Terwyl ons hier in Suid-Afrika rustig kan voortgaan met ons daaglikse lewens, kan dieselfde nie van gay mense in Uganda gesê word nie.
Op hierdie oomblik is daar in Uganda `n grootskaalse vervolging van gay mense, wat `n mens laat dink aan Hitler se poging in 1944 om die Jode in Nazi-Duitsland uit te wis en die volksuitwissing van die Tutsis en die Hutus van Rwanda in 1994.
Teen die einde van 2009 was dit hoofnuus wêreldwyd dat Uganda `n manifes (“bill”) wou implementeer waarvolgens gay mense die doodstraf sou kry. Selfs hul vriende en familie kon ook swaar strawwe opgelê word indien hulle sou weier om hul gay vriende of familielede by die owerhede aan te meld.
Uit verskeie wêrelddele het daar harde stemme van protes opgegaan, sodat Uganda verplig was om die strawwe ligter te maak. In plaas van die doodstraf staar elke gay persoon in Uganda nou lewenslange tronkstraf in die gesig!
Wat het dit met ons hier aan die suidpunt van Afrika uit te waai? Uganda is daar ver in midde-Afrika en ons word mos nie geraak deur dit wat daar gebeur nie. Kom ons dink weer `n slag hieroor en of dit regtig niks met ons te doen het nie.
Daar is twee redes waarom ons deur Uganda geraak word. Die eerste een is dat ons in die mees stabiele en vooruitstrewende land in Afrika woon, met `n grondwet wat die regte van alle inwoners van die land beskerm. As burgers van die suksesvolste land in Afrika moet ons die wenresep van ons grondwet aan Uganda en ander Afrikalande uitbasuin. Hulle moet kennis neem dat so `n grondwet die enigste manier is waarop elke mens in Afrika van `n menswaardige bestaan veseker kan wees. Sonder só `n grondwet loop ‘n land die gevaar dat `n dominante groep na eie goeddunke `n minderheidsgroep se regte kan wegneem. Die oomblik wanneer soiets gebeur, plaas dit elke ander groep wat van die dominante groep verskil, se bestaan in die gedrang. Dis duidelik dat Uganda nog nie so `n grondwet het nie en dat hulle by Suid-Afrika moet leer.
Die tweede rede waarom ons deur Uganda geraak word, is dat die huidige haat teenoor gay mense in Uganda in die naam van Christenskap aangevuur word! Die meeste van Uganda se Christene is goedgelowige mense, en jarelange indoktrinasie deur sendelinge en evangeliste het hulle daarvan oortuig dat dit Christelik is om gay mense te haat, want hulle is deel van die Bose.
Die vurigste prediker in Uganda is ene Rev Ssempa, wat weier om van homoseksuele mense as "gays" te praat, maar daarop aandring dat hulle "sodomites" genoem moet word – volgens die Bybel. Hy gebruik ook slagspreuke soos "God who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah" om daarmee telkens die indruk te skep dat hy die gesag van die Bybel agter hom het. Hy beklemtoon altyd ook dat dit die Bybel is wat die doodstraf vir homoseksuele mense uitspel. Die Christelike bevolking van Uganda verkeer onder die indruk dat hulle aan God gehoorsaam is wanneer hulle die nuwe manifes ondersteun.
Ons moet `n getuienis aan die Christene in Uganda oordra dat gaywees opsigself nie sonde is nie en dat gays ook Christene kan wees. Ons moet hulle oproep om die sogenaamde gay-veroordelende Bybeltekste in hulle konteks te gaan lees en nie maar net op sigwaarde te neem nie. Hulle moet besef dat die Bybel slegs verwys na homoseksuele dade waarin daar geen sprake van liefde is nie. Die dreigende massaverkragting in Genesis 19 het niks te doen met twee gay mense wat mekaar as gelykes lief het nie. By die afgodsdiensrituele waarna Levitikus 18 en 20 verwys, is daar ook geen sprake van `n liefdesverhouding tussen twee mense nie. Die bekende Romeine 1 praat duidelik van groepseks. Die Griekse woord in 1 Korintiërs 6:9 verwys na `n losbandige rondslapery en het eweneens niks te doen met twee mense wat mekaar as gelykes liefhet nie.
