Wednesday, August 22, 2007

LKYSPP Public Lecture: Islam and Public Policy

Note: Don't bother reading this... i'm just rambling to record my thots.


Attended a public lecture today...
Enjoyed it, it made me think, and it was nice that the speaker wasn't an academic, but a passionate activist.
4 issues to ponder:
1. Constitution law vs religious laws. Is it fair to subject non-believers to the religious laws? Is it fair to have constitutional laws apply to non-believers and religious laws apply to believers? Would it result in unfairness?
2. Freedom of religion. Some say apostasy is punishable by death. Others say there is no compulsion. Some suggest looking at the diversity of approaches and find one that will best help society to progress, given current context. (settle on one for convenience? the absolute morality-ist would never agree!)
3. Public morality: Who decides? Popular opinion (democracy)? Divine law (which Divinity?) ?
4. Women's Right. (Errr... not my current interest)

I considered things in my context - Christian Singaporean.

No issues with #1. Here, clearly constitutional laws prevail. Where biblical standards are over and above our laws, it's definitely left to the church to handle and not imposed by threats of punishment. For example, grumbling, failing to submit to leaders, husband etc.

No issues with #2. We're never instructed in the bible to punish unbelievers nor those who commit apostasy. Speak to them, try to turn them from error, at most "have nothing to do with them." We are still to love, and given a chance, to restore.

No issues with #4. Women are made by God, different from Men, but equal in worth.

It's #3 that needs to be considered. Public morality.
To me of course, there is no doubt that divine law is superior to human choice aka democracy.
But not everyone agrees with that. Moreover, not everyone who agrees to the sovereignty of divine law agrees to the same set of divine law, AND interpret them in the same way.

Because of a pluralistic society, there can never be a satisfactory answer!
Do we then just settle for the Law being merely a reflection of a society's norm or for a perceived common good? (and then again, the perception of common good would differ)

I thought about Jesus' way.
He didn't do it via legislation, politics, power, force, violence.
He was personal about it, he was concerned about people, not theory.
He didn't start a women-lib movement, nor legislate laws. But he demonstrated love for women, and he educated.

Perhaps therein lies our solution.
We live as salt and light of the world. We live as contagious Christians. We let Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Word shape us, and when the law reflects our ideals and norms, we will find that we have a set of laws that brings light to our soul.

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