In this age and time believe it or not we have got ourselves all entangled in the God-war. When nations elsewhere are fighting tooth and nail to keep their territorial borders intact we who have no border wars are instead using God as the currency to pit one against the other over God related matters, i.e. religion.
We are trying by all means to rile people up within the country by raising issues and concerns that hinge on God-issues. We are so busy debating whether a Muslim or a non-Muslim can lead the country. Meanwhile other nations are coming together focussed on getting just the best man for the top job. We on the other hand are so God centred.
Other nations are busy battling erratic weather patterns to keep their crops but we are just too darn busy about issuing edicts and debating what this God is saying and the other God must listen. And so we had the Christian Bible fracas.
Suddenly everyone is springing up as an authority of sorts in representing God. Some are even going the distance to be the interpreters of God. It is no surprise to be hearing from politicians today what the respective followers of a faith must do and to do it all in the name of their God.
Meanwhile other nations’ politicians are busy seeking the support and agreement of followers – irrespective of which God they follow to believe their offer of socio, political, economic and environmental solutions.
In short we are playing God but other nationals are playing plain mortal man.
God-labels are increasingly given importance. That is already enshrined permanently in your IDs, Birth Certs and many more documentations. The State has become the monitor for God and needs to know in no uncertain terms which God label you carry. Other governments only want to know which is your country that you call homeland. It is just nationality for them but for us being a citizen is not enough; we must also have an official God label.
How you choose to pray to your God is also a preoccupation in Malaysia at national level. Politicians will not lose out in capitalizing on this God matter too. If it can be drummed up for political mileage it will, at all costs, be done. We have seen it in the past. We will continue to witness it in the future.
In other countries it is purely a religious matter left to leaders of respective faiths to lead their followers. For them it is never an issue. For us we are so God focussed that it is a biggie-sort of an issue that must be exploited.
Politicians must therfore stay clear and out of any God debate. Leave it to those who are qualified, sanctioned by the faithful and learned in their respective faiths.
- J. D. Lovrenciear is a reader of Malaysia Chronicle
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