adminShingai Rukwata Ndoro Chiseling the Debris
I have always been amazed by the unrestrained disregard that Christians have for non-Christians at public and non-religious gatherings in our country. I attended the official opening day of the 2016 edition of the Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF) and before the commencement of the proceedings, I interacted with the ZIBF Association chairperson of the General Council and acting chairperson of the Executive Board.
During the interactions, I learnt of the programme and realised that there would be opening and closing prayers. I enquired which religion these prayers belonged to. I was informed that they are Christian.
I then posed four critical questions – Is this organisation a religious one, in its vision, mission and objectives; does it have anything to do with religion; are the leaders, members and partners all Christian, are there non-Christians and the non-religious among them?
The ZIBF Association is not a religious organisation as pronounced in its vision, mission and objectives.
It has leaders, members and partners who are non-Christians and the non-religious. Its meetings and events should not have religious content by any measure.
Doing Christian prayers in such meetings and events would be considered abusive and discriminatory. Foisting and burdening people of a different religious affinity or those without, is dehumanising.
A “religious organisation” is a not-for-profit private voluntary organisation established for persons to associate and assemble to primarily profess, advance and promote religious objectives and fulfil religious needs.
If it is incorporated, it is expected to have the following qualifications, among other requirements, 1) a distinct legal existence, 2) object and purpose being to advance specific religious interests, 3) a formal declaration of principles or tenets, 4) a formal governance structure and definite process of selection, 5) membership qualifications, 6) appointment of ministers and leaders, and 7) established place of meeting of congregants.
A religious-affiliated organisation is a not-for-profit organisation, programme or project sponsored/hosted by a religious organisation.
Such an organisation should clearly state, in its name, incorporation, mission statement and objectives that it is a religiously motivated institution and that it intends to advance specific religious interests.
I then read an article titled “Worship is a lifestyle, not a Sunday Event” by Tiri Madzima in The Sunday Mail Religion on July 31, 2016.
A lifestyle is “a way of life or style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group” or “the habits, attitudes, tastes, moral standards, economic level, etc; that together constitutes the mode of living of an individual or group”.
A lifestyle is a personal preference and an individual choice. It is not a prescription on others. Any attempt to make Christianity a prescriptive or coercive lifestyle is bullying, abusive, discriminatory and even dehumanising. To some Christians, they have a divine mandate to “convert” every public place and event into a Christian one without regard to the preferences of others.
The Minister of State for Harare Metropolitan Province Miriam Chikukwa is popular for wrong reasons on this issue. ln some public schools, Christians also abusively impose their lifestyles on non-Christians and the non-religious with impunity.
The following are some of the ways of how people are being bullied by Christians:
1) compulsory or mandatory public school assembly Christian prayers, 2) predominance and supremacy of Christianity and its proselytising worldview in the subject of Religious and Moral Studies in public schooling instead of a critically-based comparative studies, 3) recognition of only Christian events and observances as national public holidays (Easter and Christmas) and 4) chaplaincy in the security services (army, police and prison services).
This colonial monolithic position, prominence, dominance of Christianity is abusive and discriminatory because Zimbabwe is not a Christian theocracy but a secular constitutional republic of culturally and religiously diverse people.
When practicing their religion, Christians don’t have to impose themselves on those who are non-Christian and the non-religious.
Are Christians showing kindness, compassion and tolerance towards fellow human beings who are non-Christians and the non-religious by turning every organisation, event and place into a Christian one?
A “religious place” would be defined as, “a particular or specific location, position, point, area or building; wholly or partially open or an enclosed; for the specified purpose of professing, advancing and promoting religious objectives and fulfilling religious needs.”
I call upon Christians to practice their individual religious lifestyles by using Matthew 6 v 6 for guidance.
Monopolising every organisation, place and event through Christian proselytising and infusing an insular Christian worldview is itself discriminatory, hurtful and hateful.
Inquisition and crusades were about taking over every organisation and space and then turning everybody into a Christian and brutally dealing with those who dissented. The force of Christian political power of the Dark Ages has turned into modern domineering tendencies.
In our secular constitutional republic of a culturally and religiously diverse people, public organisations and events society, 1) there is freedom of and from religion, 2) religious freedom is protected, 3) there is no privilege or disadvantage for being religious, 4) religious statistical size is legally irrelevant, and 5) religious blasphemy or apostasy is not criminalised.
This “encourages fairness and mutual consideration and help us all within reasonable limits to live together in the way we choose.” – “QualiaSoup” on Secularism.
“The absence of prayers simply creates a neutral space and removes an unnecessary barrier to (a humane environment by) being equally welcoming to all sections of society.”- Stephen Evans, National Secular Society (UK).
In Britain, 40 councils have dropped the saying of prayers and a county council there replaced the prayer with the following affirmation, “May we find wisdom to carry out our duties, the humanity to listen to all, the courage to do what is right and the generosity to treat each other with respect.”
Email feedback to [email protected]. A gallery of previous articles is found at www.sundaymail.co.zw/author/shingairukwata
Online Reporter