[From a Facebook Post in June 2015 - I think it was a commentary on why we are intolerant of LGBT.]
Why? Because if you believe in the One True God, then what of other believers of other faiths? Obviously their gods are false. Then how can one tolerate those of other faiths? Obviously only in a patronising way. Not necessarily OVERTLY patronising. But in your heart of hearts, you KNOW you are the follower of the One True God (OTG, reg'd trademark), and those of other faiths are obviously wrong, deluded, and hell-bound.
How else can you tolerate them except with the Knowledge that they are wrong, but you have to keep your mouth shut because, hey - multi-culti, diverse and fruity, let's all just get along or the ISD will get you for sedition?
So we "tolerate" other faiths.
It is probably the wrong kind of tolerance. The kind that never goes anywhere. The kind that doesn't grow into anything positive or productive. The kind that keeps everything seething under the surface. The kind that says, "you stay on your side and I'll stay on my side. Good fence makes good neighbours."
Religion calls us to be humble. But the faithful take pride in their Faith, in their Faithfulness, in their understanding of the minutiae of their Faith.
It is this "understanding" of their faith that overwrought Malaysians raised a hoohah over Farah Ann's hoohoo.
But true Muslims are humble. If I am not wrong, "Muslim" is derived from the word meaning "submission". One translation I heard is that it means "to serve" or servant. But the person who told me that could have been mistaken.
Similarly, in the eyes of the OTG, we are all sinners, and we should have the humility of sinners, and we should all heed the words, "let he who is without sin, cast the first stone."
A lapsed Catholic met a Priest who knew he had stopped going to Church and the Priest asked him why he stopped. "I can't stand it. It's full of hypocrites!". "It's okay," says the Priest. "We have room for one more."
We are all sinners (and possibly hypocrites). So let the one among us who is without sin, cast the first stone.
"Judge not, that you be not judged."
God does not presume to judge a man before his time. Neither should we.
"Oh so we should let murderers, and thieves, and rapists go free?"
Of course not.
The distinction is between Sin and Crime. Whether a man is sinful or not, is not for us to judge.
Whether a man has committed and crime or not, that is part of the social compact of living in a society, and society has the right to judge and decide on the punishment for the crime.
The danger is when we conflate sin with crime.
Render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.
Ah! but Section 377A makes homosexual acts a crime.
Yes it does. And if some guy "377A" you, you can report to the police and he will get arrested and charged according to the law.
[But generally, these encounters are consensual and nobody reports anybody. Which is as it should be.]
Tolerance is not enough. Or Tolerance without the humility to entertain the niggling possibility that you might be wrong is merely patronising forbearance. [Edit/amendment: "forbearance tinged with condescending arrogance."
But I could be wrong. Or suffering from false humility.
Tolerance is not enough. Or Tolerance without the humility to entertain the niggling possibility that you might be wrong is merely patronising forbearance. [Edit/amendment: "forbearance tinged with condescending arrogance."
But I could be wrong. Or suffering from false humility.
No comments:
Post a Comment