The other Monday, NTV ran an exposé on shady and crafty activities in Pentecostal churches.
The story generated heated debate especially on social media and was easily the most discussed piece of local reporting in recent years. There were plaudits and dismissals. Some comments I managed to read betrayed bias borne of religious denominational divide, and not objective assessment of the story.
Individuals belonging to the Pentecostal worship community, for example, scoffed at the report while those from the traditional religious background expressed commendations.
There were two different but related aspects of the investigation, the quality of the story and the pertinence of the subject matter investigated. The reporter, Emmanuel Mutaizibwa, is one of the finest investigative journalists of his generation.
And on this occasion, he did not disappoint in threading together an array of official and off-the-record information, allegations, testimonies and responses into a compelling narrative about the extent of abuse and misconduct at the behest of what I may refer to as spiritual entrepreneurs.
The subject matter of religion and religiosity occupies a central place in people’s individual imaginations and public discourse. Therefore, an investigation into problems that attend religious beliefs and practices and the wrongs that need to be righted is a public interest story.
Freedom of religion and worship is a fundamental human right that should be defended against undue restrictions by the state and censorship by society. But it becomes unacceptable when fraud is committed under the guise of freedom.
The NTV investigation brought to light snippets of fraud that have long been known to exist in supposed places of worship. There is faking of miracles and demanding specific amounts of money before one can receive prayer from an often self-declared man of God. And there is outright extortion.
What exactly does it mean to pay to be prayed for? This is no legal matter, but it raises a moral and practical question about how one can justify exchanging money for prayer. Is this selling a service for which the seller should pay tax? If we look at it as a market transaction involving a savvy seller of prayer and a willing buyer of the same, can the latter seek legal regress in the event the former’s prayers don’t satisfy the needs of the latter?
For some critical observers, there is something rather corrosive about a predominant message from some spiritual quarters: prayer is everything. For those of us who believe in a higher Being, from whom we seek intervention, there is no doubt that prayer is important and it works in our lives.
But this is far from the preaching that our earthly problems are all solvable by resorting to prayer, and that this prayer can be purchased at a fee from an anointed spiritual intermediary.
There are compatriots who have been persuaded to believe they can ‘invest’ their money and time in prayer and get prosperity in turn. Others have been told they should donate their assets to the Church and God will reward them enormously on earth and eternally in heaven.
There are at least two implications that make this fad of religiosity utterly dastardly. First, there is a tendency to substitute prayer for hard work. This distorts the essence of prayer and misleads the role of God in our lives.
In his study of the origins of capitalism and the ultimate transformation of the Western world, especially the United States, sociologist Max Weber underscored the ‘Protestant Ethic”, which entailed a set of values and ethos including thrift, hard work, trust and determination to succeed as God’s chosen people.
Western capitalist transformation did not happen because people sold their meager assets and invested the money in churches by way of buying prayer.
The second despicable implication is the much-talked-about flamboyant lifestyles of some of the men of God around Kampala, and increasingly across the country. If God is the one who receives and answers prayers, where does the money collected in his name go? Many churches tend to be makeshift structures often in slum environments.
This contrasts with the opulence of the pastoring leaders. But in more recent times, a new crop of pastors has upped the ante: they hold churches in five-star hotels! To attend church service there, be sure to go with a certain amount of money to contribute towards paying the hefty bill for the venue.
According to the gospel of prosperity, God gives limitlessly and His generosity is boundless. So, the pastors perhaps want to lead by example and showcase what God can do for His people by way of their flashy lives. Unfortunately, for many, this ends up being no more than false hope.
The hallowed men of God are, in practice, extorting from the flock that has all manner of desperate people. Uganda is a country acutely fraught with fraud and it appears that spirituality is increasingly an opportune site.
Freedom of worship is inviolable, but something needs to be done for the masses to see through the fraud and know that miracles can be attained through prudence and hard work, not paying a pastor for prayer.
Written by DR MOSES KHISA
moses.khisa@gmail.com
The author is the interim secretary, Society for Justice and National Unity, a Kampala-based think-tank.
Originally posted at observer.ug
