Moving On - Children of the Children of God

New Vision (Kampala)

March 12, 2006
Posted to the web March 13, 2006

Esther Namugoji
Kampala

A NATIONAL False Teaching Awareness Week (March 12 to March 19) has been launched to educate people on the problem of cults in Uganda.

Six years ago last Friday, the world awoke to the news of a mass suicide of cult followers in Kanungu in western Uganda. It later turned out that the worshippers in the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God, led by Joseph Kibwetere, were murdered in a doomsday inferno.

Although government authorities immediately swung into action, the leaders still remain at large. It was the kind of experience that made Christians determine that such an incident should never be allowed to happen again. Yet, like Kibwetere's group, several unorthodox cults have come up, both legally and illegally and continue to lure innocent people into strange dogma.

According to Chris Tuhirirwe of Makerere University Religious Studies department, most people join cults due to ignorance, poverty, desire for recognition and other related factors.

By building public knowledge about cults it is possible to avoid a repeat of Kanungu, Tuhirirwe says.

Recently a cross-section of Christian leaders in Kampala agreed to mark a False Teaching Awareness week starting this year.

African Evangelistic Enterprise's Rev. Geoffrey Byarugaba stated that the awareness week will feature activities geared to increase people's understanding of false teachings so as to avoid them.

Reader's comments on this article
Add a new comment on this article
from steam
Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 13:57
(Agree/Disagree?)
I think this is ridiculous and shows how nonsensical religion can get. "False teaching awareness" -what the hell is that? By who's standards? I couldn't care less about "The Family's" (retarded) theology. It is their actions, and the care of minors I have issue with. Many large religions have absurd concepts, and some like the catholic church have orders that are also dangerous cults. For both the groups, actions are my issue. The belief system is the same for ordinary members and for "initiates" and in both cases I think stuff is bizarre, but it's the membership requirements that can be dangerous for more demanding groups. Anyway a "danger of controling religious groups awareness" day makes sense. A "false teaching awareness" day is just the blind leading the blind.
(reply to this comment)

From moon beam
Thursday, March 16, 2006, 08:37
(Agree/Disagree?)
I agree on the name, it should just be "cult awareness week" but it's a start. If you overlook the title, the aims are very valuable.

"By building public knowledge about cults it is possible to avoid a repeat of Kanungu,"

The important part being "building public knowledge about cults"

Now it could be a translation thing but I believe they have called it "false teaching" week because (for once) this is being backed by a mainstream christian community, sorry cross section, and I don't have to tell you they are against cults because of their percieved false teaching i.e sex with children etc...
Churches are trying to distance themselves from these cultist, extremist offshoots, rather than turn a blind eye, or support them as many churches did with us when we were raising funds to go to India.

"Recently a cross-section of Christian leaders in Kampala agreed to mark a False Teaching Awareness week starting this year."

Africa is suffering from cults aided by (including mainstream religions IMO) poverty and lack of advantages in education and so on, so anything that comes close to warning them that they are suseptable too is another person saved from being mucked up emotionaly and fleeced financially, when they have so little already. (reply to this comment)

From moon beam
Thursday, March 16, 2006, 08:47
(Agree/Disagree?)
Whoops I forgot to make the point clear. After etc.. it should read

.....So there is an obvious bias on the part of mainstream religions in regard to who they believe to be teaching "false beliefs," they wouldn't include all faith, themselves included would they.

Until there are atheists and agnostics willing to start up these campaigns we will see this double standard more and more, it's a pain I know. (reply to this comment)

From In agreement
Wednesday, March 15, 2006, 14:14
(Agree/Disagree?)
I totally agree with you. However, I would support a "teaching content awareness" effort, without claiming that such teaching is false, regarding religions that keep their teachings secret until you are sufficiently roped in. (reply to this comment)