So there’s been a lot of buzz lately about Kony 2012. For those of you who haven’t heard about it, here is the video. I know it’s a little long, but please take the time to watch it. Many of you know that Africa is very close to my heart. I have friends in Mozambique, Uganda, Congo, and Sierra Leon.
A lot of blogs have been written on this issue. There’s been a lot of debate. I want to just have my two bits about some of the arguments I’ve seen.
The first opposition that I saw talked about how the video really does nothing. That raising awareness is pretty much pointless. The guy who wrote it used the example of cancer. He said, “We are all aware of cancer and think it needs cured, but our awareness isn’t going to cure it.”
However, I ask this; if no one was aware of cancer, would we be working on finding a cure? If no one knew about it would we be spending billions of dollars on research? No. Because no one would care. That is the point of Kony 2012, making people care. Does awareness in itself solve the problem? No. But awareness brings action. We can’t do anything about a problem if we don’t know about it.
The second argument I’ve seen is this: Kony isn’t active in Uganda anymore so this really isn’t helping at all.
No. Kony isn’t really active in Uganda anymore. He’s moved into the Congo and other parts of Africa. Just because he’s not in Uganda doesn’t mean he’s not still out there. This is where my friends in Africa come in. I know people who live in areas where he is very much so still active. Children are still being taken. His pointless war is still being waged. The idea of the video isn’t just to help Uganda. It’s to bring Kony down and help people. To help children.
The third argument is that just because we bring Kony down doesn’t mean that we bring the LRA down. Bringing down one man doesn’t end a whole war.
Well no. Bringing down one man doesn’t end a war. But it’s a start. Hitler’s death didn’t end World War II. But no one will deny that it didn’t play a part. Will stopping Kony stop the LRA? Maybe. Maybe not. But it lets them know that we humans, as a whole, refuse to let them continue on this way. It lets them know that we are serious about stopping them.
The fourth argument I’ve seen is this: The mentality of “stop at nothing to bring him to justice” doesn’t fit in with loving your enemy.
This is an argument I can get behind. This is one that was posed by one of my friends in Africa. And it’s true. Many people want to see Kony dead. I am not one of those people. Has he done terrible things? Absolutely. Does he need to be stopped? 100% yes. However, the Bible tells us to hate the sin, not the sinner. Kony is just a man. And like every other man in the world, he needs Jesus. Perhaps more than anyone. He doesn’t need death, he needs redemption.
So, do I support Kony 2012? Yes. Kony needs to be stopped. This war needs to end. However, I do not support killing him. I don’t support hunting him down or torturing him or killing him in many slow and painful ways. I support praying for him. I support seeing him not only stopped, but saved. So if you click share on the video, if you choose to get involved in ending this war I ask one thing of you. As you do, pray for Kony. Pray for justice. Pray for redemption. Pray for Africa. Pray for the world.
Thanks for letting me have my two bits.
2 comments:
Finally someone is talking some sense. My facebook is blowing up with criticisms and I just don't have the patience to talk to people who have little to no understanding of the situation.
I agree. So many people who say that supporters of Kony 2012 haven't done enough research. However, a lot of the research you're going to find on the internet is skewed. The fact that I know people there helps a lot.
And a lot of the research that the critics come up with isn't from reliable sources anyways...
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