Joseph Kony and the 10 Commandment

Posted by Sean Sinclair-Day Aug 15, 2006

In mid-July, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) began discussions with the Ugandan government to begin talks aimed at ending 19 years of conflict. While LRA leader, Joseph Kony, remains aloof, he is still very much the man behind the killing, maiming, kidnapping and raping that has torn apart northern Uganda, leaving approximately 1.7 million people displaced in the Acholi region.

Little was known of Kony's political ambitions beyond his desire to overthrow the current president, Yoweri Museveni, and create a Uganda ruled according to the Ten Commandments. These vague political objectives are worth examining and comparing to his personal habits, considering that he and his LRA have broken each commandment.

1. I am the Lord thy God and thou shalt not have any strange gods before me.

While mixing Christian and Muslim practices, Kony does worship the same God but he has also been known to practice animism.

2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

Whether or not Kony has ever taken the name of his Lord in vain is beside the point since he has certainly used it in vain to label his band of malicious marauders.

3. Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.

It is probably quite difficult to rest on days when you are under enemy fire but that is not to suggest that Kony's intentions weren't pure.

4. Honor thy Father and Mother.

The LRA is known for making fresh abductees commit acts of unspeakable cruelty, which include forcing them to return to their villages to murder their own fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers...

5. Thou shalt not kill.

...and when they had finished here, there was always plenty more of Kony's "Lord's" work to be done.

6. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

BBC reported in 2005 that Kony was believed to have had up to 60 wives. More recently, the Mail & Guardian says he has a family of 27 wives and 42 children.

7. Thou shalt not steal.

Throughout the two decades of Kony's assault against northern Uganda, it is estimated that the LRA abducted between 20,000 to 30,000 children, using them as either soldiers or sex slaves. Beyond the tangible things that the LRA theived in vicious raids, including food and supplies, they have robbed countless children of their innocence, stolen the future from entire villages and regions, and robbed young girls and women of their purity.

8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

When Kony made himself available for a recent interview, he declared he was not a terrorist and that the LRA had not committed the atrocities in Acholi. He denies the 33 charges he faces from the International Criminal Courts for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.

It's hard to imagine that a man with so many wives has any real scruples when it comes to this commandment.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.

One does not live in the bush for decades, planning to overthrow the government and reinvent a nation without coveting certain things from time to time.