In mainstream Christianity, Gods direct intervention in the human drama reached one of its highest points with a human sacrifice, when the Son of God was crucified to pay the price for mans serious sins. But the theme of blood sacrifice also runs through the other two Abrahamic religions; Judaism and Islam, albeit involving the blood of unblemished animals rather than humans; thanks to the example of Abraham, who resolved a spiritual dilemma as hard as any prophet was likely to face and spared his son.
Of course, thousands of years later, as we marvel at the sheer scale of the universe, a god who used to prowl around mountain bushes and haunted the neighbourhoods of ancient tribesmen, demanding blood sacrifices, does not look so big after all. The great religious thinkers of our time understand this, conjuring up increasingly abstract conceptions of God.
Enter your Born Again Christian pastors. From ranting in their sprawling churches and on their radio stations, they have now recruited apprentices to carry their antics to every street corner, verbally molesting incredulous passers-by. And their message? You are all sinners! You are doomed! There are demons roaming all over the place, working on your soul. God is the most powerful spirit in the universe. He will gouge the eyes and rip through the bellies of the demons and any rival gods. You refuse to follow him at your peril.
This account of the power of gods and spirits rhymes with the witchdoctors. The client is brainwashed to enter a dangerous spirit world where the pastor and his God are the agents of escape. But what if God, who showed mercy with Abrahams child only to have his own son sacrificed later; what if God is sometimes revisited by the craving for human blood? Or, what if, in extreme circumstances, God understands when other spirits insist on human blood before they can be appeased?
The Born Again fanatics primitive spiritualism validates the witchdoctors mindset, and Ugandas central region is the hub of Born Again fanaticism. Bugandas masses may be more literate than those in the regions where Mr Biryabarema claims there are no cases (at all?) of human sacrifice, but enlightenment is relative. Average Baganda are enlightened enough to recite favourite passages from the Bible and the pastors sermons, but they may not be erudite enough to follow a philosophical discourse leading out of the traditional faith systems.
Ugandas famous 19th century martyrs no doubt thought they were very enlightened, and their deaths have been glorified over several centuries. To the critical outsider today, they were probably more naïve than enlightened. And, as far as I know, they were all Baganda. This paradox of enlightenment and darkness is repeated in Nigeria, which boasts Africas largest concentration of writers and Intellectuals, is home to thousands of Born Again churches, and yet witnesses an astonishing number of cases of human sacrifice. Perhaps you sometimes catch up on God at your peril!
altacca@yahoo.com
Of course, thousands of years later, as we marvel at the sheer scale of the universe, a god who used to prowl around mountain bushes and haunted the neighbourhoods of ancient tribesmen, demanding blood sacrifices, does not look so big after all. The great religious thinkers of our time understand this, conjuring up increasingly abstract conceptions of God.
Enter your Born Again Christian pastors. From ranting in their sprawling churches and on their radio stations, they have now recruited apprentices to carry their antics to every street corner, verbally molesting incredulous passers-by. And their message? You are all sinners! You are doomed! There are demons roaming all over the place, working on your soul. God is the most powerful spirit in the universe. He will gouge the eyes and rip through the bellies of the demons and any rival gods. You refuse to follow him at your peril.
This account of the power of gods and spirits rhymes with the witchdoctors. The client is brainwashed to enter a dangerous spirit world where the pastor and his God are the agents of escape. But what if God, who showed mercy with Abrahams child only to have his own son sacrificed later; what if God is sometimes revisited by the craving for human blood? Or, what if, in extreme circumstances, God understands when other spirits insist on human blood before they can be appeased?
The Born Again fanatics primitive spiritualism validates the witchdoctors mindset, and Ugandas central region is the hub of Born Again fanaticism. Bugandas masses may be more literate than those in the regions where Mr Biryabarema claims there are no cases (at all?) of human sacrifice, but enlightenment is relative. Average Baganda are enlightened enough to recite favourite passages from the Bible and the pastors sermons, but they may not be erudite enough to follow a philosophical discourse leading out of the traditional faith systems.
Ugandas famous 19th century martyrs no doubt thought they were very enlightened, and their deaths have been glorified over several centuries. To the critical outsider today, they were probably more naïve than enlightened. And, as far as I know, they were all Baganda. This paradox of enlightenment and darkness is repeated in Nigeria, which boasts Africas largest concentration of writers and Intellectuals, is home to thousands of Born Again churches, and yet witnesses an astonishing number of cases of human sacrifice. Perhaps you sometimes catch up on God at your peril!
altacca@yahoo.com
