Despite modern influences, 'spirit churches' popular in South Africa
By TERRY LEONARD
Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — On a rocky hilltop in Johannesburg a priest leads his congregation in an all-night prayer vigil. His is not a religion for the fainthearted: At the core of his faith is the unshakable conviction that the Bible is a simple, straightforward road map to the hereafter.

"The Bible is the way it is. It doesn't change. It needs no explanation. You just have to follow it," said Molefa Mojela, the priest of the Edumisweni Apostolic Church of Christ.

Yet the congregation also holds beliefs many consider outside the bounds of mainstream Christianity.

Members of Mojela's church venerate and fear ancestors who they believe can help or harm them. They are convinced witches and evil spirits walk among them. They look to prophets to heal the sick, and trust in the power of magic and the benefits of animal sacrifice. the rest