A religious cult has been apprehended in Panama for murdering seven people as part of some bizarre ritual, including a pregnant woman and five of her children. The report does not go into much detail about the cult’s beliefs, but they appear to have identified as evangelical Christians of some sort. Both the perpetrators and the victims were members of the indigenous community in Ngabe-Bugle, and the victims were instructed by their captors to “Repent or die.” Most of the victims were children, I will reiterate, and it even appears that one of their murderers was their very own grandfather.
The cult refers to itself as “the Church of God” (how original). My guess is that they are one of those “non-denominational” charismatic churches that refer to their leaders not as pastors or priests, but as the Second Coming of Christ himself. You might think I’m making this shit up, but just look at men like José Luis de Jesús Miranda. There are all kinds of whackos in that part of the world, claiming to be Jesus or other prominent figures from the Bible, and driving their followers to engage in bizarre and dangerous behaviors. Hell, National Geographic wrote about this very subject just a couple of years ago. There is not enough information to be certain at present, but my Spidey Sense tells me this is the kind of cult we’re dealing with here, and I’ll be interested to learn more about the actual leader of this outfit (because there’s always just one).
But most importantly, I’d like to say a prayer for that poor mother and her children. What a horrific way to die, to be tortured and bludgeoned for the sake of “salvation after death,” and by one’s own family members no less! Sweet Anubis, O Friend and Opener of the Ways, please guide these poor souls to safety in the paradise of their choice.
