Conflicting orthodoxies; The Kuchu’s Right to Faith and Belief (2)

One of the most challenging and spine chilling thing for the kuchu of faith in Africa is the apparent ‘orthodoxy’ of beliefs…, that the religious in Uganda Ghana and Africa, the main religions apparently down right frown about our sexuality. The frowning, the condemnation, the hell and brimstone, spit, thorns and faeces throwing condemnation…, it is held up as unchallenged orthodoxy in much of the African setting.

Yet this is not true…, this is not true at all.

This observation can be surprising for any kuchu on the ground. We live in our bubbles of poverty and circumstances enforced. What we know is what is in the country, the capital and economic big cities, at most. We are not exposed to the wider world, bigger than ‘Uganda the Village’.

And what we see is near universal condemnation.
When the Mufti of Uganda wants us exiled on an island in Lake Victoria so that we can ‘die out there’, that is what we hear. When the Archbishop and Primate of the Church of Uganda espouses his anti-gay views at the pulpit day after day, which is what we hear. That is what is reported in the country, on the ubiquitous radios and televisions airwaves. When Pastor Aloysius Bujjingo, the SALT media mogul, gay bashes in public Pastor Kayanja, televangelist of ‘Miracle Center Cathedral’ and Kayanja ministries, poor Pastor Kayanja (powerful man as is) can barely push back, because the charge is homosexuality.
Homosexuality is the worst of stigmatisation, in Uganda.

Yet this religious ‘orthodoxy’ is a sham. In the major religions believed in most of Africa, there is serious dissension on the subject of homosexuality. And, many in those same religions embrace homosexuals, in various different ways, a sharp contrast to the supreme anti-gay bashers who actually embarrass some of their friends with their fanaticism (like the gay porn showing Pastor Martin Ssempa).

Take the Catholic Church in Uganda.
Oh yes, they frankly bear no love for the African Kuchu, confessing Catholic or not. And they will not preach so, the good Catholic Fathers of Uganda.
Yet, in the face of the reigning Pontiffs parsing of anti-LGBTQ+ feeling, they couldn’t openly air their distaste. Pope Francis is welcoming of LGBTQ+ people, (which is a shock, shock, shock, to any Ugandan Kuchu who happens to be Catholic in faith.) Pope Francis believes, and teaches that singling out the ‘sin’ of homosexuality from other sins is hypocritical. And further, he encourages outreach to Kuchu Catholics; the love of Christ is apparently for Kuchus too.

I repeat, this view would be shocking news to most Catholics in Uganda, to kuchu Catholics most.
The Catholic Fathers of Uganda disagree with Pope Francis. And, faced with actually having to preach an inclusive love by Christ, or going against their popular homophobic prejudice, they chose the coward’s way out. Silence. A resounding silence.
They chose not to comment on the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023 in Uganda. They then opted to inform the world that they were waiting for the text of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023 before they commented…, and, I am personally to hear any comment from the revered fathers of the Catholic Church in Uganda.

But, it is important to remember that their silence has been very effective as a vehicle for anti-kuchu, anti-gay sentiment. They are the biggest denomination in the country, Uganda. Knowledge that their revered leader, the Pontiff was openly anti-criminalisation of homosexuality would have been a shock and set back to the anti-gay forces in Uganda. They were silent…, it was not reported. And Pope Francis chose not to comment openly on a subject that his Bishops in the country supported covertly.

In Ghana, legislator Amidu Chinnia Issahaku relies on this false orthodoxy in this article, claiming religious and spiritual support for his anti-gay views, in this oped. Of course he doesn’t mention that the reigning Pope of Catholics disagrees with him. Nor that the Archbishop of Canterbury also disagrees with the Bishop of Accra…,

The shism of the Anglican Communion.
Instructive.., that a crucial part of Anglicanism disagrees with fanatical anti-gay attitudes.
Again the dispute has been of long standing. But, the Kuchu in Uganda, and in much of Africa, who happens to be Anglican is more than likely not in the know. When Archbishop Welby wrote his letter to the Archbishop Kaziimba of the Church of Uganda, that was the first that many got to know that there were actually Anglicans who had a parsing on the whole homosexuality debate. A parsed outlook, fractured…, but not the orthodoxy which apparently includes supporting the death penalty for the homosexual, in practice, if not in principle.

