More Christians less Christianity!

In 2014, Uganda this time didn't go to polls but rather conducted a population census. Many things were put to count and religion was one of those. According to that census, over 84 percent
of the population was established to be Christian while only a paltry 14 percent of the population adhered to Islam. The simple mathematics there puts the percentage of those who subscribe to at least a religion in Uganda at 98. If we are to take a margin of error then probably we can say only a minimal 5percent don't subscribe to any religion. I can thus comfortably say that Uganda has a populace of over 95percent that belong to a certain religion. Interesting statistics!
So back to the basics, first of all what tenets does religion inculcate in us, what does it teach us to do and not to do? The values taught in the Bible are often the
opposite of worldly values: kindness and respect
for all people instead of power; humility instead
of status; honesty and generosity instead of
wealth; self-control instead of self-indulgence;
forgiveness instead of revenge. Christian values
promote peace and good will among people in
accordance with the purposes of God. Worldly values I imagine promote jealous, resentments and conflicts among people in accordance with the purposes of Satan.  For a country such as mine to jettison to the winds all the values that mould a religious society, for it to be engulfed in an endless mild of rantings, accusations and counter accusations, something is certainly amiss. Either the biblical teachings have been twisted to suit the current times or probably the masses are not heeding to the cries of our religious leaders. I venture to say there are a blend of factors that have precipitated this. Everyday we wake up to different stories, some are whispered while others are are told in broad daylight
Stories about Christians stealing from their places of work, some disappearing after defrauding unsuspecting members of the public, stories of how offertory baskets are filled by people who amass a lot of wealth through dubious dealings. The argument can be made that these people are offering to their God but the entire essence of Christian values is defeated, stop to think about the crisis they have created. I don't think the God we all believe in will be happy to see offering baskets filled up in churches by money acquired fraudulently. It wouldn't please Him either that His people are sick and suffering because of absence of the necessary and obvious from hospitals. What then is the purpose of preaching love for our neighbors? I believe the capacity to care is what gives life its deepest significance. For us to be human we must know that the cry of distress is the summons to relief, that we give help to one another in times of need otherwise we become no different from animals that live in the bush.
 The breed of religious leaders that is emerging is also increasingly becoming suspect. The surge in stage managed miracles, crammed prophesies and other "religious" practices have plunged our nation into a trying time. For one to dictate on what you should offer and when you offer it is completely divergent of the biblical teachings. The bible tells us that what our good Lord wants is a clean and contrite heart and not millions of dollars or pounds.
I imagine that the flock is beginning to learn from their leaders. Often, we see Christians pointing fingers at their leaders, accusing them of all the evils in the world but forgetting they are only human like us. That alone doesn't justify one's actions because we ought not to look at our neighbors but rather do what is required of us all. It is better for one to be clear on what they stand for rather than keep oscillating from side to side, otherwise we shall increasingly have less and less Christianity even when we are Christians.

Who is not eating?

I read with keen interest the story of government officials being rewarded for their contribution in winning a court case that fetched the country prodigious amounts of money. Later on, as I enjoyed a tete-a-tete with one friend of mine, I told him of this very stimulating story, also with how members of Public were up in arms against the rewards. He paused a very simple question to me and asked, "But Patrick, who is not eating?" The question slowly sank in and I allowed myself a few moments to think it over. He told me of the many dubious and shady dealings that take place in government offices which never see the light of day, those that we prattle about, only a handful looting what is meant for us all. It is a culture that we have cultivated, it is a custom that has become part of our DNA, he went on to tell me and it is what will one day kill our generation and country. I refused to believe that our generation will be wasted but deep inside me I was skeptical.
Recalling the words of Mwai Kibaki, he once said that leadership is a privilege to better the lives of others. It is not an opportunity to satisfy personal greed. If that had been the guiding principle of our country's service then the lining on the cloud would be brighter. It summarizes what a perfect society should be like and no doubt we would have one if we all were selfless. We have bred leaders, that we have entrusted with power but only to squander our resources unapologetically. Our trust has thus dwindled because everyone seems to be betraying our national cause. That explains why fewer and fewer people will go out on voting day when the opportunity presents itself, it illustrates why respect for our leaders has hit record low even when this is an entitlement and it also demonstrates that the future seems unpromising. We see stupendous sums of money vanishing day and night and yet majority of the citizenry remain cash strapped, we remain in a hopeless state only hoping for the next day. It is what our society has grown into, that whoever has access to the source can "eat". At Makerere University for example there is terminology used to refer to tokens or handouts that we call "mugatti". It is unashamedly courted and the beneficiaries are part of us. No doubt our institutions of learning have also been penetrated by this virus but it would be foolhardy of us to sit and watch as our country is run down.
I understand that humans by their very nature always have zest for more but this should not be at the financial burden of this our beloved nation. We can develop a culture of hard work so that our efforts can be rewarded that way. Instead of siphoning funds from the national coffers illegally, we can simply work for this money so that it shows progress. The Bible is one such place where hard work is a pillar and in its absence there is no progress. I refuse to believe that we have a completely rotten society, a few bad elements could be in place but this should not derail us from becoming better. We can hate our government but not our country.
The president of this country once stated that a medical doctor must diagnose his patient's disease before he can prescribe treatment; similarly, a political leader must diagnose correctly the ills of society. I have heard him time and again bemoan corrupt officials as the people making his government look ugly. He can choose to weed them out, if he is to revive its already bad image. That is the only way out otherwise they will keep "eating" and am worried one day they may "eat" their own people if only they haven't already started!