wfn.org | PCT reviews recent religious clashes, urges dialogue

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>3032 Edition

>April 5~11, 2010

PCT reviews recent religious clashes, urges dialogue

>Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong, Lin Yi-ying

>Written by Lydia Ma

The theme adopted by PCT General Assembly for 2010 is “Let  cultures flourish; 
let God’s

justice take root”. PCT General Assembly hopes that social  justice will remain 
at the forefront of

PCT ministries this year as it endeavors to create holistic  evangelical 
ministries.

Shortly after PCT decided on this theme last year, news of  religious conflicts 
and persecutions

broke out in different parts of the world. They served as  reminders that 
clashes between

religions don’t go away simply because we live in an age of  democracy, reason, 
and progress.

Last year, Malay Bibles were confiscated in Malaysia because  Christians used 
the word “Allah”

to refer to God. Muslims were enraged when a judge ruled that  Christians could 
legally use this

term in their own religious literature, and responded by torching  churches at 
the beginning of

this year. Shortly after this incident, Christians were massacred  in Nigeria 
and a World Vision

office in Pakistan was assaulted by militants carrying grenades.

According to Chang Jung Christian University Conflict Study and  Research 
Center director,

Prof. Chen Shiao-shien, it is imperative to examine religious  conflicts from 
the viewpoint of the

perpetrator in order to understand the root of the problem and  discover the 
reason people are

enraged. Chen also suggested active peace making by setting up  boundaries and 
increasing

>awareness and dialogue.

When interviewed about recent religious conflicts how they pertain  to Taiwan, 
PCT General

Secretary Andrew Chang commented that clinging on to one’s  own religious 
convictions without

any regard or respect for other people’s religions can turn a  good deed into a 
bad one.

He added that there needs to be dialogue between people from  different 
religions, otherwise, a

person risks misinterpreting another person’s religious  convictions. Such 
mistakes soon result

in mislabeling other people’s religions as “evil  religious sects”.

“Oftentimes, we find antagonism and misperceptions between  people from 
different religions.

This phenomenon exists even among people sharing the same religion  or church. 
The most

important lesson we need to learn from this is that we must  increase dialogue, 
understanding,

and respect for one another’s religious convictions and learn  how to do it,” 
said Rev. Chang.

In light of recent massacres and violent deaths around the world,  Rev. Chang 
urged churches to

pray earnestly and become active by collaborating with  international 
organizations in urging

governments to stop the cycle of violence and revenge.

When faced with religious conflicts, he also cautioned against  blaming the 
other party because

it takes two to tango and oftentimes both sides are part of the  problem that 
led to a conflict in

the first place. Victims of conflicts, regardless of their  religious 
background, need our help and

support and that is the spirit behind the theme “Let cultures  flourish; let 
God’s justice take root.”

Referring to post-Morakot reconstruction efforts as illustration,  Rev. Chang 
said construction

projects created some tension between Buddhists and Christians.  Volunteers 
from Tzu-Chi

Foundation were at first very happy to build new houses for  Aborigines who 
lost their homes.

However, volunteers should have also considered the needs of  Aborigines above 
their own

>agenda during reconstruction efforts.

It was unfortunate that Christian Aborigines weren’t able to  appreciate 
Tzu-Chi’s charity work as

a result of patronizing volunteers and strategic decisions that  disrespected 
and undermined

Aborigine culture and religion. Examples of this phenomenon  include Tzu-Chi’s 
“New Ten

Commandments” and engravings of Buddhist aphorisms inside a  new Protestant 
chapel.

Rev. Chang noted that good projects sour quickly and good  intentions become 
bad ideas when

we don’t understand other people’s religious background  and proceed to treat 
or view them

based on our own religious convictions. This example is a lesson  we must 
remember and take

>heed.

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