Of course this is not suprising. ‘Orthodoxy’ in a religion and unity of thought is an impossible aim. We are human beings. We joy and rejoice in our differences.., and thought orthodoxy is sheer lunacy (personal POV).
That is a matter of fact…, yet for the African LGBTQ+ individual, the kuchu, is led to believe that they are so evil and such sinners that they cannot believe, are not welcome spiritually before their God. That its either their spirituality or their faiths. An impossible choice.

It is not often that Kuchus are even exposed to the fact that the major religions actively disagree with that point of view.
That, in a way, is profound insight that was partly gifted to me when I was searching for answers for myself.
I became disgusted with the lies and obfuscation and lack of common decency with our leaders of mosque and church. Way long ago in the evolution of my spirituality. It is still quite relevant today, to the Kuchu on the streets of Kampala, Nairobi or Accra, and anywhere in Africa.

We are, people of faith. And though some reject us, there are others who affirm us. Our humanity, our sexualities, our loves.
And, it is our humanity’s right to have a faith and knowledge of faith, that might or might not contrast with the ‘orthodoxy’ of anti-kuchu sentiment forced upon us.

We are Kuchu. We are human beings. We can be people of faith. It is an intensely personal decision.., and it is ours to make, personally.

 

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3) The Enduring Hypocrisy by GAFCON on care for the LGBTQ+ individual

 

This is a 3 part examination of the GAFCON tribe of the Anglican Communion. They outed themselves, I am glad to have the data! Part 3.

~~

Whats the whole deal with the Anglican Communion splitting because of Homosexuality?

It is actually an amazing thing. Despite what our in-country Reverands and Rt Reverands will tell us about how bad our sexuality is, there are others, of the same faith, who believe homosexuality is not the supreme evil we are told it is.

Yes. They are in a fight about that. The fight has been on for some time.

And yes, our Reverands and Rt Reverands of the Church of Uganda cannot beat up the other side. But, they can spend their anger and wrath on the poor homosexuals on the ground in Africa…, They can spend their wrath on Kuchus within their reach, not their peers with whom they have a problem.
Just like the Rt. Reverand Stephan Kaziimba, Archbishop of the Church of Uganda has done in Uganda.

The fight in the Anglican Communion is about ‘gay marriage’.
That’s the rough and ready about it. One side wants to bless gay marriage. The other feels this is very, very bad.

Uganda has a Constitutional amendment which effectively outlaws gay marriage. That was done as long ago as 2005.
So, this should not be an issue, should it?
The Anti-Homosexuality Act writes all of it into the law. Yeah, I know, me and other Ugandan Kuchus have not asked for gay marriage… Seems as if they wanted to make sure we never do so. Maybe.

And the whole thing of wanting to kill us?

Yes, life in prison, death, loss of job, reported to police by your neighbour… That is the Ugandan Kuchu’s Cross, the Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023.

The Church of Uganda and its Bishops and Archbishop are supporting all that. For their own reasons, which in many ways don’t even concern us individually. They support our further criminalisation and killing. And of course they will not tell you that they have co-religionists who actually think that they are wrong and not nice because they want us in prison and dead. That is partly (or mostly) church politics.

Ugandan, and African Kuchu. When you hear our church leaders spit and say how evil homosexuality is, do not despair. It is matter of fact that that opinion is debatable.

After all, those on the other side are also Christians, no?
They include Pope Francis, Reigning Pontiff of the Catholic Church. And they include Archbishop Justin Webley, Archbishop of Cantebury, Primate of All England. [and of the Mother Church!]

 

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2) The Enduring Hypocrisy by GAFCON on care for the LGBTQ+ individual

 

