The enemy within our fold

There is now a pressing need for fundamental Christians and their activities to come under the searchlight of the authorities.

COMMENT

By Christopher Fernandez

Concerned Malaysians, especially Christians, are displeased over the recent “seizure of bibles”, which has highlighted the frailty of our inter-faith solidarity. They are worried that their right to freedom of worship as enshrined under the Federal Constitution is being threatened.

The fact that many quarters had voiced concern over this incident (impounding the bibles) is understandable. But now that the “outrage” and “unsettled excitement” have begun to die down considerably, let’s examine the issue with a little presence of mind over why this incident surfaces from time to time and why it especially seems to affect “the seemingly hapless and persecuted Malaysian Christian community”.

My idea basically is to take a look at the real culprits who are flouting the laws in the context of how and for whom the bibles are being used.

For this purpose we need to examine the role of fundamental Christians in Malaysia and how they go about their activities.

Firstly, it must be said that fundamental Christians are new entrants in the world of Christendom. Unlike the Roman Catholic and multiple number of Protestant denominations that have existed for centuries, fundamental Christians or evangelical Christians (as they like to be referred to) evolved out of the “Azusa Street” revivals of post-Great Depression America and have managed to propagate their beliefs throughout the world.

Fundamental Christians in Malaysia

In the past, several fundamental Christian groups have been highlighted to the public over their “troubled” status as churches such as Gereja Hujan Akhir or the Latter Rain Church (Petaling Jaya), the New Testament Church (Tapah) and Calvary Church (Damansara Heights).

Within fundamental churches exist instances of incest, sexual misconduct, abuse of position, unaccountability or misuse of sourced funds and other abuses. While the wrongdoers are not above disciplinary measures, most offences are usually swept under the carpet in a “keep it within the family” spirit.

Besides this, these churches are guilty of deviant teachings which are not in agreement or subscribed to by the mainstream Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. Their clergy are often trained by superficial and vague syllabi and mostly given practical training in what they term as “evangelism.”

Evangelism is really a substitute version of proselytising which goes against the spirit of our Federal Constitution. But while fundamental Christians are generally passive and keep a low profile, they are nevertheless greatly motivated in proselytising activities using the bibles as their only source of reference, very unlike mainstream churches.

The confusion and injustice, if any, usually set in when legitimate bibles by bona fide Christian organisations are seized and confiscated by the authorities. This is because the workings of fundamental Christian groups are clandestine and are implemented seemingly in line with mainstream churches.

As a result, there are a growing number of complaints not only by mainstream churches such as the Catholics, the Anglicans, the Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans and others, but also by Islamic groups, Hindu and Sikh organisations and the Buddhists over the proselytising activities of fundamental Christian church groups using the bible.

Checks-and-balances

Up to now, there have been no real checks-and-balances conducted or imposed upon fundamental Christian groups. They also seem to be keen proponents of the free enterprise spirit with some of them raising millions of ringgit in building and missionary projects.

These are usually churches with humble start-ups in houses, shophouses, former cinema theatres, that are sometimes transformed into “community centres” as a way to escape the scrutiny of the authorities.

Their proselytising activity is not just a “conversion of souls” but also an attempt to boost the coffers of the church. Fundamental churches have large “treasure chests” because church members are asked to part with 10% of their salary every month.

Besides this, there are financial pledges to fulfil and donations and offerings in cash or kind made to the churches, making the whole set-up reek of a fabulously-run corporate structure eventually. The general comment by mainstream church members is that fundamental churches are nothing more than “business enterprises”.

The systematic indoctrination of members include behaviour modification to the extent that members owe a life-long allegiance to their churches with the promise of eternal life upon death for their submission and obedience to leaders of the church who profess to act on behalf of God.

The success of brainwashing weak-willed individuals who fall prey to their proselytising enables leaders of these churches to live off the commercial efforts of their adherents and to fund a jet-setting and lavish lifestyle on the pretext of “taking care of the business of God”.

Will it happen here?

Though it is unlikely fundamental Christians will turn into the militant style of Al-Maunah, the fundamental Islamic group guilty of “ajaran sesat” (deviant teaching) and whose members were rounded up by the police (who nipped the problem in the bud back then), there is now a pressing need for fundamental Christians and their activities to come under the searchlight of the authorities.

Prevention is always better than cure. It is timely to recall how Pastor David Koresh destroyed a community of fundamental Christians or how Reverend Jim Jones, an ex-pastor of the Assemblies of God, drove the members of his church to commit suicide en masse in what has come to be known as “The Jonestown Tragedy,” in Guyana.

This is another noticeable failing of fundamental Christians. They are also doomsday cults – with a preoccupation with death – which distinguish them markedly from the remarkably health activity of the mainstream or traditional churches.

Usually, persons who fall for their proselytising are persons who have difficulty in the areas of health, finances, relationships, or with study, work or business problems. These individuals are easy prey.

We need to weed out these black sheep from the midst of genuine church-goers in the hope that the issue of seizing bibles becomes a thing of the past as bibles should and are rightfully being used by the established churches in a most responsible and acceptable manner to all Malaysians.

The writer is a schoolteacher teaching English and Science at a Chinese school in Kuala Lumpur, and has also been working as a writer since 1984. - FMT