I still remember, as children and even in teenage, we used to eat raw fruits, some gotten through ownership at our homes, others by permission from generous people, but sometimes through devious means like stealing – you know how naughty childhood and adolescence can drive people crazy! We used to pick and eat raw papayas, guava fruits, mangoes, oranges, lemons (bitter as they can be when they are not yet ripe), and all sorts of other palatable fruits that we could land on. As you know, youngsters, like soldiers walk on their stomachs – they cannot possibly evade the temptation of having nutritious and energizing stuff to eat and drink, because unlike aged folks, they need a lot of energy to operate, by playing or by fighting.
Eating raw fruits could not happen without some accompanying cost. Those who have the experience of eating raw citrus like oranges and lemons must admit that eating them in plenty often puts the teeth on edge. But teeth getting on edge, is incomparable and perhaps incompatible with the taste therein, and a full belly! Even though soon after enjoying the raw citrus breathing in through the mouth becomes a challenge, it is only a pastime inconvenience that children do not mind to endure, as long as they have had their fill. Sometimes taking so much raw fruit begets indigestion and constipation, but do the children care – they know they would soon get over those. They have to live a life! However, the greater cost comes in when there is theft of the said fruits involved. I am not afraid to share my experience in this regard.
During my elementary days, I had a spectacular experience. School day had just ended, and I was walking home with a number of my colleagues. As we walked along, we saw a mango tree, fully blown with fruit, some ripe some raw. Oh, temptation: we were overcome and we decided to steal the mangoes. We invaded the fruity tree; some of us stayed on the ground but others took to the branches to pick fruit, throw them down for us to pick, in a hurry and flee of course, before the home dwellers spot us, and we get into trouble. Little did we know that the householder was home! He ingeniously waited for a bit of time, to watch the scenario in his compound, children attaching his mango tree, and then all over a sudden he emerged from the house with a spear and a machete, running towards us. Boys from the tree had already thrown a few half-ripe mangoes, and some of us on the ground had had a bit of bite into them, some raw as they were, in addition that the whole day’s school hunger. I remember the householder coming after us wielding the machete, and shouting nasty words at the naughty boys and girls who were stealing his mangoes. Those of us on the ground took off in a split of a second, leaving the mangoes we had gathered, regretting that we had not had the time to take them with us. But there were some of our colleagues still up in the mango branches, and they were at risk of being harmed. However, one of the boys was crafty enough; he was a quick thinker, and hatched a plan of rescuing himself and his other companions. He told them, “as soon as the man comes close to the tree, pick raw and hard mangoes, throw them and hit him.” That plan worked: soon the man was getting pellets of raw mangoes hitting him in the face on the chest and all over his body, amidst cries in native language: “Foolish bastards, naughty thieves; you steel my mangoes and do this to me?” By then the little ‘monkeys’ were already down the tree, and on the run for their dear life. The survivors soon joined us where we were awaiting them in the place of hiding. We all thanked God for surviving the incident, even though the craving and the hunger for those abandoned fruits were still with us. But we also knew that we had won the battle, but the war was still on. This man went to our school which was in the vicinity of his home and reported what had happened. The following day the head teacher called an assembly and asked that the “thieves” come up and present themselves! Since we were not sure whether some of us were clearly identified and personally reported by the said household, we did not dare hide; we all submitted ourselves to the administration. You can’t imagine the spanking, the lashes, and additional physical punishments of digging and slashing the compound on the school premises we got. After all that one would wish that it would be the last time we stole fruit, but no: the story of children climbing, making noise, loving sweets, climbing trees and sometimes chairs, stealing fruits and other stuff goes on, from one end of the continent to the other, regardless of nationality, race, religion, status, or color. It is simply persistent and endless; that is the stack truth. I thank God that I survived the childhood and adolescence upheavals, but life’s challenges continue and not in little bits, but in abundance. So help me God!
The moral of the story is that childhood innocence should never be mistaken for mischief. Children should never be violated, because of the minor mistakes of playfulness. Hence, the reason why I chose to begin this article with this lead story of my early reminisces. I started with the above lighthearted background to more serious issues that this article hopes to address. The issues are captured in the title: “ADULTS, NOT UNDERAGE” - A CASE IN DEFENCE OF THE INNOCENT. Actually, I had originally chosen the second half of the title to be, “Evil times and the Tragedy of Child Abuse”, but I thought it would put off the reader before even delving into the article. Yet the truth remains: child abuse must never be taken lightly; it is a serious evil of our times.
In the last decade or so, we have had endless lawsuits against high ranking officials, secular and clergy, regarding the abuse of minors – reference of such abuses sometimes goes as far back as 50 to 70 years. Even those accused are long time dead, may God rest them in eternal peace. Some of these abuses are not only a reserve to minors, but also to adult men and women. Even if there is much shouting against men abusers, but there are reputable women who are also involved in abusing the opposite/complementary gender. So women cannot be wholesomely exonerated, unfortunately.
