The Growth of Contemporary Christianity in Uganda (Research Paper Sample)

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The growth of contemporary Christianity in Uganda
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The growth of contemporary Christianity in Uganda
Introduction
The tremendous growth of Christianity in Uganda is one that has baffled Christian scholars and historians alike. That Christianity came to Uganda and quickly got entrenched in Uganda is a spectacle phenomenon. By the time the first missionaries arrived in Uganda in the late 19th century, Islam was already deeply rooted in Buganda. The then Kabaka Mutesa particularly liked ideas of trade and civilization. It is against this backdrop that he welcomed the Arab and Swahili traders in Buganda (Oxford University Press, 2005.)
His strategy was to open up Uganda, then Buganda, to the rest of the world. As the Arab and the Swahili traded in Uganda they interacted with the Ugandans and in the Process the Ugandans and acquired their culture and religion. Their religion was Islam. So by the time the Christian missionaries came to Uganda, almost a century late after the great Christian revolution had begun in Europe, Islam was the main religion in Uganda. Within a period of three decades Christianity had infiltrated Uganda, surpassing even the influence of Islam. But what were the reasons for this phenomenal development?
To help understand the growth of Christianity in Uganda it is important to understand the Buganda kingdom. The Buganda kingdom was the most powerful kingdom in Uganda, headed by an autonomous king called Kabaka. The Buganda kingdom was what historians would call the heart of Uganda then. The Buganda kingdom was a highly centralized one with equally stronger structure. The system was responsive to change, and adaptability, perhaps the overriding factors for the acceptance of Christianity into Uganda alongside Islam.
Christianity and Islam in Uganda
These were two most powerful world religions in the 19th century. Each was asserting its authority in Africa and around this time. They conflicted on several occasions due to their varying religious ideologies. However, it is important to note that both of them believed in basic religious ideologies like the holy trinity, the holy book, a holy day dedicated to prayers, and life after death. While the Muslims believed in the Koran as the holy book, the Christians believed in the bible. While the Muslims worship on Friday, the Christians worship on Sundays. Both believed in the need for civilization and education and enlightenment tools for the society. In many ways their views and values complemented each other. They both respected the African heritage and believed in preserving it. So even as they spread their ideologies they preserved the religious views of the Ugandan people. They both preferred to retain the identity of the Ugandan religion, the ‘dini.’So they did not impose any religious names of God to the Ugandans; the name of their god, their creator and source of hope, remained Katonga. Islam, through its sharing teachings and emphasis for knowledge among the Ugandans had created a thirst for enlightenment among the Buganda people, so when the missionaries came they built upon the Islamic vision to provide education to the Ugandan people. In a way Islam opened ways for Christianity to entrench itself in Uganda. As they provided education they spread Christianity(William Carey Library, 1976).The missionaries made use of the printing machines they had to print books and translate the printed work to vernacular so they would easily understand. Perhaps these are some of the strategic measures employed by the missionaries so as to penetrate Uganda. Islam was thus reduced to a spectator religion in Uganda.
Kabaka Mutesa's disillusionment with Islam
It will be recalled that Mutesa patronized Islam so much from the onset. In fact, he learnt Arabic and converted to Islamic religion. But the Muslims of Egyptians frustrated him with their advocating for the annexation of the great river Nile. The then Kabaka became disillusioned with Islam and Muslims, since lake Victoria was the source of river Nile. The visit of some Egyptians in the late century, believed to be around 1876 soured the relations further. He interpreted the visit as take over of some Buganda regions, especially those around the Nile.The Muslims further bruised his ego when they asserted that he was unfit to lead Friday Muslim services because he was uncircumcised. The Muslims further imposed their Islamic diet-that included abstinence to meat-on the Buganda people. In the process, they undermined the King’s authority. What had began as trade, and civilization was now gradually being turned into a political creed, that criticized the Kabaka administration.Sir Henry Mortal, a veteran Anglican missionary leader visited the Kabaka around this time, and informed him of the missionaries’ religious intent in Buganda. This offered him an opportune time to welcome the European advent in a bid to offset the Egyptian threat.
Arrival of Christian missionaries
When he went back to England, Bishop Stanley, through the famous telegraph exaggerated the readiness of the Kabaka to accept Christian missionaries in Buganda. A band of missionary enthusiasts was assembled to participate in the Uganda Christianity cause. A couple of years later the French white fathers also arrived in Buganda. This period is estimated to be between 1879 and 1880.The presence of these Christian factions immediately sparked controversy. The years that followed witnessed growing suspicions and conflicts between the two groups, the protestant Christians and the Catholic Christians. Each faction viewed the other as sabotaging their Christian expansion efforts. It is worth noting that Catholic Missionary society had pioneered evangelical work in some East African regions. Ironically, it was this religious warfare that that fuelled the spread of Christianity in Uganda. It was the zeal and passion with which these groups competed to spread the word of God that won the hearts of many Ugandan converts. Many converted to Islam. There was a massive response from the younger generations who frequented the religious courts in a bid to receive the gospel. The French white fathers, Catholics, withdrew from Buganda towards the end of the nineteenth century. The events that followed are fast paced. After the white fathers decamped from Uganda, the hostilities between Islam and Christianity continued. Kabaka’s hatred for Muslims increased such that he butchered about 100 Muslims. While Kabaka did not openly oppose either Islam or Christianity, he was able to keep things under control. However his successor openly opposed the Muslims. In order to assert his authority and to show his lack of conviction of foreign and Christian faith, he openly persecuted Christian in the infamous ‘Ugandan Martyrs’ of 1885. He killed them fearing that they were political and he deemed them a threat to his reign. This act signaled his assertion of Buganda’s political power.
The great Christian revolution in Uganda
Following the political implications of the new regime, Christians all over Uganda, stepped up efforts to reaffirm their great desire to spread evangelical work. The British imperialists had already colonized Uganda around this time. Perhaps it was the support of the British administration that helped spread Christianity. The speed and zeal with which the missionaries worked was stunning. As they converted Ugandan Muslims and Ugandan non-Muslims, they spread education. They even offered health services to the new converts. The Missionaries traversed all parts of Uganda. Pundits argue that perhaps it was the death of the Uganda...