Jesus is born but have we found Him yet?
Three important encounters during this Christmas made be reflect on the the significance of the birth of of Christ to me and us Christians.There were two neglected elderly parents,two couples at the verge of divorce and a close relative who left the faith due to marriage.Then there were 2 case of serious illness in the family.What were the significance of all these at time of celebrations and joy?
Christmas is a commemoration of God’s coming into the world as a man to live among men just like every one of us. He came for all of us – believers and non-believers,good and the bad alike.
His birth should bring us hope and triumph which will dispel the sadness from our lives. But after years of celebrating Christmas after Christmas many of us are yet to see that triumph in our lives and our hopes may be giving way to despair. Has the Messiah really come? If He has where is He? Why doesn't He bring the triumph to dispel the sadness of man?
The real problem today is that we are waiting for God to literally come to us. We celebrate His birth just like that of any one of us – offering prayers, eating, drinking and making merry. We celebrate his coming into the world but we do not welcome Him into our hearts and lives.
Yes, He has come into the world and is very much in our midst but unfortunately we refuse to recognize Him therefore fail to welcome Him into our lives. The way he chose to be born into the world has great significance for us as a great lesson in the wonderful virtue of humility.
By being born to poor parents, in an environment of extreme poverty, Jesus is telling us where He dwells - not in places of majesty and glamour but among the poor and the down-trodden, the sick and dying, the hungry, the oppressed and in those we love and even in those we hate. In short He is in every one we encounter in our daily lives, our spouse, children parents, friends and more importantly our enemies, those who hurt us.
Amidst all our celebrations, did we pause a while to look around us to recognize that Jesus who is among us, in every person and in every trial and tribulation we encounter in our lives? As step into the New Year, let us make a resolution to look around to recognize Jesus in those who do not have joy and peace in their lives.
Let us resolve to do the little within our means to alleviate the pain and misery in their lives. Let us do whatever we can to give them the hope that triumph will one day wipe out the sadness in the hearts.
We too, like Jesus, must have the humility to come down from our positions of comfort and power to meet Him in the people around us. If we isolate ourselves from the masses by building a fortress around us with all our wealth and power together with greed, selfishness and pride, then we can keep waiting for Jesus all our lives but it will only be in vain.
Jesus is born into the world but have we found him yet? Has he been born into our lives yet? If we haven’t then his birth, that is Christmas, will be just another day to celebrate, eat, drink and make merry. It will never become the day when we bring hope of triumph that dispels the sadness in our lives and in those around us.
Dr.Chris Anthony
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Allah issue an opportunity to exhibit Christ's love
What is in a name after all
The Kuala Lumpur High Court has set a new trial date on Feb 27 on the suit filed by our Catholic weekly Herald on the use of the word 'Allah’. It is sad that we have to resort to human judgment to determine the name we use to address the one and the same God for all mankind.
Since the case was filed a number of other interested parties have joined in as co-respondents. These include eight Islamic agencies, the Home Ministry and the Malaysian Gurdwara Association representing the Sikh community. It appears that when the case may be paving the way for a showdown between the Muslims and non-Muslims, in particular, Christians.
"Allah" is the same name used by Christian Arabs and Jewish Arabs in their Bible, centuries before Islam came. The non-Muslims in Malaysia, like Christians and Sikhs, have been using the word 'Allah' without any problem all these years. It would be wrong for the government now to create an issue out of something which has been a non-issue all these while. What is their motive in forbidding others from using that word?
At a time when racial and religious differences are causing so much tension and anxiety among the people, will a public debate on the 'Allah' issue help to restore the much needed inter-religious harmony? Wouldn’t it aggravate the already existing tense situation.
There is no doubt that we are frustrated at being denied our fundamental rights of worship and are tempted to react with anger and hate. However Jesus has taught us to love all men regardless of the race, religion, social status and political ideology. By his Passion and crucifixion, Jesus has taught us to love and forgive even those who hurt us, to offer the other cheek when struck on one. In short Jesus has asked us to even love our enemies as ourselves which seems to be ridiculous in today’s world. If our neighbour is hurt by what we do or say, wouldn't the right thing for us to do is to refrain from continuing with those offending acts?
This dispute over the right to use "Allah" has given us the opportunity to demonstrate the true meaning of love, goodwill and tolerance as demonstrated by Jesus himself. These virtues may appear to make us the losers in a material world governed by wealth,power and egomania but in the eyes of God, truth will definitely prevail as the ultimate victor in our struggles for justice.
Our judicial system may be a civil way that allows one to seek revenge and hitting back at those who have hurt us in some way. As the true followers of Christ what are we to do? Should we fight back to just to regain our rights to call God Allah? Can’t we call him by some other name? After all what is in a name as God is still God by whatever name we call him.
Instead of spending our time, energy and resources to fight over the use of “Allah” it would be more fruitful for us to be more worried about the rapidly declining influence of the Church in the lives of peoples in the world. Christianity is losing its identity as the promoter of peace, love, humility, forgiveness, morality and a champion of the masses. Let's spend more of our time and energy to address these problems that plague our Church in particular and humanity in general.
Let's implore the Holy Spirit to guide the minds of all so that we can one day, regardless of our different religious believes, come together as His children, to worship the one true God, addressing Him by any name we like.
Dr.Chris Anthony
The Kuala Lumpur High Court has set a new trial date on Feb 27 on the suit filed by our Catholic weekly Herald on the use of the word 'Allah’. It is sad that we have to resort to human judgment to determine the name we use to address the one and the same God for all mankind.
Since the case was filed a number of other interested parties have joined in as co-respondents. These include eight Islamic agencies, the Home Ministry and the Malaysian Gurdwara Association representing the Sikh community. It appears that when the case may be paving the way for a showdown between the Muslims and non-Muslims, in particular, Christians.
"Allah" is the same name used by Christian Arabs and Jewish Arabs in their Bible, centuries before Islam came. The non-Muslims in Malaysia, like Christians and Sikhs, have been using the word 'Allah' without any problem all these years. It would be wrong for the government now to create an issue out of something which has been a non-issue all these while. What is their motive in forbidding others from using that word?
At a time when racial and religious differences are causing so much tension and anxiety among the people, will a public debate on the 'Allah' issue help to restore the much needed inter-religious harmony? Wouldn’t it aggravate the already existing tense situation.
There is no doubt that we are frustrated at being denied our fundamental rights of worship and are tempted to react with anger and hate. However Jesus has taught us to love all men regardless of the race, religion, social status and political ideology. By his Passion and crucifixion, Jesus has taught us to love and forgive even those who hurt us, to offer the other cheek when struck on one. In short Jesus has asked us to even love our enemies as ourselves which seems to be ridiculous in today’s world. If our neighbour is hurt by what we do or say, wouldn't the right thing for us to do is to refrain from continuing with those offending acts?
This dispute over the right to use "Allah" has given us the opportunity to demonstrate the true meaning of love, goodwill and tolerance as demonstrated by Jesus himself. These virtues may appear to make us the losers in a material world governed by wealth,power and egomania but in the eyes of God, truth will definitely prevail as the ultimate victor in our struggles for justice.
