Mukai - Vukani No. 81

Mukai -Vukani No.81 | October 2021 |

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Mukai -Vukani No.81 | October 2021 |

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All photos in this edition where taken Pre-Covid-19

Office : 37 Admiral Tait Rd, Marlborough, Harare, Zimbabwe Email: jescomzim@gmail.com

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Telephone: +263 242 309623

Website: www.jesuitszimbabwe.co.zw

Mukai -Vukani No.81 | October 2021 Mukai -Vukani No.77 | July 2020 | |

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Despite the fact that religion is as ancient as humanity, the contemporary world more than any period that preceded it, has witnessed the emergence of a number of religious movements, sects and cults. Furthermore, there has been an escalation in the rate of dogmatism, religious fundamentalism and above all a lack of comprehension of what religion really entails. As if to add insult to injury, exponents of both the social and empirical sciences have rigorously

scrutinized religion, taunting it as a curtain of ignorance that continually blinds humanity. The ultimate question that has to be frankly posed amidst the buzz and hum of this is what really is religion. Although each attempt at answering this question proves futile, we can from the object and content of religion deduce what it essentially encompasses.

As previously established, it is a painstaking task to provide a clear cut and precise definition of religion.

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The effort can, however, be made worthwhile by aligning oneself to a particular perspective. If the crux of religion has to be effectively grasped, it is noteworthy to consider the root meaning of the word. Etymologically, the word religion is ascribed to its Latin equivalent religio which is in turn considered a semantic equivalent of related terms like relegere, religere, religare and reeligere. Although each term expresses a degree of both theoretical and practical relativism with

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regards to religion, the bold stroke that remains is that each word denotes to the relationship one has with a supernatural being. As such, religion from its nominal and universal definition is belief in supernatural beings. This basically entails that not one religion in particular but all the religions of the world together fulfill the religious function of mankind in the world before God. It is however vital that the distinction be made between religions founded on revelation in its strict sense and other religions.

The demarcation between revealed and non-reveled religions is pivotal in the definition of religion. It is precisely from this aperture that the theological definition of religion slowly takes shape and provides us with the basic and most reliable understanding of religion. When dealing with revealed religions, that is religions of salvation, the problem is simple since it is implicitly given by revelation itself. Through revelation, the template of how man can fulfil his destiny and be saved are provided. In essence, specific conditions for salvation are provided. Conversely, the theology of salvation for unbelievers shows the conditions that should be met in order to attain salvation. It should be noted with diligent prudence, however, that

salvation is not the principal goal nor is it the object of religion. It is the mode through which man renders to God the homage that is his due. As such, it comprises of the belief in a personal God who is infinite in his attributes.

There are two subsequent notions of religion that emerge out of the theological perspective. The initial sense is the much broader and pragmatic usage that combines religion with the supernatural and magical entities primarily deities. Any specific religion is therefore defined according to how they combine religion with the supernatural in both theory and practice. The other sense of religion is not concerned with a particular religion but rather the distinctions and comparisons that exists between the two and in the end identifying the constants within religion itself so that it emerges as a distinct system. This is mainly aimed at defining more precisely the nature of religion as a coherent phenomenon and in opposition to magic and superstition in particular. It is therefore crucial that those elements of religion be explicitly tabulated since they are the object and content that define what religion is.

The object of religion is distinguishably characterized by an attitude that is

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felt and accepted within a particular scope and limit. This essentially entails that religion is about accepting the contingency of humanity and as a result it consists of surrendering one’s will towards a superior power. This reality is superior and is therefore beyond the grasp and control of man. As a result, religion entails three fundamental elements which are dependency, submission and a respect that is prompted by fear of the supernatural.

It can be contended that God is not only the object of religion but rather the subject of religion. This notion basically hinges on the pretext that He is the active agent who even determines man’s own initiative as is evidenced in the Jewish and Christian religions. By revealing himself as Father to Israel, the relation and attitude of the Israelites with God is modelled towards their sonship.

Similarly, Jesus presented a merciful face of the Father that prompted an attitude of filial trust and affection on the part of the Christians towards God. One major content of religion is prayer through which one fosters a relationship with the supernatural. Prayer is basically a dialogue with a higher being. It is mainly through prayer that the personhood of God is explicitly made

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manifest. Prayer assumes that the sacred is a person, who has ears to listen, a heart to understand and above all the freedom to respond. Prayer therefore implies that religion is not focused towards God as an idea but rather as a person. Man feels God as a living reality, otherwise he would not pray to Him. Unlike magic, whose mode of operation is to tame the supernatural and instill fear, religion through prayer takes on the shape of submission and respect. It is solely through submission that we can move from incarnation to prayer. In this way, prayer is a religious act par excellence.

It is indeed an incontrovertible fact that interior attitudes especially those that are felt with some sort of intensity are expressed through some exterior action like gestures, words and deeds, although they are not the main thrust of religion, they are nevertheless a starting point. As such, all religions have rites,

which are exterior forms of worship that demonstrate belief in the supernatural.

These vividly portray the theology that is essentially contained in a given religion. These liturgical expressions range from the spontaneous type right up to the formalistic and ceremonial ones like prayer, feasts and priesthood among others.

Despite the fact that religion concerns mainly the supernatural, it does not exist within a vacuum. It is practiced by people who share life in a society.

The individual is to a higher magnitude influenced by the society especially in the way of expressing beliefs. As such religion impacts strongly on the moral aspect of a human person. In the end, it influences how one perceives and acts. In Christianity, for instance, Christ provides the gospel values, which are a template that all Christians ought to follow. As such all our perceptions of God influence

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how we act. On the other side of the coin, false and incomplete ideas of God can be detrimental. One may perceive God as a punisher and as a result live his or her life avoiding eternal punishment.

Instead of acting out of love of God, one acts out of fear of punishment.

All in all, although any effort in defining religion will undoubtedly encounter numerous huddles, the object and nature of religion answers the question about what religion is. God is the main active agent who reveals himself in a specific way. As such, the conducive attitude that should be found in religion should be punctuated by dependency, freedom, submission and respect. The main thrust of religion is therefore not only salvation but rather redemption as a bonus to this relationship that a human being may have with the Creator who is the persons final destiny.

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The story of Anna Machaya, born on

the 5th of July 2006 has been a subject of debate on different platforms. She was a member of the apostolic group, Johanne Marange. As per the group’s custom, she was given in marriage to a 26-year-old man. She died on the 15th of July 2021, and was buried at the shrine, after experiencing complications during childbirth. This made the Parliament of Zimbabwe discuss measures that can be put in place to curb the scourge of child marriages.

But, what’s wrong with child marriages?

To begin with, it is not even marriage.

This is so because consent, not cohabitation, makes a marriage. No

human power, not even parents nor guardians, can supply for the absence of consent by one or both persons who enter into marriage. Consent means informed agreement between the parties of the union to be married. For consent to exist, both parties must agree to the marriage and there must be no mistake as to the nature of the union; no force must be used upon either party to enter into the union. In other words, both parties must enter freely into marriage, without any form of compulsion, explicit or implicit.

Full consent to marriage is a universal right. A right that is ignored in a child marriage. Therefore, early marriage is a clear violation of the rights of the child, especially girls. A girl’s wishes and

views on her marriage are often ignored.

This makes child marriages a form of modern slavery.

This might mean that girls are considered as either a burden that has to be shed off as soon as possible or an asset to protect from dishonour or to capitalise through a bride price. This not only thwarts the freedom of the girl as a human being, but it is also a direct attack on her dignity.

Of all creation, humankind alone was granted a special significance by creation in the image of God (cf. Gen 1:27). God gave each of us an infinite significance, as a gift, and this is the foundation of our human dignity. We have all received our life equally as a gift from God. We are equal to each other because none of us is the creator of another. Human dignity as a gift entails responsibilities and obligations appropriate to good stewardship of that gift. Parents and religious leaders of a group that allows and perpetuates child marriages fail in their task of good stewardship of life.

Denying anyone medical care is also failing to be good stewards of life.

Does the Bible Forbid Seeking Medical Care?

The circumstances around the death of Anna Machaya are what caused the public outcry. She was denied hospital services by the leaders of her church (see H-Metro, 28 July 2021). Respect of a person’s life, the person’s bodily and mental integrity and health is a fundamental human right; a right that Anna Machaya was denied because of some strange religious beliefs. This makes one wonder, ‘does the Bible forbid seeking Medical Care’?

