Religion and Culture

In the United States, religion is largely private endeavor.  You may practice and believe deeply, but to ask a casual acquaintance is not considered proper etiquette.  Your beliefs are yours, and with the multitude of them in our country, usually they are kept to yourself.  At least where I come from.

In Uganda, this is not the case; religion is a deep-rooted conviction that is openly discussed, praised and assumed.  It is not even a question if you are Catholic, of course you are.   God, Jesus and the Lord are mentioned in nearly every interaction. I can only guess this is a result of the heavy missionary presence in the country, but to be honest I am not sure its origins.

Now, cards on the table…I am not a practicing Catholic.  I attended the appropriate schooling and was confirmed, but (and apologies to my dear grandmother) somewhere along the line the tradition did not get passed to me.  

But I truly do respect the role religion plays for some people.  I can understand the desire to feel a part of something greater.  Particularly in a country that has seen such senseless devastation, I can relate the need to believe in an omnipresent being that watches out for you.  It is almost a way to make sense of the cruelty – a layer of protection they can shield themselves with.  And truthfully, religion has the ability to build powerful and important communal ties (provided you are on the right side of some historical events)

But I do not believe in creationism.  I do not believe in the indisputable word of the Lord or the immutable truth of the Bible.  Jesus lived…but evolution also happened. 

I came here knowing I was entering a deeply religious culture, although admittedly I was surprised by the creationist twist I encountered in the North.  I expected to pray, attend services, listen to gospel and even participate in Bible discussions.  And all of those things I have done willingly and – I hope – respectfully.

And I have enjoyed some of it.  They take a more uplifting approach, praising Jesus happily and with vibrancy.  The vitality of services and sense of community it inspires are noteworthy.  Things that perhaps have been lost in the version passed to the States.  This was the part of their religion I was even excited about experiencing.

But there are a few instances that rendered me very uncomfortable.   I know religion is a touchy subject and I run the likely risk of offending some of you.  However, I felt I would be remiss in my documentation if I didn’t address it.  It is, after all, such a large part of their society…and therefore of my days here.

The first of such instances occurred one night after returning from KEFRAMA.  We got back late from the school, around 730pm or so and discovered four new men at the home, who were introduced as Susan’s friends from church.  We were told on the spot that there would be a prayer group that evening.  Chelsea and I expected the usual praying, singing and readings, but in fact this was more of a class.  The men started with Genesis and covered creationism and crucifixion in great detail.  Augustine and Susan both left the room for long periods of time (including to bathe), and it was clear these men were there specifically to teach us.  This session went on for over two hours, ending at about 10:30pm.  We were not able to shower or even use the restroom first.  It culminated with a question:   have we, or would we now, accept Jesus into our hearts?  We both felt very put on the spot and were unsure of how to answer without being dishonest to our personal beliefs or offending them and our hosts.  Up until that moment, we had never been asked our belief system, so this whole evening came across like we were notoriously poor Catholics that had to be shown the light (not inaccurate, but presumptuous).

The second incident occurred about a week later.  A few neighbors and students from the school turned up as we were finishing dinner around 9:30pm.  Augustine turned to us and said they used to run a prayer group but had stopped for various reasons and God was angry with them.  He then said he had two questions for us.  The first related to a specific passage in the bible show we had just been watching.  Fine.  All over that.  The second was whether we realized that God had sent us to Uganda, or if we thought we were just here “taking a break from our regular jobs.”    At this point, all of the neighbors had fallen asleep.  Again, we felt a little cornered…wondering if we had failed them in some way.

These nightly sessions have actually become a semi-regular occurrence, with Augustine reading passages from the Bible asking us questions about them.  Why did God do this…What does it mean that this apostle did that?  These questions are always directed to us specifically, and we are usually the only ones who contribute in these conversations.  While Augustine is gracious, it makes us feel a little uncomfortable – particularly on the occasions when we do not get the answers “right”. When asked why God would kick people off their land to make room for the chosen Israelites, I for one, do not know if it is appropriate to respond “because he is jealous and vengeful.”  Apparently, it is.  But those words are not coming out of my mouth first.

That said, not all of these experiences have been negative.  This past Friday, a visitor secretly informed us that Susan was hosting a “surprise” Fellowship session for us on Sunday.  Chelsea and I feared another lesson, but what turned out was much more enjoyable.  A large group gathered on the porch, sang gospel songs, shared experiences where God touched their lives, and prayed for one another. 

Somehow during that session Chelsea and I ended up the designated child wranglers.  Chelsea had been handed a strange baby, who she continued holding and soothing throughout the two hour session.  I had Empeneza on my lap and the two stray toddlers also clawing for attention.  My personal favorite moment was when Zita, my least favorite stray, attempted to climb over the side of the chair and into my lap.  Empeneza became territorial, yelling something that included the phrase “my mono (white person)” and pushing Zita of her stool.  No one in the group even flinched.  And then Jonathan peed his pants.

Fellowship concluded with tea, snacks and laughter.  All in all, it was a nice way to spend an afternoon.

I don’t have any grand conclusions to draw here. Religion is far too broad and complicated a subject for me to even attempt to surmise. But I started this blog with the intention of documenting the good, bad and bizarre moments of an unusual experience I am fortunate enough to have.  In Uganda, at least for me, that includes honestly facing religion in all its configurations.

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{Writer's Edit:  We are  the first international people Augustine and his family has encountered that did not come to them through a religious organization.  I think they honestly do not understand that religion is not as big a part of our lives and that some of these actions might make us uncomfortable.  While it can feel oppressive, judgmental and exhausting at times....I don't believe that is their intention.  It is just how they live.

For example, an overnight prayer session was held at the house last night.  About ten (toothless and traditional) women traveled for an hour in the bed of a pick up truck to spend all night sitting on a mat on the porch chanting, singing and praying.  This is a normal practice, and one Susan has attended on several occasions already.  Once, she even went to a three day session of this nature.