This is going to be a 3 part examination of the GAFCON tribe of the Anglican Communion. They outed themselves, I am glad to have the data! Part 2.

~~~

So, when Welby, Archbishop and Primate of the Church of England wrote the letter to Kaziimba, Archbishop and Primate of the Church of Uganda. Continuing the saga of my analysis…, had the GAFCON primates promised pastoral care of LGBTQ individuals…?

I doubted it. The homophobia stinks from Kaziimba.., how could he, and the rest agree to that? But then, why are they acting so flustered, when Dr Welby quotes so? Did Dr Welby actually lie? What reason would he have to lie? This is what he said.

“the Primates of the Anglican Communion "condemned homophobic prejudice and violence and resolved to work together to offer pastoral care and loving service irrespective of sexual orientation."
We affirmed that this conviction arises out of our discipleship of Jesus Christ. We also “reaffirmed our rejection of criminal sanctions against same-sex attracted people” – and stated that “God's love for every human being is the same, regardless of their sexuality, and that the church should never by its actions give any other impression.””

I have gone through how Archbishop Kaziimba tries to lie and obfuscate, playing down the seriousness of the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023. Yeah, in answer to Archbishop Welby, Archbishop Kaziimba plain out defaults to the usual lies. Apparently, homosexuality was already criminal, and this act that the Church of Uganda supports with all their all didn’t do much…, except maybe .., criminalise the promotion of homosexuality.

“seem to think that the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 criminalizes homosexuality. It does not.
Homosexuality was already criminalized; it simply reaffirms what was already in the colonial-era penal code,”

He continues

“What is new is specifically outlawing the promotion of homosexuality”

Let us fact check the Righteous ‘Man of God’.
This is what Archbishop Kaziimba cheered on to the finish line; this is what ‘promotion of homosexuality’ must look like from Archbishop Kaziimba’s point of view: sending children to prison for having sex; life in prison, no parole for adults, the unrepentant homosexuals that Rev Laurent Mbanda cheers on; neighbour to report neighbour to the police with the reporting mandate, and of course the Death Penalty for us unrepentant homosexuals. Maybe the church will play a big part in ‘healing us’ as the state now empowers ‘rehabilitating the homosexual’.

Those links above get to the text of the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023. I dislike lies and obfuscation (unless am telling them). I don’t like presumed religious leaders telling lies.., acting like politicians.

Those are the beautiful things that Archbishop Kaziimba is defending and Rev Laurent Mbanda of GAFCON is co-defending. No wonder Dr Welby is daring to call him out, and GAFCON is playing the ‘colonialism’ card.

Amazing indeed. Dr Welby, just understand that revealing these things is not a good thing. We …, are…, incapable of admitting how correct you might be. We shall play the Colonialism card again. It is easy, it is within reach, and it obfuscates stuff that we don’t want to think about… We shall hold the Race Card close, ready to deal, anytime, any way. The Bible card.., well, always in play.

Sigh.., just wondering. What would the Nazarene have done? Food for thought, this week. What would the Nazarene have done?

 

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1) The Enduring Hypocrisy by GAFCON on care for the LGBTQ+ individual

 

This is going to be a 3 part examination of the GAFCON tribe of the Anglican Communion. They outed themselves, I am glad to have the data! Part 1.

~~~

Yes, I intentionally misspoke the title. Gafcon is the sub-tribe of Anglicans breaking from the Church of England and Wales. They claim they have 85% of all Anglicans, though the latter is the ‘Mother Church’.
Church politics. I would have zero interest in it.., except that I am kuchu, an LGBTQ+ individual, residing in a place they claim as their own. And, they are very, very powerful, temporally.

One of the GAFCON tribe, Archbishop Kaziinda, engineered the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 in Uganda. After it became law, with his enthusiastic support, the Church of England Primate, Archbishop Webley wrote a letter decrying the whole business. According to Archbishop Webley, this was not what they had agreed on, with regards to pastoral care of LGBTQ+ (Kuchu) individuals.

The GAFCON people hit back in a couple of letters. From the Primate of Uganda, Archbishop Kaziira who had engineered the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023, and from The Most Rev. Laurent Mbanda, Chair of the Gafcon Primates Council.
No. They emphasized. They are NOT, and didn’t plan to be, Homosexual activists, or to promote LGBTQ+ rights.

Seems like a most embarrassing assertion, that the GAFCON primates would have a (pastoral) care for LGBTQ+ individuals..!
The tone of letters was interesting. And revelatory of what the GAFCON primates think.

Laurent Mbanda peppered the letter with scripture quotes. A most bible learned person. Fundamentalist, I must believe. Remember when the Nazarene cautioned to beware of those who pray loud in the public square to be seen and heard?

And he unhesitatingly pulled out the ‘Colonialism’ card.
Now, that is nasty.
And telling.

See, am an African. Colonialism, for most of us, was 60 years and more in the past. We have been independent and self governing over that time, only our elders actually remember the colonial times. We tend to bring out that particular card as a red herring and distraction.., our answers (we feel) will be lacking substance. It is a card played in near desperation..! In actual fact, when I saw that particular card, I went back to Dr Welby’s letter. It must have some clue. I accessed it, and read it for answers.
Is it possible that the substance of what he wrote was true? Did the GAFCON primates actually consent to these things?