As Reformerende Kerk veroordeel ons Uganda se nuwe anti-gay-wetgewing ten sterkste en ons versoek die owerhede om dit te hersien. Vir die Christene van Uganda wil ons sê dat die wêreldwye Kerk verskillende standpunte oor gaywees inneem en dat daar nie net die een veroordelende standpunt is nie.
Vir die wêreldwye Kerk wil ons waarsku en sê: Kyk net watter onreg kan in die naam van Christenskap gebeur wanneer die Bybel op `n sekere manier verkondig en uitgelê word!
photo: Curry/Getty
Gays in Uganda and us
While we are living peaceful lives here in South Africa, the same cannot be said of gay people in Uganda. At this very moment gay Ugandans are being prosecuted on a very large scale, reminiscent of Hitler's Nazi Germany in 1944 and the ethnic cleansing of the Tutsis and Hutus in Rwanda in 1994.
At the close of 2009, headlines hit the world news that Uganda was considering the implementation of a Bill that would lead to the death penalty for gays and imprisonment for friends and relatives who knew about gays, but failed to report them to the authorities.
The international community objected and protested so vehemently that Uganda was forced to review the Bill, and now life imprisonment has replaced the death sentence for those Ugandans who are guilty of being gay!
What has this to do with us, here at the southern tip of Africa? Uganda is far away in Central Africa and surely we aren't affected by what is happening over there? Let's rethink this and whether it really does not affect us.
There are two reasons why we are affected by what happens in Uganda. The first reason is that we live in the most stable and progressive country in Africa, with a constitution that protects the rights of all the inhabitants of this country. As citizens of the most successful country in Africa we must proclaim from the rooftops to Uganda and every other African country the absolute necessity of such a constitution. They must realise that such a constitution is the only way to ensure a life of human dignity to all. Without such a constitution there is a danger that any dominant group might take away the rights of a minority group. When that happens, the future of every other group that differs from the dominant group would be in the balance. Obviously Uganda does not yet have such a constitution and it should learn from South Africa.
The second reason why we are affected by Uganda is that the current attitude of hatred towards gay people has been created in the name of Christianity! The majority of Uganda's Christians are gullible people who they have been indoctrinated by missionaries and evangelists. In good faith they have started believing that the Bible condones hatred towards gay people, since they are inherently evil.
The most charismatic preacher in Uganda is one Rev Ssempa, who refuses to refer to homosexual people as "gays", but calls them "sodomites" – because that is what they are called in the Bible! He also uses slogans such as "God who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah"; thereby implying that he is quoting from the Bible. He also emphasises that it is the Bible that originally instituted the death penalty for the sin of homosexuality. The Christian population of Uganda are clearly under the impression that they are obeying God's Word by supporting the new Bill.
We must convey a testimony to the Christians of Uganda that being gay isn't sinful in itself and that gays can be Christians too. We must urge them to read the so-called gay clobber texts in the Bible in their proper contexts and not to take them at face value only. They must come to realise that the Bible speaks only about homosexual acts where love plays no role. The threat of a gang-rape in Genesis 19 hasn't got anything in common with two people of the same sex who love each other. The idol worship rituals mentioned in Leviticus 18 and 20 can in no way be compared to a loving relationship. The well known Romans 1 clearly speaks about group sex. The Greek word in 1 Corinthians 6:9 refers to a promiscuous bed-hopping, once again where no love between two equals is present.
As the Reforming Church we condemn Uganda's new anti-gay Bill in the strongest terms and we request the authorities to review the Bill. To the Christians of Uganda we want to say that the worldwide Church accommodates differing viewpoints about being gay and that there is no agreement that this orientation should be condemned.
To the worldwide Church we want to say: Be warned. See what kind of injustice in the name of Christianity could result from preaching and interpreting the Bible in a certain way!
