Times of Swaziland
*Jesus was an activist!* *Dr A.T Dlamini, Times of Swaziland, 29 May 2010*I once wrote that we, all of us share a common basic desire in life, the desire is to be afforded the freedom to 'get on with it 'to go ahead and live our lives, explore our boundaries.
What drives us is an ancient human instinct that compels us to wonder always 'what lies beyond the next hill'.
In the history of mankind what has defined the rate at which different civilisations develop is the extent to which this basic curiosity is nurtured or alternatively the extent to which it is repressed.
In societies where repression exists so too does activism. Activism, in a general sense, can be described as deliberate action to bring about social or political change. We live in a country where there is a burning need for both social and political change, and as Benjamin Franklin so aptly put it, "God helps those who help themselves".
More specifically and within the national context the more we as a nation take it upon ourselves to do the right thing, to address our political and social ills without being told, the more likely we will succeed as a nation.
*Importance *This is the underlying importance of initiative, or rather in this context, activism. The real shame that rests squarely on the shoulders of the Christian fraternity is the drawn out silence in the face the continued and ongoing erosion of the value and worth of life for the Swazi.
The recent pronouncements by Bishop Samson Hlatshwayo and Bishop Steven Masilela, in separate interviews last week served only to bring to the fore this shameful attribute of the broader church in Swaziland.
Politics is the process observed in all human (and many non-human) group interactions by which groups make decisions, including activism on behalf of specific issues or causes.
*Slavery*In their book titled 'What If Jesus Had Never Been Born' the authors, D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe make the point that:
"Christians, for distinctively Christian motives, have vastly influenced western culture in such areas as help for the poor, the abolition of slavery, teaching of literacy, education for all, political freedom, economic freedom, science, medicine, the family, the arts, the sanctity of life. Without Jesus, without his Gospel, without the influence of his people, all these areas of culture would be vastly different and very much worse."
After Vatican II, both Catholic and Protestant leaders alike engaged in dialogue about the socio-economic conditions affecting their countries, and discussed the relationships between faith and poverty, gospel and social injustice.
*Inspire *Taking the argument back to its roots in the Christian context, essentially Jesus Christ was an activist, that is why he drew the ire of the Roman establishment as well as the Jewish establishment. His teachings and actions sought to inspire social change through fundamentally changing the way that people approached their spiritual life.
The issues today may be different but the principle remains the same. Taking it a bit further, the very fact that today we have so many different denominations of the church is the product of activism, of people like Martin Luther, John Calvin and others, questioning the establishment and then taking the initiative to bring about change, and so today we have the League of Churches, the Council of Churches the Conference of Churches etc in Swaziland.
*Taboo *The notion that 'politics' is strictly outside the church, and that it is taboo for church members to be involved in political affairs, that politics and the church do not mix, that you cannot be a leader of the church and at the same time be involved in politics, that these are two different worlds, is decidedly mischievous, and I suspect is driven by ambitions other than the desire to have 'PURE' Christians as they might put it.
I will be brief today and end by stating in alternative that it was "quite right for both Father Mabuza and Father Magagula to lead the protest march." We stand behind you and are galvanised by your willingness to take up the crusade to free Swazi from the bondage of irresponsible, conformist religious doctrine.
*Matthew 5 *5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: (5:1-3) "He went up into a mountain."
5:2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Embili Ngwane -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
<<image/gif>>
