Religious rebellion claims six lives.

The worship area of the Prophesy Group, situated outside Mitinap Ward One of the victims who sustained serious wounds Religious rebellion claims six lives By CHRISTOPHER YANDAWAIA TOTAL of six (6) people died with several others sustained serious injuries following an unusual religious rebellion in Telefomin District. A reliable source on the ground told Sunday Bulletin that those died were killed by their own relatives who are followers of a religious group called “Prophesy Group”.This paper also confirmed that those died and those that sustained injuries are all from Mitihanap Ward of Oksapmin Local Level Government in Telefomin District of Sandaun Province.According to the source, this group was formed in 2019 by a break-away faction of a Seventh-Day Adventist Church with its members being largely dominated by people from Oksapmin LLG and their worship base camp situated in the wilderness, far from the Oksapmin community.The source further reveals, the group has a membership of more than 900 with their teachings being confined to more on Helen G White Books rather than Holy Bible. Copy of a situation report received by this paper confirmed that this situation started on the first week of last month (September) and escalated throughout the month with business houses being shut down, schools closed, while people seeking refugees in fear of being attack by the religious group. The report highlighted that on the 12th September 2022, the prophesy group came out from their hide out and went into Oksapmin Station conducting an outreach program.“A fight broke out after the group’s biblical teachings on faith were contested by members of the other denominations. The prophesy group then regrouped and went on rampaging the community.”According to the report, this went on throughout the month of September claiming the six deaths, instilling disharmony, fear and homeless amongst the people of Oksapmin community and wider Telefomin District. “The act was a total portrayal of cult practice and before it gets out of hand, it needs immediate interventions from the police and the leaders from the electorate,” Oksapmin LLG president, Koniel Nereng said.President Nereng was one of the victims of the religious rebellion that most of his properties and belongings got destroyed when Mitihanap ward came under massive attack by the prophesy group.The president claims that currently tension is still high as there is no law enforcing agency on the ground to control and contain the situation.Meanwhile, the people of Telefomin are rising against this religious group and are calling on leaders from the district and Sandaun Province to help them eliminate this group from the district.They believe, killing of church goers, destroying their properties and belongings and displacing them by fellow followers of a religious cult group is unusual, unethical, unbiblical and is totally against the values and principles of other Christian religions in the world.Community leaders from Okaspmin LLG led by president Nereng and his ward councilors have taken initiative already by contributing cash towards a mission to remove the establishment of the prophesy group in their community. They are looking at a budget of K127, 552. 00 to help support this mission.