Plan of Starvation
I arrived in Uganda a little over 2 weeks ago. I love the country, the people are very friendly and the landscape is very green. The problem is that Uganda is a comparatively small, landlocked country located in the heart of Africa. It has a population approaching 30 million; and the population is continuing to explode. To make matters even more congested, most Ugandans live in a narrow north-south corridor around Kampala. Big families and poverty are the norm.
The Mormon Church’s activities in Uganda have recently been in the Utah news. On a per missionary basis, the Church is doing well here. I recently read where missionaries are being pulled out of parts of Europe and headed to poorer areas like South America and certain parts of Africa. To make the Mormon/Uganda connection even more interesting, the South Park folks are getting ready to lampoon the Church with a potential broadway musical about Mormon missionaries in Uganda.
The abject poverty in Uganda, 20+ million individuals barely living hand-to-mouth, causes me to wonder about the sanity of the Mormon Plan of Salvation. With 6+ billion living on the earth and only 6 million active Mormons, does this make sense? Why are the rest of the people on the earth? And don’t give me any stories about the pre-existence. That theology is questionable at best, and mythological in its explanations. And don’t lecture me about the missionary program giving more and more people the opportunity to hear the gospel. How can someone who is barely hanging on to life fully appreciate a religious discussion? And telling me that they will get a chance in the backlife is crazy and insufficient. Why do people have to suffer throught this life? I guess it is one of the mysteries I’m supposed to stay away from.
The GAs need to walk the backstreets of Kampala. Living in large homes and riding in limosines doesn’t work for me. Building elaborate temples to help dead people doesn’t work either. How about expending more energy helping the living? The dead can wait. I know the Mormon Church has started in this direction, but they need to do a lot more. The Church is exploding with retiring baby-boomers with great skills. How about putting them to work helping members and others in developing countries? How about using the Church’s global communication network to improve education? How about sending kids on humanitarian missions, as well as procelytizing missions? How about covering some of these global topics in church meetings, instead of the discussing the WofW for the 200th time?
I think the membership wants leadership on global issues like poverty and the environment. But so far, too little has been demonstrated. Traveling Uganda has helped me appreciate the vast scope of the problem.