Columnists

Church wrangles risk the moral authority of religious institutions and it’s against God

Nation Talks

By Kiden Stella Mandela

The Church wrangles paint deem light on the Christian values believers have on their journey to pursue and teach God’s righteousness to one another. It has come to public knowledge that some of those issues dividing religious leaders have become unsolvable hence pitting them against one another with far-reaching negative influence on their followers. It’s hard to determine what drives such chaos in the Churches and why religious leaders failed to term with forgiveness and reconciliation before it blew out of their hands. However, it seems to mean that there is a lack of faith and deeds in the sense that their hearts are far from God.

It’s empirically evidenced in the recent ECS Jonglei internal province squabbles that spilt over to the refugee camps in the neighbouring Uganda where followers of religious leaders clashed in the church until police intervened to rescue the situation. The conflict battles in ECS Jonglei internal province churches have been running for years without end with followers taking sides and their leaders trading barbs against one another. It has turned into political football where opponents rarely agree on ideologies or ideas of running society. But unfortunately, it’s happening in the church where peace, love, forgiveness and reconciliation among others are supposed to be binding principles for believers. This would also mean the evil spirits have invaded the church and set the altar on fire and inflicting hatred and violence among the church members. Separation from God always invites wrath and suffering, the religious leaders must change their hearts and return to God by repenting and forgiving one another, otherwise, we should be worried about the direction religious leaders are taking church members.

This has not been the first incident tormenting religious institutions, some years back when Pope Francis appointed Stephen Ameyu as Archbishop of the Catholic Diocese of Juba. The move sparked bitterness among religious leaders in the Catholic Church in Juba to the extent that violence flared out with tribal sentiments but thanks to the reconciliation effort that took place until it was resolved. However, it also spilt over to the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek when Pope Francis, March 2021 appointed Father Christian Carlassare as Bishop to lead the diocese there. He was nearly assassinated but shot in the leg by gunmen in what later appeared in court that they were engineered by a top religious leader in the same church to commit the act.

This leaves questions like what purpose are we serving God if we are unable to uphold the good news of the gospel in the Bible about Jesus Christ. Or it is being evidenced that the Church is being used as an instrument for personal gains by some religious leaders hence quest for wealth and power is giving no room for forgiveness and reconciliation.

Religious leaders must instill moral respect for God and follow His Teachings; otherwise, their bad acts are not good for society.

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