Friday, 27 January 2017

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.

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