Our judicial system may be a civil way that allows one to seek revenge and hitting back at those who have hurt us in some way. As the true followers of Christ what are we to do? Should we fight back to just to regain our rights to call God Allah? Can’t we call him by some other name? After all what is in a name as God is still God by whatever name we call him.
Instead of spending our time, energy and resources to fight over the use of “Allah” it would be more fruitful for us to be more worried about the rapidly declining influence of the Church in the lives of peoples in the world. Christianity is losing its identity as the promoter of peace, love, humility, forgiveness, morality and a champion of the masses. Let's spend more of our time and energy to address these problems that plague our Church in particular and humanity in general.
Let's implore the Holy Spirit to guide the minds of all so that we can one day, regardless of our different religious believes, come together as His children, to worship the one true God, addressing Him by any name we like.
Dr.Chris Anthony
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Lessons in life : Paul
The gentleman who holds steadfast to his father’s advice
Introduction
I had the privilege of meeting an elderly gentleman named Paul, on a number of occasions recently. Uncle Paul, as we call him, has been journeying through life for the past 86 years and will be turning 87 come next March. His vast experiences in his life add further to the many lessons I have learnt in my own. I always believe that every human is a marvelous creation of God, who is a chest of knowledge and experience waiting to be tapped. Uncle Paul is undeniably such a marvelous creation of His.
In a world that is so materialistic, competitive, so advanced in technology that life has become more robotic and devoid of empathy, when we are so busy toiling to make ends meet we have very little time for old people like Paul who we consider have nothing valuable to contribute to our advancements. We fail to realise that every human who has walked upon this earth, regardless of race and religion, young or old, rich or poor is a chest of treasure and knowledge for us in life to be utilised for our own benefit and the benefit of those around us.
In fact many of us today do not have the time even for our own aged parents, who have made us what we are now. We find so many excuses to send them away somewhere hoping they would be happier there. We pass the responsibility to others hoping that they can provide better care and comfort than us in our own homes. One such place is the old folk’s homes that are mushrooming all over the country due to the tremendous increase in demand. We may have no choice but these oldies will never opt for such a place if only they had a choice to be taken care in their own homes.
Uncle Paul stays in one such home and he appears to be happy to be with the company of fellow inmates. His basic needs are taken care of reasonably well and he is regularly visited by his children, relatives and friends. Like all parents, he does not blame his children for sending him there, but we know that he misses their continuous company. He misses his home, not just the building but the company of his loved ones.
He lost his wife 20 years ago after a short illness and till today he missed her so dearly. At the twilight of life, his physical and mental faculties are beginning to fail him one by one; he has no permanent companion to cling on for support and reassurance. This is the time he wished so badly that his wife was around to share the pains of old age. His eyes swell with tears each time we talk about the darling in his life. He says “if only my wife was around, I will not be here.”
I learnt a lot about the past from my meetings with him, about life at the time of the British and the Japanese occupation, his family and all his experiences, good and bad, over the past 86 years. As I myself grow older, and my children leaving home one by one, I seem to appreciate his experiences much more as they are becoming increasingly more relevant in my own life. I look around and see that many more are leading such solitude lives without a shoulder to lean on for solace. Am I heading for such a lonely life in the years to come? It is frightening to think I may be so.
Punctuality
Among some of the things that struck me first on meeting Uncle Paul was his neatly groomed appearance and his punctuality. Every time I make an appointment to meet him he is ready waiting for me, neatly dressed in slacks, long sleeved shirt and polished shoes. According to his caretaker he gets ready hours before and sits in the porch eagerly waiting for my arrival. He never forgets to greet me as soon as he sees me. There is so much warmth in his voice and the grip of his handshake.Depite his failing memory he remembers the details of my children and never fails to enquire about them each time we meet.
His punctuality puts many of us to shame who have very little regards for time and people. Punctuality is an indication of our eagerness to meet someone and it reflects the place we accord him in our hearts. I understand if we value somebody’s company then we would never be late to meet him as our minds will always be preoccupied with thoughts of that person. These days very few people value the true company of others and that may be the reasons why we are always late for appointments. We tend to value a person by his material possession not by the contents of his heart.
Living steadfast to his father’s advice
Another interesting thing I learnt from Uncle Paul is his attitude towards his late parents that was reflected in his advice to the youngsters of today. He still remembers and cherishes what his father had advised him when he was working in the government service as a young man.
According to him his father had advised him against taking bribes for whatever reason. He recalls what his late father had told him, “If you need money badly, you may borrow or even beg for it but never accept bribes however desperate you are”.
He adhered to his father’s advised so strictly that he could not afford to own his own house and lived in government quarters all his life. Now all alone at the age of 86, although physically fit, he does not have a place to call home and has to settle for an old folk’s home as his abode. It was the price he had to pay for being steadfast in submitting to his father’s stand against corruption.
It is inspiring to realise that at the age of 86, like a little boy, he still holds steadfastly to the advice of his late father whom he described as a strict and disciplined man.
How often do we listen and submit to the demands of our own parents? When we are older and attained much success wealth and fame, do we still have the humility to listen and respect the wishes of our parents, who may be old and senile? Sometimes we know what they are saying may be not appropriate but do we still listen to them with respect or just brush them aside as irrelevant? These are some of the questions that we should pose to ourselves. As what we do to them today may be repeated by our own children tomorrow.
Honour your father and mother
When asked for his advice to the youngsters of today, who have little respect for the elderly, he says, “They should Honour their father and mother and everything else will be fine”. Reflecting on what he said and recalling my own experiences with many, I realised how right he was. He may be old and senile but he pushed forward a point precisely about a very important issue in our life, which I agree determines whether we attain the happiness we all strive for. If we miss this important lesson then all our efforts to seek that happiness will all be in vain.
To honour our parents is to show great respect for them especially for their pride and honesty. Do the actions in our own lives reflect this honour that is due to them? We must always do things that uphold their pride and honour; otherwise we would be failing them. We make many major decisions in our lives, like choosing our life partners; change of career, travelling all over the world, caring for our children, major illnesses and so on. Do we consult them, at least as a mark of respect, regarding these major changes in our lives? They may not be a position to give us the physical or monetary help but I am sure they can give us something that all the money in the world cannot buy - advice based on love and personal experience. Unfortunately these invaluable commodities are the least we value these days.
Happiness in our lives
Throughout the ages man had strived for happiness in mind and body and till today the foremost target in our lives is this happiness. This is what we work, slog and strive in life. Despite all the successes we achieve very few can be said to be really happy. According to Uncle Paul there is no way we can achieve happiness if we do not make our parents happy. This I have realised is very true. I whatever we do if we consider the feelings of our parents so as not to hurt them; happiness will automatically come to us. Happiness is within our reach, it is we who are not able to reach it by our own selfishness.
Giving what they like, not what we think they like
Often we give our elderly parents what we think they like, not realising that they may not prefer what we give them. As children we believe that we are giving them the best by sending them to the old folk’s home where they have the company and are well catered for their needs. It is pertinent to ask ourselves whether they are really happy to be there. Do they need the company of others who are strangers and physically infirm? Is this what they need most at that advanced age?
They may say that they are happy there because they do not want to burden us further which is the typical sense of magnanimity of all elderly parents towards their children; however negligent or even cruel the children may be to them the parents will always have a soft spot for them in their hearts. They gave us whatever we needed without asking, why should we not at least grant them what they ask?
