President Paul Kagame has questioned why Rwandans, given their history of overcoming significant challenges, would accept misleading religious teachings that could potentially lead them back to difficult times.
President Kagame addressed these concerns on Sunday during the annual ‘National Prayer Breakfast,’ an event organized by the Rwanda Leaders Fellowship. This gathering includes various religious leaders, non-governmental organizations, and top government officials.
The prayer breakfast, which takes place in September instead of January this year, is a time to thank God for the past seven years, celebrate the peaceful and successful elections, and pray for the future five years. This tradition follows the prayer breakfast held in September 2017, which was meant to bless the start of a new seven-year term.
Moses Ndahiro, the CEO of Rwanda Leaders Fellowship, explained that this year’s event was held to thank God for the achievements of the past seven years and to seek divine guidance for the new term. He emphasized that the gathering reflects gratitude for the peaceful elections and the progress made.
However, this year’s prayer breakfast comes after the Rwandan government closed several churches that did not meet required standards in terms of construction and teachings. President Kagame expressed his concerns about this issue, questioning how Rwandans could find themselves in such a situation and why it had reached the point of closing churches.
He recalled a past situation when locusts invaded Rwanda, which was perceived as a major crisis. He questioned whether such issues reflect on the capabilities of the country’s leaders or the quality of their leadership. He wondered why a similar situation involving misleading religious practices had emerged.
President Kagame criticized the practice of establishing churches out of poverty, where individuals start religious organizations for financial gain. He condemned those who exploit religious opportunities for personal benefit and warned that such practices mislead people.
He pointed out that some individuals have used deceitful means to gain followers, such as pretending to have cures for diseases like HIV/AIDS. He recalled an instance where someone deceived many by claiming to have a miraculous cure, leading people to line up with spoons to collect soil from a mountain.
President Kagame urged Rwandans to reject such deceitful practices, emphasizing that the country’s history of struggle should not lead them to accept false promises. He called on religious leaders who are unhappy with the church closures to reconsider their approach and avoid misleading others.
In his speech, President Kagame highlighted the dangers of accepting misleading teachings and practices that exploit people’s faith for personal gain. He urged Rwandans to remain vigilant and to avoid being deceived by those who use religion for their own advantage.
