And now into the fray: Religious Freedoms?

(this is a loooong one)

I have finished reading an article online in which a University Professor asked his students to “stomp on Jesus” or more accurately write the name Jesus on a piece of paper and place it on the floor and then stomp on it as part of a lesson on intercultural Communications. This particular exercise was from a teachers handbook that accompanied the text book “ Inter-cultural Communications: A Contextual Approach, 5^th edition”

Even as i read this i am reminded of the uproar that surrounded particular incidences where the Prophet Muhammad was made fun of either in speech or at that time caricature. At that time i really thought that perhaps Muslims needed to loosen up and not be too uptight. In fact i was really annoyed that people seemed to walk on eggshells when it came to Islamic issues. I was like, “ how come Christianity or other faiths don’t inspire such uproar from their follower” and i also wondered as to why, when it did, most people just brushed off the other faiths with the response, “get with the programme” and many times these other faiths were beaten into submission with big words like bigoted, narrow-minded, backward etc. etc. Basically they were about as in touch with modern society as dinosaurs and so had no right to speak or at least that is what it seemed.

I came to the conclusion that such “respect” from the secular world depended on how you used machetes in relation to human heads and your prowess with stones and said human heads. I further hypothesised that perhaps it was high time Christian demanded respect for their Faith minus the ‘pangas’ and the like.

But Muslims have been over taken as the number one indignant lyrical waxing inducing topic by homosexuality. I bet the best situation for anyone seeking asylum in a “western” forward looking society would be for one to not only me homosexual, but also Muslim, persecuted by Bible waving Christians and Governments in the a certain third world country. But this is just a stereo type. Oh and i digress.

So reading the above mentioned article plus the many debates i have followed on Facebook between apologist of Christian faith and apologists of the atheist “faith” i have noticed that perhaps the “open minded” people are not as open minded as they claim to be.

The article clearly states how being “different” from the main stream, in this case Christianity vs. liberal whateverism (i term coined to represent the apparent lack of any sort of belief system among today’s youth), means you get to be “mistreated” legally. Some of the words used by “secularists” vs. “faithists” really leave me dismayed and i wonder if they actually are as liberal or open minded as they claim. Words like bigoted, ignorant, small minded or narrow minded are bandied around freely. Sometimes threads descend into needless provocation and veiled insult. Mark you, both sides are not innocent, but perhaps more is expected of the liberal forward looking open minded folk than sheer gutter talk and underhandedness.

Why did this professor have to pick on Jesus of all religious figures? According to a friend who i once asked a similar question, it’s because Christians are the ones who proselytize the most.

I was confused because i thought their aversion was to all faiths that rejected the forward march of science and the crystalline “truths” it embodied. It seems there is some bias coming from both sides of the isle…oops sorry...road.

I am a Christian and my faith informs a lot of the decisions i make and it’s from that stand point i write this article. I may not know all there is to know and i don’t claim to do so. Something don’t make sense still others make total sense but i also know that salvation is both and event and a journey and to borrow the word s of Paul the apostle, we know in part but then we shall know in full.

And this is my take on some of the controversy:

I believe that Atheist need to show some respect even for those things that they do not agree with. There is no difference between what you do and what the roman church did back then. You both operate from a pedestal of superiority, one stemming from the fact that they felt they were called of God and another from their intellectualism.

Both of you have persecuted in one way or another those that do not see as you see. The church did it with inquisition and burning but the scathing attacks launched from blogs, post, comments and dialogues is just the same but without the physical flames.

Perhaps it would be prudent for the secularists to realise all that they do is simply because they hold the popular opinion just as most of the people then were behind the church’s actions.

Of course secularism claims to be more educated and enlightened and progressive now but don’t forget the same could be said of the church at that time. Who knows, should this world tarry for some more trillion years, our knowledge would look just as archaic to people in the future as stone tools seem to us today.

Isn’t the amount of abuse heaped on those that have tradition Christian views towards certain subjects not be compared to the abuse that those with alternative lifestyles have suffered? Granted fewer traditional Christians are beaten or maimed or killed by radical secularist however the ostracism they face is probably as damaging.

If you are truly open minded and liberal dear secularist, perhaps the old adage would work perfectly, live and let live.

A word to the Christian

Much of what i have said above applies even to us.

Treat all divergent views with respect and learn that you can disagree without being at war. Do not resort to abuse or maligning of any sort in the name of defending the faith. Remember, the faith we now practice has been here for year and has faced even greater more focused opposition. God is capable of defending himself. That’s why we believe he is supreme.

