Does your faith matter in business?

Muslims and born agains do not drink alcohol. Such people may not be comfortable with running a business that sells forbidden foods

What you need to know:

DILEMMA. Faith is key for someone to live by society standards. However, certain faithful believe some businesses compromise one’s faith as Brian Mutebi found out

Isaac Ssemuddu, a businessman in Nateete, Kampala could not believe his ears when he overheard his wife tell her friend how grateful to God she was, that one of their businesses had collapsed.

“If I were given opportunity, I’d testify in church for the answered prayers,” she added, to the bemusement of her husband. The Ssemuddus, who do business together had sacrificed much from their other business, a medical facility and, Ssemuddu acquired a bank loan worth Shs5m to open a beer depot. His wife dissuaded him against investing in alcohol business.

“We are Christians, we cannot trade in beers,” she argued. “And if for our faith we do not drink alcohol, why should we sell it to others? That promotes alcoholism and contravenes our faith. We cannot be doing such a thing.”

Ssemuddu however disagreed with the wife, went on and started the business. Six months later, the business had, as he put it “collapsed miserably”. He was even struggling to pay off the bank loan. Yet his wife rejoiced.

“I was surprised that my wife rejoiced over our loss,” he said. “True we don’t drink alcohol but I thought that was just a business to make money.”

The Ssemuddu’s experience causes one to wonder if there are business that for one’s religious beliefs should not invest in.

David Kintu, a Christian in Kampala, says, one can invest in any business regardless of their faith. “If you cannot invest in certain businesses because of your religious beliefs it means that for the same reason you cannot do certain jobs. So you job hunt forever? I think that is extremism,” he states.

Lawrence Walube, a Christian and construction manager in Kampala, however says it is not appropriate for a Christian to run businesses such as a bar which contravene their religious beliefs because you will be promoting what your faith discourages.

Walube, who says his faith has a greater bearing on the decisions he makes, refutes the suggestion that owning a bar, for example, does not mean drinking alcohol or a pork butchery to mean eating pork for the Muslims.

Or the idea that one may set up such a business but hires someone else to run it. “Would your actions then glorify God?” he asks. “Don’t you know that scriptures say whatever we do must give glory to God and that we should do everything as though doing it unto God.”

Today, gambling particularly sports betting is another common business. In all major townships there are betting outlets, and customers both Christians and Muslims flock. It seems a lucrative business. Hajji Nsereko Mutumba, the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council spokesman however, says Islam is against Muslims investing in such businesses.

“Muslims do not own bars. We don’t engage in money lending businesses or gambling. We do not run lodge businesses because they promote promiscuity or even sex trade however lucrative they are,” he says.
Mutumba says,“In money lending business, you are more accountable than the one you hired to run it.”

Pastor Gervase Musisi of Prayer Palace Kibuye, says one’s conscience is the determining factor. “I don’t have a bar to measure one’s faith and cannot decide for them. It depends on their conscience,” he says.

Rev Fr Denis Wamala, the Assistant Parish Priest of St Charles Lwanga Catholic Church Gaba, says there is no particular Bible reference that prohibits a Christian from setting up a particular business. “A bar for example is not bad, and it is not Muslims who set up bars but Christians.

It is people who might abuse it (the bar),” he says. Wamala says the Church only prohibits certain behaviour like prostitution.

Walube says unless God wants a Christian to fulfil a certain mission like when he directed prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute – and there should be clear instructions to that effect but it is not fit for a Christian to engage in such businesses,” he says.

Views from other poeple

“Yes it does, like working in bars, dealing in drugs and this is majorly because of the things or habits that are related to such jobs. It is not all about money but what the community perceives. “.
Henry Mukooza, Marketer

“I can operate any business so long as its legally acceptable but business like prostitution, homosexuality, human trafficking, dealing in drugs like marijuana, are not accepted by either the law and religion."
John Bosco Acayo, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer

“Not in any way, business is business as long as it doesn’t affect me I can still go on with it. The biggest focus is money not where it comes from and anyway provided it’s got in a right full way“.
Richard Bwowe, Businessman