From Empangeni
5.86
Dear Pam,
Thank
you for the quilt. I think Stacey has more clothes than me and she is only
seven weeks old.
It’s
amazing how similar in some the local Zulus are to the Tongans. They take to
Christianity with great enthusiasm. They say when the white man came here he
had the bible and the black man had the land. Now it’s reversed. It’s not
completely true as the Afrikaaner is still very religious.
How can
you explain how such different people all over the world call themselves
Christians? I’m a cynic and think that the bible is so adaptable that anybody
can read anything into it. The Zulus love to sing especially in Church choirs.
If you banned singing at the churches they would be empty. It sounds like the Tongans go to church
because they love to eat. The Zulus go because they love to sing.
Christianity
is also associated with hard work, honesty, non-thieving, non-drinking and the
educated more westernized blacks especially want to be thought of as Christians
because of what it means.
All of
the early missionaries were either involved in health or education. Before
1940/50 the main way for blacks to be educated was at Christian schools. In
fact the Zulu word for minister and teacher is the same thing. Even now there
are a few mission hospitals around here, but they are gradually being taken
over by the state. So in those times the most important places in the community
were run by Christians. They were in a very powerful position.
I’m not
really a cynic. I’ve meet many uneducated unsophisticated people who for them Christianity
is the only reason for life. It gives meaning to their life. I’m not going to
argue with these people if they are happy. Perhaps if they came from a
different background I might be capable of believing.
Regards
Alan
No comments:
Post a Comment