I have been following with great interest the saga of Pastor Paul Mackenzie of the Good News International church and the Shakahola incident leaving 240 dead.
For those who don't know he ordered his followers to starve themselves to death saying the end was near and that they would meet Jesus sooner if they died now.
This is not as odd as one might think! At one time slavery in East Africa, notably in Zanzibar, and the USA was considered an acceptable mode of behaviour—a good thing to do. In the American South slavery was defended on religious grounds, authorised by God and Jesus.
Here in Kenya our political elite are so prayerful. I wonder if their prayers will put food on the tables of the 3 million unemployed or pay for the hospital bills of those injured by the police or goon squads for demonstrating against increased taxation and the high cost of living!
Putting Mackenzie in solitary confinement in prison for preaching "suicidal religious radicalisation" is a value judgement, a cruel and inhumane thing to do.
Every day hundreds of thousands of people around the world, finding life too difficult, take their own lives through alcohol consumption and/or, drug addiction; remaining unacknowledged. What happened to personal responsibility?
