Why I don’t empathise with Ntagali
The media has been awash with news and reactions about the former Church of Uganda Archbishop Stanley Ntagali, who is said to have been suspended due to adultery. I won’t join the queue of those appearing to empathise with Ntagali, and will instead call for his crucification.
It is not right to attempt to sugar-coat Ntagali’s misdeed by suggesting that he’s only human. No. His action goes beyond him and speaks to the many actions of millions others in society.
By shielding him, we risk creating a precedent that people can mess up and go away with it......not just in sexual, but other matters of society too And if the “man of God” could stoop so low to cheat on his wife, then we must question the validity of whatever he has ever preached in his career as a church leader.
Another simplistic way people have appeared to let Ntagali off the hook, was to quote Jesus when he said in John 8: “Let he who has never done it cast the first stone.” But then, our leaders should not appear to load on others what they cannot carry themselves.
Church principles have often been emphasised to the extent that even missing service on a Sunday is seen as a crime. Now, why would one want to be religious about going to church every Sunday, when the preacher himself cannot live by what he preaches? This is the seriousness of Ntagali’s crime, and for this, he needs to be crucified so that others can learn a lesson.
Let us try to extrapolate this issue into our recently concluded elections. We all know that cheating in an election is bad and should be punishable. Yet it appears a lot of people are too shameless to ride on cheated votes to their positions.
Reminds me of a court ruling that said: “There was cheating, but the cheating wasn’t bad enough to change the results.” This is as bad as saying married men are free to cheat as long as they do not make the other woman pregnant! Yet in Ntagali’s case, it is alleged he sired a baby as a living testimony of his cheating. The man should be crucified.
That said, I think this development underscores the need to review the traditional practice of one man, one woman.
From time immemorial, man after man, have been faulted for straying from their wives and “seeing” another woman. Some women too.
Deo Tumusiime,
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