Loneliness, the greatest fear
His greatest fear, like all elderly people, is loneliness. This was particularly profound after the demise of his wife 20 years ago. He has the feeling that he is all alone in this cruel world. It is pathetic to realise that at the age of 86, staying in a home for the aged and surrounded by unfamiliar faces, Uncle Paul has very little to hope for except waiting to be united with his wife by the Lord.
Uncle Paul and many others like him have given us the opportunity to provide them some hope and cheer in their lives especially this approaching season of Christmas. It is not money, gifts or food that they need most. All they asks for is the love of fellow humans like you and I, in particular their children and grandchildren to share a little bit of our time to be with them during some of the special days in their lives.
Dr.Chris Anthony
November 21, 2008
Introduction
I had the privilege of meeting an elderly gentleman named Paul, on a number of occasions recently. Uncle Paul, as we call him, has been journeying through life for the past 86 years and will be turning 87 come next March. His vast experiences in his life add further to the many lessons I have learnt in my own. I always believe that every human is a marvelous creation of God, who is a chest of knowledge and experience waiting to be tapped. Uncle Paul is undeniably such a marvelous creation of His.
In a world that is so materialistic, competitive, so advanced in technology that life has become more robotic and devoid of empathy, when we are so busy toiling to make ends meet we have very little time for old people like Paul who we consider have nothing valuable to contribute to our advancements. We fail to realise that every human who has walked upon this earth, regardless of race and religion, young or old, rich or poor is a chest of treasure and knowledge for us in life to be utilised for our own benefit and the benefit of those around us.
In fact many of us today do not have the time even for our own aged parents, who have made us what we are now. We find so many excuses to send them away somewhere hoping they would be happier there. We pass the responsibility to others hoping that they can provide better care and comfort than us in our own homes. One such place is the old folk’s homes that are mushrooming all over the country due to the tremendous increase in demand. We may have no choice but these oldies will never opt for such a place if only they had a choice to be taken care in their own homes.
Uncle Paul stays in one such home and he appears to be happy to be with the company of fellow inmates. His basic needs are taken care of reasonably well and he is regularly visited by his children, relatives and friends. Like all parents, he does not blame his children for sending him there, but we know that he misses their continuous company. He misses his home, not just the building but the company of his loved ones.
He lost his wife 20 years ago after a short illness and till today he missed her so dearly. At the twilight of life, his physical and mental faculties are beginning to fail him one by one; he has no permanent companion to cling on for support and reassurance. This is the time he wished so badly that his wife was around to share the pains of old age. His eyes swell with tears each time we talk about the darling in his life. He says “if only my wife was around, I will not be here.”
I learnt a lot about the past from my meetings with him, about life at the time of the British and the Japanese occupation, his family and all his experiences, good and bad, over the past 86 years. As I myself grow older, and my children leaving home one by one, I seem to appreciate his experiences much more as they are becoming increasingly more relevant in my own life. I look around and see that many more are leading such solitude lives without a shoulder to lean on for solace. Am I heading for such a lonely life in the years to come? It is frightening to think I may be so.
Punctuality
Among some of the things that struck me first on meeting Uncle Paul was his neatly groomed appearance and his punctuality. Every time I make an appointment to meet him he is ready waiting for me, neatly dressed in slacks, long sleeved shirt and polished shoes. According to his caretaker he gets ready hours before and sits in the porch eagerly waiting for my arrival. He never forgets to greet me as soon as he sees me. There is so much warmth in his voice and the grip of his handshake.Depite his failing memory he remembers the details of my children and never fails to enquire about them each time we meet.
His punctuality puts many of us to shame who have very little regards for time and people. Punctuality is an indication of our eagerness to meet someone and it reflects the place we accord him in our hearts. I understand if we value somebody’s company then we would never be late to meet him as our minds will always be preoccupied with thoughts of that person. These days very few people value the true company of others and that may be the reasons why we are always late for appointments. We tend to value a person by his material possession not by the contents of his heart.
Living steadfast to his father’s advice
Another interesting thing I learnt from Uncle Paul is his attitude towards his late parents that was reflected in his advice to the youngsters of today. He still remembers and cherishes what his father had advised him when he was working in the government service as a young man.
According to him his father had advised him against taking bribes for whatever reason. He recalls what his late father had told him, “If you need money badly, you may borrow or even beg for it but never accept bribes however desperate you are”.
He adhered to his father’s advised so strictly that he could not afford to own his own house and lived in government quarters all his life. Now all alone at the age of 86, although physically fit, he does not have a place to call home and has to settle for an old folk’s home as his abode. It was the price he had to pay for being steadfast in submitting to his father’s stand against corruption.
It is inspiring to realise that at the age of 86, like a little boy, he still holds steadfastly to the advice of his late father whom he described as a strict and disciplined man.
How often do we listen and submit to the demands of our own parents? When we are older and attained much success wealth and fame, do we still have the humility to listen and respect the wishes of our parents, who may be old and senile? Sometimes we know what they are saying may be not appropriate but do we still listen to them with respect or just brush them aside as irrelevant? These are some of the questions that we should pose to ourselves. As what we do to them today may be repeated by our own children tomorrow.
Honour your father and mother
When asked for his advice to the youngsters of today, who have little respect for the elderly, he says, “They should Honour their father and mother and everything else will be fine”. Reflecting on what he said and recalling my own experiences with many, I realised how right he was. He may be old and senile but he pushed forward a point precisely about a very important issue in our life, which I agree determines whether we attain the happiness we all strive for. If we miss this important lesson then all our efforts to seek that happiness will all be in vain.
To honour our parents is to show great respect for them especially for their pride and honesty. Do the actions in our own lives reflect this honour that is due to them? We must always do things that uphold their pride and honour; otherwise we would be failing them. We make many major decisions in our lives, like choosing our life partners; change of career, travelling all over the world, caring for our children, major illnesses and so on. Do we consult them, at least as a mark of respect, regarding these major changes in our lives? They may not be a position to give us the physical or monetary help but I am sure they can give us something that all the money in the world cannot buy - advice based on love and personal experience. Unfortunately these invaluable commodities are the least we value these days.
Happiness in our lives
Throughout the ages man had strived for happiness in mind and body and till today the foremost target in our lives is this happiness. This is what we work, slog and strive in life. Despite all the successes we achieve very few can be said to be really happy. According to Uncle Paul there is no way we can achieve happiness if we do not make our parents happy. This I have realised is very true. I whatever we do if we consider the feelings of our parents so as not to hurt them; happiness will automatically come to us. Happiness is within our reach, it is we who are not able to reach it by our own selfishness.
Giving what they like, not what we think they like
Often we give our elderly parents what we think they like, not realising that they may not prefer what we give them. As children we believe that we are giving them the best by sending them to the old folk’s home where they have the company and are well catered for their needs. It is pertinent to ask ourselves whether they are really happy to be there. Do they need the company of others who are strangers and physically infirm? Is this what they need most at that advanced age?
They may say that they are happy there because they do not want to burden us further which is the typical sense of magnanimity of all elderly parents towards their children; however negligent or even cruel the children may be to them the parents will always have a soft spot for them in their hearts. They gave us whatever we needed without asking, why should we not at least grant them what they ask?
