• Outrage as PCEA Church Bans Kikuyu Traditional Practice "Mburi Cia Kiam

    From Steve Hayes@21:1/5 to All on Thu Apr 18 12:46:58 2019
    XPost: soc.culture.kenya, alt.christian.religion, alt.religion.christianity XPost: alt.religion.christian.presbyterian, alt.christnet.religion

    Outrage as PCEA Church Bans Kikuyu Traditional Practice "Mburi Cia
    Kiama"

    By John Wanjohi Fri, 05/25/2018 @ 07:54am 2681 views 27 comments

    https://t.co/EiWFBmbEhS

    The decision by the leadership of the Presbyterian Church of East
    Africa (PCEA) to ban a Kikuyu traditional practice has angered members
    of the community's Council of Elders.

    In a statement, PCEA Church said it has banned its followers from
    taking part in one of Kikuyu community's popular rite known as “Mburi
    cia Kiama.”

    "Mburi cia Kiama" involves slaughtering of goats in fetes where
    ordinary men from the community are ushered into leadership. During
    such events, the Kiama (made of elders) offers advice to men on
    several matters including the Kikuyu culture, marriage and family and
    community responsibilities.

    The ceremony also involve drinking traditional brew known as
    "Muratina" which the church feels is highly unethical. The Church's
    leadership arrived at the decision during a general assembly meeting
    held between April 11th and 14th and was announced in the churches
    during Sunday services in the weeks that followed.

    “The highest body in PCEA church has distanced itself from Mburi Cia
    Kiama, terming it a negative cultural practice, among other practices
    like polygamy, female circumcision and witchcraft," read a Facebook
    post associated with the church as quoted by Daily Nation.

    However, Elders drawn from the Community have expressed their
    discontentment with the orders by the church, terming them a personal
    attack. Muthoga Kirethi, who is the chairman of Nyeri Kikuyu Council
    of Elders, termed the ban as unwarranted and misguided.

    “That is unwarranted and misguided. We do not rival the church by
    embracing our culture. In fact, we were born Kikuyu first before we
    joined the mainstream churches. People can opt to leave a church but
    you can never stop being Kikuyu,” said Kirethi.

    Source: https://t.co/EiWFBmbEhS

    --
    Steve Hayes
    http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    http://khanya.wordpress.com

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