Religion and Politics in Chin Society > >(Just for reflection) > > > >It has been a hot debate and never ending arguement among the western >politicians, religious leaders, social activists, etc. whether the >government and the religion sectors are overentangled in dealing public >issues? Should the Ten Commandments posted in public squars such as at the >court, school, etc. be removed? Should the teaching of the evolution theory >or the Bible in school be stopped? Should the government releases the >public tax money to the religious organization for social and human >services? Should the religious leaders talk about who would be the best >candidiate to lead the nation? Should the government regulate the religious >organizations’ activities, such as fund raising, public gethering, the >content of their messages, etc? But in the Chin society, as an immature >society, so far, the Chin social political and religious leaders hardly >speak such issues publicly. > > > >Talking all these issues would take us forever, but for the sake of public >awareness, let me pin point a few things, that could generate destructive >social evils to the society due to the religious or political movement of >the contemporary generation. In any public meeting and gethering, mostly, >as far as my knowledge is concerned, the Chin people used to begin with >word of prayer. That would be taken as the political and social actors’ >regard to our national religion. However, in the real world, many times, >the political movement has astrayed from the basic underlining principles >of the Christianity. On the other hand, the segmentation of the religious >organizations, the church politics and lack of moral inputs sometimes >generated social disorder and fragmentation of the social units of the >society, dividing loved ones and dearests and nearests. > > > >As a result of the influence of the modern Christianity, and as part of the >Burmese military regime’s Burman chauvanistic rule, the Chin people’s >traditional value system had been left out without a proper replacement or >transition to the modern Christian society that left many in the middle of >wondering in search of the moral truth of the Chin people’s moral identity. >Hence, many have taken foreginers’ value and social norms trying to >integrate with their own self impost rationailization. So now, we, the Chin >people are in danger of lossing the intrinsic moral quality of our group >moral trend. Speaking straingt forward, we are in need of moral awakening >to reframe and pre-condition our own moral path as a respectable and >honorable group of people. > > > >If our religious leaders keep going neglecting the negative impact of their >religious activities, many segments of the society would be fragmented into >sets of culties, anti social segments, and socially unproductive toward the >solidarity and enhencement of the social and moral quality of our people. >For example, while horing the western life style, wearing of red-neck-tie >and suit on every Sunday morning, if a preacher stands against or neglects >his or her own people’s tradition values and culture, he or she would be >contributing toward the drawning of the Chin people’s propreity, and >deminising the social capital in stead of promoting it. Compared to the >Biblical Isreal, that would be unbiblical, where the religion of the >Isrealites were always in support of the the Isreal people’s national >integrety and socilidarity. > > > >On the other hand, the politicians and social actors are to be awared of >going astray from the moral trend of our people while hunting and exploring >the world’s social and political opportunity to promote the cause of the >Chin people. Traditionaly, the Chin people had high quality of moral >principles in dealing with others’ interest and property. Its amazing that >the jungle wariors of our people, since long centuries ago, have had a >unique war principles which is comparable to the international human rights >norms declared as a set of war rules: 1) not to kill women and children, >not to kill disabled, not to kill prisoner of war, ect. In this modern age, >many politicians and social actors might not have a chance to meet and talk >and learn from our elderly ones who had been trained in such a manner of >moral dignity. Therefore, for the politicians and social activists, it is >important to quote the underlining moral principles of our national >religion, Christianity, and give respect and > place for such values. So that all segments of the society work together >for the collective good of the society, promoting the happiness of every >individual in the society. > > > > > >Thanks, > |