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Do not use the pulpit for politics, SDA president tells faithful
The president of the general conference of the Seventh Day Adventist, Dr Ted Wilson. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
- Quoting from the bible(Gen:1:28), Mr Museveni called on the visiting SDA President to emphasize to the members of the faith the mandate bestowed upon them by God to establish dominion over nature.
- “The bible says in Genesis, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth,” and this what should be emphasized in keeping nature,” he said.
KAMPALA. The president of the general conference of the Seventh Day Adventist, Dr Ted Wilson, has warned the faithful to desist from using the pulpit to make political statements.
Pr Wilson, while preaching to the thousands of SDA members who turned up for the service at Kololo ceremonial ground, said the pulpit should be separated from politics.
“It is against our code of ethics as SDA to stand on the pulpit and start to campaign for someone. Telling them to vote for this one or the other, support this policy or the other. Our work is to preach to the people and show them the right way to heaven and not involve ourselves in politics,” he said.
In the recent past, both the Catholic Church and Church of Uganda have come out strongly against the amendment of Uganda Constitution.
During the recent row to have article 103b changed to scrap age limit, the Archbishop of Gulu, John Baptist Odama, came out strongly to caution the President Museveni against appending his signature on the Constitution Amendment Bill 2017 that had been passed by Parliament.
Archbishop Odama said if President Museveni signed the Bill knowing that it was passed without the views of majority Ugandans, he [Museveni] will be tormented by his conscience.
The president came out to warn church against getting involved into politics, advised them to mind their business.
Pr Wilson, accompanied by his wife, Nancy, have been on a pastoral visit to Uganda since February 14, 2018.
Upon their arrival, they held a press conference in Entebbe before proceeding for a dinner at Munyonyo. He then went to Bugema where he commissioned a building, went to Kasese, Lira, Jinja before he held a meeting with the president at State house on Friday.
During the service, he hailed Africa for holding onto the right and ideal norms of family as ordained by God.
“Family is the cornerstone of society. Western culture has tarnished the whole meaning of family,” he said.
“But here in Africa God has given you a sacred belief in family. Do not accept the foreign culture to influence you on the idea of marriage. Do not be violent and continue to love each other,” he added.
During the same event which President Museveni attended briefly before proceeding to the North, he commended the SDA Church for combining the preaching of the gospel with the economic emancipation of its followers, a path, he said the NRM Party believes in.
“The Bachwanga (SDA) don’t only preach the gospel but also deal with economic issues. Yesterday (Friday) when I met you (Pastor Dr. Ted Wilson President of SDA) in Entebbe, you told me that part of the pillar of SDA is to deal with the health issue and feed the hungry like Jesus did. That is what our Party, the NRM believes in,” he told the cheering congregation.
Quoting from the bible(Gen:1:28), Mr Museveni called on the visiting SDA President to emphasize to the members of the faith the mandate bestowed upon them by God to establish dominion over nature.
“The bible says in Genesis, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth,” and this what should be emphasized in keeping nature,” he said.
