Studded with political tomfoolery, it is difficult, if not almost impossible to separate good ideas from bad ones. Source of Ideas are judged according to the background of personalities. If the author’s personality background is unacceptable, his idea is evaluated according to flaws, rather than workability.
Even a brilliant idea gets negatively evaluated, due to author’s unacceptable origin. Potentially, good ideas can, actually, be wholly dismissed, even on grammatical errors, rather than significance. Similarly, in the academic world, ideas are accepted or rejected according to profiles or academic credentials of authors.
For progressive purposes, normalcy implies that ideas ought to be meritoriously evaluated, without considering the author’s background. There is no rule requiring that authors’ background should be necessary—before progressively evaluating the proffered idea—except irrational thinking.
Conversely, if the background source of an idea comes from some approved quarters, flaws are, actually, overlooked. Focus being more on what pleases people, rather than what would be bad or unworkable. This describes how fallacious human behavior can be, as sustaining the stifling of progressive information in institutions.
Christianity seems inapplicable in handling problems, yet Jesus provided Christianity with everything necessary for human survival. Jesus, as author of Christianity, is not viewed realistically. This implies that since the first century, God has been rejected, by rejecting those that God uses in doing His work.
The message gets associated with the messenger, instead of being associated with either, God or the devil. Nobody can know the actual person being used by God, except God, Himself? But a careful observer can distinguish the message that comes from God, as compared with one coming from the devil.
The history of the first century apostles, serves to reveal that God is not, necessarily, interested in the backgrounds of those that He intends to use. Good ideas are the ones that come from God, just as bad ideas come from the devil. Good ideas carry survival information and bad ideas always carry destructive information.
Careful observers can easily construe what good ideas entail—according to how they project constructive and survival values. Their considerations do not, necessarily, reflect the backgrounds of those coming up with such ideas. Jesus works spiritually, using personalities of diverse backgrounds.
Currently, those being used by God, are rejected, unknowingly, by those putting significance on personality background, rather than how progressive the idea would be. This is not a new phenomenon. The personality of Jesus, Himself, was rejected—earning Him humiliation and crucifixion on the cross.
By rejecting any person holding workable ideas, it is Jesus who would be rejected. Regardless of best intentions, theologians seem to be failing to understand the origin of this phenomenon. After having left the scene, Jesus got persecuted by Paul—later opening up to have the same Jesus persecuted through him:
“And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ and he said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting’” (Acts 9:4-5) (ESV).
Saul had all along not envisaged himself as persecuting Jesus—who had left the scene, after all. Paul sincerely assumed persecuting the heretics—seen as advancing ideas of a man, popularly rejected by the religious authorities.
Having been trained under a renowned Jewish scholar, Gamaliel, Saul had, apparently, not perceived how none-scholars could project the things of God. This is typical of theologians, even today. Godly information gets rejected, as long as coming from despised people, who theologians have no time for.
Had Paul analyzed the workability of the early apostles’ message, without personality consideration, he could not have opposed Jesus. Later, Paul became more zealous than those whom he had originally opposed—after discovering the significance of the gospel—rather than personalities.
An idea has got nothing to do with personalities. The foolishness in opposing personalities also manifests in political activities of our country. ZANU PF always throws out workable ideas—as long as coming from the opposition. But, similarly, those from the opposition reject best ideas—when coming from ZANU PF.
Apparently, Professor Mthuli Ncube has come up with radical—but, possibly, workable ideas—according to the economists’ analyses. Yet, it seems, the opposition politicians are not in sync with the positive developments on the ground. It takes listening, to determine what would be workable.
There is no secret in that this country is in doldrums, economically. It can never be easy to correct what is notoriously wrong, without pain. This is just as pain can never be avoided, when straightening up a broken body limb. But a good medical doctor, carefully, manages the pain, towards correcting the crooked limb. There cannot be two ways about it, for the irregularity to be corrected.
Opposing Mthuli Ncube can only come from those benefitting from confusion. Such people may not necessarily be politicians. The corrupt ones seek to maintain ill-gotten gains—without adding value to the common good. The exchange-rate racket is commonly, chief, among those anomalies, as serving the greedy.
Such people are not concerned about ordinary people on the streets. Corrupt people comprise those in politics, including those in business—taking advantage of the current confusion. They have an active role in shaping what prevails in the current civilization. See [The established certainty of God’s Kingdom].
When thinking rationally, to address whatever needs correction, the person may not even be aware of being used by God. Opposing those doing what is right is tantamount to opposing Jesus—similarly to how Paul opposed Jesus. Those opposing such people, can be described as irrational.
Anything adjudged as rational is pro-survival and therefore good to the majority. Yet what is adjudged as irrational, is clearly anti-survival, as negatively affecting the majority. Anyone thinking and acting irrationally is used by the devil.
This represents the only two individual characteristics among those putting across different types of information, for consideration. One would be right, as long as bringing valuable information. The other being wrong, when bringing what negatively affects others.
This does not necessarily imply that populism, as might excite the uninformed, should be regarded as right. It can only be the intrinsic value consideration that needs to be given credence.
Paul—having caused untold suffering to early Christians—became different, after conversion. Those having known Paul before conversion could not begrudge him, as appreciating his mission, after reformation. As soon as Paul started moving in the right direction, he benefited the majority, rather than the minority.