In a number of verses the Bible approves the use of medicine, for example, Jeremiah says, “Is there no balm (medicine) in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?” (Jer 8:22). It can be noticed that this verse metaphorically approves of physicians and medicine. In one of his visions Ezekiel saw water issuing from under the Temple threshold. The water kept increasing until it grew out to be a big river that gave life to all living creatures wherever it flowed. We are told, “And on the banks, on both sides

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of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing” (Ezk 47:12).

Revelation 22:2 echoes this scenario. The Bible does seem to approve the use of medicines.

Isaiah said (to the servants of Hezekiah), “Let them take a cake of figs, and apply it to the boil, that he may recover” (Is 38:21). In the New Testament we read of instances where wine (alcohol) was used as medicine. Paul wrote to Timothy, “Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often” (1 Timothy 5:23). The Good Samaritan in Luke 10:33-34 used olive oil and wine to sooth the wounds of the man attacked by robbers. Jesus acknowledged the use of doctors when he said that “Healthy people don’t need a doctor–sick people do” (Matthew 9:12). Luke (the evangelist) who was a disciple, was a doctor as well (cf. Col 4:14).

The above passages have shown that the Bible is not against medical care.

So, on what grounds do some sects and denominations deny medical care?

The most cited biblical passages as proof against the use of physicians or medicines are 2 Kings 1:1-4 and 2 Chronicles 16:12-13. In 2 Kings 1:1-4 we read of King Ahaziah of Israel, who was sick and sent to Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, to see if he was to recover from the disease. The Bible condemns ancient practitioners who relied on pagan gods, amulets, incantations or other forms of magic or superstition. Ahaziah, instead of enquiring from God, asked about the future from a false god. So this passage is about idolatry; it has nothing to do

with getting medical help.

In 2 Chron. 16:12-13 we read about Asa the king of Judah who was reprimanded

by God because, while having a very serious disease did not seek God, but sought the physicians. According to the notes in the New Jerusalem Bible, “in those times medicine was often mixed with magic, but the text primarily means that Asa sought remedy from the doctors for an illness, which was punishment from God cf. v. 10”. The problem was that Asa did not seek God! it can be inferred that the Bible does not condemn people for seeking practical and scientific help with their illness if they first have their trust resting in God. Faith Without Reason is Dangerous There are some who are of the view that using doctors is a sin because doing so denies the sacrifice of Christ, who was beaten and carried upon himself our sicknesses. This view is founded on the misconception that sickness is the result of physical sin. Jesus in John 9:1-3 corrected his disciples on the view that sickness was a result of sin. Therefore, it is erroneous to believe that healing is the forgiveness of physical sin through Christ’s beating.

Some hold that if it is God’s will not to heal us, then we shouldn’t contravene his will by trying to heal ourselves with medicines. It is equal to saying that if God does not supply us food supernaturally, then he wants us to go hungry. It does not make sense to believe that just because God does not decide to supernaturally intervene, he doesn’t intend your body to get better? God may want you to learn how to handle the trial of illness as wisely as any other kind of trial. The purpose of any trial can be to learn lessons and wisdom as you help yourself all you can while trusting in Mukai -Vukani No.81 | October 2021 |

To limit God’s intervention during illness to supernatural or miraculous healing is not only illogical but can be a sign of lack of faith. God may intervene to heal you slowly through various circumstances he leads you into. Some of the circumstances he might use could include medical procedures. God can intervene in any way he sees fit, even while one is in a hospital bed or during surgery. God’s hands are never tied.

Faith without reason is dangerous, in the case of Anna Machaya, it has proved to be catastrophic. The religious teaching and regulations of the ultra-conservative apostolic groups, particularly Johanne Marange, emphasize faith healing and openly object the uptake of modern healthcare services and immunization.

There are also other sects and denominations such as Jehovah’s Witnesses who refuse blood transfusion and Christian Scientists who, like the Johanne Marange Apostolic group, openly object the uptake of modern medical care. Such a stance is not even biblical. Central to such think is suppression of reason.

Joseph Tkach, Sr. & Bernard Schnippert argue that “to become sick and then refuse to do anything about it because it might not be God’s will to supernaturally heal you — that is, to freeze in your tracks and do nothing — is as childish as refusing to look for a job when you are out of work and God doesn’t supernaturally send someone to your door with money! It makes no sense.

God wants us to do what we can”. All that the human person has, was received from God as a gift, even the faculty of reasoning. To deny the human person a chance to think and a find a solution to a problem or sickness is to deny the human person the chance to be human. It is so because it is God himself who endowed the human person with the ability to think. In fact, we are an image of God also because of our will and intellect.

Thinking (reasoning) is actually an aspect of the person’s dignity. So human beings should exercise their capacity to think, and find solutions to problems that bedevil them, including sickness.

God entrusted us with bodily life and health and we have an obligation to take care of not only our own health and life, but even of others. That is why God gave us the instinct for self-preservation to make us attentive to the duty of caring for our health and life.

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Divine Revelation is about the TRUTH

of GOD. It is at the heart of religious reflections and practices, if they are to be both authentic and reasonable.

It is indispensable, more so, to all those who claim the title Christian, or followers of Christ. Then why do we find some shortfalls in some of the religious movements and among the selfproclaimed prophets today? Is it because Divine Revelation is backward or insufficient, or because God is revealing contradictory things in this present age?

Let me try to respond to these questions by basically proposing that Divine Revelation is still relevant despite being the most abused phenomenon by people today.

Revelation is the communication of some truths by God to a rational creature through means which are beyond the ordinary course of nature. As a response to this fundamental aspect of religion, Revelation demands that man be obedient to and accept the divinely revealed truths as faith. Any faith that

finds itself flip-flopping in this aspect is toxic; it is blind and lame. There are two types of revelation, namely the natural and the supernatural. God can indeed be known by the natural light of reason (CCC 51), for example, the Quinquevir of Saint Thomas Aquinas as demonstrations of the existence of God, but according to Dei Verbum nos.

1-2, God decided to reveal himself in the person of Jesus Christ. The Son of God is Divine Revelation in person.

He is the subject of Sacred Scripture especially in the New Testament, while the Old Testament basically presents a preparation for his coming. God’s purpose in revealing himself in Jesus Christ is to free man from the darkness of sin and death and to raise him up to eternal life so that man will never again be a slave. This is what Jesus confirms when he says “I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father”

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(Jn 15:15). God’s revelation is intended to bring freedom (salvation) to its recipients, so that man learns to think and act as a free being. It is the wellspring of the truth. Truth is necessary, universal and unchangeable. It is God himself who communicates his will to man, and not the will of man to man. This implies that God cannot contradict himself, for “God is not a human being who speaks falsely, nor a mortal who feels regret. Is God one to speak and not act, to decree and not bring it to pass?” (Num 23:19).

Today’s world is dominated by subjectivism. Subjectivism in the interpretation of the Revealed Truth (Sacred Scriptures + Sacred Tradition) by any form of religion leads to gross moral relativism, which leads to spiritual decay. Hence, there is need to uphold the Revealed Truth objectively. Here, we move from what is natural to what is supernatural so that what is heavenly absorbs that which is earthly in a unique way. The word of God divinizes us as we receive it with open hearts, and it makes

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us partakers of God’s divine life. The Revealed Truth always gives comfort and peace as well as it advocates for life.

The Revealed Truth is objective and not subjective. Yet the world is now characterised by some religious movements and sects whose laws, creeds and rituals contradict the true faith as handed on by the Twelve Apostles.

Sometime the self - acclaimed prophet or apostle changes the Gospel truth to suit his or her religious whims.

The followers of such ‘prophets’ are generally highly and blindly dependent on the opinion of their leader even to an irrational extent. The so-called preacher may be doing all that in pursuit of the political recognition and gains. One can even think of the mushrooming Christian denominations and conclude that indeed Divine Revelation is important only when it is allowed to bring the meaning that it intends to give to the hearers. Actually, this is the challenge that the world of today is facing, the virus of fundamentalism, the problem of preachers who are eisegetes than exegetes. The former refers to the practice of interpreting scripture in a way of introducing one’s own presuppositions, agendas or biases, while the latter concerns the critical interpretation of the biblical text in order to discover its intended original meaning.