Loneliness, the greatest fear
His greatest fear, like all elderly people, is loneliness. This was particularly profound after the demise of his wife 20 years ago. He has the feeling that he is all alone in this cruel world. It is pathetic to realise that at the age of 86, staying in a home for the aged and surrounded by unfamiliar faces, Uncle Paul has very little to hope for except waiting to be united with his wife by the Lord.
Uncle Paul and many others like him have given us the opportunity to provide them some hope and cheer in their lives especially this approaching season of Christmas. It is not money, gifts or food that they need most. All they asks for is the love of fellow humans like you and I, in particular their children and grandchildren to share a little bit of our time to be with them during some of the special days in their lives.
Dr.Chris Anthony
November 21, 2008
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Politics and religion
Worship or service
Of late I have been following closely the debate over politics and religion among the readers of Herald in its letters column. There was widespread criticism of the writer who expressed that the Church should restrict itself to purely worship and not get involved in politics. The vast majority of the readers rightly were of the view that politics and religion go hand in hand and cannot be divorced from our lives as Christians.
Politics is defined as “the activities of the government, members of law-making organizations or people who try to influence the way a country is governed” and religion is “the belief in and worship of God or any such system of belief and worship”.
As Christians we believe that Jesus is the son of God and whatever he taught was the absolute truth. As he was God himself there were no flaws whatsoever in his teachings which remains relevant throughout the ages. As man he led an exemplary life for all of us to see, indicating what we should and should not do during our life on earth.
Jesus taught us many things through his preaching, parables and most importantly by his examples. His teachings were very simple to be comprehended by all but we had made them so complex to become beyond the comprehension of many even highly educated people. Today we have to spend many precious years to try to understand what Jesus really taught us.
All his teachings can be simplified into his 2 great commandments: Firstly, love God with all your heart and mind and secondly, love your neighbor as yourself.
There is an emerging trend today, among followers of all faiths including Christians, to indulge themselves in prayer, fasting, pilgrimages and all forms of rituals to please God but failing to recognize the plight of those around us. They seem to be just interested in worship but not service. It is people like these who would say that the Church must be exclusively involved in worship not service.
As the followers of Christ we should not only love God but love our neighbor as well. Jesus had made it absolutely clear that we cannot love God if we do not love our fellow men. How can we say we love our neighbor when we do nothing when they are persecuted and ignore their cries for help? Wouldn’t we want others to sympathesize and come to our aid when we are in such a situation?
If we truly love fellow men then it is equally important to ensure that our system of governance is also tailored to impart that love to the people. It is our duty as lovers of God to ensure that the government we help to form exhibit that love for fellow men, by catering for their basic needs, alleviating their impoverished states and granting them justice and freedom.
Discrimination in the any form, racial, religious, social or political is unjust, so is denial of basic human rights and freedom, and these must be resisted peacefully at all costs. The abuse of the Internal Security Act (ISA) is just one of those injustices in our country. If we really love God then we are duty-bound to defend not just ours but the rights of our fellow men as well. But as Christians this resistance and protest must be absolutely peaceful and with the expression of love, not hatred, for the “enemy” that perpetrates the injustice.
Politics and religion are inter-twined and cannot be divorced from each other. If we do so we would be separating worship from service that is contrary to the teaching of Jesus. The good moral values propagated by religion should be used as the basis for good governance that includes accountability, morality, compassion and love in serving the people.
Dr.Chris Anthony
Of late I have been following closely the debate over politics and religion among the readers of Herald in its letters column. There was widespread criticism of the writer who expressed that the Church should restrict itself to purely worship and not get involved in politics. The vast majority of the readers rightly were of the view that politics and religion go hand in hand and cannot be divorced from our lives as Christians.
Politics is defined as “the activities of the government, members of law-making organizations or people who try to influence the way a country is governed” and religion is “the belief in and worship of God or any such system of belief and worship”.
As Christians we believe that Jesus is the son of God and whatever he taught was the absolute truth. As he was God himself there were no flaws whatsoever in his teachings which remains relevant throughout the ages. As man he led an exemplary life for all of us to see, indicating what we should and should not do during our life on earth.
Jesus taught us many things through his preaching, parables and most importantly by his examples. His teachings were very simple to be comprehended by all but we had made them so complex to become beyond the comprehension of many even highly educated people. Today we have to spend many precious years to try to understand what Jesus really taught us.
All his teachings can be simplified into his 2 great commandments: Firstly, love God with all your heart and mind and secondly, love your neighbor as yourself.
There is an emerging trend today, among followers of all faiths including Christians, to indulge themselves in prayer, fasting, pilgrimages and all forms of rituals to please God but failing to recognize the plight of those around us. They seem to be just interested in worship but not service. It is people like these who would say that the Church must be exclusively involved in worship not service.
As the followers of Christ we should not only love God but love our neighbor as well. Jesus had made it absolutely clear that we cannot love God if we do not love our fellow men. How can we say we love our neighbor when we do nothing when they are persecuted and ignore their cries for help? Wouldn’t we want others to sympathesize and come to our aid when we are in such a situation?
If we truly love fellow men then it is equally important to ensure that our system of governance is also tailored to impart that love to the people. It is our duty as lovers of God to ensure that the government we help to form exhibit that love for fellow men, by catering for their basic needs, alleviating their impoverished states and granting them justice and freedom.
Discrimination in the any form, racial, religious, social or political is unjust, so is denial of basic human rights and freedom, and these must be resisted peacefully at all costs. The abuse of the Internal Security Act (ISA) is just one of those injustices in our country. If we really love God then we are duty-bound to defend not just ours but the rights of our fellow men as well. But as Christians this resistance and protest must be absolutely peaceful and with the expression of love, not hatred, for the “enemy” that perpetrates the injustice.
Politics and religion are inter-twined and cannot be divorced from each other. If we do so we would be separating worship from service that is contrary to the teaching of Jesus. The good moral values propagated by religion should be used as the basis for good governance that includes accountability, morality, compassion and love in serving the people.
Dr.Chris Anthony
Friday, October 03, 2008
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Gandhi,Jesus and Christianity
He remains a conscience in the hearts of men
October 2nd 2008 is the 139th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and this year marks the 60th anniversary of his death. Gandhi is one of the greatest personalities of recent times and he can be considered the saint of non-violence. He did what he preached and preached only what he did.
Although a devout Hindu, Gandhi was a follower of Jesus in many ways. His actions proved that one does not need be a formal Christian to be a follower of Christ. One can be a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or for that matter any religion but can still be a devout follower of Christ. All one needs is to love God and love fellow men to be a disciple of Christ.
This is what he had to say about Jesus:
“Jesus was the most active resister known perhaps to history. His was nonviolence par excellence.”
As Christians, who claim to be the followers of Jesus, we very often do not emulate Christ in actual life. It may be timely for us to reflect on our lives to see how Christ-like we are in daily living.
This is what Gandhi had to say about Christians:
“It is a first class human tragedy that people of the earth who claim to believe in the message of Jesus, whom they describe as the Prince of Peace, show little of that belief in actual practice.”
