God Loves Uganda

Known as the "Pearl of Africa", Uganda is undergoing a transformation movement caused by the west. In God Loves Uganda this story follows the influence of Christian missionaries who are trying to "save" this country and implement their own religious moral beliefs. The story starts off with the church of IHOP (International House of Prayer) and then transition on the how these Christian beliefs are influencing the political, cultural, and lifestyle of Uganda. Directed by Roger Ross Williams, an interesting tale of how the American Christian Right is being exported to impact the world. I saw this film as part of the Atlanta Film Festival

"When the righteous rule the people rejoice." One of many positions that make it hard to tell if that's coming from the Christian right or the Islamic right. . Filmed in Uganda are The Family Life Network, International House of Prayer, Lou Engle, Joanna Watson and Scott Lively. The later an American evangelist, Holocaust revisionist, with the position that homosexuals are recruiting your children, "your sons and daughters". With statements like that, these people and organizations, voiced support for imprisoning gays in Uganda (and most likely the US) as a step toward protecting society. Also relegated to their "hated" list was the UN & UNICEF because of their efforts to moderate overpopulation, disease & hunger through supporting condom use. When I listened to these apostles of hate, "The reward of sin is death, the Bible says." I was struck by an unsettling erratic, emotional frenzy and absence of language suggesting any reasoned thought - just an indoctrinated, brainwashed from childhood, robotic memorized recitation of biblical passages. Shown in the film, and well known, is how these religious corporations rationalize the extreme wealth that they generate as exemplified by IHOP's top evangelists and others having mansions (in some cases more than one). I JUST CAN'T SEE Jesus IN A MANSION! Yes, the rationale is that God has personally OK'ed it, as revealed by those who benefit.

I was also struck by how little respect there is for cultural diversity and history. A retelling of American history with the near extinction of the "savages", and for those who survived, their culture. A similar edict of conversion is seen with a missionary zeal in Uganda, made even more effective, just as it was for the Native peoples of the Americas, in being awe-struck by the god like material power of the white "helpers". Most effective in extolling that, "My God is superior to your god."

Through out the film the position of power is symbolized by being above and putting hands on a submissive person - "we know better than you, what's good for you", followed then by promises of "eternal life". The taking of poorly educated and barely surviving people by providing food and needed medical care with the ultimate intent of conversion is deceptive and dishonest.

Although beautifully shot and designed as a Christian I would be terribly offended. No one from IHOP is telling the Ugandans to beat the homosexuals. Christians don't only go to Uganda to share that "homosexuality" is wrong. They go to serve the people, bring medicine, help build churches and wells. Although there is a bill originally called for life imprisonment for anyone engaging in homosexual intercourse and for the death penalty for repeat offenders. The penalties have since been reduced, but the harshness of the bill remains and it might yet become law. This is one side of the story and I think it is a wrong way. It is Simply misleading, outrageous, and don't waste your time.It blurs American Extremists to American Christians and it is simply wrong. Demonize the Christians and leave Africa alone because they are better off is the moral of this movie.

Can a movie about evil American evangelicals and good Ugandan gays be a bad movie? I'm afraid so. There is a great movie/documentary to be made about this explosive issue, but it's not this thin effort.

This film just doesn't do justice to its subject. A film that portrays the religious right persecuting Ugandan gays pushes all the right buttons to guarantee a positive reception but there is a lot wrong with this film.

It appears to have be edited to serve as a 'gay rights' movie out of footage that was not originally intended for that purpose, because a lot of what is needed to establish the premise of the movie just isn't there. We see starry-eyed American kids being sent to Africa as IHOP missionaries and we see homophobic Ugandan pastors, but nothing establishes any sort of link between US evangelism and Ugandan homophobia. It is as if two independent documentaries - one about American missionaries and another about Ugandan pastors was pasted together.

I am most certainly not denying the existence of a link between the religious right and Ugandan policy on homosexuality. What I am saying is that this movie makes a poor fist of documenting it. The subject is terrific, the editing and photography are fine but I think this film was cobbled together to exploit interest in a fashionable subject rather being objectively good.

"The words of the Gospels, repeated to a child, a workman or a peasant, do not surprise him in the least. Nothing is told with a view to effect. Not a word in the Gospels is intended to startle." Ernest Hello, Life, Science, and Art

The state of homophobia is severe in Uganda, as evidenced by God Loves Uganda, a sharp title for the influence of American conservative evangelists. These well-meaning do gooders have apparently ignited the wildfire of bigotry, so says Rev. Kapya Kaoma, a Zambian priest self- exiled from Uganda because of his support of LGBTI rights.

The documentary is an honest and effective depiction of the varied support for an anti-gay bill pending before the Ugandan legislature. Because half of Ugandans are under the age of 15 and undereducated, they are easy targets for the young acolytes of the International House of Prayer (IHOP), a Kansas City Christian group sending missionaries to underdeveloped worlds like Uganda.

The missionaries are effective because they believe what they preach and they are attractively young and American. The message is simple: Listen to what the Bible says, and if you still don't believe, look at these gay pornographic images of men and coprophilia, nasty stuff by any measure. Of course, that activity is hardly the usual for gays, but who's counting when it comes to recruiting?

Of those most effective proselytizers, Scott Lively is an anti-gay activist who preaches about the evil gay agenda to such an extent that some feel he is responsible for stirring up the entire population. A Ugandan preacher, Robert Kayanja, says gay activity is like murder. The preachers are legion, spouting similar Biblical passages with great lungs.

Although the arguments against the anti-gay movement seem spot-on, evidence shows extremists winning Ugandans. I am, however, grateful for IHOP giving Oscar-winning director Roger Ross Williams apparently full access to the business. Most extremists seem unaware of their flaws. Someday those excesses could bring down a country.