Therefore, according to this deadly pandemic of the self -proclaimed prophets, the word of God is based on what one thinks it is saying and not what it is really saying. It is a fact that the Sacred Scripture (Divine Revelation), that is the Word of God talks about marriage. Jesus purified the Old Testament concept of marriage in Mt 19:1-13 and the Church has enunciated the meaning of it throughout successive generations of Christians.

Some sects misinterpret the meaning of marriage for selfish reasons. God said to man and woman, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28). This God-given mandate is unfortunately twisted by some apostolic sects, which leads to the abuse of women and underage girls. Social media in Zimbabwe has recently highlighted the death of a young girl aged 14 during childbirth. Then one questions the source of the authority of those one who advocate such practices in the so-called church.

Revealed Truth respects human dignity, the future and health of a person. We might not see something explicit in the Sacred Texts concerning child marriages,

but the natural light of reason should help the one with authority to be able to know that it is an abuse to sleep with a minor. The theme of social justice recurs among the Israelite prophets. This theme should help an informed Church leader to safeguard children and women.

Social justice implies is that one must do good to all the vulnerable. The ancient biblical prophets may not mention children specifically but in this case they are implied. Isaiah says, “learn to do good. Make justice your aim; redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow” (Is 1:17). This same God surely cannot give you a dream to marry a child, or to marry many women even though they are mature; that would also justify all sexual immoralities like adultery. That is not Divine Revelation but a sick human mind. Even if they do this so as to multiply, they do not care about life. Pregnant women are taken to “Chitsidzo” (a makeshift maternity “clinic” made of plastic tents) manned by elderly women who are not medically trained. Some sects consider satanic to visit the hospital or clinic. They would rather die at the shrine than go to a medical institution for assistance. Is that God who is revealing such inhuman conditions? Certainly not.

In the Old Testament a prophet is a mouthpiece of God who has acceptable credentials even if the rich and powerful were not always at ease with them.

One wonders whether today’s so-called prophets do have the word of God on their lips since some of their utterances are misleading and bereft of common sense or the natural light of reason.

Reason is a gift of God to human beings.

That is what distinguishes us from other earthly creatures per se. Meanwhile, and

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to complement or to fulfill the function of reason, Divine Revelation is the source of light, not darkness. In God there is no darkness (1 John 1:5).

It is not only the apostolic sects that disregard written Divine Revelation in the form of Sacred Scripture, but also the so-called prophets in smart expensive suits. Some of them are basically business persons who know how to woo the human mind using the Bible.

It is on record that when the Covid-19 vaccines were beginning to be brought in Zimbabwe, a certain self-styled Zimbabwean prophet (name withheld) discouraged people from taking vaccines.

He claimed that the vaccines have the mark of the beast and that they are satanic. Yet, in Revelations 13, the beast there has nothing to do with any vaccine, “…for it is a number that stands for a person… 666” (Rev 13:18). The same prophet recently made an indirect withdrawal of his statement by boldly allowing and encouraging his followers to take the vaccines, which he had said that they had to do with Satanism. The confused man, who has no medical credentials, intended to spread confusion.

Unless we carefully listen to the Word of God in a manner that is faithful to the teaching of the Twelve Apostles, which has been transmitted through generations and instead force our own meaning to the mysteries that he has revealed to us we go astray. It would be the case of the blind leading the blind (Mt 15:14) condoning underage marriages and other related abuses. Divine Revelation, which is the Word of God in written Scripture is THE TRUTH OF GOD. It is “alive and active” (Heb. 4:12), not chimunya (left over sadza) as some sects ignorantly think.

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Freedom is the power, rooted in reason

and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility.

By free will one shapes one’s own life.

Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our, beatitude. As long as freedom has not bound itself definitively to its ultimate good which is God, there is the possibility of choosing between good and evil, and thus of growing in perfection or of failing and sinning.

The longing for freedom is perhaps

most often pictured in terms of freedom from external controls and pressures, a democratic form of government in contrast to the repressions and controls of a dictatorship, a safe environment in distinction to a lawless society where right is synonymous with might. In our preoccupation with this external freedom, we are liable to forget that the most satisfying and life-giving freedom is internal freedom- freedom from pressures and roadblocks that are within ourselves. This is the truest and most exalted of all freedoms- and hardest to achieve.

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Freedom makes a person responsible for their acts to the extent that they are voluntary. Progress in virtue, knowledge of the good enhances the mastery of the will over its acts. Imputability and responsibility for an action can be diminished or even nullified by ignorance, inadvertence, duress, fear, habit, inordinate attachments, and other psychological and social factors. Every act directly willed is imputable to its author: thus the Lord asked Eve after the sin in the garden: “What is this that you have done?” He asked Cain the same question.

The prophet Nathan questioned David in the same way after he committed adultery with the wife of Uriah and had him murdered (2 Samuel 12:7-12).

Freedom is exercised in relationships between human beings. Every human person, created in the image of God, has the right to be recognized as a free and responsible person. Therefore, Christian freedom is the ability to choose good and live it. All owe to each other this duty of respect. The right to the exercise of freedom, especially in moral and religious matters, is an inalienable requirement of the dignity of the human person. Socially this right

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must be recognized and protected by civil authority within the limits of the common good and public order.

The contrary is true! Millions of people in the contemporary world enjoy the blessings of external freedom and yet internally they are slaves: slaves to drugs, neurotic patterns of feeling and acting, torturous feelings of neurotic guilt and masochistic self - punishment, lifestyles that they hate. For most of us the areas of un-freedom are vast and one wonders why am one is caught up in this mess or how best one can revitalize the thirst for internal freedom. The point of departure is the realization of where one is and the desire to make a difference, which is possible and achievable according to one’s disposition.

Each individual person has the ability to achieve internal freedom for himself or herself. Civil laws give protection against slander and libel; the court system offers opportunities for defense and retribution but unfortunately no law can guarantee protection from self. The worst prison is a prison of one’s own making: personal fears and inhibitions; and oppressive feelings of neurotic guilt.

Though un-freedoms can be of many kinds, which hold one from doing things that are good and reach out to others.

These distortions are part of the baggage one carries from early life experiences and are not obstacles from outside- they

are roadblocks from within. Nobody lives in a totalitarian regime where lack of freedom is imposed from without.

The list of un-freedoms is almost endless, yet with a little reflection additions to the list multiplies. Life is cluttered with roadblocks, obstacles, dead-end signs, each one blocking huge areas of love, joy, self-expression, self- fulfillment.

A thrust into the endless list clearly indicates a basic common denominator, to which all spring up, and it is the awful psychic pain of looking down upon oneself, the pain of low self esteem. This is a unique type of pain which one feels when ones’ sense of self is diminished in any way. It is the pain that arises from ones’ inner world. All other pain, whether physical or emotional is a result of distress in ones’ outer world. Almost at least all internal roadblocks have their central root right here, in the psychic pain of the disgust of oneself.

The journey to freedom begins with cultivating a healthy self - esteem. Each human being has power within which enhances self- esteem, power over the self. This does not mean power over others; but the life giving power to pull our own strings and assume control over our own life. The thrust to embrace freedom is the ability and willingness to begin the process of working through one’s self esteem and working towards achieving a healthy self esteem by Mukai -Vukani No.81 | October 2021 |

making every best possible effort to understand one’s humanity and accept the who you are from within as a human being without any trace of comparison or wishful thinking, otherwise the journey to freedom is unattainable.

Positive thinking, right disposition and composure are pre-requisites to obtaining and sustaining healthy self-esteem. No one has it all but the process is possible.

Freedom is a journey which begins from within by acknowledging and understanding one’s psychic pain, how it began, why it holds one so powerful, and exploring possible means of overcoming it thereby trying to regain and enhance the vision of oneself in the light of the gospel truth: “you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32). Freedom is a journey of faith.

The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to “the slavery of sin”. Religion, which should connect a human being with the Creator, must itself not be a form of or a source of lack of freedom, especially the freedom to question practices that are part and parcel of “dead works” (Heb. 6:1) or customs and practices that diminish life. Life is God’s primary gift to any and every human being.

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The First Week of St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises is all about attaining inner freedom from attachments and sin.

