The Church and Poor Italy

-

The Godfather is loosely based
on poor Italians that took the ship to America. They had many children because contraception was forbidden in the Catholic Church.

The Roman Catholic Church was for the poor in Italy and Ireland. The script was typical Christianity. Suffer in Dublin and Rome but don’t worry. You will inherit the kingdom of god.

The script changed in colonies like Canada. The Roman Catholic Church had a formula, declare indigenous people as half-animal, then treat them as such. That justified taking their kids and locking them up in residential schools.

They are called boarding schools in South Africa, but we went home during Jesus related holidays like Easter and Christmas. We were not totally removed from parents and our languages like in Canada, but we were given ‘civilized’ names like Mary, Sarah, Peter, Paul, Solomon, Joshua and other biblical names.

To coincide with the Pope’s visit, we will shelve the forced names for the time being and concentrate on Christianity and so-called purity. The ‘native’ had to cleansed, purified from himself, way of life, dress code and the land, although the Catholic Church did not emphasize the land reason.

Purity also included sustaining from temptations of the flesh. Africans found this particularly difficult because kids are a joy. In fact, they are regarded as a gift from ancestors.

Because sex was a sin, Africans that converted to Christianity and the RCC in particular, were forbidden from having it before marriage. Parents drummed that gospel into their daughters’ heads because punishment was harsh. They were kicked out of the RCC.

White priests are very few in countries like Nigeria now, but the teachings of the RCC are rock solid. They are enforced by organizations such as the Catholic Women Organization (CWO) and Catholic Men  Organization (CMO). Both are status symbols.

The concept of purity based on how Jesus was conceived, was very easy for the RCC and all churches that came with European invaders. White is pure, the black skin is filthy. It is a lie. That is what the Pope should admit to indigenous leaders that agreed to meet him.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Elections And Political Bullies

-
Image
Forget democracy.   It should be called political bullying. We are watching it in the prelude to the Canadian election on the 19 th of October, 2015.   Americans have also started their political bullying for the looming presidential election next year. So many trees wasted on books about democracy.   Some countries have big budgets for invading other countries ‘ to defend democracy’ but it is seldom practised in campaigning for elections.   Calling opponents names and printing flyers attacking each other is behaviour that will not be tolerated in kindergarten, but it is all legal, in campaigning.   It is irritating and such a let-down to the whole notion of democracy.   Grown-up men and women behaving like Grade One kids. It is also misleading because many voters believe it is real hatred.   Don’t let that fool you.   These politicians play golf together, attend the same dinner parties, eat and drink at the same social events, share jokes and cut deals in parliament.   They
Read more

Comfort Food As Regret Food

-
Image
Chicken curry. Comfort food is good for the soul, which usually bleeds in winter from icy roads, bad drivers that want to annihilate pedestrians, frozen fingers and toes that take a sabbatical.   What happened to my toes?   I thought I was wearing special socks for boots? We therefore have a right to comfort food which throws doctors’ orders out of the window and has no loyalty to calories.   No calculator on the table, thanks very much.   Piece of bread 5 calories, half a banana 10 calories, sugar-free cheesecake 2,000 calories.   Ah! Ah!  We only live once. Naw!   Comfort food is old school food with its compulsory second helping.   It involves licking fingers and giving a big sigh, about the good life, which is shelter, food, love and debt.   The problem is the zip.   The jeans remind you that comfort food can also be called you will regret food .   Home sweet home is even sweeter in winter after surviving blowing snow and bumper to bumper traffic. What is more welcoming th
Read more

Einstein Passengers

-
Image
Being a passenger is very stressful.   You must listen to the owner of the car, nod and grumble yes to everything he says because you don’t want to piss him off. Two things can happen if you disagree with the driver: he can lose concentration and you all end up in a mash-up accident or stop the car and ask you to get out.   That is the driver’s prerogative.   You must listen to me if you are a passenger in my car.   Let’s flip the script for a minute and sympathise with the driver if she has a passenger who is more intelligent than Albert Einstein. He talks non-stop.   It is all about himself, how right he is, how good he is, how stupid his boss is. Einstein is also a driving instructor.   “Careful.   Look at that guy.   Is he crazy or something? ” says Einstein. Einstein is the unofficial pilot.   He presses imaginary brakes in the passenger seat when the driver stops abruptly for a guy who is texting on his bicycle. A certain Einstein took it to another level.   S
Read more