17 March 2008
editorial
It is good news that the Dutch Reformed Church saga is over after a protracted struggle. The issue was centred around the ordainment of Mmoni Kgosiemang as the priest of the church in Mochudi.
The bone of contention was that the church's constitution does not allow for women to be appointed as ministers. The other group maintained that the constitution refers to deacons and church leaders. The matter could not be solved in church and the opposing group decided to take the matter to court. They lost, appealed and still lost the case. We hope that this has settled the misunderstanding and that the matter has been cleared for all to understand. It is amazing that some institutions still discriminate against women in this day and age. Some of these discriminating policies come from far when the church was led and run by the whites and they have since been overtaken by events. The church should be the last place where discrimination takes place.
The bible clearly states that all human beings were created equal before God. This is the teaching of the church and it is absurd when the same church discriminates another section of the community. Women have in recent times gone up the ladder in all spheres of life and they have proved to the world that they are competent human beings. The seat of president has always been made to appear as if it is the domain of men. But things have since changed. In Germany, Angela Merkel was elected as the first woman chancellor and in Liberia Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was elected president. So women can do it just as much as men can. Kgosiemang needs to be given the necessary support for her to succeed in her work. If she fails, the whole establishment will have failed. We join the administrator of the church in calling all those who had stayed away to come back to the church and serve humanity. A lot of time was lost when the case was in court. The church has other important responsibilities which it has to take care of.
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