Ever wondered why Malawi has so many churches? The answer is simple. Religious leaders cannot stand each other.
In an ideal world, faith leaders were supposed to be united. In other words, they were supposed to be occupying one watch tower from which they could be watching Satan’s every move and plotting his downfall.
Alas! This is not the case. No wonder, Satan’s grip on the nation is becoming stronger and stronger, as evidenced through the proliferation of people who are arrested before police conduct thorough investigations. Satan’s strong grip on Malawi manifests through political party-sponsored violence, deep-rooted corruption, misappropriation of donor funds in non-governmental organisations, nepotism, fraud, worker exploitation and other counter-productive practices.
Indeed, instead of speaking one language—that of proclaiming the name of God—some faith leaders seem to have a penchant for moving in opposite directions and singing different songs simply because they want to please individuals and not God Himself.
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So, when they open their mouths, their mouths open like a mantrap, ready to make one or two unsuspecting souls go astray—all in the name of faith.
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And the country is, tragically, not short of people who ‘carry’ blind faith, following everything—even if questionable—that comes out of the mouth of some of the so-called ‘faith leaders’. Which faith in the first place?
Yes, the question ‘which faith in the first place’ is necessary because, when I listen to what some of the so-called ‘faith leaders’ say, it becomes clear that they have no faith in reason.
I mean, is it not some of the so-called faith leaders who have been fooling some Malawians into believing that, through the ‘faith leaders’ words, HIV can disappear from the blood of someone who is living positively with the virus?
Is it not the so-called ‘faith leaders’ who have been convicted of crimes, including rape, defilement— all because someone placed [I really mean ‘misplaced’] their faith in them?
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Is it not some of the so-called ‘faith leaders’ who have been fleecing unsuspecting believers of money by telling them [believers] to give all their money to a ‘high power’ through the so-called ‘faith leaders’ with promises that the unsuspecting deprived soul will be ‘blessed’ tenfold and earn more than they have given to the so-called ‘faith leaders’?
Is it not some of the so-called ‘faith leaders’ who have grabbed property from widows and stolen money and items such as clothes that were meant for orphans and other vulnerable members of the society?
I mean, is it not the so-called ‘faith leaders’ who offer suspect prayers at political rallies, all in the name of pleasing political masters who ‘buy’ the prayer by offering money to them [‘faith leaders’]?
Anyway, if ‘faith leaders’ really had unity of purpose, why are they so big-headed and self-centred that they have established thousands of churches in the Warm Heart of Africa instead of working together? The truth is, just like politicians who have a penchant for establishing truckloads of political parties, ‘faith leaders’ are not united.
Which leads me to the next question. Religious leaders are also referred to as ‘faith leaders’. Which faith, for there are different churches and denominations?
Maybe the description of ‘faith leaders’, which denotes leaders of ‘one faith’, is misleading. These are leaders of different faiths. Full stop!
That way–when we appreciate that there is no single faith and that the so-called ‘faith leaders’ really have different faiths— some of the so-called ‘faith leaders’ will get out of the mist of confusion that has engulfed them and realise that Archbishop Thomas Msusa has a right to preach to the faithful—meaning people he shares faith with—without looking over his shoulder that those of other ‘faiths’ will respond to whatever he has uttered on the lectern. He has a right to speak on national issues, too.
After all, it is the Catholic bishops who opened the way for multiparty politics in this country. At a time some of the so-called ‘faith leaders’ were at early childhood development centres or in Standard 2 , the bishops put their heads on the chopping board by speaking truth to power through the Pastoral Letter that will forever be part of Malawi’s political history.
And for some of the so-called ‘faith leaders’— some of whom cannot even untie Archbishop Msusa’s shoelaces—to come out and counter what Msusa said to his congregants shows how desperate for publicity some people can be.
Well, even though some people are myopic—such that they believe whatever gibberish comes out of the mouth of some of the so-called ‘faith leaders’— the truth is that words of some of the so-called ‘faith leaders’ do not carry weight whatsoever. Their words actually disappear in the wind.
In fact, I am ready to lay hands on some of the so-called ‘faith leaders’ and deliver them from whatever sin has been troubling them all this long. Yes, I can help mend their faith.
That, Dear Pain, is the painful truth.
