Common Sense: Why do people misuse God’s name?
People praying. Many people like to be seen and known as portraying the word of God in their daily activities and yet their actions are far from it.
It’s one of the most visible badges worn by many Ugandans on their hearts and determines how they conduct themselves in this life…so they say. It’s the badge of the born-again Christian. And many confess to embody the principles that come with being one.
Right from the political class, down to your immediate boss, many profess to be God-fearing. All like to be seen and known as portraying the word of God in their works, thinking, behaviour, even dressing. Some go as far as establishing churches with numerous branches countrywide, to spread the word of God and help the needy.
All achievements, be it in their leadership skills, job promotions, salary increment or the husband’s coming back home from the bar at 10pm not his usual 2am, are credited to God. Some even take it as far as crediting their latest addition to their fleet of luxury cars, a Mercedes Benz CLK-Class, to the Almighty, God.
Now without delving into ethos of Christianity, I wouldn’t mind you attributing your latest acquisitions to God’s “favour and kindness.” However, this is what disturbs me with the Mercedes Benz. The “acquirer” is someone who’s known for his corruption scandals. His greed for stealing funds meant for poor Ugandans is not only legendary but its frequency is astonishing. Every corruption scandal somehow has to have his fingerprints all over it. So how can that person turn around and claim he’s “blessed” by the Almighty, hence his riches?
How can the meanest boss in the office, you know, the kind that pretty much speaks a lot gibberish during high level company meetings, likes to use statistics to put down your well thought-out idea that ironically had statistics as well, and is as slimy as a snail when it comes to company’s finances, be the one that screams hallelujah the most in the office?
If you really want to know the depth of hypocrisy with our born-again folks then have a chat with a member of a church choir in one of these fancy churches we have in our midst. When it comes to sex, these people are on a different planet from us. They will point you to choir girl X who has slept with the choirmaster on a number of times despite the fact that the choirmaster is going out with girl Y who also sings in the choir. As if that’s not depressing enough, girl X happens to be having an affair with married man Z who’s having marital problems with his wife and both have been going regularly to church looking for answers to their marriage woes!
And this is what infuriates me most with these born-again girls. They will sleep with you from Monday till Saturday and then head off to church on Sunday, wave their hands in the air while praying in tongues and cry bucket loads of tears when the preacher is preaching. First thing on Monday night, they are back under your sheets! When you try and enquire about their hypocritical behaviour, they quickly say, “God forgives you 77 times 7!” or “everyone is human, be it me or you!” What nonsense is that? Isn’t that taking advantage of God’s word to justify your silly behaviour? You find a married couple that drive to church on Sunday, all gloomy faced and not talking at all in the car. They reach church and put on the façade of a happily- married couple, holding hands and all. Then, as soon as the service is over, they hop into their Nissan Patrol, and like robots, resort back to their depressed selves. The silence in the car is only broken up by a quarrel as to why the electricity bill hasn’t been paid for the last three months despite him spending all the money in bars and chasing women!
You find the political elite hobnobbing with church leaders, peppering their speeches with Bible verses and preaching to whoever lends them an ear of how the leader that has added zilch value to their community but only makes noise in Parliament when it comes to the sick idea of increasing MPs’ pay, is God sent! You even find church leaders engaging in that absurdity, praying for this God-sent leader, “blessing” him with more good fortunes for his future. Do these people take God for a clown?
Many in our society tout themselves as born-again. It’s like a must-have accessory. However, try telling them to practice what they preach and it will be trying to get a pig to fly. The hypocrisy is painful to watch. What this lot doesn’t know is that they are among those that are accused of soiling future generations in our country, courtesy of their greed and corruption.
One wonders whether if God was one of us, he would steal from government funds, drive the latest car and later march into church and proclaim his “savedness!”