Though his views were influenced by his experience with the racist policies and hegemony of the powerful Christian British Empire at that time, his observations are nevertheless true to this day. He continued,
“Do not flatter yourselves with the belief that a mere recital of that celebrated verse in St. John makes a man a Christian. If I had to face only the Sermon on the Mount and my own interpretation of it, I should not hesitate to say, ‘O yes, I am a Christian.”
Today many of us have the misguided notion that to be a good Christians we must have a thorough knowledge of the bible. We spend a lot of time and energy to muster the bible. What about those who cannot read and write? What about those who are physically or mentally handicapped? They cannot read and comprehend the bible but can’t they be good followers of Christ?
Gandhi,a devout Hindu, appeared to have understood Jesus much more than many of us. Lord Mountbatten, the last British Viceroy of India said “Gandhi would go down in history as 'on par with Buddha and Jesus Christ', I cannot agree less with that statement and I even go a step further to say that the Mahatma was a modern version of the man,Jesus.
Gandhi believed in the universality of God, “The Allah of Islam is the same as the God of Christians and the Ishwar of Hindus.”
This concept of the universality of God is something, which is badly needed in today’s world where violence in His name is so rampant. It is also something we as Christians can learn from him; despite belonging to different faiths we are in fact all children of one God.
We are so intent in fighting one another to claim superiority over our adversaries, man against man, race against race, religion against religion and nation against nation. We resort to all the resources at our disposal; powerful arms, violence and war, to achieve victory over our enemies. We justify the use of violence to protect our perceived rights.
But to the great man of non-violence “Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.”
That philosophy he proved right when he single-handedly defeated the all-powerful British colonialist, not by power and might but peace and love. Doesn’t his action resemble those of Jesus whose love, humility, non-retaliation and forgiveness, brought him victory over the powerful Roman Empire?
Many of us today find it difficult to believe how a small, timid and frail looking man like Gandhi could dare to challenge the mighty British Empire. Just after sixty years we are finding it difficult to believe how Gandhi could have brought down the British Empire. As Albert Einstein, another great man and genius said 'Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.
Mahatma Gandhi may have left this world but his memories remain very much with us, alive and relevant. Like Jesus he did not possess power, position or wealth. His simplicity, integrity and a heart for fellow men had touched many and he will remain a conscience in the hearts of men for generations to come.
Dr.Chris Anthony
October 2nd 2008 is the 139th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and this year marks the 60th anniversary of his death. Gandhi is one of the greatest personalities of recent times and he can be considered the saint of non-violence. He did what he preached and preached only what he did.
Although a devout Hindu, Gandhi was a follower of Jesus in many ways. His actions proved that one does not need be a formal Christian to be a follower of Christ. One can be a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or for that matter any religion but can still be a devout follower of Christ. All one needs is to love God and love fellow men to be a disciple of Christ.
This is what he had to say about Jesus:
“Jesus was the most active resister known perhaps to history. His was nonviolence par excellence.”
As Christians, who claim to be the followers of Jesus, we very often do not emulate Christ in actual life. It may be timely for us to reflect on our lives to see how Christ-like we are in daily living.
This is what Gandhi had to say about Christians:
“It is a first class human tragedy that people of the earth who claim to believe in the message of Jesus, whom they describe as the Prince of Peace, show little of that belief in actual practice.”
Though his views were influenced by his experience with the racist policies and hegemony of the powerful Christian British Empire at that time, his observations are nevertheless true to this day. He continued,
“Do not flatter yourselves with the belief that a mere recital of that celebrated verse in St. John makes a man a Christian. If I had to face only the Sermon on the Mount and my own interpretation of it, I should not hesitate to say, ‘O yes, I am a Christian.”
Today many of us have the misguided notion that to be a good Christians we must have a thorough knowledge of the bible. We spend a lot of time and energy to muster the bible. What about those who cannot read and write? What about those who are physically or mentally handicapped? They cannot read and comprehend the bible but can’t they be good followers of Christ?
Gandhi,a devout Hindu, appeared to have understood Jesus much more than many of us. Lord Mountbatten, the last British Viceroy of India said “Gandhi would go down in history as 'on par with Buddha and Jesus Christ', I cannot agree less with that statement and I even go a step further to say that the Mahatma was a modern version of the man,Jesus.
Gandhi believed in the universality of God, “The Allah of Islam is the same as the God of Christians and the Ishwar of Hindus.”
This concept of the universality of God is something, which is badly needed in today’s world where violence in His name is so rampant. It is also something we as Christians can learn from him; despite belonging to different faiths we are in fact all children of one God.
We are so intent in fighting one another to claim superiority over our adversaries, man against man, race against race, religion against religion and nation against nation. We resort to all the resources at our disposal; powerful arms, violence and war, to achieve victory over our enemies. We justify the use of violence to protect our perceived rights.
But to the great man of non-violence “Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.”
That philosophy he proved right when he single-handedly defeated the all-powerful British colonialist, not by power and might but peace and love. Doesn’t his action resemble those of Jesus whose love, humility, non-retaliation and forgiveness, brought him victory over the powerful Roman Empire?
Many of us today find it difficult to believe how a small, timid and frail looking man like Gandhi could dare to challenge the mighty British Empire. Just after sixty years we are finding it difficult to believe how Gandhi could have brought down the British Empire. As Albert Einstein, another great man and genius said 'Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.
Mahatma Gandhi may have left this world but his memories remain very much with us, alive and relevant. Like Jesus he did not possess power, position or wealth. His simplicity, integrity and a heart for fellow men had touched many and he will remain a conscience in the hearts of men for generations to come.
Dr.Chris Anthony
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Madam Nayagam : The lady who lived for God
She saw God in all her perils
Many people pass us by in life but only certain individuals leave a lasting and vivid impression in our minds. Those who impress us during our childhood seem to leave a permanent imprint in our memory. Sometimes these memories are pleasant but at times they can be bitter and disturbing and haunts us for the rest of our lives.
As the years pass, as we grow up we may encounter many obstacles in our struggles to seek success and happiness in our lives. Many of us become very successful but the memories of these individuals who had impressed us during our childhood remain vivid in our minds.
One such person to me is Mdm.Nayagam, a grand old lady from the parish of St.Joseph,Batu Gajah.Her recorded age is 90years but according to her children she may be100years old and they recently celebrated her 100th.birthday with friends and relatives.
At a time when women rarely go to work but stay at home to take care of the family and children, she was forced to work as a hospital attendant at the age of 35,which she did till her retirement at the age of 55 in 1973. She was widowed at the age of 53 but as her husband was sickly and of little help in supporting the family, she single-handedly struggled to bring up her 9 children, one of them mentally and physically retarded from birth due to Down’s syndrome.
Children with Down’s syndrome rarely survive until adulthood. It is notable that her handicapped son, fondly called Benny is still very fit and lives with her at an age of 57.His well being speaks volumes for the love and care she had given him all these years.
I used to know Mdm.Nayagam from my childhood days as her sons were my schoolmates and we studied and played together in the neighborhood. Even at that age I was impressed with two main characteristics that she possessed - her profound faith in God and her unselfish love for her handicapped son.
