YOURSAY | ‘No politician should expect the vote of a Christian, if he continually attacks them...’

Keep our places of worship out of the election

Anonymous_1377956996: S Thayaparan, you’ve read far too much into the Council of Churches’

message to the "flock." It’s merely an exhortation to come out and vote for the good of the nation, as any good citizen should as a matter of civic duty.

Would it really matter if the Council "held its tongue" given that religions, other than the state-sanctioned one, have always been fair game to, and open season for, the regime’s operatives?

Don't try to teach the clergy what they can say or what they can't say. They know very well what they are doing, and they know the line is drawn - I can assure you, they do not tell voters whom to vote for.

Vote for a clean government, vote for a change. Is that not what you and I aspire for? The rot has been going on for far too long.

I'm Watching You!: "Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor reminds civil servants to beware of the purported evangelical wing of the DAP"? Do we care for this stupid comment?

Where was Tengku Adnan when they removed the cross from the church in Puchong? Where was Tengku Adnan when they denied the word 'Allah' from being used by Christians in Bahasa Malaysia?

Where was Tengku Adnan when children were converted without consent of their parents? Do we care about Tengku Adnan's comments?

He never stood up for all of us. I can safely say and agree with the clergy when they advised us to get rid of the corrupt, and vote for a change.

David Dass: That church leaders should not take sides in general elections goes without saying. But can church leaders be altogether passive and indifferent to the election of leaders, some of whom directly attack Christians?

I am accustomed to listening to church leaders exhorting their congregation to take their duties as citizens seriously.

I have heard priests in their weekly homilies encourage Catholics to vote in elections for good leaders. Exhorting Christians to do their Christian duty, and do what is right cannot be wrong.

I have never heard my church leaders say vote for the opposition, although church leaders sometimes come out with statements on issues that affect freedom of worship.

But all of us are aware of the anti-Christian rhetoric that are used by politicians, usually more from one side than the other.

What does one do in the face of those attacks - quite often false allegations of Christian conspiracies to undermine Islam? Churches cannot remain passive when Christians are denied their rights.

But I would agree that church leaders must be circumspect and careful in their missives and directives. They should not feed the conspiracy theorists with fodder for their attacks on Christians and Christian worship.

But no politician on any side should expect the vote of a Christian if he or she attacks Christians or engages in activity that is detrimental to Christians, or the right of citizens to practice their faith without interference.

Vijay47: Thayaparan, your entire argument appears to be founded on the dual-premise that Christian religious leaders are involving themselves in politics, and that Christians have embarked on some evangelising frenzy.

You are wrong on both counts. To address a minor point, you also made – you asked, "To die for?"

Yes, I would die for a nation, but one where I am recognised and accepted as a fellow citizen, where rights and privileges are equally available to all.

Coming back to your theme of church and politics, you seem to hold that any comment by the clergy on a preferred form of government is somehow a red flag that should be avoided, lest the bulls within Umno and PAS get enraged.

Like what commenter David Dass mentions, I have never encountered a single sermon or church comment urging the Christian faithful to vote for the opposition. Is advocating a better, fairer Malaysia akin to supporting the opposition?

Perhaps you are acknowledging that our present government is neither good nor fair. While there may be lesser groups indulging in preaching the Word in intrusive ways, when has the church carried out any evangelical fervour?

Are acts of charity in accordance with Christian beliefs actually subtle ways of converting non-Christians?

Finally, you suggest that since the "the ruling regime is in such peril, the Malay-Muslim community in a state of agitation", political comments by Christians are unwelcome or even dangerous.

Pray tell me, Commander, when would a good time be?

Abasir: There is much at stake in the coming elections - the future of Malaysians.

All men of faith (Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Bahais and Muslims) and their leaders should publicly intervene in the politics of a democratic society by linking their particular concerns to the common good - to truth, justice, good governance and public welfare... not the rights of a particular faith.

To quote cardinal Timothy Dolan, "The public square ... is always enriched whenever people approach it when they’re inspired by their deepest held convictions. On the other hand, the public square is impoverished when people might be coerced to put a piece of duct tape over their mouths, keeping them from bringing their deepest-held convictions to the conversation."

Thayaparan's premise that it is not the time for the leaders of minority faiths to do so in Malay-Muslim Malaysia, where there is not even the pretence of separating religion from politics, is faulty to say the least.

I say this is the time. To stay above the fray now, to maintain political correctness for fear of upsetting "the Umno hegemon", is spiritlessness at its worst. And a cowardly denial of the fact that religion and politics are inseparable.

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