Pastors have led young Ugandans to think Jesus fixes problems. Does he?

Jennifer Acen, 35, and her 43-year-old husband, Joseph Ongei, left their home in Nebbi District and camped in Jinja, where they have been trying to raise Shs4m without success. 

The money, a princely sum that millions of Ugandans do not even make in one year, is needed to operate on Jennifer who has a large tumour that has completely disfigured her face.

Daily Monitor brought this story to the attention of the public on July 28 and reported that the couple are carrying prescription documents and have moved from street to street using a megaphone to appeal to good Samaritans for funds. 

When the story was published on Facebook, it drew many comments from readers, most of them young Ugandans.

What struck me about the comments is that the vast majority seemed to suggest that the answer to Jennifer’s problem is Jesus. 

Yes, Jesus who does not interact with the universe in any way, and I am certain has never spoken to Jennifer since the tumour problem started. One of the top comments, which got many likes, said: “May God heal you in Jesus’s name.”

There is no doubt that Jennifer and her husband are believers. As prayer in Uganda is the first line of defence for religious people facing serious problems, it is safe to assume that the couple have been praying — and heavily so, I guess — about this problem. In fact, Joseph was quoted by Daily Monitor as saying that he cannot abandon his wife because she was given to him by God.

Fair enough! But Joseph does not need Jesus to fix his wife’s tumour problem. He needs money. If Joseph had money but no Jesus, he would have the operation to remove the tumour done in less than no time — and in any part of the world.
Uganda’s Constitution guarantees rights and freedoms, and in Chapter 4, it states clearly that “every person shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression … [and] freedom to practise any religion and manifest such practice which shall include the right to belong to and participate in the practices of any religious body or organisation.” 

But religious leaders, especially pastors, are misusing this freedom by indoctrinating young, impressionable Ugandans with the belief that once you believe in Jesus everything will be alright and that Jesus is able to fix all our problems. Does he fix problems?

We have plenty of evidence suggesting that he does not, and this is not a personal opinion. Last week, for example, Pastor Wilson Bugembe, who is (supposedly) closer to Jesus than his church members, appealed to people to raise money for Pastor Kironde’s medical treatment. 

If Jesus really cares, why don’t we simply pray for the pastor? If Jesus is in a better place and there is a better place, what are we doing here?

For some things, we have given Jesus more credit than he deserves. On July 30, members of Phaneroo Ministries International in Lugogo were clapping for Jesus for three hours non-stop, and most of the participants were young Ugandans. 

The church members thanked him for helping them to overcome Covid-19, yet no vaccine has ever dropped from heaven.

These people have the right to clap, but many will soon realise that money, not Jesus, will always fix most of their problems. In fact, if I were a pastor, I would tell members of my church: “Whatever we do here, we should always remember Ecclesiastes 10:19.” Not Jesus. He has done nothing for Jennifer and will do nothing.

Musaazi Namiti is a journalist and former Al Jazeera digital editor in charge of the Africa desk.
[email protected]    @kazbuk