Mon, 08 Jan 2018 13:56:00 +0000
By JUSTINA MULENGA
BANNING churches from having services on the days of worship by government in the name of fighting the cholera outbreak is not a welcome, says 3rd Liberation Movement president Enoch Roosevelt Tonga.
Mr Tonga said the move just deprived of most Christians the right to worship. Speaking in an interview with the Daily Nation yesterday, Mr Tonga said government should rescind their decision to ban churches from having services in order to fight cholera as it has affected the many Christians in the country.
He said Zambia being a Christian nation, government should not be afraid of Cholera because God is the healer of all diseases adding cholera is nothing compared to what God can do in the lives of people.
“I believe Zambia is a Christian nation which is supposed to look up to God when such calamities befall the nation, where have you put the power of God to ban people from attending church services? If God can heal diseases like HIV/AIDS, what about Cholera,” he said.
Mr Tonga said it was embarrassing to other nations seeing that a country known as a Christian nation can ban churches to have services on the days of worship in the name of fighting cholera.
He said people need to be educated on how to keep clean to prevent the spread of cholera and not reaching an extent of banning church gatherings.
“This is the time to call for God’s intervention, a time to call for the nation to pray and seek God’s face, not banning churches from having services,” he said.
He also said there are voiceless Christians out there who cannot speak but feel their rights to worship are being infringed.
The solution is to keep clean and maintain good hygiene in all places, said Mr Tonga.
He urged government to look at the lives of Christians in Zambia being affected when it comes to the ban and reverse its decision and let the people worship God.
“I hope for a great response from government to let people worship God in their churches this week,’ he said.
Mr Tonga said many Zambians will start questioning if government leaders are Christians to come up with such a decision.
“Banning people from holding church gathering because of cholera is inviting the wrath of God to fall on our nation, because it shows we have put the power of God on the side and lifted the cholera outbreak, Zambia needs God’s intervention,” he said.
He said despite the ban, some churches had decided to gather in secret just to worship God which shows that people believe that God is greater than cholera.
