of a silent whisper along the lines of my eldest sister having experienced a profound spiritual encounter based on a leaflet that miraculously came into her possession.
At first the changes were subtle. The first hint was a conversation with my mother informing me that they ... my father and mother have decided to leave the N. G. Church where generation of forefathers have worshipped. The reason: "My eldest sister says that all traditional churches are false."
Slowly, slowly, our interactions with various family members became strange, stressful... not genuine ... not wholesome. We would arrive on a Friday evening to visit and just feel off ... nothing to put your finger on ... nothing was ever said openly ... just not feeling welcome!
Can you imagine for one moment the trauma to us as a small family, a mother, a father, two young children who just wanted to play with their cousins and - this happening?
Suddenly, after the latest episode of abuse at the hands of one of my family members - a light went up in my head and in an instant ... I made the connections with self, with other texts, with the wider world. I instantly knew what happened over a period of almost forty years!
Somewhere in the early nineties, round about 1987 a movement called - Israel Vision - were spreading like wild fire amongst Afrikaans speaking people in South Africa.
The real changes started with a phone call from my youngest sister, informing my husband about a family group tour to Israel. Then another call shortly after that one - informing my husband that regrettably no tickets were bought or booked for my husband, myself and our two young children. It is important to note that - my family and I were not on this tour.
Everything changed after this tour. My family started to use Hebrew names for God and Jesus became a Masiach. All of a sudden the church where generations of family members worshipped before, this same church was now accused of teaching falsehood! Almost immediately upon their return from Israel, my Father and mother left the church. I remember my eldest sister making statements, to the fact that, all universal churches were false. Consistently using Bible verses to strengthen her every argument. It seemed important for my family to inform one and all, and in fact everybody who wanted to listen, that what they have found - was the only true way. My family started keeping the Jewish festivals and were espescially proud of the keeping of the festival of huts. My three sisters with their husbands and children together with my parents were now heavily invested in this new way. They stopped attending regular church services, regular prayer meetings, they stopped celebrating mainstream christian festivals such as Christmas and Easter. They isolated themselves from mainstream Christianity and considered themselves ... the chosen people.
My husband and I had no idea what was happening. I remember phoning my mother one Christmas morning only to be confronted with an extremely violent reaction. In no uncertain terms it was made very clear to us that they have nothing to do with the old order of things, that they do not celebrate Christmas, that they have found the way and that they alone are the righteous ... the chosen of God.
My husband and I had no idea what was happening. We felt the exclusion, the shunning, the better than toughness and were on the receiving end of numerous and constant accusations that we as a family ... the only church going family, the only family attending church, and who still attends ... the only family who attends prayer meetings with other christians, the only family who's children are baptized, who's children and grandchildren are serving in church, the only family who reads the whole Bible and not selective parts or verses ... who prays not just for Israel but also for the suffering of the people of Palestine ... and yet we were and still to this day are constantly and consistently reminded that we as a whole entire family ... are "on our way to hell".
We had no idea what was going on. My husband and I had no idea! Absolutely, no idea!
Now, years and years later I am able to finally recognize the behavior from the extensive research I have done. The research matches the exact behavior we as a family, have witnessed over many years. It speaks of the same signs that we have witnessed over four score years. Years and years when we have had no idea what was going on ... suddenly everything makes sense!
The reasearch shows that: "The theology of the Israel Vision movement fundamentally altered traditional Christian practices, often causing severe fractures within families and traditional local churches.
Because the people involved in this movement, believed that they were the true covenantal descendants of Abraham, they claimed God's promises were exclusively for them and for nobody else. This theology inherently excluded people of color from the faith community, providing a religious justification for white supremacy. Adherents to this movement, grew deeply distrustful of mainstream churches, claiming they had found the "only true way." They rejected traditional Christian terms, dropping the name "Jesus" in favor of the Hebrew "Yahshua" (or Masiach/Messiah) and replacing "God" with "Yahuwah" or "Yahweh.
These groups adopted Jewish Festivals: Followers abandoned traditional Christian holidays, choosing instead to observe Old Testament Jewish festivals, most notably the Festival of Huts (Sukkot).
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| Let go and let GOD! |
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