WHY CHRISTIANS OPPOSE HUDUD

The Christian opposition to Hudud is not about civil liberties or democracy or to uphold the principles of a Secular State. It is about a denial of the fact that Judeo-Christians have abandoned God’s Commandments while Muslims want to defend them.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Datuk Jerry Dusing, the President of the Sabah Council of Churches, issued a statement opposing the Kelantan State Government’s move to approve the recent amendments to the Sharia Bill in the Kelantan State Assembly (READ THE STATEMENT HERE).

This is not surprising although the Sharia laws of Hudud are more or less derived from the Judeo-Christian Old Testament.

Jews and Christians believe that Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai and that the Ten Commandments are the foundation of the Judeo-Christian faith. They are God’s laws.

However, the Christians have long ago abandoned the Ten Commandments and no longer implement God’s laws as commanded by God through Moses.

Most Muslims, not all, however, still follow what Moses taught and they still abide to what God commanded. In that sense Muslims make better Judeo-Christians than Jews and Christians themselves.

These are some examples of God’s laws as commanded to Judeo-Christians:

Leviticus 20:10

And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. (King James Version)

Deuteronomy 22:24

Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die. (King James Version)

Exodus 21:16

And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death. (King James Version)

Exodus 20:3

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (King James Version)

Exodus 20:4

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (King James Version)

Jews and Christians no longer follow these commands. (Christians argue that Jesus abrogated these laws, as the excuse, and they quote the New Testament as the so-called ‘evidence’).

Some Muslims, however, are still attempting to obey these laws. Hence this explains their passion regarding the Sharia laws of Hudud.

As I said, these are Judeo-Christian laws. And some Muslims are attempting to go back to these laws that they believe have been commanded by God. But Christians are bitterly opposed to this move.

It could be that the Christians are ashamed that they have abandoned what God commanded them to do.

Jerry Dusing talks about Malaysia being a Secular State and says that he wishes to uphold the concept of the Secular State. Even in England they are still debating till today whether the UK is a Secular State and some are of the opinion that England is not a Secular State but a Christian country. Archbishop Rowan Williams, in fact, said that the Church should be alongside the state in order that it might act as a guardian, able to offer criticism.

This is what David Phillips said in his paper in the Church Society:

The Queen at her coronation was asked “Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law?” to which she replied “All this I promise and do.” It makes no sense to say that we are a secular state when its head of state has sworn to do such a thing. Moreover, if the next monarch breaks this allegiance to Christ, as he seems willing to do, he will break what the monarchy has been since the inception of the English nation. We remember too that the Queen was crowned by the Archbishop – if we became a secular state but retained a monarch presumably the monarch would be crowned by the Prime Minister.

Pressure is being exerted to make Britain an increasingly secular state. We recognise that the past is far from glorious, the Lollards and Reformers were persecuted by Church and state, since the reformation there has been discrimination against non-conformists and Roman Catholics, and the same can be said of those of other religions. Nevertheless Britain retains a strong Christian basis in our public life and in education.

So there you have it. England is a Christian country and not a Secular State. So how can Jerry Dusing say that Malaysia is a Secular State and not a Muslim country?

The Christian opposition to Hudud is not about civil liberties or democracy or to uphold the principles of a Secular State. It is about a denial of the fact that Judeo-Christians have abandoned God’s Commandments while Muslims want to defend them.

Jesus taught his followers that they have to set up the Kingdom of God. What is the Kingdom of God?

The Hebrew word for kingdom is malkut and its Greek translation is basileia. Both terms primarily mean “rule” or “reign”. Only secondarily do they denote a realm, sphere, or territory over which a rule or reign is exercised. Both terms refer to the exercise of God’s power, dominion, or sovereignty.

Bible scholars agree that the Kingdom of God was the central message of the teachings of Jesus. The Biblical evidence for this is very clear.

For example, the gospel of Mark introduces Jesus and His mission with these words: And after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:13-14).

Matthew’s summary of Jesus’ ministry is similar: And Jesus was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people (Matt. 4:23).

Luke agrees with this: But He [Jesus] said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43).

These three verses are unanimous: in that the Kingdom of God was at the heart of Jesus’ purpose on earth. Hence Jesus was preaching the concept of a Theological State, contrary to what Jerry Dusing preaches, a Secular State. And Jesus was not talking about a Kingdom of God in the Afterlife but a Kingdom of God here on earth.

Hence Jerry Dusing is contradicting Jesus so I suggest he repent. And if Christians want to reject what Moses and Jesus taught so be it. But they should not oppose Muslims who want to abide to what Moses and Jesus taught.