I’m sure other people are writing and talking about this. I’m sure this is yet another one of my posts that will cause people to grab their rosaries and say more than a few Hail Marys for me.
But my heart is breaking for Uganda right now. They’ve been a Democracy for all of five minutes. And what’s their big democratic push? To make homosexuality a capital offence.
That’s what they choose to do with this government by the people. They choose to decide who among them should be killed first. Who among them has committed the worst sin.
I know that AIDS as devastated the African continent in ways that famine, dictators and drought could not. It is a plague of unparalleled horror to the African people. So I understand them wanting to have some sort of scapegoat. But this? This is what you do with Democracy?
It is moments like this that blow me like a hurricane wind to the sticking post of libertarianism. Because I do not trust interventionist government in the hands of mankind. Period. Because for every one interventionist who wants to build highways and schools and Headstart programs you have ten who want to sit around and play Let’s Make An Outgroup.
I am a Christian, that much does not change. As a Christian I accept certain doctrinal teachings about humanity. In other words I believe that all people are fallen out of communication with God. I believe that God has provided a path to repair that communication. I realise that these are not beliefs held by everyone who reads this blog. I understand and respect that about you, my friends whom I love. But I must assert to all who read this–Christian, Pagan, Islamic, Jewish, Other–that in my belief that all mankind is fallen away is also the belief that my job as a Christian is not to go around and punish everyone else. My job is to say “Hey, I have perfect joy. You can have that, too.” That’s the extent of it. I’m not here to play “you’re going to hell! Neener-neener!” I’m certainly not here to send you on your way.
Yes, I still believe in the death penalty. But as I’ve stated before I believe in it as a consequence for criminal action. I do not believe that homosexuality in consenting relationships is a criminal action. It is not murder. It is not stealing.
I realise I’m walking a fine line here. It’s bound to upset those who feel some kind of comfort when someone says “hey, those people are bad!” I’m not here to do that. I think Uganda has lost sight of their humanity in their rush to stem the tide of death. I think that Christians are in danger of losing their credibility as followers of I AM if we do not speak against this dreadful philosophy.
Jesus said, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” Some Christians believe that story should be removed from the Scriptures (see Conservapedia, if you must, for an example). I agree with you, Kat. If we make sin a capital offense, there would be none of us left to execute the sentence.
Because humanity is fallen, our attempts at government are also doomed to be, at best, imperfect. I don’t know what the solution is for Uganda. Is this a necessary stage that comes with democracy? I don’t know. All we can do, besides decry their policies, is pray for them (the victims and persecutors all). And remember that our own government needs intercessions as well.
Thank you for blogging about this.
You are right that many others are writing and talking about this. I am an American living in Uganda, and have had MANY conversations with Ugandans about this issue. I could write a book here about all of the feeling I have around the issue, and all of the ignorance that surrounds it (ie. that western homosexuals are here “recruiting” kids to become gay, that homosexuality has been “imported” by the west and never existed here before, etc).
One this I would like to point out, though, relates to your statement “in their effort to stem the tide of death,” which I assume refers to the spread of AIDS. One thing that gets lost in this is that AIDS is NOT a homosexual disease, particularly here. From the earliest recognition of the disease, you could map out the prevalence of HIV along the trucking routes. It is spread through prostitution, having multiple partners, and women often not having control of their own sexual lives.
You are right that homosexuals have become a scapegoat here. It is important to also think about the political implications of this. If you can put somebody into jail for being gay or even for just knowing someone who is gay, it becomes very easy to imprison your political opponents.
International opposition truly is the only thing that has made President Museveni and others speak out against the bill, so keep up the pressure!