Her very strong faith in God was a pillar of strength and source of inspiration in her struggles to bring up her 9 her children, including Benny. It was this unshakable faith in God that provided her solace in her times of peril and solitude. I remember her going to church for weekday mass almost every day without fail. During those days in the fifties and sixties going to church was not an easy thing. The mass used to start at 6.00 am and she had to walk about 3-4 miles every morning which she religiously did without fail. Sickness and rain did not stop her from attending mass and receiving Jesus in Holy Communion. I must admit that Mdm.Nayagam’s devotion to the Eucharist was mainly instrumental in influencing many of us as children,to attend daily mass without fail.
Many elder parishioners and surviving priests and brothers who had worked at St. Joseph ’s Church know this practice of Mdm.Nayagam. The most prominent person who would bear witness to this is none other than our Archbishop Murphy Pakiam, whom she knew when he was a boy. The Archbishop, who has visited her on several occasions, does not fail to drop by to see her whenever he is in Batu Gajah. Her commitment to God was so deep and it never diminished with time until she her legs started to fail her in her eighties.
Today she may be physically frail and unfit but spiritually strong. She continues to recite her rosary and receives her holy communion every week at her house. She keeps praying for her children. Throughout her life she had always looked up to the Church whenever she had problems and she was never turned down. The Church doors were always open, both physically and spiritually unlike today when they are closed most of the time for various reasons. We have come to a stage when we have to even lock up Jesus in the tabernacle for fear of being hijacked or stolen.
The second characteristic of her that impressed me was her unselfish love for her handicapped son. Despite all her troubles she never neglected this unfortunate son. In fact she paid special attention to him. Bathing, dressing, feeding and washing up a normal child is already a big task. You can imagine doing these for a handicapped child for fifty over years. It was a tormenting task but Mdm.Nayagam accomplished all that unselfishly for the love she had for him.
She did not see the chores in those daily routines nor did she curse God for giving her a handicapped son but she saw God in him, which took away any pain and agony of that task.
Today she sits on a wheelchair. She may be senile and her memory has failed her but you can see the calm, serenity and satisfaction in her face. She conveys a look of contentment for having lived a life of dedication to God. She had been a true servant of the Lord for almost a century.
At this advanced age, Mdm.Nayagam may be of no use to anyone in this highly materialistic world but she remains a shining example of what a follower of Christ should be – humble and ever willing to accept the challenges in life with full trust in Him.
Dr.Chris Anthony
Many people pass us by in life but only certain individuals leave a lasting and vivid impression in our minds. Those who impress us during our childhood seem to leave a permanent imprint in our memory. Sometimes these memories are pleasant but at times they can be bitter and disturbing and haunts us for the rest of our lives.
As the years pass, as we grow up we may encounter many obstacles in our struggles to seek success and happiness in our lives. Many of us become very successful but the memories of these individuals who had impressed us during our childhood remain vivid in our minds.
One such person to me is Mdm.Nayagam, a grand old lady from the parish of St.Joseph,Batu Gajah.Her recorded age is 90years but according to her children she may be100years old and they recently celebrated her 100th.birthday with friends and relatives.
At a time when women rarely go to work but stay at home to take care of the family and children, she was forced to work as a hospital attendant at the age of 35,which she did till her retirement at the age of 55 in 1973. She was widowed at the age of 53 but as her husband was sickly and of little help in supporting the family, she single-handedly struggled to bring up her 9 children, one of them mentally and physically retarded from birth due to Down’s syndrome.
Children with Down’s syndrome rarely survive until adulthood. It is notable that her handicapped son, fondly called Benny is still very fit and lives with her at an age of 57.His well being speaks volumes for the love and care she had given him all these years.
I used to know Mdm.Nayagam from my childhood days as her sons were my schoolmates and we studied and played together in the neighborhood. Even at that age I was impressed with two main characteristics that she possessed - her profound faith in God and her unselfish love for her handicapped son.
Her very strong faith in God was a pillar of strength and source of inspiration in her struggles to bring up her 9 her children, including Benny. It was this unshakable faith in God that provided her solace in her times of peril and solitude. I remember her going to church for weekday mass almost every day without fail. During those days in the fifties and sixties going to church was not an easy thing. The mass used to start at 6.00 am and she had to walk about 3-4 miles every morning which she religiously did without fail. Sickness and rain did not stop her from attending mass and receiving Jesus in Holy Communion. I must admit that Mdm.Nayagam’s devotion to the Eucharist was mainly instrumental in influencing many of us as children,to attend daily mass without fail.
Many elder parishioners and surviving priests and brothers who had worked at St. Joseph ’s Church know this practice of Mdm.Nayagam. The most prominent person who would bear witness to this is none other than our Archbishop Murphy Pakiam, whom she knew when he was a boy. The Archbishop, who has visited her on several occasions, does not fail to drop by to see her whenever he is in Batu Gajah. Her commitment to God was so deep and it never diminished with time until she her legs started to fail her in her eighties.
Today she may be physically frail and unfit but spiritually strong. She continues to recite her rosary and receives her holy communion every week at her house. She keeps praying for her children. Throughout her life she had always looked up to the Church whenever she had problems and she was never turned down. The Church doors were always open, both physically and spiritually unlike today when they are closed most of the time for various reasons. We have come to a stage when we have to even lock up Jesus in the tabernacle for fear of being hijacked or stolen.
The second characteristic of her that impressed me was her unselfish love for her handicapped son. Despite all her troubles she never neglected this unfortunate son. In fact she paid special attention to him. Bathing, dressing, feeding and washing up a normal child is already a big task. You can imagine doing these for a handicapped child for fifty over years. It was a tormenting task but Mdm.Nayagam accomplished all that unselfishly for the love she had for him.
She did not see the chores in those daily routines nor did she curse God for giving her a handicapped son but she saw God in him, which took away any pain and agony of that task.
Today she sits on a wheelchair. She may be senile and her memory has failed her but you can see the calm, serenity and satisfaction in her face. She conveys a look of contentment for having lived a life of dedication to God. She had been a true servant of the Lord for almost a century.
At this advanced age, Mdm.Nayagam may be of no use to anyone in this highly materialistic world but she remains a shining example of what a follower of Christ should be – humble and ever willing to accept the challenges in life with full trust in Him.
Dr.Chris Anthony
Thursday, September 25, 2008
ISA must be abolished
There can be no justice with ISA
The recent arrest of Selangor State Exco member Teresa Kok, Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamarudin and Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng under the infamous Internal Security Act(ISA) is a deplorable act that has been condemned by all Malaysians. Although we laud the release of Tan and Kok but Raja Petra,the Hindraf leaders and about 60 others are still languishing in detention, not knowing what crime they had committed.
Of late the condemnation of the ISA not only comes from the opposition parties, NGOs and various human rights groups from within and outside the country but by even the members of the ruling party including cabinet ministers, like former Law Minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who has even resigned in protest, a honorable gesture that is rare among our politicians these days.
We hope more of our parliamentarians attain the courage to stand up against this draconian law which has been abused frequently for political reasons. Most significantly the rakyat themselves, regardless of their race, religion and political ideology have come to detest the draconian law. Even the various religious leaders have condemned the ISA as being against the basic tenets of every faith.
Due to overwhelming public objection from all Malaysians, the government has no choice but to reconsider the use of the ISA to detain anyone for whatever reason. In fact the government should seriously consider abolishing the ISA altogether as there are enough laws to deal with those who are out to create chaos in a multiracial and multi-religious society. What is important is to apply these laws promptly and fairly on anyone who breaches them. Ethnicity and political alignment should not be the factors that determine prosecution.
