Matters of faith are key

As with all such events of huge magnitude, the World Cup began in a way that sent tongues wagging. Two days to the event, Fifa said in a statement that alcohol would be banned on stadia grounds, both within and around the perimeter areas.
This was, as can be imagined, greeted with unhappiness, but Qatar is not budging. The Muslim nation controls the sale of alcohol strictly. It is part of their religious culture and World Cup is not changing that.

Away from football, there are other instances where matters of faith are strictly upheld and those who would like to be part of that situation have to abide with the guidelines.
There are a number of institutions of higher learning in this country where faith takes precedence and all students regardless of their religious background have to abide by the rules.

This is the same lens through which we should view the demand by the Catholic Church on the government to make Christian Religious Education (CRE) compulsory in church-founded schools.
Rev Fr Ronald Reagan Okello during the Uganda Episcopal Conference held in Kampala last week argued that the teaching of CRE is important to impart Christian values and integrity and rehabilitate the morals of Ugandans.
He also said it will help shape an individual’s conscience and character early and save the country from the challenges of homosexuality, drug abuse, alcoholism and teenage pregnancies. While that might be a tall order, it is only understandable that an organisation that is founded on certain religious principles, insists that those who pass through it are taught those lessons, otherwise what would be the reason for calling it a church-founded school?

How would they continue to pass the faith and lessons to the next generations, if they are not imparting it actively and directly through school activities? One might ask why it must be made compulsory. The answer could be that in the same way basic subjects like English and Math are made compulsory because they provide a foundation not just for further studying but for easier living in the world, CRE provides a foundation for the students to understand better ways to live with and treat each other. No other subject currently focuses on teaching that and yet it is one of the most important things anyone can learn.
The Catholic Church’s proposal is a good one and should be understood as one to help groom the younger generation. At the very least, they should have the right to insist that all children passing through their hands are taught what the foundation is based on.