I sharing your faith, remember that God did not ask you to seek converts but to speak Truth. Stand for it whenever possible and speak up when needed. Do not argue, or use fear tactics or such other tools of “public speaking” Instead share, simply what you know, what you believe and why.

Our avenue is love, first for one another then for the non-believer. The book of acts, so aptly named, demonstrated the faith and love the believers showed for each other and it testifies that this is what drew the people of that time. I think it’s a method we could try.

Know that God has not forbid you from questioning him both about what you understand and don’t understand. Questions do not scare God. However you cannot fling away the scriptures based on what someone said or what you read or heard because the answers you seek are in the word. You cannot find the truth about Christianity apart from Christianity. I Hope that made sense. You cannot ask a baker the secrets of plumbing.

Perhaps also it would be a good thing for you to read intensively and extensively and prayerfully ponder these things through the word of God. I shall illustrate.

Seven days is how much time scripture says God took to create the world. I believe our idea or concept of time may differ from God. So perhaps, evolution or aspects of it are also Gods method. It would also be good to note that while we may have evolved from monkeys, we don’t seem to be evolving into anything else.  That may not be the best example but i hope you get the gist of what i mean.

There are those among us who lean towards more liberal inclinations. I have seen many use their status updates to belittle and poke fun at their own faith for various reason. I think that this is bad form indeed. To those i say, be careful because you associations may be mistaken as your endorsements and while you are passionate about ridding the faith of “ignorant radicals” you still have a responsibility to speak and stand for the truth. Besides, you are also held to the same level of scrutiny as the other xtians are, so if in your crusade for reform you do something the faith considers wrong, you will be held accountable for it.

50 Shades of Grey.

For those of you who may not be in the know that is the title of a very popular novel that no self-respecting trend follower cannot be seen totting around or at least say they have read it. Normally such people will then delve into how the book speaks to something more and will try to explain some existential mental orgasm the experienced at the hands of the masterpiece.

I have not read this book. I doubt I shall read it. In case you are like me u suggest reading the wiki-pedia page on this book and you shall quickly realise, unless of course approval by these yuppies is what you crave, that you should spend your time on more worthwhile things like reading an African classic or picking your nose.

For me the book is just another example of how women’s lib really has to work more and a dive into one man’s sadomasochistic fantasies. But hey that’s just my opinion. But seriously reading a book on migration in Uganda would leave you better educated unless of course you are into Sado-masochism of which then this book is just what you need.

That said this post is way too late. It was meant to be a piece on 50 things I love about my country and a dedication to my mother nation on its 50^th celebration of Independence from British Colonial rule but I just never found the time and as such, this is late. But no matter, i shall plod on.

Furthermore I doubt I shall be listing 50 things on spot either so feel free to comment and suggest some of the things you like about your country. Please avoid the bizarre, inane, asinine and lewd.

Solidarity: I was once on this bus coming into town and as i got of some other lady darted outside and immediately started throwing up. From what i gathered she had been unwell and the passengers harped upon the bus driver till he stopped and let her out. But that was not the amazing thing; they made the bus driver wait for the lady until she had finished with some even offering to pay for the delay if the impatient driver could not show some humanity. They all threatened to get off the bus and not pay if he dared leave her behind. Needless to say he waited; the lady finished retching and got back into the bus. I on the other hand was left with a warm feeling in my pumper.

I love Ugandan(s) party mind-set. While i may not condone excessive partying, i condone even less people who take life too seriously. While we may not hold a candle other festivals around the globe I can tell you, you have not partied until you have shaken it to the rhythm of the pearl. 'Nuff' said.

Boda-boda:  No one word can describe these chaps. From what I have heard the term originated about the border areas of the nation where bicycles where used to ferry people across the border to locations from which they could then hop a ride into whichever town they fancied. They were not legal in the strictest terms but were “normal” and where popularly referred to border to border hence the basterdised term 'Boda-boda'.

There are several reasons i love these little two wheeled demon driven machines. Ok yes most 'boda-boda' riders seem to have their brains at the base of their skull and yes they do get into nasty scrapes on the road and yes they have now forced the National Referral Hospital to create one whole ward for 'boda' related accidents but boy do they come in handy. They are the closest thing to an adrenaline rush that does not involve jumping of or over something or going down rapids meant to kill crocodiles and it is way cheaper too.

However that is secondary to the stories that they tell. Boy do they live interesting lives. If you have taken one of these rides especially late at night you will be amazed. Just know they are so good they convince me to use my atrocious Luganda skills just so I can follow the story.

We may not like them very much but we cannot live without them and they may be one of the closest things we have to a modern national symbol, crested crane notwithstanding.

To be continued (maybe)