“Anglicans around the world have long been united in our opposition to the criminalisation of homosexuality and LGBTQ+ people. Supporting such legislation is a fundamental departure from our commitment to uphold the freedom and dignity of all people. There is no justification for any province of the Anglican Communion to support such laws: not in our resolutions, not in our teachings, and not in the Gospel we share.”

The very defensiveness from GAFCON seems to imply there is something there. Still, it is amazing.
The Church of Uganda has rabidly painted itself the most homophobic entity in Uganda. Last time, in 2014, we had Martin Ssempa, leading demonstrations on the streets of Kampala, Jjinja, Mbarara, showing gay porn in church and other public venues. He was the face of the religious anti-gay thrust.

This time, 2023, it was the Rt. Rev. Dr. Steven Kaziimba, Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, who hands down takes the title chief homophobe. Did he really accept a document that would necessitate giving a little bit of love and pastoral care to the Kuchu?

Unbelievable? Yes. Unbelievable.

But, apparently Dr Welby has the data and ink. And the GAFCON people’s defensiveness is instructive.

 

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Un-christ-like Christians, Death Penalty Hypocrisy

Un-Christ-like ‘Christians’ indeed. Well, though I have to assert that I am not a Christian, I grew up with bible lore.., and it is hard to think the Nazarene who taught ‘love your neighbour as you love yourself’ would wink and nod at the Death penalty and life in prison, no parole for my sinful heart. I have a feeling the Nazarene would actually be washing my sinner’s feet. But, that is me.

The Primate of the Anglican church in Uganda, the Most Rev Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, the Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Uganda to give him his full titles is in a political fight with his Church of All England brother. It has been below the surface, the enmity one of the main drivers of the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 motivation. But, it was all sort of below the surface, known, unacknowledged.

Last week, everything spilt out, in all-out war, naked, for us to see the ugly insides of the Schism in the Anglican Communion.

In the spill occurring, a curious fact emerged. The Primate of All England challenged the Ugandan Primate about the Death Penalty support. Apparently the Anglicans had decided not to support the Death Penalty.., and colour me surprised that Church of Uganda (nominally) doesn’t support the Death Penalty

But, in actual fact, Kaziimba Mugalu and the Church of Uganda support the death penalty. Especially for ‘homosexuals’. Their non-support is just a matter of words; and they are apologists for the death penalty.
The contortions through which they have gone through to justify the Death Penalty in the Anti-Homosexual Act 2023 are fit for a politician…, not a church man, in my biased opinion, of course.

Kaziimba Mugalu says that the death penalty was in the old penal code for sodomy…, I think that is a lie. [See, Kaziimba believes he will not be fact checked.] . But hey, I am a Ugandan homosexual, I am an interested party.., so, check and see.

The Primate of the Church of Uganda says they don’t support the Death Penalty “but”.
There is the “but”.

He is a Death Penalty apologist. He believes that since he thinks it was in the old penal code of colonial descent, it should naturally make its way into the current Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023. More than 60 years post independence. This is the guy who is raging and gnashing and shouting about the All England Primate acting like colonialism has never ended. Clear double standards, the hypocrisy is breath-taking.

Kaziimba Mugalu, through leadership of the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, personally was involved in the introduction of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 in Uganda’s parliament. Admittedly the bill didn’t have the Death Penalty provision, but his actions afterwards showed his true colours.

From the time that Uganda’s Parliament passed the Anti-Homosexuality bill, to the time that the President signed it into law, Kaziimba Mugalu was at the forefront of the pressure to have the Death Penalty Bill into law. Oh yes, he definitely knew then that it was a Death Penalty Bill.
Sundays in the pulpit over the Easter season, he begged, cried, shouted and literally did his all, pressuring for the Presidential signature on the bill.

And once it was an Act of the Law, Kaziimba’s fawning thanks to the President have been noted. Fawning thanks.
Which begs the question, what has been so personal about this for him? I think it is leadership of the schismatic Anglican Communion. Not sure, but…! A fight this tough premises selfish political gains, almost always!

So, challenged by the Church of All England Primate, Kaziimba Mugalu, as a literal aside, says the Church of Uganda doesn’t support the Death Penalty…, and as a true apologist, there was the “but”.

Un-Christ-like indeed. If that is love, what is the definition of hate?
Being an unbeliever, I define the person who wants death and prison for life for me and mine as a hater. And, I doubt anyone else would reasonably challenge that definition. Church of Uganda; un-christ-like ‘Christians’ indeed.

 

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