UgandanDeathsSpotlightRiseofCults

　　Howcouldfaithbegetsuchevil?AfterhundredsofmembersofaUgandancult,theMovementfortheRestorationoftheTenCommandmentsofGod,diedinwhatfirstappearedtobeasuicidalfireinthevillageofKanungutwoweeksage,policefound153bodiesburiedinacompoundusedbythecultinBuhunga,25milesaway.Wheninvestigatorssearchedthehouseofacultleaderinyetanothervillage,theydiscovered155bodies,manyburiedundertheconcretefloorofthehouse.Thenscoresmoreweredugupatacultmember鈥檚home.Somehadbeenpoisoned;others,often-youngchildren,strangled.Byweek鈥檚end,Ugandanpolicehadcounted924victims鈥includingatleast530whoburnedtodeathinsidethesealedchurch鈥exceedingthe1978JonestownmasssuicideandkillingsbyfollowersofAmericancultleaderJimJonesthatclaimed913lives.

　　Authoritiesbelievetwoofthecult鈥檚leaders,JosephKibwetere,a68-year-oldformerRomanCatholiccatechismteacherwhostartedthecultin1987,andhis鈥減rophetess,鈥CredoniaMwerinde,bysomeaccountsaformerprostitutewhoclaimedtospeakfortheVirginMary,maystillbealiveandontherun.ThepairhadpredictedtheworldwouldendonDec.31,1999.Whenthatdidn鈥檛happen,followerswhodemandedthereturnoftheirpossessions,whichtheyhadtosurrenderonjoiningthecult,mayhavebeensystematicallykilled.

　　TheUgandancarnagefocusesattentionontheproliferationofreligiouscultsinEastAfrica鈥檚impoverishedruralareasandcityslums.AccordingtotheinstituteforthestudyofAmericanreligion,whichresearchescultsandsects,therearenowmorethan5,000indigenouschurchesinAfrica,somewithapocalypticorrevolutionaryleanings.OnesuchgroupistheJerusalemChurchofChristinNairobi鈥檚Kawangwaraslums,ledbyMarySnaida-Akatsa,or鈥渕ommy鈥assheisknowntoherthousandsoffollowers.Sheprophesiesabouttheendoftheworldandaccusessomemembersofbeingwitches.Onedaythebroughta鈥渟pecialvisitor鈥tochurch,anIndianSikhmansheclaimedwasJesus,andtoldherfollowersto鈥渞epentorpaytheconsequences.鈥滭br/>MostexpertssayAfrica鈥檚hardshipspushpeopletoseekhopeinreligiouscults.鈥淭hesegroupsthrivebecauseofpoverty,鈥saysCharlesOnyangoObbo,editoroftheMonitor,anindependentnewspaperinUganda,andacloseobserverofcults.鈥淧eoplehavenosupport,andthey鈥檙esusceptibletoanyonewhoisabletotapintotheirinsecurity.鈥Additionally,theysay,AIDS,whichhasravagedEastAfrica,mayalsobreedafatalismthathelpsapocalypticnotionstakeroot.

　　SomeAfricansturntocultsafterrejectingmainstreamChristianchurchesas鈥淲estern鈥or鈥渘on-African.鈥AgnesMasitsa,30,whousedtoattendaCatholicchurchbeforeshejoinedtheJerusalemChurchofChrist,saysofCatholicism:鈥淚t鈥檚dull.鈥滭br/>Catholicicons.Yet,theUgandandoomsdaycult,likemanyofthesects,drewonfeaturesofRomanCatholicism,astrongforceintheregion.Catholiciconswereprominentinitsbuildings,andsomeofitsleadersweredefrockedpriests,suchasDominicKataribabo,32,whoreportedlystudiedtheologyintheLosAngelesareainthemid-1980s.Hehadtoldneighborshewasdiggingapitinhishousetoinstallarefrigerator;policehavenowrecovered81bodiesfromunderthefloorand74fromafieldnearby.PoliceareunsurewhetherKataribabodiedinthechurchfire.

　　Still,thereisthequestion:Howcouldsomanykillingsha