However, what has been taking place in the last decade or so is quite alarming. Several personages from all states of life have been implicated in the scandals of child abuse. In Uganda, not long ago, a pediatrician gynecologist doctor was implicated, prosecuted (after he admitted) and given a substantial prison sentence, for sexually abusing a little girl (call her a baby) of 2 years. Now, a gynecologist doctor is trained to know the anatomy of the human body from infancy to adulthood. He knows when the human body is ready for sexual activity. How could that so-called doctor invade the recently unborn and abuse her? That is really sick and sickening, and without mincing words, evil. What pleasure did he even get from this encounter, anyway? And what a shame on him, and the whole of humanity!!! May the Lord have mercy on his soul, wherever he will be!
Analysts say that what is taking place in our time borrow from the evil times of Biblical times (read the dark ages, and the perversity that was taking place then in Rome and in Corinth (Read Genesis 6:1-18; Romans 3:9-18; and 1 Corinthians 5:1-8).I appeal to the reader to take careful reading of the texts that I have provided, and one will find that as early as the Book of Genesis moral atrocities were galore. In the days of St. Paul, from what he writes to the Romans and the Corinthians, the situation was no better. There is even speculation as to the less obvious why the Mighty Roman Empire eventually fell: that emperors and their security solders with time during times of peace, were bathing water in swimming pools and spending time in saunas; they were drinking lots of wine (alcohol), and engaging in relentless sexual activity. For that reason the soldiers that would be strong enough to fight off the invading enemies, did not have the energy to fight back, and consequently were conquered. Whether the theory is true or not, it points to the reality of the harsh consequences that can result from ravenous, erroneous and misdirected pleasure, something we might be experiencing today.
Let me give my opinions regarding the problems concerning sexuality that we have had and are still having nowadays. First of all, in my view sex and pleasure have been given a Kingdom of its own: by the media, by the advertisers in their commercials (to make market for their stuff), by the beauty industry, by ?”farshionists” and designers , since they know that every person is attracted to women (a very powerful human instinct that touches and invites interest to a, all ages), politicians, business people, top administrators, and men and women of influence, because they have more money than what they can spend. As a result of such advertisements, almost every man and woman is fascinated and enticed to engage and enjoy sexual pleasure. Who would want to miss such an opportunity, even if there is a price to it!
Secondly, there is what has been termed as the “Women’s Lib”. The contemporary world has given the women to emerge from the shadows of permittivity and the suffocation of male dominance. They can now speak out the way they want; they can choose the fashion of dress they prefer; they can eat the foods they crave for, without men putting on them restrictions on dress or eating habits (as it used to be in African culture – that women would not eat goat’s meat, or certain organs/meat of slaughtered animal, or grasshoppers, etc), and to chose whether to get married to whomever, or not to marry and stay single. It is said that some women prefer to stay single, get a friendly gentleman, with whom she could have occasional or provisional sex, get a child, preferably a girl (who will most likely involve her in consequential marital issues, and then live happily thereafter. It is also being speculated that because of the women’s liberation and influence over men, the latter have gotten afraid of getting married, and have opted for male sex (homosexuality) and women lesbianism. These are still at the level of speculation and opinion, and may not be taken seriously on the formal pedestal. Let the reader keep pondering on them in his or her heart.
However, it seems to me that women liberation is a blessing and curse to our present circumstances – because of too, too much freedom given to the female gender, and of course they are the majority on planet earth, fortunately. What would we do without the female gender in all aspects of life? Some crazy person invented a word that women are the weaker sex! Wrong: without women we would have ailing families or not standing at all; men would lead unhappy marriages, Churches of all denominations, and other religions would be empty; several men would starve walking on empty stomachs because no one has cooked for them; and no one would be at the foot of the cross, when some person has been persecuted or crucified; and we would not have the memory of the Pieta in honor of Blessed Mother Mary (I am writing as a Catholic).
All that aside the thing is, whatever has taken place over the years about the abuse of women (and include men), and underage females and males. That is excessively regrettable. We all have to hit our chests, and ask God forgiveness. Catholics must go to go to their priests, attend the Sacrament of Confession with remorse and determination to change and have their sins forgiven, and promise that they will be a converted and changed flock. People of other religions, Protestants, Buddhists, Hindus, Zoroastrians, professed Atheists, and Gentiles/Pagans, can find their way of repentance. Why do I speak so strongly? It seems to me that there is some evil force behind the times we are going through, which needs to be address, and as soon as is yesterday, or years past!