Instead of heeding the call of the people and taking steps to abolish the ISA, the government is adamant that it is good and refuses to even review its implementation. The blatant disrespect for public opinion indicates its arrogance that has not reduced even after its losses in the last general election. The BN appears to be crafting its own downfall by its own arrogance and recalcitrance, not by any external forces.
It is an utterly nonsense to believe that such a draconian law like the ISA is necessary in this modern civilized era for the maintaining peace among the races. On the contrary its use not only fails to diffuse racial tension but its selective use on those who oppose the government, as is practiced, only aggravates the already existing tense situation.
Each time the nation recovers from a racial and religious conflict and is on the brink of attaining peace, harmony and progress, the ISA is invoked in the pretext of safeguarding the national security, which takes the nation back to the sixties. If this continues we will forever be in the era of the sixties, living in anxiety and fear of racial strive. How can the nation progress and move forwards when a primitive and suppressive law is frequently invoked to threaten free expression of the elite in the populace.
Racial conflicts arise due to the disparities in the socio-economic status of the various communities. To avoid such a situation, what is needed is a fair socio-economic policy for all races based on the fact that all citizens are equal and their rights as stipulated in the constitution and not draconian laws like the ISA. Nobody should be allowed to question or deny another of his constitutional rights.
Furthermore there is a need for greater commitment and zeal on the part of Umno, as the dominant partner in BN to foster more goodwill and tolerance among the races. Greater and more genuine efforts must be made to promote inter-ethnic unity by emphasizing on the many common identities we have not divide on the few differences that separate us. These are the ideals that should be taught in all schools if we what a to ensure a peaceful, harmonious and prosperous nation for our children and grandchildren.
The voice of the rakyat that transcends racial, religious and political divide is loud and clear – abolish the ISA. As a gesture to acknowledge its willingness to listen to the rakyat, the government should first release all ISA detainees and reassure the people that it will not resort to the draconian ISA in future for whatever reasons. It should then work towards abolishing the ISA once and for all. Why have a law that is detested by the vast majority of people?
Racial incitement must be checked promptly and effectively with the existing laws of the country and not by resorting to the easy way out by detention without trial, which defies the basic human rights and the fundamentals of every major religion. The ISA defies every principle of human rights and it must be resisted and fought to be abolished at all costs.
All religions alike preach respect for human rights regardless of race and social standing. In this respects, it is enlightening to see our Church, of late, taking a strong stand against ISA. Forums, signature campaigns, candlelight vigils and silent prayers have been organized in some churches. Unfortunately there are still many among us are rather passive. The church has the moral obligation to create this awareness of the social responsibility of its congregation to the nation. The least we can do is to incorporate a special prayer during all our Sunday masses for the ISA detainees and the abolishment of the ISA itself. At the same time each and every one of us must spread this awareness to those around us so that the whole nation demands the repeal of this unjust laws.
Injustices like the use of ISA to detain people without and subject them to mental and physical torture poses an important question to us as Christians. It may be pertinent for us to reflect on how Jesus himself was subjected to some form of ISA during his time. In his case it was an extreme of torture that finally led to his crucifixion. The irony is that he was arrested, accused of trumped up charges and sentenced to death in the most unjust manner for standing up for something we should all uphold - TRUTH.
The strange thing was that despite all the injustices meted out on him, Jesus did not fight back but humbly accepted all the punishment, even death. What is the lesson he is trying to convey to us through his extreme act of humility of accepting death without a fight, hatred and above all forgiving even his enemies who plotted and killed in the cruelest way? He demonstrated one of his greatest teaching, “love your enemies”,which is almost humanly impossible to follow.
We claim to be his followers but are we willing emulate his example of willing to show love to our enemies? Are we willing to rid of the hate we harbor towards those to plot our downfall and willing to forgive them unconditionally?
Dr.Chris Anthony
The recent arrest of Selangor State Exco member Teresa Kok, Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamarudin and Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng under the infamous Internal Security Act(ISA) is a deplorable act that has been condemned by all Malaysians. Although we laud the release of Tan and Kok but Raja Petra,the Hindraf leaders and about 60 others are still languishing in detention, not knowing what crime they had committed.
Of late the condemnation of the ISA not only comes from the opposition parties, NGOs and various human rights groups from within and outside the country but by even the members of the ruling party including cabinet ministers, like former Law Minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who has even resigned in protest, a honorable gesture that is rare among our politicians these days.
We hope more of our parliamentarians attain the courage to stand up against this draconian law which has been abused frequently for political reasons. Most significantly the rakyat themselves, regardless of their race, religion and political ideology have come to detest the draconian law. Even the various religious leaders have condemned the ISA as being against the basic tenets of every faith.
Due to overwhelming public objection from all Malaysians, the government has no choice but to reconsider the use of the ISA to detain anyone for whatever reason. In fact the government should seriously consider abolishing the ISA altogether as there are enough laws to deal with those who are out to create chaos in a multiracial and multi-religious society. What is important is to apply these laws promptly and fairly on anyone who breaches them. Ethnicity and political alignment should not be the factors that determine prosecution.
Instead of heeding the call of the people and taking steps to abolish the ISA, the government is adamant that it is good and refuses to even review its implementation. The blatant disrespect for public opinion indicates its arrogance that has not reduced even after its losses in the last general election. The BN appears to be crafting its own downfall by its own arrogance and recalcitrance, not by any external forces.
It is an utterly nonsense to believe that such a draconian law like the ISA is necessary in this modern civilized era for the maintaining peace among the races. On the contrary its use not only fails to diffuse racial tension but its selective use on those who oppose the government, as is practiced, only aggravates the already existing tense situation.
Each time the nation recovers from a racial and religious conflict and is on the brink of attaining peace, harmony and progress, the ISA is invoked in the pretext of safeguarding the national security, which takes the nation back to the sixties. If this continues we will forever be in the era of the sixties, living in anxiety and fear of racial strive. How can the nation progress and move forwards when a primitive and suppressive law is frequently invoked to threaten free expression of the elite in the populace.
Racial conflicts arise due to the disparities in the socio-economic status of the various communities. To avoid such a situation, what is needed is a fair socio-economic policy for all races based on the fact that all citizens are equal and their rights as stipulated in the constitution and not draconian laws like the ISA. Nobody should be allowed to question or deny another of his constitutional rights.
Furthermore there is a need for greater commitment and zeal on the part of Umno, as the dominant partner in BN to foster more goodwill and tolerance among the races. Greater and more genuine efforts must be made to promote inter-ethnic unity by emphasizing on the many common identities we have not divide on the few differences that separate us. These are the ideals that should be taught in all schools if we what a to ensure a peaceful, harmonious and prosperous nation for our children and grandchildren.
The voice of the rakyat that transcends racial, religious and political divide is loud and clear – abolish the ISA. As a gesture to acknowledge its willingness to listen to the rakyat, the government should first release all ISA detainees and reassure the people that it will not resort to the draconian ISA in future for whatever reasons. It should then work towards abolishing the ISA once and for all. Why have a law that is detested by the vast majority of people?
