Government must understand that fanatical religious beliefs affect economic development
Dear Editor, RECENTLY, Rwanda’s government closed thousands of churches and dozens of mosques as it sought to assert more control over a fanatical religious community whose, sometimes, makeshift operations threatened the lives of followers. However, this needs to be understood in the context of development. President Paul Kagame said he was shocked by the high number of churches, as many as 700 in Kigali alone. “Are these boreholes that give people water? I don’t think we have as many boreholes. Do we even have as many factories? This has been a mess!” he observed. We have been misled into believing that our problems are supposed to be solved by God instead of thanking God for giving us a complex brain that we must then use to solve issues we are faced with. In Kitwe, Christians would climb the Black Mountain and turned it into a Mountain of Prayer in line with Biblical beliefs to solve various economic issues. But when the Jerabos climbed the same Black Mountain, they discovered mineral deposits, changing their lives forever. Your guess as to what happened to the economic situation of the earlier occupants who climbed it to consult God for changes to their economic fortunes through prayer is as good as mine. Are we surprised today that most missionary sites dating back to colonial times sit on mineral rich sites? Leadership must wake up and protect the population that has been brainwashed into accepting fanatical religious beliefs. The Church must preach salvation and people must go to church for praise and worship. If the Church chooses to venture into the sphere of economic issues of its followers, let it teach its followers skills and offer empowerment so that they can generate sustainable wealth. Instead of holding an overnight prayer for students writing exams, let the church arrange tuition sessions. The majority of churches in Zambia today are small Pentecostal prayer houses, with some preachers growing rich off impoverished followers who are promised solutions to issues that can be solved through hard work. Some of these churches meet in tents or houses that cannot accommodate crowds and noise pollution is such a huge concern. MPANDASHALO EVANS MWEWA.