A scientist has urged the church to redeem its image, by consulting experts before making conclusion on health matters, since their voice was believed by a large sector of society.
Dr. Meshack Obonyo a lecturer at Egerton University said the two pandemics, HIV/ Aids and Covid-19, have caught the church in a slumber and it is time they re-examined their negative voice on scientific matters.
He said during the HIV/Aids pandemic in the 1980s-90s, the church resorted to blaming the sick people instead of consoling them and unfortunately there are still religious leaders who mislead their members from taking anti-retrieval drugs which have been proved beyond doubt to save lives.
He added that as the world celebrates important milestones in the management of Aids, the church should smarten up.
He said there was actually very little contradiction between science and religion since both aim to save and make people’s lives better. However, he said while religion promises a better lifestyle in the heavens, science endeavors to make earth a better place on a daily basis.
In addition, he said no continent has a better capacity of fighting pandemics than Africa, because the natives are used to solving intricate problems on a daily basis without much help and in most cases without any money at all.
He gave the example of a sick person being carried by porters or a wheelbarrow, which proves the extent to which lives are valued and important roles which the community plays in the management of diseases.
He urged the community to use the same resourcefulness in the control of the covid-19 pandemic because it’s easier to prevent than losing lives since there isn’t a known treatment regime, yet.
He noted that the public health protocol rules of wearing masks, keeping distance and washing hands were manageable at the community level, and all that was required was adherence, and ignoring conspiracy theorists, who are unfortunately, many in churches.
By Veronica Bosibori
