We must be careful about what we preach

Tue, Nov 8. 2011

Editor: I was browsing the radio stations trying to find something worth listening to, when I came upon a religious program being broadcast. I decided to listen to what the preacher had to say, but unfortunately, I could not take much of it. He stated that there would be no end to the economic turmoil in Europe unless the people turn back to Jesus.{{more}} He further went on to say that no amount of money could make things better because Jesus is the only way.

It is very disheartening to hear persons who are supposed to be responsible leaders of the society and to whom persons look for spiritual guidance, utter such nonsense. The two fastest growing economies in the world today are those of China and India. The majority of persons in China are Buddhists, while in India the majority is Hindu. They pay absolutely no attention to Jesus Christ. Why are we trying to mislead persons into believing that religion has anything to do with economic performance? In fact, it was the Europeans who taught us Christianity, but today a significantly smaller percentage of Europeans are of the opinion that religion is of any importance in their present lives, based on surveys conducted. We, on the other hand, are trying to go in the opposite direction. In fact, I do believe that our religious beliefs are partially responsible for our economic plight in these parts. We have been misled into believing that God loves the poor, therefore holds a special place in his heart for them. I wish this were true, for I would have certainly been dear to him.

I am one of those persons who believes that we do not have to wait on any international economic recovery before we can see improvements in our economy. It has to do with our will to succeed. We have to find creative ways to make money and become rich. A country cannot become wealthy without wealthy citizens.

We have this tendency to use only the parts of the bible that suits us. Don’t we know that according to the bible, if a man dies, his brother should take possession of his wife? Why are we not practicing this?

Let us not get carried away in our exuberance and utter things that are misleading. We must foster an atmosphere of optimism and not pessimism. Our values are not dependent on any religion, but it

is our conscience and our spirit that ought to point us in the right direction.

Mystic