Racial incitement must be checked promptly and effectively with the existing laws of the country and not by resorting to the easy way out by detention without trial, which defies the basic human rights and the fundamentals of every major religion. The ISA defies every principle of human rights and it must be resisted and fought to be abolished at all costs.
All religions alike preach respect for human rights regardless of race and social standing. In this respects, it is enlightening to see our Church, of late, taking a strong stand against ISA. Forums, signature campaigns, candlelight vigils and silent prayers have been organized in some churches. Unfortunately there are still many among us are rather passive. The church has the moral obligation to create this awareness of the social responsibility of its congregation to the nation. The least we can do is to incorporate a special prayer during all our Sunday masses for the ISA detainees and the abolishment of the ISA itself. At the same time each and every one of us must spread this awareness to those around us so that the whole nation demands the repeal of this unjust laws.
Injustices like the use of ISA to detain people without and subject them to mental and physical torture poses an important question to us as Christians. It may be pertinent for us to reflect on how Jesus himself was subjected to some form of ISA during his time. In his case it was an extreme of torture that finally led to his crucifixion. The irony is that he was arrested, accused of trumped up charges and sentenced to death in the most unjust manner for standing up for something we should all uphold - TRUTH.
The strange thing was that despite all the injustices meted out on him, Jesus did not fight back but humbly accepted all the punishment, even death. What is the lesson he is trying to convey to us through his extreme act of humility of accepting death without a fight, hatred and above all forgiving even his enemies who plotted and killed in the cruelest way? He demonstrated one of his greatest teaching, “love your enemies”,which is almost humanly impossible to follow.
We claim to be his followers but are we willing emulate his example of willing to show love to our enemies? Are we willing to rid of the hate we harbor towards those to plot our downfall and willing to forgive them unconditionally?
Dr.Chris Anthony
Friday, August 22, 2008
Catholic Lawyers' Society's Press Release on the "warning and show cause" letters
PRESS STATEMENT ON THE WARNING AND “SHOW CAUSE” LETTERS ISSUED BY THE HOME MINISTRY TO THE HERALD
A series of warning letters culminating in a “show cause” letter have been issued by the Home Ministry to the HERALD-The Catholic Weekly in respect of articles carried by the paper which, according to an official from the Home Ministry, were allegedly “politically inclined and touched on Islamic issues”.
The Herald is a weekly publication printed by the Catholic Church in Malaysia. It carries news of current affairs and religious and educational articles with a view to propagating the Catholic faith. The Herald is sold in churches and not by newsvendors. The Herald has a circulation of 13,000 copies per week and a readership estimated at 50,000.
In seeking to control the contents of the Herald, the Home Ministry’s warning and “show cause” letters go against Article 3 (1), Article 10 (1) (a) and Article 11 (3) (a) of the Federal Constitution i.e. the right to freely practice one’s religion, the general freedom of speech and expression and the right of a religious group to manage its own affairs. Such controls would deprive the Catholic community of current information and education relating to their faith and such an act by the authorities is tantamount to a curtailment of religious freedom.
The Honourable Home Minister has said that the Herald should restrict its articles to matter pertaining to religion only. In an article carried by the Sun on 14.8.2008, he was quoted as stating:
“If you are to write on religion, then you are supposed to touch on matters pertaining to:
• questions on rituals,
• adherence to God,
• followers
• and anything related to your divine mission.”
It is significant that the Honourable Minister referred to matters pertaining to the adherence to God, followers and anything related to the divine mission. The Catholic Church teaches that it is the duty of Christians to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of the society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity and freedom. This contribution of Christians to society is rooted in love. This love manifests itself in social and political charity. Social charity is to seek the good of all people not only as individuals but as a larger, social community. In order to promulgate social charity, it is necessary to organise and structure society in order that no member of society is left in need. Organising and structuring society requires the application of political charity. This teaching in found in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church and for the purpose of easy reference this can be read on pages 207 & 208 under the section “The Way of Love”.
The reporting in the Herald is in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church on social and political charity and on each Catholic’s mission as an adherent of the faith.
Ultimately, the interpretation of what constitutes religious matters should be left to the leaders and adherents of the faith in question. The Home Ministry is not in a position to dictate to Catholics (or for that matter, the proponents of any other faith) the scope of their religion.
The Catholic Lawyers’ Society of Kuala Lumpur calls on the Home Ministry to withdraw its warning and “show cause” letters and maintain the Herald’s publishing permit.
Dated this 18th day of August 2008
Mabel Sabastian
President
Catholic Lawyers’ Society Kuala Lumpur
Thursday, August 21, 2008
No reason to penalize Herald
Herald only fulfilling its obligation
The government’s decision to issue show cause letter to the Catholic weekly Herald is regrettable. Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar’s directive to the tabloid to stick strictly to purely religious issues is unfair. His contention that religion is all about rituals and the adherence by its followers is a myopic view of tenets of every major religion in the world. Spirituality is inter-twined closely with social charity and they cannot be divorced from each other.
Rituals may be an important part of a religion but rituals alone without a commitment for the well being of mankind would give little credence to a particular faith. The basic and fundamental teaching of all religions is the promotion of love for fellow men, regardless of the race, creed, social and political status. Fighting for justice and a concern for the underprivileged is a fulfillment of this love for mankind. It is of utmost importance for the followers of a particular faith to adhere to this fundamental rule besides the rituals of their particular religion.
Politics deals with fairness, justice and the rule of law. If these are tampered, especially by those in power, for any reason, then it is the duty of every citizen, regardless of his faith, to speak up against such injustices, otherwise one would be failing in his duty to the nation. It should be the duty of the various religions to emphasize to their followers this important duty to the nation, which is also a religious duty. While politicization of religion is morally wrong, nevertheless religion itself has a duty to infuse the much needed morality into politics.
Herald should not be just an instrument to provide information on religious issues only as proposed by Syed Hamid but be a means to highlight the injustices in society as well as obtaining feedback from the people on their various needs from time to time. Being a Christian publication Herald, is only fulfilling its responsibility to its congregation and has always acted within the laws of the country.
Christianity, like all other faiths, besides emphasizing on spirituality also places great importance on social obligations to the people and it would be unfair to restrict Herald’s coverage to purely religious rituals. It would only be fair and just that the government withdraw its show cause letters and allow Herald to continue with its noble tasks of nation building in our multi-racial and multi-religious country.
At the same time just as Herald should be allowed to voice its opinion on the various issues that are seen as unjust, it should also in turn be receptive to constructive criticisms from its own members from within and without. Unless it can accept such critical comments with magnanimity it does not have the audacity to criticize the government for its failures.
Jesus himself was a great defender of justice especially justice for the poor and underprivileged. He fought the perpetrators of this injustice by his own peculiar way by his unjust death on the cross for what he called unselfish love. As his followers we too are asked to fight for justice wherever it is breached.
As Catholics let us take the lead,let us become the shining examples for others, by living our lives in accordance with the teachings of Christ. Let justice, love and goodwill be the guiding principles in our dealings with fellow men. Let us ourselves be more tolerant to dissenting views from our own members and especially from those of other faiths. The only way we can promote inter-ethnic harmony in a country like ours, is to have an extra-ordinary love for those different from us. We cannot love God if we do not love our neighbor, especially our ‘enemies’.
Dr.Chris Anthony
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