Our beloved country Uganda is weeping, grieving for the innocent lives of countless people - including children - who have needlessly lost their lives at the hands of wicked people in pursuit of selfish ambition and money. There is greed, corruption, and an inhuman thirst to spill innocent blood.
This cry is so loud, that we the church – regardless of denomination – are together declaring a nationwide campaign against this evil of witchcraft and human sacrifice. We are unequivocal in our strong condemnation of this depraved practice, which not only defiles the sanctity of human life, but also reveals the extent to which the core of our society is degenerating owing to greed, godlessness, and moral corruption.
Brothers and sisters, this must stop. We the church, have a burden to repent and renounce the greed, corruption, and selfish ambition that plague our nation, and which have precipitated the evil of human sacrifice by those who practice witchcraft and mistakenly regard it as a means to quick wealth.
For non Africans, the letter is referring to what Africans call "witchcraft" (not the same as African religion or treatment by traditional healers who often are called "witchdoctors" by clueless Europeans).
It is similar to Santara and other AfroCaribbean/Afro Brazilian cults that sacrifice animals to get something, usually power, money, success, or love.
But in this case, they are sacrificing humans to get something. When I worked in Liberia, about once a month a mutilated body would be found, and it was assumed that some rich man was building a store and was burying the genitals or heart in the foundation so it would succeed.
Another aspect is the use of body parts to cure HIV: even the NYTimes has had articles about albino killings to get this medicine.
In Uganda, the "Lord's army" group routinely kidnaps children and uses witchcraft ceremonies to make the children killers.
And it was rumored that Idi Amin protected himself against coups and assasinations by witchcraft: but that he was overthrown when Tanzania's president sent in troops that had a ceremony to protect them from Amin's witchcraft.
The only reason I bring this up is that I wonder how much Mugabe is "western" and just a greedy dictator and how much his power is due to his use of witchcraft. The HIV crisis has caused a revival of use of illicit means to cure HIV...
As for westerners saying, oh those superstitious Africans, could I remind you that Hitler used witchcraft, including occult ceremonies for his SS...
and that in the US alone a million mothers kill their unborn children for financial or social reasons?
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