Nazareth Baptist Church

Nazareth Baptist Church (Alternatively called "The Nazarite Church" "iBandla lamaNazaretha", or the "Shembe Church") is an African Initiated Church founded by Isaiah Shembe 1910.[1]

It has approximately 4 million members.[2] The religion bans smoking, drinking, and fornicating.[3] It is seen as a mixture of Zulu tradition and Christianity. It reveres Shembe as an African Messiah and emphasizes the Ten Commandments.

It was divided into two groups after the 1976 death of Bishop Johannes Galilee Shembe. The larger group was led by Bishop Amos Shembe until his death in 1996, while the Rt. Rev. Londa Shembe led the smaller group of about 1000 members.[4]

As of 2009 it was divided into four factions – three in KwaZulu-Natal and one in Gauteng.[5]

The religion uses endangered leopard skins as part of their ceremonies, which some activists are trying to stop or replace with synthetic leopard skin.[6]

Pilgrimages

The Shembe begin each year with a Holy pilgrimage to iNhlangakazi Mountain, on the first Sunday of the New Year. It is said that Isaiah Shembe was drawn to the area where the Holy Spirit told him to start the Church.[7]

They also hold a month-long celebration in Judea near Eshowe every year in October, where up to 25,000 members gather to receive the blessings of Shembe.[7]

World Cup legal challenge

In early 2010 the Nazareth Baptist Church claimed that the vuvuzela horn, used by fans attending football matches in South Africa, actually belongs to their church. They threatened to pursue legal action to stop supporters from playing the vuvuzela at the South African World Cup.[8] However, no legal proceedings were initiated.

References

  1. ↑ Fisher, Jonah (16 January 2010). "Unholy row over World Cup trumpet". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  2. ↑ "In pictures: South African pilgrims". BBC. 21 January 2008. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  3. ↑ McGregor, Sarah (October 31, 2006). "Charismatic Shembe thriving". Daily News. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  4. ↑ "Isaiah Shembe and the amaNazarites". University of Calgary. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  5. ↑ Memela, Mhlaba (30 June 2009). "Shembe house torched - Nazareth faction leader fears for his life after attack". www.sowetan.co.za. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  6. ↑ Shembe snarl at mock leopard skin
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "On a Shembe Pilgrimage". South African Tourism. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  8. ↑ Fisher, Jonah (16 January 2010). "Unholy row over World Cup trumpet". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2010-01-16.

External links