In view of some of the Mutima church members that HIV testing in their church is not considered a norm, this thesis demonstrates theological teachings on polygamy and HIV and AIDS used by the church founder. ANERELA+ - African network of religious leaders with or personally affected by HIV and AIDS. HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus PL WHA - People living with HIV and AIDS PLWH - People living with HIV.
MAP OF ZAMBIA
Zambia: Population Estimates
According to the United Nations population estimates of 2003, Zambia had people and this placed the country at number 73 in population among the 193 nations of the world. The UN also estimates annual population growth for the years 2000 to 2005 to be 1.16%. During 2003, it was recorded that only 3% of the population was over the age of 65, with a further 48% of the population under the age of 15.
Education in Zambia
- HIV and Aids in Zambia
It is unfortunate that there are not enough HIV testing centers in Zambia, but it is important to note that even though there are not enough, not many people consider HIV testing as a serious issue. Research in Zambia has shown that, "Only 8% of Zambian adults have volunteered to be tested for HlV and know their status". 14'Zambia Emergency Plan'http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/od/gap/countries/zambia.htm accessed 20 July 2006.
Gender and HIV and Aids
The Zambia report on HIV/AIDS states that: "Zambia adopted a National Gender Policy in 2000 to address gender inequalities,?3 Therefore, any program that deals with gender equality is also seen as HIV and AIDS control measures. men and women contribute greatly contributing to the spread of HIV and AIDS in the country, it is important to include as many women as possible in the HIV and AIDS agenda.Furthermore, it is often said that poverty has also contributed to the spread of HIV and AIDS and Aids in Zambia .
Demographic and Background: Kitwe
- The Roman Catholic Church in Chimwemwe Township
- The Methodist Church
49 There was an HIV and AIDS awareness campaign on 21 July 2006 in the Roman Catholic parish in Chimwemwe Township. The members of the Roman Catholic Church visit some people living with HIV and AIDS in their respective homes. The focus of Chapter I is on the HIV and AIDS crisis in Zambian society.
Conclusion
The formation of the Mutima Church in Zambia and its theological teachings on marriage will also be discussed. It comments on the issues explored in this study and makes some recommendations for the Mutima Church. This chapter summarizes the following: the preliminary literature study; the research problem and objectives; hypothesis; theoretical framework.
Preliminary Literature Study
This is therefore the aim of this thesis; to find out the implications of believing in the practice of polygamy in the context of HIV and AIDS. Do the members consider the practice of polygamous marriages as high-risk behavior in the spread of HIV? To investigate whether the members of the Mutima church consider the practice of polygamy as high-risk behavior in the spread of HIV or not.
Hypothesis of the Study
But in popular usage it is used to mean the state of marriage in which there is one man and two or more women. According to the UNAIDS editors' notes: "HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is what ultimately causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)".7o Therefore, in this study we will I refer to the virus by writing the full term HIV. . 34; anything related to sex and reproductive organs is taboo, so child sexual abuse is rarely reported to the authorities".72.
Conclusion
- Issues that Contribute to Polygamy in African Societies
These questions will be discussed as a background to this study of indigenous churches and polygamy in relation to HIV and AIDS. Similarly, the members of the Mutima Church believe that polygamy is initiated by God and is a blessing from God. In short, Hastings notes that both men and women are involved in the initiation of polygamy.
It is also believed that polygamy, especially in the Mutima Church, unites the family of the man and the families of his wives. He argues that Bible translators cannot distinguish between wives and concubines in the context of the Old Testament. She claims that the presence of today's women in the church and society is not recognized.
In Mutima Church, for example, cultural, religious and socio-economic factors silence some women in monogamous marriages. In support of Akintunde, I would say that gender inequalities between men and women in some Zambian societies as well as the Mutima Church contribute to the spread of HIV. Polygamy and HIV and AIDS in the Mutima Church are the main concerns of this study.
In the next chapter I plan to explore some of the reasons that led to the formation of African Initiated Churches (AICs).
Christianity in Africa
- Mission Churches
- Messianic Churches
- Prophetic Churches
With their own interpretation of the Bible, many Africans have established African indigenous churches in many parts of Africa, with the aim of preserving some of African cultural practices and treating each other as equals. The Mutima Church contains some characteristics of the local people such as practicing polygamous marriages. Therefore, the country has incorporated some of the cultural and religious aspects of its people into its doctrines and practices.
