Church not to blame; society is morally and ethically bankrupt

An unattributed anecdote tells of what would happen if all the world’s money was distributed equally to every human being. Within the first hour, many would have invested their money wisely while some would have gambled it away. Others yet would have doubled their income through various trade related activities even as their friends became victims of con games. By the end of the first day of purchasing and selling, losing and gaining, the income patterns would be more or less similar to what they were before the distribution.

Mama Ida Odinga’s recent Freudian slip revealed a rising exasperation with the church. In not so many words, she called for the regulation of the institution, blaming it for taking advantage of hapless congregants and exploiting them for financial and other gain. Yet it appears, going by the anecdote above, con games are not the preserve of the church. The world will always have its fair share of tricksters and the gullible. American showman PT Barnum put it succinctly when he said, “there’s a sucker born every minute.”

No doubt the Kenyan church is a pale shadow of its former fearless, fiery self. Instead of pointing out the excesses of society, especially prevalent in the political class, it has become their consort in exchange for filthy lucre so that it would seem the church has lost its soul.

But it is not alone. In fact to abstract the causes of deviant behaviour from society’s moral rot and pestilence to failure of the church is a way of covering for the insidious erosion of its mores and conventions. With or without the church, society is morally and ethically bankrupt!

It seems Kenyans have given in to base human instincts so that what was abhorrent a few years ago is now acceptable. Values such as integrity and a hard-work ethic have ceded ground to conmanship, outright theft of public and private resources and anything that gets one ahead at the expense of others.

How else would convicted felons and jail-breakers find themselves in key leadership positions? How does one explain elected leaders with dubious or non-existent academic credentials? When did belonging to the “correct” tribe or family replace meritocracy as a prerequisite for public appointments? Why was Chapter 6 of the Constitution, which deals with integrity, become a mere suggestion to be overlooked or outrightly ignored?

According to Prof Joseph Paul Forgas of UNSW, education tends to reduce gullibility. Writing in The Conversation, he says, “those who receive training in critical, sceptical thinking tend to be less gullible and are less easily manipulated.” Which is why it is worrying that we appear to have an education system that dumps down its stakeholders, barreling on with reforms that hardly make sense. It ignores the protestations of teachers’ unions who have raised concerns some of which include “inadequate capacity by teaching staff.”

Questions arise; does the gullibility of citizens have its roots in the education system that teaches blind obsequence to authority figures? Have Kenyans been so dumbed down that they cannot make informed choices? Certainly, poor choices have been reflected by electoral outcomes every five years where undeserving characters ascend to leadership positions. How different should we expect it to be in churches, mosques, temples, members’ clubs and other social organisations?

The government can regulate until Kingdom Come but as long the system renders many citizens functionally illiterate, con games will continue to flourish. As long as society’s conventions are deliberately eroded, there will be no scruples in the entertainment of fraudsters and charlatans in the hallowed precincts of the Kenyan church.

The situation in houses of worship is merely symptomatic of the fetid rot that is Kenyan society. The church is not to blame per se. Calls for regulation are akin to plastering a band aid on a gushing ulcer. Long-term interventions are needful. The first of these is to fix the education system once for all.

Leonard Khafafa is a Public Policy Analyst