What had become Paul’s current activities, considerably, added value to the majority—rather than the minority in Jerusalem. This demonstrates the putting of value in ideas, rather than in personalities. What is right, portrays advantage to the majority, instead of just the minority.
What is wrong is judged by disadvantaging the majority—though benefitting the minority. Dwelling on Paul’s past mistakes, could have disadvantaged the majority, including us, as currently, benefitting from Paul’s writings.
It is true that Emmerson Mnangagwa, has a terrible past record—associated with bad things—leading to what prevails today. But, using the principle of not associating personalities with background, we can positively complement ED’s endeavors to correct the economy. God can, possibly, use the same man to correct those mistakes.
It is not necessary to remain critical of Mungagwa’s government, when, apparently, doing the right thing. It is possible for things to move in the right direction, under ED’s leadership. What remains of him is moving fast on tackling corruption, and reducing outflow on Public Service payroll.
He needs to courageously flush out the unnecessary posts in the public service. It is unnecessary to remain trepid, on issues like the ghost workers, unnecessarily burdening the government expenditure, for instance.
The police force needs to be, at least, cut by half, or be re-educated to understand professionalism. The National Army definitely needs cutting by half, or more. The CIO, or the so-called President’s Office staff, can still be efficient, even when cut down to about a quarter.
Failure which, those employees should be re-assigned to clearly understand the principle of adding value to the majority. This excludes serving for purposes of maintaining the longevity of the sitting president. Their service should be directed at benefitting the majority, rather than the minority.
The Anti-Corruption Commission should strictly be apolitical—mandated to follow laid-down procedures in doing their functions. Also, it is no secret that the Judiciary has been infiltrated by highly corrupt judges and legal officers. But, as long as applying constitutional provisions, it can, indeed, be possible to flush out such corrupt officers.
The aim of good justice should always be to provide professional service to the majority. As long as the current President is sincere in fighting corruption, it is possible to clean up the mess and bring back sanity in government.
Within a short period of time, it is possible for Zimbabwe to come back to the level of normalcy. Admittedly, ED is more at risk, than would have been the case, had his Presidency come from the opposition, for instance.
Surrounded by corrupt people, having previously supped with him, on corruptible activities, changing the status quo, can be very dangerous for him. How does he trust those chaperons, sounding genuine, but only to earn his approval? Such pretenses being designed to maintain their influential positions.
The human limitations makes it impossible to always tell what goes on in the minds of other people. This is just as it could not dawn on Mugabe that his trusted friend, Mnangagwa, could orchestrate removing him from power. This, simply, represents the clearest uncertainties, not easily handled by physical humans.
The President could, actually, victimize the incorruptible ones, while keeping the corrupt people intact. His biggest challenge lies in that the politics of patronage is too deep, to be taken lightly, in ZANU Pf. However, ED is safe, as long as courageously adopting what is right, leaving out what would be wrong.
Bringing in, someone like Professor Mthuli Ncube, could be a sign that the Present desires doing the right thing. He needs to continue in that direction—even selecting people from across the political divide—for influential positions.
This country needs radical adoption of what is right, than just limiting oneself, on political considerations. However, the actual fundamental changes are needed more in Christian Churches, than in politics. In Zimbabwe we have more corruption in Christianity, than in government.
In fact, Zimbabwe, being identified as a Christian nation, can possibly handle corruption, as soon as Christians become corrupt-free. But, alas, we have more corruption among Christian groupings than in government circles.
Church ministers—when advising congregants to be faithful in tithing, for purposes of being blessed—are corrupt. This includes those using miracles as means to draw followers to themselves. Also, leadership structures in Churches—while necessary—reflect signs of corruption, when established for purposes of power retention.
It is not wrong to tithe in Churches. What is wrong for Church pastors is to make tithing mandatory for ordinary Christians. The duty of those pastors should be to direct congregants to appreciate what Jesus taught—especially the method of giving (Matthew 6:1-4). Giving can be ungodly and corrupt—as long as one gives in order to impress others.
Miracles also advance corruption, as long as being used for advertising oneself. Miracle-performance should not be viewed as proof of religiosity. Jesus miraculously healed many people, but Jesus never advertised Himself. Jesus strictly instructed those benefiting from His miracles not to tell anyone.
He never told those people to go about inviting more people to take advantage of His presence (Matthew 9:29-30). Such practical discrepancies against Biblical record, are currently displayed among most of those Mega Churches. Such miracle-performers would be practicing corruption, whether knowingly or not.
Jesus prophesied about the occurrence of such corrupt Christian leaders, as would come in our generation (Matthew 24:24-25). Most of those Church leaders know exactly how to project what resonates with their gullible congregants. This is why most of them appear as more popular than Jesus was, during His time.
Their followers are willing to die for them. It can actually be difficult—if not dangerous—trying to help those people out of such deception. But all of that reflects corrupt activities in our society—whose origin is, apparently, Christianity.
This is why we have to emphasize that corruption in government and other sectors result from Christians’ departure from Christ’s teachings. When all corruption is handled in Christianity, it becomes almost impossible to have corrupt leaders in government and in corporate businesses. Jesus, actually, said Christians were supposed to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16).
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing reliefs to those having witnessed strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. In a simple conversational tone, most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long awaited providential oasis of hope.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
Also available as an e-copy at Lulu.com for $6.99