By Dr Masimba Mavaza | Few people almost spend their entire lives trying their best to be famous, but as you know fame is an intangible thing and tough to measure.President ED has inspired many people from different walks of life like celebrities, politicians, businessmen, religious groups and living legends who have been extremely successful in their respective fields.
President Emerson MNANGAGWA nicknamed The crocodile is the most famous person in the world as of 2022. MNANGAGWA who is a politician,is the most humble president and has become so famous such that every person wants to become connected to him. He is one of the greatest professional politician the world has ever witnessed.
Mnangagwa is now one of the highest development focused person with an estimated close to 3 billion dollars of developed projects. These includes the state of the art parliament building and several infrastructure which has taken a new rehabilitated structural faces.
Every Zimbabwean takes pride of the brand ED is grateful and proud to say that since we launched the new dispensation in November of 2017 ED has set new records of the county’s development.
On our way to becoming a rare brand (in record time) and that is an extraordinary accomplishment in the history of Zimbabwe.
The President is also very active on social media site Twitter Instagram and Face book by sharing his progress and plans there by including every one and anyone as Zimbabwe marches towards unprecedented economic development.
However the popularity of President MNANGAGWA has triggered a very serious debate whether Churches must be aligned with the ruling party. The outfits like Mapostori for ED,CHRISTIANS FOR ED have brought serious disgruntlement within Christian churches.
Is it correct that churches declare their allegiance to a political party. What is the role of the church in politics??
The question which is silently asked is,”What is the proper relationship between the government and church?”
Any government must not show preference to a certain religion and that the government does not take away an individual’s ability to exercise religion. In other words, the church should not rule over the state, and the state cannot rule over the church. There must never be a bias by the church towards government and the same applies to the government. It is clearly wrong for the church to support a political party.
There is a great difference between supporting Economic Development and supporting the government. Anything written “for ED” is for Economic Development. It is not anyone’s fault that some think ED means the President.
But there is nothing wrong for a church to engage into politics. Jesus was a politician so was every King of Israel. The Church gets involved in politics because that’s what Jesus did. Following Jesus means getting involved in politics to help serve the common good.
Politics and church are risky things to do at the same time this is very true. But it is neither wrong or a sin.
It is satanic for priests to cause the politicians to ask “who will rid me of this troublesome priest?” A British Priest in 1171 was killed by Four knights with swords in Canterbury Cathedral.
Two centuries later, Archbishop Simon of Sudbury made the mistake of being the king’s main tax collector. After a crowd stormed Lambeth Palace, they took him to Tower Hill, cut off his head and played football with it.
You would have thought that the priests and churches might have learned and keep their heads intact.
The trouble is that’s not what Jesus Christ did. He was never party political. No wing of politics left or right can claim God as being on its side. It is as-well diabolic for any leader opposition or otherwise to say that God is in it.
But Jesus was highly political. He told the rich that, unlike the poor who were blessed, they would face woes. He criticised the King as a fox. He spoke harsh words to leaders of the nations when they were uncaring of the needy.
He did this because God cares for those in need and expects those who claim to act in his name to do the same. That means action – and words.
Actions are obvious.The Anglican Church alone looks after about over a thousand schools (other churches such as the Roman Catholics Seventh Day Adventists have huge numbers of their own), teaching children well, and doing so in many cases in areas of great deprivation.
The churches run debt counselling, and help families in difficulty in marriages and family life. They really are often the glue that holds society together, not entirely alone, but as a crucial part.
National education, many hospitals, most homes for the old the majority of all these were started with or are run by church and other faith groups. Most revolutionary leaders if not all were schooled at mission schools. Zimbabwean President’s use the bible to be sworn in.
Quite rightly people mistrust people who pontificate, lay down the law, tell them what to do or how society should be run.
We are told that one should avoid mixing two things at the dinner table: religion and politics. Clearly they have never eaten at our dinner tables. Religion and politics can be polarizing, precisely because they deal with important matters that are deeply personal and close to our passions. But the mixing of politics and religion does not have to be polarizing or combative. When we are also told that we “should not mix religion and politics.” Again, this saying has a powerful truth: that when religion is used for political purposes, it empties religion of its eternal meaning and becomes just one more cynical method of acquiring power.
But there is also a disclaimer hidden in that phrase: that sometimes when people say “Don’t mix religion and politics,” they actually mean “Don’t bring your faith into the public square where I can see it.” In other words, hide your faith outside of your place of worship because we have a “separation of church and state.” Separation of church and state is too important a concept to be misused — especially not as a tool for silencing opposing views.
Drawing on Christian understandings of justice, generosity and human dignity, they described the kind of country that they felt reflected God’s values better.
Thank God they did interfere. They were political. And in part through their politics, millions now have better lives.
Of course, thankfully no religious leader has the authority that they had hundreds of years ago. But every person, group and institution in our wonderful, democratic country has the right and obligation to care about our future.
There is much to be hopeful about. Zimbabwe is as gifted as ever full of potential, with remarkable people and an extraordinary heritage.
Those values were the reason Christian’s and nonbelievers alike went to the Chimurenga war. The government of different parties created great institutions and systems like the courts and others.
Those institutions did not emerge out of nowhere. They were based in large part on our Christian heritage, put into practice by believer and non-believer alike.
We need to face our challenges today with a fresh vision that is confident, practical and outward looking. We need to be witnesses to the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed, as the churches often are and also by speaking of a vision for society.
There will be great changes in our country through technology and science, through changes abroad and at home. We may base change in good values. We may just let things take their course. Without religion i politics our pride will be diminished, and our contribution to the world stifled.
If we all take part in forming our values, if we base them in what is good and precious in our heritage, then our future can be better than our past. Our children and grandchildren can remember us as a generation that gave them hope and purpose.
It is a shame that some adulterers in the churches have started accusing pastors for aligning themselves with the ruling party.
Elders like Elder Kudakwashe Tagwirei have received a sharp end of the unreasonable attacks for showing their allegiance to the government allowed by God to be, for nothing can be
Without God saying so.
Some Adventist brothers who are more sinners than the
Devil have turned their
Satanic abuse on Pastor Aaron Rusukira. They think that God is their personal property. These people who accuse Mapositori for ED and Pastors For ED are more sinners than those they castigate.
If it is a catholic priest lambasting the government they call it freedom of speech. But if the same priests praise the government they flip the coin.
While there is a big line between Religion and Politics. God sits on His seat and looks upon us. Regardless of your political inclination God will appoint the leaders of his choice.
Religion or no Religion God is for us all and politics is an administration and governance so is Christianity.
Tagwirei prays God for his own soul so he is not moved by one’s satanic belief so is Rusukira Guti or Makandiwa. It is only God who understands and knows your heart.
Anyone who loves his country must be for ED for the good of the people.