For example, some of the conditions set by the missionaries in missionary churches did not accommodate some African cultural practices, such as polygamy. The black leaders gave their own interpretation to those portions of the Bible that confirmed aspects of their culture and customs.l 8. Moreover, the missionaries were always in full control of the African converts and interfered in their cultural practices because they some have condemned. of the cultural practices such as polygamy.
It is important to recognize that the cultural practices of the Africans differed from those of the missionaries. Some Africans, like the founder of the church, Mutima, failed to adapt to Western culture when they found that almost everything that belonged to them had been taken away from them. In his attempt to describe the significance of the formation of the AIC, Anderson claims that the African Pentecostal movement “.
Spiritual churches are different from Messianic churches because some spiritual churches emphasize the ministry of healing in the power of the Holy Spirit and usually the congregants speak in tongues.
The Lumpa Church: Alice Mulenga Lenshina
136 Instead of converting to follow a Christ-like figure like the one in the Gospels, the Portuguese who ruled Angola at the time introduced what Daneel calls a "white Christ" that was more human exploitation,137 in in the direction of the Africans.138 She claimed to be a messenger sent by God to the Bakongo people and advocated for restoration and peace in the country. They believed that she was a healer, especially of barren women, and most women came to her for healing. .139.
However, it is important to note that Beatrice's teachings against human exploitation did not allow the practice of polygamy in her church. It is also clear that Beatrice, as a woman and church leader, perceived polygamy as one of the human exploitations that existed in Africa. She was favored by many missionaries, but a conflict started when she started baptizing converts herself.
It is said that because of his promiscuous exploits, the children in his households suffered chronic poverty and neglect. But Lenshina avoided the sacrament of communion, which she considered an ancestral ritual, and only she was allowed to baptize converts. One reason why Lenshina forbade traditional rituals such as adultery, divorce, polygamy and alcohol in her church was her experience of being raised in a family where polygamy was practiced and she had witnessed how her mother had been oppressed because of her father's irresponsibility.
By 1959, Lenshina had about 150,000 Lumpa members, the largest membership in Zambia.147 When the United National Independent Party (UNIP) was formed in 1959, Lenshina had preached to its members to withdraw from worldly affairs; even children were banned from going to school.
The Sweetheart of Makumbi Church (Ba Mutima)
- Theological Development
- Chishimba's Teachings on Marriage
60 The Bemba is one of the major tribes living in the northern part of Zambia. This is not an easy matter, and it is not openly discussed by church members. God blessed Abraham, Lot, Solomon, David and others in the Old Testament, God also blesses Mutima church members when they practice polygamy.m.
Therefore, members of the Mutima church believe that Chishimba knows how to connect man and woman when it comes to marriage. In addition, the interviewees were deliberately selected because of their knowledge of the Mutima Church's teachings on marriage. Two of the female priests belong to the 'chosen priests' and have children with Chishimba.
This section outlines the research questions that were asked during the interviews with some members of the Mutima Church. The name, age, sex, and position of certain members who were in the church were investigated. In addition, some members of the Mutima Church had difficulty in giving precise reasons for the practice of polygamy and admitting that there is HIV and AIDS in the church.
The study on polygamy in the Mutima Church is deeply rooted in the ethics of research required by the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Conclusion
Ruth and Grace believed that “God's blessing of marriages does not dehumanize the women in the Mutima Church.” The four female priests' understanding of HIV and AIDS is that it is an incurable disease. The four women in God's blessing marriages had the same views on the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Mutima Church members' theological interpretation of HIV and Aids is that the epidemic is a punishment from God. This chapter has highlighted the responses of Mutima Church members on the issue of God's blessing of marriage and HIV and AIDS. In light of the discussion in this section, the theology of the Mutima Church that HIV and AIDS are a punishment from God is incorrect.
Considering what theology of sexuality is appropriate for Mutima Church in this age of HIV and AIDS. We have seen that abstinence as a way to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS is a difficult option in Mutima Church. Therefore, the theology of HIV and AIDS in Mutima Church should encourage and equip its members with the means to enjoy life to its fullest.
Similarly, a proposed theology of HIV and AIDS in the Mutima church should be a theology that equips its members with life; life in its fullness. There is also a need to sensitize women in the Mutima church on issues relating to HIV and AIDS. This should involve both men and women who will work out measures against HIV and AIDS in the church.