I understand that to be human is to err; but remember to convert and believe is to be saved – what a happy privilege for the reserved few! Yet we have to take into consideration the motivation behind the law suits. Why O. J. Simpson, Why Mike Tyson? Why Tiger Woods? Why Bill Crosby? And the list goes on that touches high personages and celebrities. The persons I have quoted are people of color, but what I am saying has nothing to do with racial prejudice (but if it is involved let be flushed out). The point I am driving at is to make known to the readers that often persons who are accused of abuses and prosecuted, including the renowned comedian Bill Corby, who recently was given a prison sentence of 3 to 10 years in prison, at his age (and who might die in prison due to his age), are targeted because of their financial status. I might be mistaken but I think the reality. Think about it. In this time and age, would a poor person or impoverished individual be brought to book, however sexual atrocities or others he/she has committed? What would the prosecutor gain?! The answer is, “if no gain let them be free, fault or guilt?” In many instances it is a question of seeking for compensation in terms of money. Money, money is harming our society. Oh the money issue: Is it not twisting our minds and destroying society? As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, the problems we have today are not new; they are as ancient as the Roman and Greek eras. The only thing is we can no more trace whether there were lawsuits regarding sexual and other abuses at that time. But our age is law-suit intoxicated, even over trifles. I am not saying that abuse of any kind, be it addiction to alcohol, nicotine, bulimia, and sexual aberration should be tolerated. In fact they should be banned and called a curse in out contemporary world. But who is to curse them? It is you and I. So cooperate! But you the abused, I would also wish that you put a surveillance camera in your heart and life; are you okay? When you bring cases against you, do you realize that if someone dug into your life some nasty stuff would not show up? Would you be ready to own up for the sins in your life?
There is another issue that needs to be addressed, the political or intrigue issue. Why are certain persons or social groups targeted and not others? We have talked about politicians, celebrities and high ranking personages. But there is also the Catholic Church of which I am a son. I can say that the Catholic Church engendered me, of course through my parents, raised me, educated me, and made me who I am, and I am ready to die for it. But why is the Catholic Church the most targeted when it comes to mistakes made by its members? I am sure there are several abuses done in the circles of Muslim communities, in Jewish families and society, among the Protestant and mushrooming revival Churches; and even in some families parents abuse their own children and relatives. The list goes on and on. But why are these cases not as exposed as those minor incidents in Catholic circles? Is it the Catholic Church that that is a sinner worse than all sinners? But it seems the media is afraid of the Muslims and Jews, who cannot tolerate media prejudice. And the media people know that if they published sensitive matter on the Muslims and the Jews, they would have to take the bitter cup of bitter juice (the media publishers would be in trouble. So they prefer to attack the Catholic Church which is milder in approach and gentle in spirit. I wish the Catholic Church would also in our times resume the spirit and venom of the Crusaders of ancient times!
Sometimes I get upset that when the Pope utters or issues a sensitive but useful statement useful to quality living and faith, but which goes against the current, many people are in arms, attaching the Catholic Church, that it is dictatorial and dominating. If I can give a slant to this piece of writing, some people accuse the Church for preaching against several issues, including artificial means of contraception, preferring natural family planning. But these people do not know the disaster that artificial pills have unleashed upon the womenfolk around the world. After much use of pills against pregnancy, and with the side effects, some women go to their doctors bleeding and their reproductive systems messed up. Who should be blamed? Is it not the promoters of Artificial Family Planning (AFP), those who mess up women with the so-called better methods of controlling child birth? In my opinion, such groups and companies should support the Catholic Church’s stand, which safeguards the health and life of women, by using Natural Family Planning (NFP)? Such groups and companies should instead be keen on helping women stay living their sexual life naturally, stay put with the Catholic teaching, and ignore the foreign, unfamiliar and exotic insinuations that are alien, especially beginner mothers.
During this time when the Catholic Church is being harassed (actually hunted down in the US, Europe, Australia, and other parts of the world, including Africa), with a section of priests being accused of having abused minors, and some of the bishops covering them up very many years ago (even before I, and several of us were born), we cannot deny that it is a period of stress and distress upon the Catholic hierarchy, including the Chair of St. Peter’s representative, who has had to be brought on his knees, and apologize for the sins of his Clergy flock. But the world must know that the aberrations of child and teenager abuse are not a reserve of Catholic Church circles. They have taken place in families, in other faith beliefs and secular circles. Moreover, a certain researcher, whose specific findings or reference I do not have off head, discovered that the percentage of abusive priests, compared to faithful and well serving and impeccable priests, was only 2 percent in the US. The percentage of erroneous priests could even be lower in other parts of the world. Yes, when a dark spot stains your white garment, it becomes very visible. One sinful priest can bring a stain and a bad name on himself (and mind you some of the priests that are charged could have been tempted once and engaged in abuse, once in their life), and the Church. But would a fly falling in your glass of milk make you spill the nutritional drink, especially when you know that taking that drink would be no problem?
As I conclude this writing, I want to appeal to my fellow humans (and we are all humans, liable to err), when the spirit of evil takes our hearts over, whoever is involved does not violate the innocent minors and children. Instead, take courage to agree with a major, and do what you want to do with him (since we have now to be gender sensitive), but leave the young children of God unstained. I also propose that we return to our origins of being truly “human”! Can we return to our innocence of infancy, when we looked and acted like an unblemished lamb? We get to know that we were all created in the image and likeness of God, good and clean, that Satan messed us up, and we have to live with that reality, but we are working on it and improving sloooowly, but we will get there. In the meantime, can we stop, and I put it in the strongest only one life to live here on earth. None of us knows the life we’ll lead in the skies or heavens when we leave this dear and precious cosmos. Shall some of us be experiencing laughers eternally or crying forever. God forbid the last option!
Fr. Bonaventure Turyomumazima
Lover of Humanity
Kilkeel, Northern Ireland
Friday, 28 September, 2018