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National Christian Council gravely concerned

The National Christian Council is gravely concerned over the continuous stirring up of resentment against Christians and the increasing incidence of unchecked violence directed at Christian places of worship.

It is obvious from the pattern of these attacks that they are well-planned and co-ordinated and are meant to intimidate Christians and provoke undesirable religious strife in the country.

Consequently we are dismayed that the police have not taken swift and adequate steps to curb these senseless acts and urge that all those responsible for such acts of violence be dealt with without fear or favour under the law and that security and order be restored, the NCC said in a statement yesterday.

The statement: "We are mindful that all Sri Lankans of goodwill wish to see this country as a place where people of different ethnicity, languages, religions and ideologies are respected and treated equally, feel safe and live together with mutual tolerance.

We are also concerned that Sri Lanka must remain the country reputed for religious tolerance and diversity. The State and Police in particular, have a primary role to play in this regard.

Any further delay in doing so could communicate a serious basis against a minority religion.

"We also wish to comment on the demand to enact legislation to restrict conversions from one faith to another, and reported steps that are being taken to do so.

Although what is meant to be outlawed is "unethical conversions", we fear that since the difference between the two will be almost impossible to define, and also given the present climate, this legislation will have very adverse repercussions on genuine conversions.

History teaches that people do change their affiliation from one religion to another for several reasons.

For some, the tenets of another religion may appeal more than their own. For others disillusionment or a crisis might motivate them to renounce their religion and look elsewhere. In both these examples the principle of inducement could be proved operative.

And yet in such circumstances, the judicial determination and interference of a third party on the ethics of such a personal decision, will be highly questionable and undesirable.

We are also anxious that such legislation will inevitably impose restrictions on the social service and social action, through which our churches have served our people for generations and which is an intrinsic and inseparable part of our responsibility and practice as Christians.

At a wider level, we wish to point out that any restriction on the propagation of religion will be tantamount to a corresponding denial of a basic right of citizens of this country to freely choose a religion, belief or ideology since one needs popper information to exercise this right in any meaningful way.

It is precisely the exercise of this right that made it possible for all the religions practised in our country at present to spread.

Consequently all Sri Lankans need to take very careful cognisance that any attempt to tamper with this tradition will undermine the very fabric of our identity and character as Sri Lankans, and create a reactionary process, which could soon spread into other areas.

"We wish therefore, as both Sri Lankans and as Christians to place on record, our inability to support any legislation that seeks to restrict conversions for whatever reasons, since it will inevitably obstruct the right to practise our respective faiths and ideologies as well as the right of individual choice and freedom.

We feel very strongly that to the contrary such legislation will add to religious disputes and continuing tensions.

We hope that all others who share these values will similarly voice their opinions.

To remain silent now could well prove a grave irresponsibility.

We are certainly mindful of the very serious allegations that Christians are buying converts. We have and will continue to unequivocally condemn these methods.

They dishonour Christ and make a mockery of Christianity. We wish to affirm that as responsible churches built on the values of Christ we too possess a meaningful spirituality and work with a conscience and understanding of what is right and wrong.

Consequently we too are equally convinced that people's vulnerabilities such as poverty should not be exploited and reiterate that we are ever willing to co-operate in assisting in investigating definite instances and introducing corrective measures together with the leaders of other religions.

Our view is that such irritants between religions ought to be remedied by inter-religious dialogue and intervention rather than through legislation with potential for unfair obstruction of true religion.

We welcome the endorsement of the proposal to establish an inter religious council of religious leaders which could among other things investigate and report on allegations of unethical religious conversions and practices.

"We therefore invite all those who seek a remedy of a particular problem through legislation to review their intention and to consider a process, which we think will be more acceptable to the democratic and religious traditions of the people of our country.

We assure them of our co-operation if such a shift is made.

We also reiterate our appeal to our political leaders to play a more consistent and a visible role in this matter and to provide leadership towards a freer and safer Sri Lanka for all communities.

Signed - Rt. Rev. Kumara Illangasinghe (Chairperson National Christian Council of Sri Lanka, Bishop of Kurunegala, Church of Ceylon), Rt. Rev. Duleep de Chickera (Bishop of Colombo, Church of Ceylon), Rt. Rev. Dr. S. Jebanesan (Bishop in Jaffna, Church of South India), Rev. Noel Fernando (President, Methodist Church Sri Lanka), Rev. W. Warshamanage (President, Sri Lanka Baptist Sangamaya), Colonel Dr. Brian Tuck (Territorial Commander, The Salvation Army), Rev. C.N. Jansz (President, Dutch Reformed Church), Rev. George Stephen (Moderator, Presbytery of Lanka).

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