This is called in spirituality language: the Purgative Way. It helps us clean up the mess in our lives, so that we can move on to the Second Week, called the Illuminative Way. This enables us to wise up, or grow up. We usually see ourselves through the lenses of our little, selfish egos. But that is our false self.

We can only know our true self, and find true freedom, in the light of God, or Jesus Christ, who is God among us (Emmanuel). In this week we pray about the life of Christ and allow his light to illumine our minds and hearts. Finally, we move to the Unitive Way where we are resurrected into a union with Christ through love. The last contemplation is on attaining love. We wake up to this love which is the essence of our true self. The Third Week tells us that it is

not easy to attain this union. It involves suffering, just like Jesus had to suffer.

We suffer because to die to our selfish ego’s is a painful thing. And we suffer because we live in a world of darkness, and the darkness hates the light. People of the light will always suffer when they speak truth to power. The dark powers will shut them up, imprison them, kidnap them, make them disappear, or kill them, just as they did to Jesus. (Jn.1:4-11). But when we undertake these steps of the Exercises, we attain true freedom and become our true selves in God. But are we really free, as Ignatius contends? Are we not influenced, conditioned, even determined, by our bodily makeup (e.g., the neurons firing in our brains), our upbringing, our culture, our society, or even our religion? A case in point is child marriages which we find among certain religious sects in Zimbabwe. Do we have the right to

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pass judgement on them from outside that religious context, by saying they are robbing the child of her freedom?

Should we not say ‘that is just how it is in that particular context’? That is the position of ‘Situation Ethics’, which was fashionable in certain quarters in the 70s.

This postulates that an act can be right in certain situations, but wrong in others. It is situation-dependent.

The question of human freedom is a hot issue in philosophy and there is a wide spectrum of different positions, ranging from an extreme determinism (we have no freedom), to an extreme voluntarism (we are completely free and not determined by any causal factors outside our wills). Let us look at some of these positions and see what St. Ignatius would have to say, especially as it pertains to the question of child marriages.

We start with a material determinist position, held by material reductionists like Daniel Dennett. This claims that we are made up of the material atoms and

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molecules in our bodies and brains, and these determine our behaviour. There is no such thing as free will. Dennett goes so far as to say we don’t even have consciousness. It is an illusion.

That seems a pretty daft thing to say, considering one can only make such a statement in consciousness.

We have already mentioned the ethical relativist (or Situation Ethics, or PostModernist) position, which holds that there is no overarching absolute standard by which one can adjudicate the rights or wrongs of different types of moral behaviour. That can only be done from within the context or culture. So, who are we to tell people that their practice of child marriage is wrong? It is for them to decide, not us.

On the other side we have a strong libertarian or voluntarist position.

Whilst these terms have a wide variety of meanings, often taken in a political sense, we mean by them the primacy of the will, which is, or should be, completely free, unbounded by various causal factors. It is what we will which determines the right and wrong of moral behaviour. In Christian history, this can be represented by Pelagianism which believes the human can achieve his/ her own salvation without recourse to the grace of God. St. Augustine reacted strongly against this, by claiming that we are free only under the aegis of God’s will and grace.

Where does St. Ignatius stand on this? Ignatius was not a systematic philosophical or theological thinker. His theology springs more from mystical and practical experience than from academic philosophy. But when he studied in Paris, he spent over a year learning under the Dominicans about the writings of

St. Thomas Aquinas. I would suggest that, while not expressing his ideas in a systematic way, we can see from his Spiritual Exercises, Autobiography, and Spiritual Diary, that he would concur with Aquinas’ academic and systematic treatment of the subject. Briefly, Aquinas proposes that moral behaviour is governed by four main categories of law, namely Eternal Law, Divine Law, Natural Law, and Human Law. The first is the will of God, which sets an absolute standard for certain moral norms. The second is how God’s will is expressed in scripture. The third is how we see God’s will imprinted in nature by the way God has created creatures with certain ends (telos), and the fourth is the laws humans make for the good ordering of society.

The Eternal Law is the primary cause of what makes an act right or wrong. St. Ignatius concurs with this by making God’s will (to know, love and serve his will) the Principal and Foundation of our lives. Our lives must be in congruence with the will of God, in order to be good and happy lives. And he offers us valuable tools to help us discern the will of God. Anything which is in accordance with God’s will, we must embrace.

Anything against it, we must shun. It is poison for our happiness and wellbeing.

So, Ignatius, like Aquinas, would not agree with material determinists, ethical relativists, or extreme voluntarists. There are absolute standards by which we can measure human moral behaviour. It must concur with the Eternal Law (God’s Law) and the Natural Law (the way God has created creatures for natural ends).

Ignatius would hold that child marriage violates these two. It violates the Eternal Law predicated upon God’s will, which is love, because God IS love. And it

violates the natural law, which stipulates that the natural end of marriage is the expression of deepest love, and the procreation of children. A child, by its very nature, is not mature enough to express this deepest love, which must be characterised by full knowledge of what she is doing and all it entails, and by her full and free consent. Love is a free act of the will, or a commitment. A child cannot make that free commitment.

Physically too, a child is not mature enough for sexual intercourse and childbearing.

Whilst there are moral laws which are absolutes, and pertain to everyone by virtue of their being human, regardless of his or her context or culture, there are of course different cultural and customary expressions of these norms.

To show respect to another human being is incumbent on all of us, because the human is an image-bearer of God. But the way we express that respect will differ from culture to culture. Some express it by shaking hands, others by bowing their heads and putting their hands together, again others by clapping their hands. In that sense, customs are relative. Whereas absolute and universal moral laws are not. And thus, they are more important and override customs.

Jesus asserts this when he chides the Pharisees, and says they are hypocrites, because they ignore the law but obey the customs and traditions of humans.

(Mk.7:8-10). Ignatius would agree with Jesus and Aquinas, and say that child marriage is immoral because it violates both the Eternal and Natural Laws. And it should be made illegal by human law, because that law should reflect, and be subordinated to the other two.

Vision Statement Mukai- Vukani (“Arise”) magazine for the Jesuit Province of Southern Africa serves as a magazine for theological reflection for Jesuits in the said Province and their friends. It seeks to help in finding the direction of life in the light of the Word of God at any given time. In this way the magazine facilitates dialogue among Jesuits and their friends based on study, prayer and discernment.

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“Let the children come to me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them” (Matthew 19:14). The warmth and care that Jesus gives to “these little ones of [his],” together with the safeguarding, which he insists for their wellbeing, ought to be perpetuated by the believers.

Otherwise, “If anyone causes one of these little ones to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18:6). This is a biblical hint on the need for retributive justice against child abusers. Churches and other faith-based institutions are human institutions, and this entails the presence of ill-intending wicked people within.

The child abuse scandals reported in the Catholic Church in recent times, and the child marriage cases popular in sects such as the local Mapostori churches, including the recent case of Anna Machaya, show that there is need for retributive justice and a stronger emphasis on Safeguarding.

Jesus says “The Kingdom of God is in our midst,” (Luke 17:21). This kingdom is any human community that promotes and practices joy, love, safety, growth, and creativity. It is the duty of every faith-based institution and personnel to promote this kingdom on earth, the kingdom that belongs to the children.

And it is the duty of the religious societies to ensure that the children enjoy the privilege of owning (participating in) the kingdom. However, the predators who prey on children (the people who marry the children, the parents/relatives who consent to and conceal the marrying off of children, and the religious personnel that promote the practice instead of condemning it) deprive the children of the chance to enjoy this kingdom. Instead, they shut the children into a world of fear, misery, abuse, and deprivation of development, condemning the children into an existential kingdom

of hell on earth.

Where the assumed goodness and holiness of a religious belief system cannot be relied on for the wellbeing and safety of the people (especially the vulnerable), an external or overarching force is necessary. The civil world’s legislature and the whole law enforcement system should therefore be vigilant in securing the vulnerable.

An emphasis on freedom of religion should be backed up by responsibility of the religious, including safeguarding the freedom of children. This article is inspired by the bitter story of Anna Machaya to advocate for legislation that regulates religious institutions.

The article borrows from the idea of the Rwandan government’s legislation introduced to regulate faith-based institutions. The goal is to ensure that people, especially children, are protected from any harm or abuse caused under the veil of religion.

