By Trevlyn Mwafuli
A SIZEABLE share of black people say the Bible is the word of God as opposed to the fact that it was written by man and they believe the Bible should be interpreted literally.
However, the same Bible has proven to have been used, and is still being used, as a tool to oppress other nations.
When slavery was ‘legal’ perpetrators used the Bible to justify slavery.
There were plenty of verses to use as evident in 1 Corinthians 7: 21 and 24 which says: “Art thou called being a servant? Care not for it: but if thou may be made free, use it rather.”
This scripture tries in all manners to justify slavery and people being oppressed.
It would always pacify those in slavery to be cotent with their lot in the hope of being freed one day.
According to Brian Stout: “The whites would rather refer to the presence of slavery in the Old Testament and to verses from the Apostle Paul that instruct slaves to be obedient to their masters.
While some other brutal oppressors referred to slavery as a ‘necessary evil’ and others went so far as to claim that black people would continue to be slaves in heaven.”
This always worked for the oppressors as they would use these scriptures to blatantly blind those in slavery and to make them accept the unacceptable because they had mastered the concept of ‘the blackman and his Bible’.
The over-reliance of the black race on the Bible has somewhat left them spiritually and ideologically exposed.
Currently, in Zimbabwe, many churches disseminate a theory of a gospel of prosperity at large and have seemingly paved way to deutronomistic inclinations which have the backing of Bible texts that people’s main aim in life is to be prosperous.
This results in many Africans, in this particular case, Zimbabweans looking for prosperity in churches.
People are spending most of their time in church seeking prosperity intervention from the so-called prophets who will be dressed in flamboyant designer wear.
Pentecostal churches now have large followings, specifically because of the call to attain prosperity evidenced on their flyers.
There seems to be more of a competition now between the so-called well-known prophets pertaining the spread of the gospel of prosperity.
And turning to the miracles; we now hear of miracle money, miracle pens, miracle oranges and miracle cucumbers, among a host of others.
These so-called prophets perform these so-called miracles with Bible in hand.
All these so-called miracles are being performed in the ‘name of Jesus Christ’.
Does that ring a bell!
Is our thinking, as black people, not compromised?