A few weeks ago a certain circus was
played out on our screens and the name Mwende was flying around all
over and we even got a new emoticon :-V now that the dust has
settled, let's take another look at that story.
This is the story a supposed “man of
God” goes to indulge in carnal pleasures on the streets and suggest
to the service provider another business opportunity. Instead of
struggling out there in the cold street she could earn a tidy sum
working for him, all she has to do is come to his church. Now in the
church she uses her repertoire of acting skills to feign a 'curse'
that makes her mouth turn to one side and it takes the “anointed”
words of the pastor to break this curse. This curse was said to be
because of slandering the “man of God” how convenient. Naturally
the mouth straightens out after the “prayer” and she begin to
“praise the Lord” for the “miracle”. The pastor did not know
all this was being recorded to be broadcast on prime time news. After
the story was run the reporters visited the church the next Sunday
only to be chased out like criminals by a cheering congregation who
later treated to more parlour tricks of applying oil on a wooden
cross on the building. Sadly instead of being investigated the church
leadership actually defended his actions. Stupid I know!
I won't even go into the spiritual
issues at play here but just from plain observation this is not a
miracle worker but a plain and simple con job done in cahoots with
prostitutes. In fact the story came to light when they were not paid
their dues by the pastor. The amazing bit is that there are still
people still being fed lies and not only do they gladly receive them
but actually defend and support the rogue pastor. Why is this is so?
Somebody once told me that such charlatans are just replacing the
previous ones we used to call witchdoctors, which is true. The people
are superstitious and clever men are preying on their superstitions
and fear to manipulate them into believing that they can work magic.
In the case of witchdoctors it is in the form of trinkets but the
modern day conman uses “God' as a front for his schemes due to
ignorance of the multitude. Same script different cast.
All the modern day conman has to do is
memorize some religious cliches and thrown in a few bible verses here
and there to appear genuine and voila he has a captive audience. What
is bad is that such rogues give the decent workers in the church out
there a bad name. When Jesus Christ walked the earth he went around
doing good and doing miracles like healing the sick among others and
had a huge following because the people had needs which were being
met. These needs still exist and we all search for something greater
than ourselves for help in times of trouble and disillusionment and
that need is exploited by some. Jesus Christ warned his followers of
false prophets and wolves in sheep's clothing who would come to
exploit them and this has been the case time and time again over the
centuries. So how does one escape?
In my opinion the greatest weakness
that is exploited is ignorance. In this modern day the bible which is
the basis for all Christian belief and practice is widely available
for all to read and anybody can do it for themselves. However many do
not do so and allow others to prepackage the message for them and
don't take time to investigate the truth or lack thereof that
prevails. Over the years I have come to see this to be true. For
example a concept that is oft repeated particularly on our screen is
this idea of “planting a seed” usually accompanied with a number
to send donations to “sow a seed in the ministry” . The term is
used in the bible for sure but not in such a context in Paul's
writings to the Corinthian church it was in the context of sending
help to fellow believers who were suffering in Palestine due to
famine (2 Corinthians 8-9) Not for his own ministry. Another instance
is when the Ephesians are admonished not to sow in their fleshly
desires in Ephesians 6. There could be others that I may have missed
but you get my point- I discovered that by reading for myself. In any
case after Jesus taught 5000 people he actually fed them using food
contributed by a boy in that crowd- no Mpesa TM numbers
given! I could go on and on about that one but I hope my point has
been made. Ignorance is no excuse and as long as it persists so will
oppression and exploitation of the masses. The same principle can be
applied on the political scene in Kenya too- fleecing the flock in
this case the citizenry at large who are oblivious of their rights.
So in closing as much as I detest the
rogues out there giving decent hard-working men of God a bad name I
remind all to be vigilant and take time to know. Ignorance does not
benefit anybody and gives others an opportunity to exploit you. Also
remember that one who benefits from your ignorance will not want you
to know. Know for yourself!
This is hitting the nail on the head. I have always said that anyone can stand up and say anything. But it is knowledge of the Scriptures that prevents deception. My conclusion is that people simply don't read the Word of God; moderately sustained contact with a Bible would quickly extract one from any such church.
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing!
Thanks for reading! This is the tip of the iceberg! However reading is just part of it, one has to set aside the preconceived notions and seek the truth
DeleteReminds me of a post I wrote on my blog warhia.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-kids-and-church.html?m=1
ReplyDeleteBut to throw a spanner in the mix, I have always wondered of those mini sermons given just before giving/ offering. In as much as I have no issues as far as giving is concerned it's the way the mini sermons are delivered.
'If you don't give God doesn't bless you. "
"You must give to prosper"
"God loves a cheerful giver".
I agree. We coarse people to give offering with gusto we never have when making alter calls. It's put in a way to guilt congregants that they give out of fear for their lives. God loves a cheerful giver, but this is arm+twisted giving.
I could be wrong.
Actually you are not wrong! The truth is gnawing at you and the sideshows are evident
Delete