THE STORY FOR ANNA MACHAYA Anna Machaya was a fourteen-year-old girl who was a victim of child marriage and statutory rape. She had dropped out of school so as to get married. She died while giving birth at a shrine of the Johanne Marange Apostolic Church. The family and the church tried to conceal the case by using identity documentation of Memory Machaya, Anna’s cousin,

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as the deceased’s name and to falsely claim that the deceased was not a minor.

The secretive burial of the child in the shrine without police involvement was in itself suspicious, suggesting the attempt to bury evidence. Different disturbing concerns come into consideration: child marriage, statutory rape, children dropping out of school in order to get married (against the right to education), depriving a child access to decent and professional medical assistance, as well as depriving a person of decent burial and post-mortem justice.

THE ANNA MACHAYA LEGISLATION In September 2018, the Rwandan government enacted a new law that requires every faith-based organization (FBOs) to be registered, obtain legal status, and follow strict requirements such as safe and healthy spaces, including sanitation. The new law also requires preachers to have tertiary level academic degrees. This would help curb the possibility of bogus pastors targeting to swindle their followers.

To help curb child abuse, the

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Government of Zimbabwe should likewise introduce legislation (which we can term “The Anna Machaya Law”) that ensures the safety of the religious followers, especially children. Anna Machaya’s death is a bitter symbol of the injustice and cruelty faced by the girl child when pervert predators consider themselves adequately secure enough to prey without prosecution. The fact that the abuse and death of Anna took place in a religious setup points to the fact that morality in religious practice and circles should not be naively assumed.

It would be worthwhile for the Zimbabwean legislation to borrow some elements from the Rwandan one.

Compulsory academic training (for instance in theology and philosophy) in accredited institutions may help with forming pastors of professional competence aware of vast important issues rather than just mere oratorial homiletics. In relation to safety, every faith-based institution should adhere to health requirements, including sanitation.

The legal framework should also include the registering of any church or religious group. The government should only grant operation licenses to those faith-based institutions that comply with the law and regulations. Failure of the established institutions to comply would lead to revoking of operating licenses (the pastor’s/religious leader’s, and that of the institution), closure of the institutions, prosecution, and even sentencing depending on the actuality and gravity of negligence.

In addition, (and in response to the Zimbabwean cultic tendencies such as in the Marange Apostolic Church) no religion should discourage its followers from seeking professional health assistance. Rather, it should be compulsory for any critical health complication within the church/religious practice to be referred to professional medical assistance. In gatherings and institutions, there should be a wellestablished capacity for first aid and ways to contact emergency medical assistance. Even mental-related or psychological-related cases should be referred to professionals such as psychiatrists and psychotherapists rather than concluding on unproven demonic possession. Faith-based institutions should make people aware that it is possible for their institutions to work in conjunction with such trained professionals. Also, no religious practice

should lead to a child dropping out of or being exempted from school.

There should also be universally applicable and legally binding safeguarding policies for the institutions.

All faith-based institutions should have their legal representatives and pastors with supervisory responsibilities undergo compulsory professional and academic training in Safeguarding. Every other worker of a religious institution should undergo at least basic training in Safeguarding. Every individual working in a faith-based institution should have access to Safeguarding policy documents, which they go through, understand, and sign. The institutions should also organize for periodic training workshops and meetings on Safeguarding.

The different religious institutions should also ensure that their followers/ congregants have access to information and teachings on Safeguarding. The information should be promoted through different platforms such as social media, workshops, homilies/sermons, and posters around the institutions. Sunday School or catechesis should also factor in conscientizing children on their rights and Safeguarding Policies.

Each faith-based institution should also have personnel responsible for Safeguarding, including counseling, receiving reports, helping victims, educating the followers, reporting cases, and assisting the law enforcers in investigations. The government and institutions such as the Council of Churches and the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC) should also establish committees of Safeguarding Inspectors who make visits around faith-based institutions assessing the compliance of the institutions.

To further help with curbing child marriages promoted within religious settings, every marriage should be registered, and every religious leader who conducts or promotes marriages should be a registered marriage officer adhering to the country’s marriage regulations, including following the legal age of consent and marriage. This would then reduce the possibility of religious personnel becoming accomplices in child marriage and statutory rape. Just as schools have to investigate on an unexplained or suspicious absence of a child in school, child-related structures in the churches, such as Sunday School, Mukai -Vukani No.81 | October 2021 |

should also keep record of children, always being ready to investigate on reasons behind unexplained or unreported absence of children from their regular church attendance.

CONCLUSION Whatever the religious affiliation and beliefs, children should not be deprived of fundamental rights. Already, the Covid-19 era has shown that the government can go beyond different belief systems and establish rules and regulations, which ought to be adhered to. Similarly, the government should use its authority over faith-based institutions to ensure that the rule of law and human dignity are promoted and safeguarded. The children belong to the state, and where a guardian’s or religious leader’s beliefs risk injuring the child (psychologically, physically, or any other way), then the government should unleash its privilege of higher disciplinary authority. The state has the duty to protect and save children from abuse, neglect, and degeneration. This duty of the State then includes the State’s readiness to intervene and protect a child from dangerous parenthood or harmful religious practices. All this is in no way an infringement of freedom of religion or religious belief, but rather an assurance that the freedom of religion does not end up being misused in infringing other fundamental human rights.

Christian charity is not simple philanthropy. Christian charity involves looking at others through the eyes of Jesus Christ and seeing Jesus in the face of the vulnerable people. Charity is practical in the manner in which St James says that faith without works is dead (Jas 2:15-17). Christian charity is therefore an outflow of faith. It gives real substance to the personal relationship one has with God and neighbour.

Furthermore, it is the principle not only of micro-relationships with friends, with family members or within small groups but also of macro-relationships covering social, religious, economic, and political dimensions. One cannot talk about charity without talking about that love which is manifested in truth. In my view, there is one truth, the love of God expressed in and through Jesus Christ, who is “the face of the Father’s mercy” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, 11 April 2015, no. 1). As such, there is a close relationship between the search for love and truth.

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To defend the truth, to articulate it with

humility and conviction, and to bear witness to it in life may be exacting but these are indispensable forms of charity.

Charity, in fact, “rejoices in the truth” (1 Cor 13:6). All people feel the interior impulse to love authentically: love and truth never abandon them completely, because these are the values ingrained

by God in the heart and mind of every human person. The search for love and truth is purified and enabled by Jesus Christ. Humanity is liberared from impoverishment and vulnerability. Jesus reveals to us the fullness of love and the plan for a fulfilling life that God has prepared for us. In Christ, charity in truth becomes the Face of his Person, a vocation for us to love our brothers and sisters in the truth of his plan. Indeed, he himself is the Truth (cf. Jn 14:6) (Pope Benedict XVI: Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate).

We know that people adhere to and are guided by diverse beliefs - naturalistic and revealed. Whether persons believe in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, ancient philosophical-mystical religions or the multitudes of indigenous religious systems or not at all, they are still bound to be charitable to other human beings.

Yet, despite there being many religious practitioners in Zimbabwe, many were

appalled by the death of Anna Machaya, a 14-year-old girl who died during childbirth at a Vapostori shrine in Marange.

The demise of Anna Machaya justifiably sparked outrage. Her death has provoked not only debate about the dark world of some of the African traditional practices that permit and tolerate child molesting and abuse. Anna’s death is not the first of such a kind. For too long, the girl child has borne the brunt of abuse and marginalization at the altar of men’s pleasure in practices like kuzvarira, kuripa ngozi or kuroteswa mukadzi wekuroora (assigning the girl child as a would-be-wife, appeasement of bad spirits, or claiming a wife through a dream, respectively) that is rife in our communities and certain African Initiated Churches in Zimbabwe. There are many girls who have gone through the same fate without anyone standing up in defence of their right to be protected by the society as well as the pursuance of successful prosecution and punishment of perpetrators through the justice delivery system.

In the case of Anna, details of the story came in drips and drops. We need the criminal investigations to get to the bottom of what transpired. The real truth is intertwined with charity. Charity goes

beyond justice, because to love is to give, to offer what is “mine” to the other; but this love never lacks justice, which prompts us to give to others what is their due. I cannot “give” what is mine to the other without first giving the other what pertains to him/her in justice. If we love others with charity, then first of all we ought to act justly towards them. Not only is justice not extraneous to charity, not only is it not an alternative or parallel path to charity: justice is inseparable from charity and intrinsic to it. (Pope Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio (26 March 1967). Hence, whatever is evil must be rejected without equivocation.

