By Absolom Lubwama
In Ugandan society, the adage “ Religion is opium of the masses” is applicable. The feeling of helplessness looms large and persists like the smell of a fart in a closed, poorly ventilated space. For the desperate masses looking for answers to their financial woes, religion is their only hope.
Science assisted the first Abrahamic religious leaders in Uganda, including those of Islam and Christianity, in performing healing miracles such as curing malaria and gonorrhea. They then established schools and hospitals that were open to the general public. They taught writing and reading skills that would cause Africans to keep records and subsequently refer to them. The foreign religion would then surpass the native religions and spread like wildfire.
Religion’s Negative Impact
The evils of religion to keep Africans ignorant and slaves to the west while focusing on the afterlife while the resources are being taken have recently come to visit us. This is evident if the letter supposedly written by King Leopold of Belgium to the missionaries in Congo that is accessible on Google is true. We attempt to pray our way out of poverty, giving up our riches for the service of “God,” attending church services during the day and at night.
Preachers’ Exploitation Through Religion
Preachers have chosen to brainwash their flock into thinking that everything is OK while ignoring the wrongdoings of the current administration. The masses are getting poorer while our church leaders are getting richer. Our intention is to lead people to God, but instead of accomplishing this, we continue to quarrel and attack one another like rival politicians.
As if not enough, is it possible that the government has a file on all preachers, which it peruses and uses as leverage to force them to follow its agenda? Or have we become so naïve and sucked into the Stockholm syndrome that we have chosen to align ourselves with the oppressors of our lives?
Social Media and False Hope
The phrase “let the poor say I am rich” has been taken literally by the general public. Posting about their “rich life on social media” while secretly suffering and holding out hope for a better future.
On the other hand, politicians have similarly pledged a better life, but when held accountable, they end up with their fingers dipped in the national pie and point the finger elsewhere. Regretfully, the general public still does not understand that to politicians, they are no more valuable than toilet paper. They are used once and thrown away.
While the current government’s goal is to hold onto power and not serve the public interest, the opposition politicians hope that the people will rise up and confront the government on their behalf.
Scriptures and Leadership
Scriptures like “All leadership comes from God” and “You have to respect them and not question them” are thrown at the masses who loudly criticize politicians for their perceived flaws. According to this way of thinking, Ugandans’ only option is to pray to God for better times, and if those times do not come on Earth, they look forward to better times in paradise.
Meanwhile, the African-skinned post-colonial King Leopold has allied himself with the post-independence missionaries who persist in promoting faith (which is now devoid of miracles). They are prosperous and cheerfully make their way to banks, hoping that nothing will change and that the blind community will continue to have faith in them. Many Ugandans are barely surviving, not really living. We have long since lost our courage, and no obvious change is on the horizon.
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