Why is it that the people who complain that Pentecostal pastors are stealing finances from their followers are not followers themselves but people outside these camps?
How come no church members complain about the wealth of their pastors in contrast to the their own hunger? I have heard no flock that has ganged against their leader. Instead, I have seen followers (diehards) defending their leaders even when it is obvious they (pastors) are guilty.
The reasons for government standing with these Pentecostal churches and gatherings are clear, and they are about numbers. But what are the reasons for the numbers that assemble before these so-called men of God? What do people get from these leaders?
Let me be bold and mention names here.
Elvis Mbonye has got the corporate class of the nation and these very elite individuals kiss his feet. Some now carry his name as a spiritual paternal name. while others worship his pics.
Augustine “abizaayo” Yiga has masses in Kawaala. His audience is 95% illiterate and poor but they are happy with him through thick and thin. If you asked them, they will tell you he has helped in changing their lives.
Kakande serves water to both the educated and illiterates. He is a solution to many including national dignitaries. People need something tangible and this man gives them “holy” water.
Ronnie Makabai, a former radio presenter, has masses and the followers worship God through the brother.
Former sports analyst Joseph Kabuleeta is now a consultant in end time events and apocalypse and one of the men of God fighting for Pentecostalism – better than those he found in the business. As I write this, he has a huge fellowship too.
Aloysius Bugingo, in a short period of time, has a Radio and TV stations and no stadium in Uganda is now enough for his general assembly. Why? Because he has taught his followers that whatever happened in their life is due to fasting and prayer.
Grace Lubega owns the adult youths of this town, and he has taught them about the gossip of Grace that when they sin it is not them that have sinned but their bodies. And trust me, there is no greater good news to young blood than not holding them accountable for their mistakes.
Mukajanga also left a legacy of assembling all the single mothers, youths, and all those pursuing marriage. Bukalango was a force to reckon with. Perhaps it still is
I could go on and on and talk about Kayanja, Namutebi, Professor Kayiwa (the so-called doctor of letters), Dr. Sserwada, Ssenyonga, Kyazze, Wantaate etc.
Who isn’t guilty?
To me, I think mainstream religions (Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, SDA etc.) do exactly the same thing. However, the difference is in how systematic the thievery is. If we castigate Pentecostal pastors as thieves, are we saying they are thieves because it is not institutional theft, or we are opposed to corruption in its entirety?
To me, I think a Pentecostal Pastor thief is a better thief for when he steals and puts up a TV, Radio, School, or another entrepreneurship scheme, it is better than a religious institution that steals from us and channels these funds to first world countries where their headquarters are.
If my pastor stole from me, and bought a posh car or built a mansion, I prefer this than an institution reaping from us and building inaccessible empires as the mainstream does. A pastor steals from you and builds a school where you have to pay, and the religious institution steals from you and builds a school where you have to pay, what is the difference?
The difference is that one is owned by an individual while the other is owned by the institution, they say. Well, who is the institution? Aren’t they individuals still? Isn’t it the same problem we have with the Government where a few people take advantage of the resources of the many?
Satisfying Appetites
I personally think these Pentecostal pastors are falsely accused of stealing from their flock. They don’t steal from them, but they exercise a fair transaction. They give their people what thy need. People are superstitious (especially here in the central region – that is why majority pastors are Baganda) and these pastors serve their mystified consciences well by giving meaning to their poor dreams.
These pastors excite these stressed and poverty-stricken people through charismatic dances in night prayers and Sunday services. People dance and jump until they forget their pain. People are ritualistic, and these pastors have invented all sorts of gymnastics, holy water, holy handkerchiefs, oil from Israel, etc.
These pastors meet these people (at a fee) and talk to them, and then incite them against their neighbours, relatives and sometimes against themselves. Psychologically, people are not interested in a problem as much as they are interested in knowing that the cause of their problems is an individual enemy. Ask the opposition, they will tell you, Museveni is the cause of lack of school fees.
This is how our society thinks. These pastors know that human beings are spiritual beings, and they have served them well with spiritism. Through fasting and prayer the so-called holy spirit overtakes them, and they speak in languages themselves do not understand. And with this stupidity, their appetites are satisfied. This is what they paid for. When you see people going to churches to be rich, while the richest man is an atheist, then you get to know we have a national psychiatric disorder.
We should stop attacking these pastors and look at it from this angle. Let me give you an example. China makes two products: that of European standards and that for the African Market. I have resolved in my life to never use China African Market products (phones, shoes, clothes etc). It is not because I have money, but I rather have a few qualitative items than having a full house of fakes. When one goes to the market, and he wants original, but he is given a fake, then we can attack the shop. But if one is comfortable with the fake and thinks it is a fair deal, why are we attacking the shop?
Pentecostalism found people going to grass shrines to build mansions. A man in that shrine who could not brush his teeth determined a visa at the American embassy. It is a country where the speaker climbs mountains to thank the gods for re-appointment.
Why are these witch doctors not attacked, but fellow witch doctors in tiled buildings attacked? How come the bigger the scandal, the less the numbers fall? I personally think this is a business competition where one thief warns people against a fellow thief to ensure he steals it himself. The problem is that our people are engineered that way. We just need to work on our appetites.
OUR PEOPLE SUPPLY SPIRITUAL SOLUTIONS TO PHYSICAL PROBLEMS AND PHYSICAL SOLUTIONS TO SPIRITUAL PROBLEMS.
Until this is addressed, the Bible says:
“From the least to the greatest, their lives are ruled by greed. From prophets to priests, they are all frauds.” (Jeremiah 6:13 NLT)
Priest Isaiah-White
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (0793822833)
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24) 