Anna Machaya’s rights were withdrawn from her. She became the voiceless one. Why is it that her mother and other relations did not raise the alarm when they first noticed what was taking place?

Why did the many women at the shrine not raise the alarm at noticing a child carrying a child within her? We must acknowledge society’s collusion in this case. Society has colluded with the abuser in stealing and destroying Anna’s innocence. Her parents and members of the civic and religious communities she lived in turned a blind eye in silence.

Cover-up has been tolerated for two long for those married under questionable cultural marriages. Why must our society continue to worship at the altar of male chauvinist hedonism?

With the resultant justified outcry, Anna now stands as a symbol of the desecration, and defilement of children.

She was forced to lose her innocence in a nefarious arrangement. Anna’s case must become the symbol of hope for all children suffering the abuse of having to enter into forced marriages by

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sexual maniacs. If this could happen to Anna and remain under the carpet, what does that say about our communities?

It means that more children can meet with the same fate. Anna’s case cries to all - civic, political and religious leaders - not to shed crocodile tears but to take concrete action. The Constitution of Zimbabwe guarantees the rights of children, but the irony is that, when children’s dignity is violated, society does not act decisively. There are many innocent souls in our country who have lost their lives through harmful cultural and religious practises. For example, who can forget the gruesome murder of Tapiwa Makore from Murehwa, a seven-year-old boy whose life was cut short for ritual purposes? Not long after the murder of Tapiwa, calculated tragedy struck the Mbaza community in Mutasa District, Manicaland, when seven-yearold cousins, Dilan and Melissa Benza, were murdered by their uncle for alleged ritual purposes as well.

Many more children have been killed in our society. Cases of abortion and stolen children are also on the rise in our communities. These tragic experiences must challenge us to reflect deeply on the meaning and sanctity of human life from the womb to its natural end.

What has happened to our conscience?

Where is the sense of Ubuntu (humanity) - that African religio-philosophical approach that seeks truth and the pursuit of love for the wellbeing of all in the community? Can we call our societies developed when we sink deep into unconscionable evil practices of the sexual violation and murder of children?

These cultural and religious practices which are harmful to the wellbeing of minors must be rigorously opposed, eliminated and the perpetrators punished.

This can be done by promoting the common good which seeks the good of every human being. We cannot speak of loving others without creating a safe environment in which vulnerable children, the weakest members in our society, cannot find security and preservation of their innocence and dignity. To love someone is to desire that person’s good and to take effective steps to make them secure, grow and develop. Besides the good of the individual, there is a good that is linked to living in society: the common good.

It is the good of “all of us”, made up of individuals, families and intermediate groups that constitute society. It is a good that is sought not for its own sake, but for the people who belong to the social community and who can only really and effectively pursue their good within it.

To desire the common good and strive towards it is a requirement of justice and charity. The more we strive to secure the common good corresponding to the real needs of our neighbours, the more effectively we love them. (Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes). Therefore, it is everybody’s responsibility to unveil the abnormal practices that rob our children of peaceful growth. These abnormal practices have been tolerated in the face of basic norms, laws and regulations of any civilized nation let alone any religious or social belief systems worthy its name.

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The ‘ice coated’ evils which lie quietly in our society must be exposed. This can be done by simply telling the truth in love. In the truth, charity reflects the personal yet public dimension of faith in the God of the Bible, who is both Agápe and Lógos: Charity and Truth, Love and Word. Truth needs to be sought, found and expressed within the “economy” of charity, but charity in its turn needs to be understood, confirmed and practised in the light of truth. The culture of silence and cover up of the harmful practices affecting to minors in our communities ought to be definitively stopped through processes of education, and when that fails, punishment. We should note that justice is the primary way of charity or, in Pope Paul VI’s words, “the minimum measure” of it, an integral part of love “indeed and in truth” (1 Jn 3:18). It is therefore important to acknowledge that charity demands justice: recognition and respect for the legitimate rights of individuals and peoples. Charity strives to build the earthly city according to law and justice (John Paul II, 2002).

Let me sum up in the words of Pope Francis who has said that a Christian’s life should point to truth. This means that Christians are not only called to refrain from telling falsehoods, but to conduct their entire lives as witnesses to the Truth that is Jesus Christ. Hence, loving the truth means not only affirming it, but rather living it, bearing witness to it everyday. Transformed in Christ, we will rightly take up our diverse roles in the world as we seek to sanctify it through lives of authentic and coherent witness of our beliefs.

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The Gospels present a series of passages depicting Jesus getting into conflict with Pharisees and Scribes mostly over their strict observance of Jewish rituals. Such rituals that are emphasized include the keeping of the Sabbath, proper washing of hands during meals and adherence to ritual purity (Lk 11: 37-54; Mt 9:14-17; 12:1-8; 16:5-12). Jesus was not against the observance of such rituals as he Himself was a native Jew and knew their importance. The problem was that the strict observance of the such rituals had choked the real meaning of religion, that is, the worship of God. The rituals lost their meaning of helping people attain holiness.

In the Roman Catholic setting, there are popular piety groups that aid people in seeking holiness. According to the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Popular piety refers to those diverse extra-liturgical cultic expressions of a private or community nature which, in the context of the Christian faith,

are inspired predominantly by forms deriving from a particular nation or people or from their culture. Popular piety finds expression in external practices of piety commonly referred to as devotions. Since time immemorial, there have developed different devotions to saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary, to the Holy Spirit, to the Sacred Heart, just to mention a few. At times, there have been conflicts too in the manner such devotions have been overrated at the expense of the worship of God and the centrality of liturgy. It seems to me that one of the things that the Second Vatican Council brought about through the vernacularisation of the liturgy and a call to active participation, as highlighted in the document Sacrosanctum Concilium, was that it put an end, or at least lessened, the popular devotions that were going on during Mass and compromised the centrality of the Eucharistic celebration. Thus, the Mass was always in Latin and almost seemed like a private affair, as the priest displayed postures that pointed to exclusivity of Mukai -Vukani No.81 | October 2021 |

the congregation by having an altar that didn’t allow him to interact with the congregation. People could remember that they are at Mass only at the ringing of the sacring bell during consecration.

Over the recent past centuries, however, there have been renewed conflicts arising from, for instance, the place of Mary in Catholic faith. This was triggered by the so many Marian devotions some of which confused the role of Mary with that of Jesus. Some felt that Mary was taking the place of Jesus as a Mediator and so her devotions were overlapping with the centrality of Jesus in the liturgy and in the salvation of humankind. In a way, this led to official definitions of Marian dogmas to state clearly what the Church holds about Mary and her place in the Church and salvation of mankind.

The Vatican II document on the Church, Lumen Gentium, devotes chapter 8, to address and deal with the controversy over Mary as the mediatrix. Of particular mention are articles 60 and 62 of the document, which note that there is no confusion of role of mediation between

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Mary and Jesus.

A quick look at Roman Catholic liturgy also shows that it is arranged in such a way that the centrality of Christ and the Eucharist is highlighted. For instance, when the celebration of a saint overrides with Sunday worship, the Sunday liturgy takes precedence except for grave reasons and with permission from relevant authorities then a particular saint can be celebrated. Similarly, it is encouraged that devotions such as the rosary should be done outside Mass.

There is need for prudence because the different devotions endorsed by the Church can fail to attain their desired ends. Devotions to saints and the Blessed Virgin Mary have their own suitable place in the Catholic Church and in liturgy. At times Catholics have been accused by people of other religions and denominations of worshipping Mary and the saints because of the way they express their devotion. Sometimes these are given a lot of prominence and emphasis over devotions than is recommended by the Church. St Louis Marie de Montfort, who was wellknown for his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, wrote, in his book titled True Devotion to Mary, that “the more we honour the Blessed Virgin, the more we honour Jesus Christ, because we honour Mary only that we may the more perfectly honour Jesus, since we go to her only as the way by which we are to find the end we are seeking, which is Jesus.” As St Louis rightly puts it, a true

devotion and popular piety in general, should lead one to find the end we are seeking which is God. In as far as dealing with popular piety is concerned there is also a need for pastoral prudence among Church ministers especially those in charge of God’s flock. The pastors need to guard themselves against treatments and tendencies that discourage those in different popular piety groups.

