HomeOld_PostsReclaiming our spiritual independence: Part Ten ...spiritual bondage versus quick money

Reclaiming our spiritual independence: Part Ten …spiritual bondage versus quick money

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WE continue to explore the African search for spiritual independence. Here we discuss the relevance or otherwise of traditional churches and their impact on African spiritual independence.
It must be the same for most Africans subjected to brilliant sermons by some of the most articulate preachers this side of heaven!
All very exciting, but the spiritual message is often sterile and distant!
The pastors and the priests and bishops know that their message is foreign in the social and religious sense.
But their business is to preach and earn a living!
Yes, some are indeed called, a few are chosen and the rest are trying to make quick money.
But people go to church all the same.
It has become a social habit.
Of course if there is a bereavement, you can count on church members to come and console you.
It is like a burial society.
The traditional churches are like social clubs.
The same sermons every week!
And most are sterile of any spiritual messages!
These sermons do not bring the people nearer to God, Musikavanhu! They are artificial; they are politely tolerated by people who have nothing else to do or those who want to remain in good books with the priests.
For many it is a case of ‘kudya poison nokunyara’.
Those who want to be seen as good Africans keep attending preaching and prayer sessions even if these do not add value to their lives.
How strong is the spirituality derived from these artificial situations?
Sports clubs can be said to have better value as they provide exercise and opportunities for networking.
One could argue that churches also provide similar benefits.
But they claim spiritual benefits for people and we think these are not really availed.
The formal Western churches cannot deny that they have been primarily tools of colonisation and pacification of restless and potentially rebellious Africans.
They continue to keep Africans in check by denying them access to spiritual independence on behalf of Europe and America.
Only when Africans totally rejected the European churches’ artificial spiritualism and embraced their African religion did they emerge from colonial bondage.
We refer to the leading role of Spirit mediums and Mhondoros in our Zimbabwean liberation struggles as a living example.
Political, social and economic bondage of the black man was cemented by spiritual bondage perpetrated through the Western Christian missions.
Robert Moffat and Charles Helms of the London Missionary Society are classic examples.
They were in the pay of Cecil John Rhodes, the British homosexual Jew who led the colonisation of Zimbabwe and Zambia.
They lied through their teeth to facilitate the colonisation of Zimbabwe.
There was no spiritual value for the black people in the gospel preached by Reverend Robert Moffat.
Viewed and respected as ‘men of god’ Moffat and Helms deceived the Ndebele King Lobengula to grant concessions that they also falsely translated to allay the King’s suspicions.
Apart from pacifying the restless Africans, European Christian missionaries have always known that the spiritual message of their gospel is hollow, giving false hope of a better life in heaven.
In short the missionary message was a giant fraud perpetrated on the Africans under the guise of spiritual emancipation.
King Leopold of Belgium told the missionaries bound for Africa the truth: “Africans know God already.
“Go teach them to hate wealth and to despise themselves and their culture!
“Then they will offer little resistance when Europe loots Africa!”
And did they loot, while Africans closed their eyes and prayed to an unknown whitemen’s god.
Has the gospel message changed from the above focus?
Hardly.
The Church has remained as the ‘Chief Colonising Institution’ of the Western countries up to the present day.
The sheep (the Africans) have been conditioned to be willingly led to the financial ‘slaughter’.
The lesson is that once, as a people, you accept to copy and follow other people’s foreign doctrine no matter how noble, you surrender your independence and sovereignty.
Africans have been made to accept that they are inferior and that going to church is one way of sanitising themselves a little bit more so they are accepted by the ‘civilised’ Western world and God.
Once the African seeks to be accepted by white foreigners, he surrenders his identity and independence.
As long as Africa seeks to be accepted or respected by Europe, it will remain in perpetual colonial bondage long after the last white man has departed from African soil.
It is not about political independence only!
We got that and still remain colonised!
Is it about social or economic independence?
May be, but with that you are still locked up in their cabins.
It is about establishing an independent relationship with God who gave Africans this land as their legacy to keep and cherish forever!
What makes Africa to be itself, its own man?
Assertiveness that comes with spiritual independence is the key ingredient for our emancipation.
We must go back to the roots.
Who gave us the land and resources on and under the land?
Yes all those resources are God-given!
So Africa has a covenant with its Creator, God, to keep and defend against all foreign invaders these God-given natural resources that include land, water and minerals.
We only link with God spiritually.
So to successfully defend our mandate with our Creator, we must be spiritually independent.
The Africans must establish spiritually independent institutions to link with our Creator.
Apostolic, Pentecostal or other churches, who will lead us to true spiritual independence?
Colonel Morgan Mzilikazi, in his book, Africa Awakening: Zimbabwe in the Lead, has postulated that we Africans, starting in Zimbabwe, need a Gathering of all Denomination (G.O.D.) to collectively organise and reclaim our spiritual independence.
We urgently need to address these matters.
But a gathering of denominations must have a spiritual focus, recognising the centrality of our own African religious institutions and practices.
As we pointed out earlier, Africans are very spiritual, but also gullible people.
Ever seeking spiritual fulfilment, they have latched on to the new prosperity gospel churches.
The myriad of apostolic churches also have no shortage of followers.
The people go to these gatherings to seek spiritual fulfilment but lo and behold, while a few of these new churches were inspired by the real divine spiritual calling, the majority have turned into money-making businesses taking advantage of the spiritual hunger of the people.
As Zimbabwe we espouse freedom of worship, but wanton exploitation of economically disadvantaged and spiritually deprived populations must be reprehensible before God.
It is no longer for God but Mammon!
Again the population of religious orphans (Africans) remains at risk from marauding money-seeking men of God.
We need genuine spiritual leadership to mobilise and move the African spiritual independence agenda forward.
Time is not on our side.

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