Attempts to regulate religion were bound to fail

Even before the State backed down on the proposed regulation of religious organisations, with the President asking the Attorney General to consult the groups first, the Kenyan Church was unhappy.

Among other things, the government wanted to bar televangelists from asking viewers on broadcast programmes to send money for miracles.

Granted, the government has a point in seeking to protect the public from rogue preachers.

FAKE MIRACLES EXPOSED

Some controversial preachers have recently been exposed to be faking miracles.

Others who are not known to have any source of income besides tithe have lavish lifestyles and feel no shame in flaunting how “blessed” they are.

The country was shocked when worshippers of one miracles-for-sale televangelist continued patronising his church even after his crafted “miracles” were exposed for all to see.

What followed was a public outcry for the government to take action to save gullible citizens from the wolves that don sheep’s skin.

Kenya has been a pretentious secular state, where the law does not profess any religion and all religions are proclaimed equal.

Yet prayers are a must-include in most government and private sector events, where the agenda almost always starts and ends with a word of prayer from one particular religion.

REGULATING RELIGION

The Church has largely enjoyed untempered freedom, with mainstream churches operating under rules set by their respective governing bodies while other churches thrive on the personal whims of their founders.

Regulating religion is not going to be an easy task for the government because faith is not logical.

Faith is, at its most basic, a suspension of human logic, a matter of believing without seeing.

It is hope and for as long as it remains so some desperate sections of humanity shall continue to suspend their sense of disbelief and remain at the mercy of some false prophet.

Karl Marx’s assertion that religion is the opium of the masses somewhat remains true to date and partly helps to explain why youth who have no sense of purpose in life are easy prey for religious extremists such as the Islamic State.

The growing tentacles of faith-based terrorism are pushing governments into a corner where regulation of religious teaching poses a challenge to the democratic ideals of freedom and choice.

Unfortunately for the regulators, history is replete with the triumph of religion over state regulation, right from the story of Jesus.

Even more unfortunate is the continued exploitation of desperate souls by those who sell false hope.

In Kenya it is likely that a good number of those seeking miracles are either ill, jobless, struggling entrepreneurs, or dealing with unfaithful spouses.

The government may not be in a position to do much about unfaithful spouses but it most certainly can and should intensify efforts on poverty alleviation, improved access to quality education, creation of jobs, and a good health care system.

This will offer the alternative hope that Kenyans desperately need.

And even though the problem cannot be fully eliminated because it is inherent to religion and religion does not die with economic progression, it remains the best strategy to significantly reduce the number of people who are at risk of being brainwashed.    

Mr Chando is an Internal auditor at Nation Media Group. [email protected]