If it holds true that you’re not supposed to believe everything you read, we wonder about this recent feature-story profile of David Bahati (Ugandan Parliament MP and mover of the now-infamous kill-the-gays bill) appearing in Sunday Monitor.
Some choice tidbits:
[Bahati’s biography] is what Barack Obama would call a true example of the audacity of hope.
….
“I have a humble background and owe everything I am today to the community that brought me up – I am a testimony to what one can become when they focus on being useful in life,” said the unassuming legislator….
It is not difficult to see humility and people-centredness in Bahati…. He had never seen himself as a politician and describes himself as a community worker. Without airs of self importance, Bahati impresses at first sight.
….
And because he is a Christian, he says his favourite book is the Bible. Of late, he has been intrigued by Tommy Franks’ American Soldier. The biographical book details the strategies of Americans in Iraq and the enduring spirit of a freedom fighter that involves careful planning, strategy and patience. “I love strategy and every book about strategy fascinates me,” he intimates. “Another book that has won my heart is Becoming a Millionaire God’s Way by Thomas Anderson. It teaches how to make money the godly way,” he adds.
[H]e told me his heroes list is topped by Jesus, who did everything to save humankind. I realised the criterion Bahati uses to choose his heroes is based on people involved in fighting for freedom or inspiring others through charitable means. Bahati is inspired by Nelson Mandela, who was exemplary in terms of reconciliation and conflict resolution. “Mandela showed that it is humanly possible to forgive and forget.” He also said President Museveni inspires him, as does Julius Nyerere. He tells me that more importantly, he likes the works of Mother Theresa, who dedicated her life to taking care of the destitute.
Speaking of Anderson, here’s prose from his own web site extolling both Becoming a Millionaire God’s Way and another of his books:
Many Christians believe that God wants them to prosper, but they have become content with sitting and waiting for God to drop money into their laps. The Bible teaches that God blesses the work of your hand, but if your hand isn’t doing anything, there is nothing for Him to bless. Dr. Anderson explains the process of experiencing God’s blessing through wise investment and the resulting increase of wealth….
In Too Much Money God’s Way, Dr. C. Thomas Anderson shows us that when we are willing to do things God’s way, the blessings of the Lord will shine upon us, and we will become a blessing unto others. He wants us to be wise in learning how the world system works for the purpose of bringing wealth into the Kingdom to accomplish His work.
…And here’s Nelson Mandela on the subject of government-sanctioned extremism:
No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. (Long Walk to Freedom)
…And here’s Mother Teresa on the subject of wealth:
I try to give to the poor people for love what the rich could get for money. No, I wouldn’t touch a leper for a thousand pounds; yet I willingly cure him for the love of God.
…And here’s the man who made the phrase “audacity of hope” famous – Mr. Obama, on Mr. Bahati’s proposal to use the law to kill gay people:
We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are, whether it is here in the United States or… more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda.
Mr. Bahati: successful Christian businessman and member of parliament, with Jesus and Mother Teresa as heroes. What’s not to like?