Such maltreatments include not giving them pastoral guidance and support, disallowing them from gathering for causes related to their piety group, refusal to register a particular group in a parish just because a priest does not have a devotion to the particular group.

Another extreme that may result as a consequence of lack of pastoral support and guidance to a particular piety or devotion group is that such members may slide into heretic tendencies.

In addition to that, pastors, herein referring to ministers of all ranks of the Catholic Church, have a tendency sometimes of making their own personal devotions universal or acceptable among the people they serve. Thus, if a priest, for instance, is a member of the Catholic Charismatic movement, he would want to turn every public liturgical celebration that he leads into a Charismatic rally.

This may make other people either shun some public liturgical celebrations or attend them with a lot of resentment.

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them, nobody should be forced to join such groups but such should be out of personal choice. This is because a person may have a personal feeling of joining one group and should not be forced into one that they are not comfortable with.

Living personal faith through devotions should go with personal willingness and choice.

Furthermore, just as Jesus was against the holier-than-thou attitude of the Pharisees over observance of some religious rituals, the faithful who belong to various popular piety groups should desist from the tendency of considering themselves holier than other faithful that are not members of their groups.

This may create chaos and divisions in pastoral settings. All the faithful are encouraged by the nature of their faith to strive for holiness in all that they do.

This can be attained through various means that the Catholic Church offers.

Nobody should be made to feel that only one particular piety group is the surest way for attaining such holiness.

Popular piety still remains a reliable

means of attaining holiness and living the Christian faith especially in the Catholic Church. This is based on what the Magisterium itself says of piety or devotion groups, that is, that they are not against the teaching of the Church and the manner of living the Catholic faith.

Lived testimonies of people of different devotion groups also prove that God works a lot of wonders through them. For instance, in his canonisation address of St Louis Marie de Montfort on 20th July 1947, Pope Pius XII felt that the greatest force behind the apostolic ministry and secret for attracting and winning souls for Jesus was his devotion to Mary.

However, to attain their intended goals, there is need for prudence. Otherwise, popular piety groups can be sources of heresies, confusion and divisions in the Church.

A good and healthy sense of belonging to a particular popular piety group should, among other things, lead to the increase of joy and freedom to interact with others with love both inside and outside the group. One should also not think that only the group to which one belongs has all the blessings of God and others do not. The love by which the faithful interact with one another should be rooted in the revealed truth, not on popular preferences that suit human desires or preferences, which can seriously undermine union with God.

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Mental health and religion are closely connected. Religion has an impact on mental health and help seeking behaviour.

If abused, religion can be used as a weapon that contributes to mental health issues such as trauma, depression and anxiety.

Trauma can happen after a physical or emotional painful experience. After the case of a 14 year old girl who died giving birth and other cases known and unknown to the public, it is clear that some religious beliefs and practices cause more harm than good to people. Religion is organised around worship, faith, spiritual beliefs and practises.

The World Health Organisation defines child maltreatment as the abuse and neglect that occurs to children under 18 years of age. It includes all types of physical and /or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, and commercial or other exploitation, which results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power.

Young people are easily taken advantage of because of their age and innocence and they can be introduced to negative practices even with the parents’ awareness in the name of religious obedience. Physical and mental immaturity causes sexual violence, serious injury and the fact of age affects their coping mechanism. Other members of the religious community can experience secondary trauma. Secondary trauma results from being indirectly affected by someone else’s direct trauma. Hearing or seeing traumatic abuse happening to people of the same age and religion can cause psychological injury to other children and parents.

Religion is the Opium of the People - Karl Marx.

Most parents who take part in giving away their children to some traumatic religious practices are convinced that they are doing the right thing for their spiritual lives. They might even see it as a form of success to have their underage daughter be a wife to a religious elderly.

The children on their part usually consider that parents know what is best and it is a good thing to agree to any arrangement made about their life which is linked to religion or the religious commandment to honour one’s parents.

For many people religion is a safe place, thus obedience comes easily with less or no questions asked.

The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its childrenNelson Mandela.

Religious systems can come with authoritative ways that allow manipulation, control, physical, emotional, sexual and psychological abuse. As a result, the victims can experience low self-esteem, relationship and other social problems.

However, religion can be used to promote positive mental health behaviours such as avoiding substance abuse and suicidal thoughts. Religion gives hope and allows joy, peace and love amongst people. Research also shows better coping mechanisms in devout religious and spiritual people.

Topics about abuse should not be a taboo at religious settings. The death that occurred due to a religious practise of early child marriage should be talked about. Public discussions should be made about mental health issues related to abuse of young people in churches.

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better they do better. There can be great benefit to the society if the law and justice system work hand in glove with religious authorities to safeguard children. Children and parents can benefit from assertive training so that the can become familiar with what they can do on their part.

My people perish from lack of knowledge - Hosea 4:6 The Zimbabwe Psychology Association, (ZPA) helps provide registered and practising psychologists who deal with trauma, children and religious issues as primary or secondary measures. As individuals or religious community, people need help on how to re-author the story of their lives. They need to develop a positive attitude through which they can know they did nothing to deserve any of the abuse that happened to them as well as not to see religion as such as a bad and unsafe thing.

Many churches have been exposed in serious cases of abuse. As a society we still have a long way to go. It is important to take the first step of recognising and accepting that religious abuse and trauma should not be a norm. People should not be silenced, but instead they should be enabled to know that there is help available. As a community, religious or not, let us not hurry children out of their childhood. Full physical and mental development is essential.

Religious settings can be places for utmost peace and joy again. One can re-take a failed project, but failures regarding nurturing the young can have long lasting generational impact. Such failures, therefore, especially abuse, must be avoided at all costs because of the harm that occurs to the affected persons.

Religion is never the problem: it is the people who use it to gain power.

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The search for truth subsists in the

natural quest of the human mind. The human soul has the capacity to seek and handle the truth in accordance with its supernatural capacity. It is for this reason that the human person is created in order to enjoy the beatific vision of God in which human souls are called to share in the fullness of truth. Jesus himself makes a clear declaration-cum-teaching: “I am the Way; I am Truth and Life” (Jn 6:14).

He is the way for everyone to attain full humanity; he is the way to the kingdom of God. He is Truth in its fullness and he is Life, which draws us to the Truth.

If we go back to the ancient Greek philosophers, with Aristotle as an outstanding paragon of the ancient Greek mind we learn from him that “All men by nature desire to know.

An indication of this is the delight we take in the our senses; for even apart from their usefulness they are loved for themselves, and above all others the sense of sight. For not only with a view to action, but even when we are not going to do anything, we prefer seeing (one might say) to everything else. The reason is that this, most of all the senses, makes us know and brings to light many differences between things” (Metaphysics Book I, Part I) We can consider ‘seeing’ to imply both the physical sense of sight and the intellectual eye of the mind by which we understand things through dialectics and or abstraction. Failure to ‘see’, that is, failure to know or to understand is undesirable. Even the Shona language has the saying “Kusaziva kufa” – which

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means ignorance is as good as being dead. So, knowing and the acquisition of knowledge both for purposes of carrying out appropriate action or for the sheer contemplative delight of the mind are desirable for the human mind. As such, to be denied the ability to acquire knowledge is to be consigned the mind to some sort of intellectual death and a serious reduction of human being’s potential. Such death has to be prevented because, in fact, the mind has a life of its own, which is cherished and nourished by the constant acquisition of and growth in knowledge.

In an effort to grapple with the demands of knowing the truth, philosophers identified four key theories regarding the concept of truth: Correspondence Theory, the Semantic Theory, the

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Coherence Theory and the Pragmatic Theory. These theories function as a synergy. Obviously, there are other theories, which can be attributed to the philosophical concept of truth.

In its Catechism the Catholic Church teaches that “In Jesus Christ, the whole of God’s truth has been made manifest.

‘Full of grace and truth,’ he came as the ‘light of the world,’ he is the Truth” (CCC #2466). In other words, for the Church, the truth is not a mere set of words or a composed concept. It is a Person, namely, Jesus Christ who revealed himself to his Twelve Apostles and who continues to reveal, to unfold, to unpack the depth of what he means in as much as that is necessary for our salvation. He does this through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit based on the words that Jesus himself spoke, which are recorded in Sacred Scripture.

