(The Nationalist, 10 January 2003)
From time to time, you come across something that surprises you. You wonder if you have read correctly, or understood properly what is being said. So you go back over it and look at it again. You stop and ask yourself if this is real. And you find to your surprise – a pleasant surprise – that it is.
Just for a moment, read the following two statements and consider who might have written them:
The first speaks of ‘the function of religion in inculcating a sense of morality and encouraging charitable work, among other things. This is of great importance at a time when idealism has been lost sight of and utilitarianism is rampant.’
The second states that ‘Religion represents not just a system of belief but a different approach to life which enables people to free themselves from their predicament and aspire to a spiritual level. The notion that religion is incompatible with science is outdated because the two disciplines are complementary, one dealing with the “why” of material existence and the other with the “how.” In any case, the fact that so many of the greatest scientists in history have at the same time had a deep religious faith shows that there is no inherent contradiction.’
‘Religion… is a force which can be of assistance to the government in such areas as politics, the building up of morality, the administration of society, cultural and educational work, and foreign affairs.’
Who made those statements, one might ask. Was it some voice from the past advocating close church-state relations? No. Both were taken from recent publications of the Chinese Communist Party, and were written by senior Party officials.
What’s going on there? I don’t know. But I hope it is something which will lead to freedom for believers of all faiths to practise their religion openly and without fear. Let us hope and pray.