SENIOR Presidential Advisor on Poverty Alleviation for Busoga, Mrs Florence Mutyabule has urged the leaders of the different religious leaders in the region to use their pulpit to step up sensitization efforts towards elimination of poverty among their followers.
In her congratulatory message to the Christian fraternity during this year’s Easter which falls on 31st March, 2024, Mrs Florence Mutyabule cautions against extravagance and reckless celebrations which end up draining the family purse.
Mrs. Mutyabule who served as President Mothers Union in Busoga Diocese for 20 years says one of the challenges facing Christians like any other Ugandans is poverty due to many factors especially poor enterprise selection.
“…you find many of our people are struggling with growing sugar cane in an acre of land while others have rented out the whole family land for many years to a rich farmer who pays very little money…”,she observes.
She also appealed to the church leaders to guide their followers on the correct and contextual biblical interpretations as opposed to leaving believers to gamble on their own.
The former Namutumba District Woman MP cited one of the nine beatitudes in Jesus Sermon On the Mount recorded in Matthew 5:3, and Luke 6:20-21 which reads; “ looking at his disciples, he said: Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh…”as some of the biblical texts often quoted literally and out of context.
She notes with concern that some of the religious leaders have also succumbed to ‘literalism ‘which is one of pitfalls in Biblical interpretation to mislead their followers into doing and acting in funny ways.
“…some of our people want to spend the whole time singing and dancing in the churches without getting involved in any income-generating activities just because they were told to pray hard for a miracle…”,she notes.
While acknowledging the importance and power of prayer, Florence Mutyabule says the same Bible also encourages God’s people to work hard and earn from their sweat which the Church must uphold and promote.
She also urged the clerics whose numbers continue to soar every day because churches are also multiplying at a fast rate due to increased demands for spiritual and moral growth to make use of the youth, women and PWDs leaders in their churches as change agents.
Mrs. Florence Mutyabule, while quoting from Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians 3:6-10, says hard work is Biblical and commissioned by God that every living human being must harness the natural resources for their enjoyment and posterity.
The Church of Uganda now has three dioceses like Busoga Diocese based at Bugembe, Central Busoga Diocese at CMS in Iganga and South Busoga Diocese in Bugiri.
The Jinja Catholic Diocese with its headquarters at Rubaga in Jinja is still intact covering the traditional Busoga with 11 administrative units.
The Universal Apostles Fellowship Church of Righteousness(UAFCR)led by Prophet David Isanga popularly known as Nabbi Daudi is one of the churches that has excelled in teaching and promoting hard work among followers, most of whom have become prosperous.
Other denominations like the Pentecostal and Born Again Churches plus the Seventh Day Adventist and the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, among others have strong presence in the region which is always rated among the poorest regions in the country.
What You Need to Know:
The poor in spirit are those who have the heart of the poor, the same attitude as the poor, and are totally dependent on God. To be poor means humility signifying a contrite heart, acknowledging one’s spiritual poverty and dependence on God as opposed to arrogance, pride and self sufficiency.
After sensing the challenge caused by some elements who adopted the idle lifestyle because of wrong preachers and preaching, St Paul stressed the importance of hard work as a recipe to success and good life.
Today in Uganda, like the Thessalonians, some people perceive the gospel to encourage laziness among the youths and women who tend to mistakenly believe that when they sow and are asked to receive in faith, a miracle of sort would fall on their heads.
No wonder in some denominations or sects, the followers spend most of their time in endless overnight prayers without engaging in any productive work, yet they are also constantly bombarded with words to support the work of God through giving offerings and tithes.
However the true gospel is that God prospers people through the work of their hands hence the call by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:6 asking believers to shun lazy people who do not want to work.
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