State should engage religious stakeholders

It would appear that in its attempt to bring order and accountability to the religious sector, the government could be doing the right thing but perhaps in the wrong way. It is an undeniable fact that all is not well in the House of God, and especially with us who are supposed to represent Him. Scandals of various types have been a serious blight on the already scarred body of Christ, and have caused some of us to walk with heads stooped. But even worse, our society is degenerating rapidly – especially in matters of values, ethics, and morality. That which was an abomination only a few years ago, is now peddled as the progressive way of life. Matters we had difficulties discussing even in private, we now sing and laugh about in public. The government therefore has both the divine and social mandate to ensure that order and sanity obtains.

However, as the various arms of government have sought to exercise this mandate, they have either sidestepped or deliberately ignored critical processes for effective social transformation. Key stakeholders have either been ignored or ridden roughshod in favor of apparent predetermined positions. The result: the very people who could have been allies of government in its transformational agenda, have risen up in near adversarial opposition. And hence the current standoff between the government and the Church on the proposed religious society rules and the broadcast code.