Faith-Based Politics

Have you off late wondered what happened to the church being the moral pillar of the community. Have you wondered about the current transformation to it being a stepping stone for political office? Are you disgusted? If you are, I am to, it is painful to realize that I missed this opportunity by refusing to take a more conspicuous role in my local church…. If I only knew it would lead to the CEO salary that Members of parliament get. then I would have taken a different approach.

Each one of us professes some kind of religious affiliation, and for the atheists, well, it is a free world. The reason I bring this up, is I have waited to see if someone more eloquent than myself will point out the attempts of the church and or its disciples hijacking the political process in Kenya. The politicians are at least at some level are elected and represent the interest of the constituents unlike the religious leaders who are appointed in various ways and definitely not through the democratic representation.

I disdain the public display of religion, especially by politicians; it is hypocritical to say the least. Religion has played the biggest role in most of the atrocities committed throughout history. The control of Europe by the catholic church, the massacre of the Aztec by the Spanish who were spreading the Christian gospel, the Christian crusaders who killed and plundered the near and middle east, the colonization of Africa and the spread of Christianity and its evils. Darn, this is not a history lesson; I’m just underscoring my point.

The following stricking events have happened in Kenya, the current Kibaki administration we have seen the election of church officials into political positions (parastatals… although this was done before it was not as obvious in your face as the current administration), the declaration of Pius Muiru desire to lead the country, Ms Wanjiru for Starehe constituency, the open practice of Kalonzo’s Christianity however subtle, the joke that was the National prayer day.

Christians around the world are becoming bolder as they attempt to copy the success of the evangelicals in the United States who were able to propel the current president to two terms with relative ease, even after the Iraq fiasco. the problem with openly religious figures is government policy is going to be openly influenced by the religious inclination.

God told me...

The government of Kenya is a secular institution; we should strive to keep it that way. The fact that this people are using the positions in the church to propel them into political office should be condemned. This idea should be nipped at the bud, least we head the way of Saudi Arabia or worse still 13^th to 15^th centuries where freedoms that we take for granted as Kenyans were not freely practiced because of radical practice of religion.