The easiest thing to do is to hate Christianity or even the concept of God just because of Andre Olivier. Already many have fallen for this temptation. It is however understandable that his vitriolic diatribe has put God, the church and Christianity into disrepute.
I will not fall into that trap. Not because I am Christian. In fact I am not. Like all of us I do not know for a fact that there is God. But like everyone else, I cannot prove he does not exist. I do not even know whether SHE is black or white.
But like a good opportunist – not realist, not pessimist and certainly not pessimist – I err on the possibility that he may exist and I do not want to close doors to the opportunities that may come with it.
I know enough not to be distracted by one lunatic to lump everyone into one group or category. And I have practical reasons why I am not going to fall into that trap.
From my days as a young activist, I was inspired by men and women of the cloth who gave God a human face. I was inspired by Father Stanley Ntwasa who opened every political meeting with prayer and assured me that same God wanted us to be free, even if it meant using violence against the state.
I know how Reverend Beyers Naude risked his safety and comfort, and that of his family, by choosing to be on the right side of the struggle. When he went all over the world raising funds to offer bursaries to black children to study and better their lives.
I know that Archbishop Desmond Tutu could have chosen to use the pulpit to preach the hereafter. But he chose to use it for the here and now and used the bible to fight a system that told me that God was white.
How can I forget people like Sister Bernard Ncube? Here is a woman who chose celibacy and purity as a service to God, but asked the same God to give her the strength to fight the violence of apartheid and oppression.
My childhood heroes Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali could have enjoyed life elsewhere, but they embraced God, Allah, and used his teachings to fight evil systems.
Love him or hate him, the black American Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan, has contributed more than most in the world in fostering pride among African Americans, especially male African Americans. And this he did because he believes it is Allah’s will.
Just recently, I discovered Jewish Rabbi Michael Lerner and I fell in love with him, his doctrine and his belief in the goodness of all human, his hatred for racism and oppression and his derision of hateful Zionist zealots.
So I am not going to fall into the trap of vilifying these men and women of God, their God and their religions just because one racist bigot, Andre Olivier hates black people. I am not going to attack the church because a sinner inside preaches hate.
There are many things I question about Christianity as there are many I do not understand about Judaism, Buddhism and Islam. I debate all the time with many friends and associates about blanket beliefs and rituals they associate with being holy.
But that does not make me or them right or wrong. That does not mean their God does or does not exist.
What I look for in people – believers and non-believers alike, rich and poor, male and female, homosexual and heterosexual, young and old, black and white – is the goodness of their hearts and their work.
I do not even care about the methods people employ to achieve what they want to achieve, as long as they do not harm anyone, do not commit a crime or break the law, and do not discriminate against others.
I choose to shun warlords, thieves, haters, bigots, dictators and chauvinists. And this is why I choose to shun Andre Olivier as a hater, a racist and a bigot. I do not care for his God. Actually I hate his God too. Both of them can shove it.
But I do not hate the God of Father Ntwasa, Oom Bey, Sister Bernard, Arch Tutu, Malcolm X, Ali, Michael Lerner, my friends who still go to church, shul and mosque religiously.
I do not hate the God that teaches people to be kind to others. The God that encourages the fortunate to raise funds and build schools, rehabilitate drug addicts and alcoholics and give sanctuary to abused women and children.
All of us have agency. If we choose to do wrong, we are participants in our wrong doing. It is the same as if we choose to look away when wrong is being done. For that, we cannot blame any God but ourselves. We cannot even blame the devil, whoever she is.
So Andre Olivier, you must rot in hell with your god of racism. And give my regards to Adolf Hitler, PW Botha, Mobutu Sese Seko and Osama Bin Laden.
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