Prophesied wealth, still broke

Early this year, my spiritual leader predicted that 2025 would be my ‘year of open doors.’ He said I would buy a car, get married, and move into my own house. He then told me to ‘sow a seed of faith’ of at least TZS 500,000 to unlock these blessings. I believed with all my heart and made the deposit with him. Ten months later, I am left with only another loan. I am still single, still renting, and still walking to work. Can I sue him for false prophecy and recover my ‘seed’ as I have found another spiritual leader?

JM, Morogoro

Many of us have experienced hope and trust, though not necessarily prophecy, so we understand your disappointment. Legally, the law relies on evidence and intent, not miracles. If a contract had been involved, that is, there was an offer, acceptance, consideration, and intent to create legal relations as per section 10 of the Law of Contract Act, Cap. 345 [R.E. 2023], the outcome might differ. Usually, ‘prophecy’ is considered a spiritual statement of faith, not a contractual promise, and Courts have ruled such religious statements are not legally binding, nor can they be considered fraud or misrepresentation, but that would also depend on all facts surrounding different situations and we should hasten to generalise.

Nonetheless, under our criminal law, there is a prohibition on fortune-telling. Section 308 of the Penal Code, Cap. 16 [R.E. 2023] provides that a person who, for gain or reward, undertakes to tell fortunes or pretends from his skill or knowledge in any occult science to discover where or in what manner anything supposed to have been stolen or lost, commits an offence. Theoretically, you could file a police report under this section. However, this could still be a difficult battle. You would need strong proof that the spiritual leader offended the law.

Regarding refunding the ‘seed’ offerings and tithes, they are voluntary donations, and the law assumes they are made out of faith rather than expectation. Therefore, unless you can demonstrate deliberate deception, the Court is unlikely to order a refund. Generally speaking, once you give a ‘seed offering,’ it is regarded as an act of faith, not a financial investment. You might want to consult your lawyer for further guidance. And yes, before we pen off, please do proper due diligence of your newly found spiritual leader. We don’t want you to get further into the ditch in as far as your funds are concerned.