This teaching is amplified in the document on Religious Freedom known in Latin as Dignitatis Humanae (DH).

In a vital part of that document the Church teaches the following: “It is in accordance with their dignity as persons – that is, beings endowed with reason and free will and therefore privileged to bear personal responsibility – that all men should be at once impelled by nature and also bound by a moral obligation to seek the truth, especially religious truth. They are also bound to adhere to the truth, once it is known, and to order their whole lives in accord with the demands of the truth” (DH #2).

The human person is both a pursuer of truth and a bearer of it when it is obtained. In his first letter to Timothy, St

Paul writes, “Physical exercise is useful enough, but the usefulness of religion is unlimited, since it holds out promise both for this life here and now and the life to come” (1 Tim 4:8). Since religion, for those who accept it, encompasses of all human life, it is important for believers to never tire in seeking the authentic meaning of faith because they are bound by a moral obligation to search for an understanding that governs their conduct for the purpose of ordering their lives in the light of the truth. Human nature by itself, regardless of whether one is a believer or a non-believer impels human beings to seek truth. Hence, “the right to religious freedom has its foundation, not in the subjective disposition of the person, but in his very nature” (DH #2).

This point is derivable from Aristotle’s observation that “All men by nature desire to know” as noted earlier, although religious freedom concerns specifically the right to seek the True God revealed in Jesus Christ.

Since the acquisition of knowledge is partly an act of human freedom exercised through making an effort to attain it, God, who gives and yet respects human freedom, does not force himself upon us. However, through evangelization and reasonable religious persuasion, we can state with St Paul that God our Saviour “wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth.

For there is only one God, and there is only one mediator between God and humanity, himself a human being, Christ Jesus, who offered himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim 2:3-6). The bottom line here is that religious truth that deviates from Jesus Christ is simply vanity of Mukai -Vukani No.81 | October 2021 |

vanities. In some cases it becomes dangerous to one’s life on earth, and possibly risks one’s salvation too. Those who call themselves Christians can only legitimately claim to be so if they closely imitate Jesus Christ the Life Giver, the Good Shepherd who says, “I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10).

It is not possible to have life to the full without the pursuit of the truth. Truth is one of the four transcendental qualities of being, of existing, of being filled with life. Therefore, religious leaders or instructors who deprive their followers of the freedom to pursue the truth are guilty of gross religious irresponsibility. Jesus himself never shot down the questions that his disciples asked him, because he wanted them, just as he wants our generation too, to know the truth. It is for this reason that he raised his disciples to another level: “I call you friends because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father” (Jn 15:15).

Questions can and should be raised concerning religion or faith because what a person believes shapes, governs and informs that person’s life. As mentioned earlier, religion is generally all encompassing. Hence, it is vital for believers to constantly pursue the truth from the natural human quest for knowledge that is God given by the virtue of our creation and from the objective moral obligation that human beings have to act on the basis of knowledge of the truth. In the Christian sense, this truth is none other than Jesus the Christ. Deviation from him is a misrepresentation or even a betrayal of him.

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Along the long journey of life, man slowly strides towards a unique end that involves self-transcendence which finds its realization and fulfilment in the union with the Creator. However, as man strives towards his destiny, he is confronted with two realities, sin and salvation. While the former denotes to a negative form of existence, the latter is more positive.

In sin, to borrow a term from Martin Heidegger, man lives an unauthentic existence punctuated by a negation from the destiny for which he is intended.

Salvation, therefore, comes to repair that scar which sin inflicts. The concept of sin is enormously complex and thus deserves to be treated from its genesis up to its devastating effects especially with regards to its corrosiveness towards virtue.

A wide range of definitions have been put in place, all in an effort to tackle the inescapable reality of sin. As prescribed by the church, “ sin is an offense against reason, truth and right conscience.” It entails going against the good and thus failing in genuine love for God and neighbour. Hence sin wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. In his ground-breaking discourses, The City of God and The Confessions, Augustine writes extensively on the genesis of sin.

Sin, as perceived by Augustine, emerged as a consequence of man’s abuse of the God given free will. As explained by Augustine, man and angels were innately imbued with volition which enabled them to choose between good and evil.

However, through disobedient pride, angels and man chose a lesser good and betrayed the trust and friendship they had with the creator. Consequently, sin entails, ‘falling short of a goal’, ‘breaking a relationship’ and ‘rebellion’.

Considering the nature of sin and how it came into existence, it is incontrovertible that sin is personal. The prime issue that should be considered in relation to the personal aspect of sin is that in sin, ‘man seeks himself.’ This means that in every sin, man intends to selfishly achieve personal ends. In the early stages of sin, as Augustine has alluded to, the angels, through their disobedient act of

pride sought to be like God. In the same fashion, man wishing to be like God, to possess knowledge of good and bad, disobeyed God and hence there was sin. In every sin be it mortal, venial, material or formal, one seeks to satisfy one’s personal needs and as a result one commits a sin that infringes on the safety of the other. In these torrid times where we are relentlessly grappling with the Covid - 19 pandemic, it is a sin when one wishing to feel comfortable, ignores the wearing of masks and sanitization at the expense of the safety of others.

One other point that is fundamentally crucial is that sin hinders one from achieving the happiness that one is intended for. According to Aristotle, every act that one carries out is shaped towards achieving the good which is happiness. This points to the idea that in sin, man obstructs himself from that end which he is actually meant for.

When one is incapable of achieving his purpose one’s life becomes meaningless.

Hence in sin, particularly mortal sins, one willingly and knowingly deprives his own life of meaning. In venial sins, on the other hand, that meaning is lessened.

This is so because living a good life means living according to virtue. Any act contrary to virtue undoubtable ensues in unhappiness.

Sin always has a negative bearing on one’s existential condition. One living in sin, lives in a vicious circle, an endless loop of self-inflicted bondage, anxiety and guilt. Sin dwarfs an individual and thus constrains him from transcending towards his destiny. In more vivid terms, sin makes the sinner unworthy before God. Just like the first human parents in the garden who hid themselves from the face of God while covering themselves up of their nudity, one is filled with shame, regret and a profound sense of unworthiness. Subsequently, he considers himself unworthy of grace and all his prayers obsolete and invalid. In order to live with himself, one shuns away and resorts to hiding from God in whose union he is supposed to share. Emmanuel Kant, in his book Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone (1793), states that the guilt of past moral sin posed Mukai -Vukani No.81 | October 2021 |

a serious threat to moral regeneration of individuals since striving for moral perfection can be paralysed through a sense of the intrusion of the moral inadequacies of the past. Above all, sin causes our hearts to constantly pound as if they were to burst in a sense that when we are in sin, we are constantly shaking in our shoes at the fear time may overtake us. Especially during these times were one is infested with thoughts of uncertainties, one lives in constant fear of imminent death and the sinful condition does not make it any better. In fact, it adds insult to injury.

Furthermore, sin is a personal denial to grow to full stature and maturity. The sad and yet unavoidable truth is that in sin, man refuses to become his true self. As previously stated, man is destined for a higher course, one which witnesses him transcend towards the fulfilment of that plan in the creator. In the commission of a sin, man turns away from the creator in whom he realizes his true self and strives towards a lesser good. In his perception of sin, Irenaeus of Lyons, asserts that sin may be thought of as the loss of our Godgiven identity in Adam. Outside of the relationship with the creator, man’s true identity is lost.

The personal nature of sin is undoubtable since sin becomes the result of one’s personal disposition. What this means is that sin is a vivid portrayal of one’s infirmity in personality and spiritual disorder and disease. A great many if not all of the sins that are committed, hinge on one’s personal disposition intellectually, morally and spiritually. There are for example a series of obscene messages that are circulated on social media. It is only through one’s personal choice that such message reach certain people at all. These obscene messages are sent to those whom the sender is aware of the gullibility of the individual who is susceptible to take pleasure in such conduct.

Virtue therefore plays a crucial role in the development of man especially as he moves towards his destiny. All virtue, be it intellectual or moral should be nurtured and channelled towards this particular end. However, as man grapples towards this end, he is soiled by sin which taints and wound virtue while at the same time

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