77 Questions three and four of the interview questions sought to find out the participants’ religious history; whether they were born in their current denominations or were converted to them later and the reasons for conversion. Two participants out of ten (20%) were born in their current denomination. Cindiso was born in a family belonging to the AFM while Kudzaishe was born to a family belonging to the RCC. Eight participants (80%) were converted to their current denominations later in their lives. The reasons for conversion from their former denominations to the current ones were varied and range from marriage, living with relatives, personal problems in life, changing places of residence to simply making a personal and independent decision.
Esther, a married woman used to go to a variety of Pentecostal churches before she got married. When she got married , she had to change to A.Rs since it was the religion of her in-laws. Later, she joined one of the Apostolic Churches which she also abandoned to join the current denomination (UAFC). The reasons for leaving the Apostolic Church was its strict dress code and dietary laws. For example they were forbidden to eat pork and were always required to keep their hair short. The dress code did not make her presentable. On Fridays, they were not allowed to sleep on beds but on the floor. Women were not allowed to sit on sofas as they were meant for men. Thus social mobility and church doctrine may lead to change of denominations in search for family cohesion, freedom and well fare.
Jairos was a member of one of the Pentecostal churches from the age of seven (7) years to twenty one (21) years when he was living with his aunt. When he joined the Christ Embassy Church, where he served as a cameraman, he had to leave it again after having strange dreams that he interpreted as initiation into Satanism. He did not like it and abandoned the Church. When he was converted and baptized into the SDAC, strange happenings and utterances happened to him that confirmed, according to him, that he was possessed by evil spirits. In this case, mobility, perceptions and personal religious insights may lead adherents to leave one denomination for another. Many adherents including some participants have left A.I.R due to negative perceptions and new religious insights.
78 Mushore, now a member of JAM had to abandon A.I.R which he had followed for twenty (20) years since childhood when his parents died and was now confronted with too many challenges. He was influenced and inspired by his co-workers in Bulawayo to join JAM (their church) and leave A.I.R which seemed not to provide him with spiritual support he so much needed. He was also inspired by their character and way of life. His case is an excellent example of how the search for well- being, both physical and spiritual can set in motion an endless search for a good life and edifying spiritual life. Prozesky (1984) argues that through religion, believers seek ultimate well-being. By this, he means both physical and spiritual wellness. In the same way, A.I.R should meet the spiritual needs of its followers for it to remain relevant especially today where churches are competing for membership.
Tarisai, who did not belong to any church up till 2008 and preferred solitary prayer was inspired by the Adventists whom she met during one of their outreach programs, when she visited her rural home area. Despite her prior disdain of the Adventists, she was inspired by their teaching on the need for congregational prayer and worship. William, a member of the ETM abandoned A.R after the death of his father who was a spirit medium and converted to the current denomination when he listened to one of their preachers and was convinced ‘ he was a messenger inspired by God’. Thus independent decision making plays a decisive role in the exercise of religious freedom conferred by the country’s constitution. Church offensive programs like the outreaches and other recruitment drives can have a positive bearing on membership. The belief common in A.R that by virtue of being African by descent, one is born in A.I.R, grows in it and dies in it (therefore making it unnecessary to propagate it) can no longer be trusted.
Tafadzwa left the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) after the death of her father when the church could not prophecy the cause of the illness that later led to his death. She had to join the ACC where there is prophecy. In the church, the family was told that the death of Tafadzwa’s father was a result of lack of unity in the extended family. It is very common in Zimbabwe today for people to be attracted to particular denominations for the sake of prophecy and to solve family and personal problems.
79 Recounting the problems that led her to change denominations, she alluded to Karl Marx’s contention that “religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people…” Austine, (2019). Thus spiritual healing and of late miracles of material things are attracting many people from A.Rs and mainstream churches to Pentecostal churches.
Thus from these two questions, the participants were either born in Christian families and had to follow the denominations of their families of birth or marriage, or were converted to some other denominations later in life due to various circumstances or as a result of independent decision making. Where the decision to become and remain Christian was occasioned by real life experiences, we can understand why the participants were zealous and uncompromising upholders of their faith.