By JACK MWEWA –
IF bizarre revelations from the local courts and unthinkable escapades exposed through the media are any measure of morality, society could be feared to slowly be drifting to a level of amorality.
A case were five deacons from Lusaka Anglican Diocese last December reported to have sued the church for revised conditions of service which eventually led to their loss of employment raised eyebrows.
When society believes that clergy join the calling to serve the body of Christ rather than to save, dragging the church to courts of law compromises its mandate.
1 Corinthian 6:1- 7; “When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers!
Don’t you realise that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves?
Don’t you realise that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life.
If you have legal disputes about such matters, why go to outside judges who are not respected by the church? I am saying this to shame you.
Isn’t there anyone in all the church who is wise enough to decide these issues? But instead, one believer sues another – right in front of unbelievers!
Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated? Instead, you yourselves are the ones who do wrong and cheat even your fellow believers”.
The above passage addresses conflicts within the church, The Apostle Paul plainly teaches that believers should not turn to secular courts to resolve their differences, directly referring to lawsuits among believers – Christian against Christian.
He implies the following reasons why Christians should settle arguments within the church and not resort to secular lawsuits, that secular judges are not able to judge by biblical standards and Christian values.
That Christians go to court with the wrong motives and that lawsuits among Christians reflect negatively on the church.
Believers’ testimony to the unbelieving World should be a demonstration of love and forgiveness and, therefore, members of the body of Christ ought to be able to settle arguments and disputes without going to court.
The Bible further describes a pattern for settling conflicts within the church as set in Matthew 18:15-17; that one should go directly and privately to the brother or sister to discuss the problem.
That if he or she will not listen, take one or two witnesses, and if he or she still refuses to listen, take the matter to the church leadership.
In another weird incident, a 38-year-old man appeared in court for marrying his 35-year-old biological sister siring five children during their ten-year-old marriage.
The above matter exposed other similar cases where siblings engaged in conjugal closeness, of course not forgetting several incestuous charges before the courts of law.
It is the revelation of such immoralities that prompts questions as to what extent of degradation society has plummeted into and begs for answers.
In the Bible book of Leviticus 2: 6-9, Incest among immediate family is prohibited; “None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord.
The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness.
The nakedness of your father’s wife you shall not uncover; it is your father’s nakedness. The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover.”
In that passage, grandparents and grandchildren (by blood or by marriage) are of one blood, uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews are.
Parents and the spouses of their children are blood relations, siblings, and the spouses of their other siblings are, so are children of a spouse and sibling of a spouse.
Bryson Katele, a retired minister in the Seventh-day Adventist Church attributes moral degradation to broken family values.
“It’s like people are more concerned about their nuclear families and not bothered by what other relatives do,” said Pastor Katele.
He said that as long as society failed to watch over the neighbour and never mind what the other person was doing, morals were bound to degenerate to worst levels.
Pastor Katele said in a case where blood relatives were not available to guide their siblings, society was supposed to check and correct children deemed to be crossing moral limitations.
The case of Paul Phiri who was suspected to have been abusing his daughters, whose mother he had earlier separated from, ended in a catastrophe, obliterating his family with a petrol bomb.
It was later learnt that Paul’s relatives had apparently noticed his distasteful behavior towards his daughters, but when they sort the best way to handle the matter, it was rather too late.
Like a repeat of the Paul drama, Wellingtone Zulu of Kitwe’s Ipusukilo Township poisoned his two daughters before taking his life.
What a world, what a society we are living in today!
Pastor Katele said that although evil and immorality could be as old as humanity, it still remains unacceptable and efforts must be made to remove ugly scenes of abominations.
“Two or more wrongs will never make a right, immorality shall remain as such, no matter who commits it, how it is committed and when it is done, society must correct things,” Pastor Katele said.
Today’s court cases’ revelations simply reflect the other side of society as in the past, much as evil was condemned, it shall remain condemned.
It is in the midst of such confusion that even the good still exists.  It has been said that light illuminates even total darkness.
Refusing to compromise on immorality, efforts and continuous pursuit to eliminating evil, would repel increased wickedness.