You cannot regulate churches
Pastor Dorcas Rigathi, the wife of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, is adamant that the government lacks the authority or capability to control churches.
Pastor Dorcas argued that although the government is a mechanism through which a political entity wields authority and carries out functions, churches are spiritual movements that operate on the basis of faith as the moral compass and conscience of society.
She argued that because it lacks a thorough understanding of how spiritual movements function, the government is powerless to control them.
She made the comments in response to repeated calls for legislation governing churches owned and operated by private individuals and self-declared pastors, particularly in light of the proliferation of cult sects in the nation.
You cannot regulate churches
The DP’s wife pointed out that while audits of churches were possible, they could only be initiated internally and not externally by the government.
“You cannot regulate what you don’t understand, and you cannot legislate the church. When they claim that the church should be run by someone with formal education, degrees, and doctorates, I challenge them to show me a passage of Scripture where Jesus’ educational background is mentioned. They should leave things of the divine to the experts.
Pastor Dorcas argued that while most religious institutions are founded on the idea that constructive social change is possible, the government shouldn’t condemn all religions uniformly.
“You cannot single out one prophet and declare them all to be wrong. Putting everyone in a box and making them criminals is wrong. People differ from one another and act differently, she said.
“We play a crucial role in society and government as instructors in the church of God; the two cannot be separated because they are both called to serve God’s people. They work in unison to elevate everyone’s lives and futures, she continued.