Ngwenya needs schooling, spiritual deliverance

JEALOUSY MAWARIRE | HARARE - Apr 01 2011 17:53

Rejoice Ngwenya’s article “Religious Entrepreneurship” (Wednesday, March 30 2011) cannot go unchallenged.

I feel there are things that Ngwenya should know free of charge, that he may receive his spiritual deliverance.








The most important is that religious freedom, just like freedom of association, is a fundamental provision of democratic societies whether these societies are socially or liberally democratic.

This right should not just be nominal, but practiced.

The second is that the basic tenet worth observance by every citizen of such a society would be respect of one’s choices and the issue of freedom of worship does not escape this demand.

Suffice to say that if Ngwenya is a true liberal democrat as he purports in his article, then he should, at least, respect that there are intelligent people out there who are smart enough to make enough money, buy houses, residential stands, cars and have thousands of United States dollars in accounts which they can voluntarily give to churches, charities or political parties of their choice.

I am sure, empirically so, that there are local businesspeople, not hypnotised by any religious demagoguery, who have parted with millions of dollars to support political parties formed by men and women whose intellectual bearing, cognitive dexterity and persuasive artistry are so questionable you wonder how these mega-bucked fellows were convinced to part ways with such huge sums of money on political projects least expected to succeed.

That is what is called choice — the freedom to do good and bad with equal measure but still remaining responsible for your actions.

I would have dwelt more on this issue had Ngwenya’s article not been a hotch-potch of loosely connected ideas with nothing except exquisite hatred for the work that Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa and other Pentecostal church leaders are doing.