Terry Muck - Buddhist-Christian Studies
RELIGION & CONTRADICTIONS
Sometimes, the lion is a natural disaster, like a tsunami, and anyone in its way is a lamb for the slaughter: helpless, vulnerable, victims. And due to a tsunami in recent memory, we are reminded of the differences in religious thinking, because it was a part of the world comprised both of Buddhists and Christians. When such disasters occur, people often turn to religion to answer the inevitable questions: Why did this happen? and What should we do about it? One is a "meaning" question and the other an "action" question.
Some Christians believe in a single, all-powerful god that made all of this and wants nothing but good for the world and the people in it. But it raises a contradiction: Why did God let this happen, and how does it fit into the Big Plan? And the questions get a tad testy too, as in, how can this evil come from a world made by a "good" god?-especially from people who expect the world to stay the same, with only minor inconveniences; that is, who believe that reality is unchanging. That this notion still survives in a country as highly developed as ours, is the real miracle of our religion.
President Lincoln struggled with this: after the second battle of Bull Run, his Attorney General said Lincoln was "…almost ready to hang himself." In his own words, Lincoln mused that both sides in the war may be wrong, and one surely is-that's how he explained to himself the contradiction of that war. He reasoned that, "God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time;" therefore God's purpose must be different from what both sides were fighting for. In his worst moments he thought that "God will(ed)" the war, because if God wanted to, "He could give the final victory to either side any day. Yet," said Lincoln, "(the war continues)."
KARMA AND SUFFERING
It is instructive to see the attitude of the Buddhist towards the tragedy of the tsunami. As we know, the Buddha did not consider the question of "god" to be important; what was important was people and their suffering. If the Buddha was not an atheist, he surely was an agnostic. His worldview was one of constant change, and of karma, the law of cause and effect, and how karma affects suffering. Instead of praying, one meditates on the cause, or karma, of events. Since the world always is changing and will change, what we do can affect the outcome.
A great example of that teaching is in the Baghavad-Gita. The Gita takes place on a vast battlefield, a metaphor for the battle of the soul or spirit. Before the conflict begins the hero, in his chariot, looks around at the immense armies gathered on each side and is horrified to see that among both of them are family, relatives and dear friends. He realizes the horror of the situation and wants to call off the war. But beside him is the driver of his chariot, the god Krishna, who informs him: you can't do that; everything you and they have done before has brought you to this moment. And you have no choice but to fulfill that destiny and suffer the consequences. The rest of the tale is a dialogue on karma and how to change the future by changing its causes.
Whatever we may think of the UN and its effectiveness or lack thereof, it is an attempt to change the karma of nations, so that their disagreements are not merely endless conflicts but a dialectic of discussion, of mutual hearing and, hopefully, of resolutions that may be to the relative satisfaction of all.
THE GREAT CONTRADICTION: YES & NO
So, after the tsunami, Buddhists reflected on it the way they would any kind of suffering. They know we cannot fathom the complexity of the world, or have all the answers, but it is important to try. I would say that one element of karma important to natural disasters, is science. Again, not many people dedicate their lives to understanding how the world works, and how natural disasters may be understood, predicted and protected against. But such people are as religious as any, regardless if they claim a religion or not--certainly more religious than people who use catastrophe to proselytize for their own faith. And, again, one's world-view has much to do with that. So one kind of faith acknowledges a world of lions and lambs; another sees them as a contradiction that violates their notion of a perfect world.
Perhaps the most important contradiction is that of Yes and No. Another theory in logic holds that certain contradictions actually are on the same continuum, like beginning and end. We use rings to honor relationships like friendship, love, marriage and other bonds. The ring is a circle and symbolizes eternity. But where is its beginning and where is its end? When water is hot or cold, even to the extreme, as its temperature lessens or increases, is it not already becoming the other thing even while still in its prior state?
We see life as Yes, and death as No. And we often see even life challenges as No; but so many people, through courage, determination and optimism turn the No to Yes; turn tragedy and defeat into personal victories. There are countless examples of this, and I am amazed at all of them: those whose families have histories of cancer that they turn into life learning and closer bonds; those who insist that they are not "confined" to a wheelchair, that the chair instead has freed them to be in society again; and others who say they do not "have" to wear a prosthesis, but choose to do so, to embrace it as the power to walk again. When we think of these courageous people who say Yes to life, all the more should be churches' courage to make faith and worship more accessible to them as the power to be among us with the ease and comfort that we enjoy-to add our Yes to their Yes. How can congregations do otherwise?
I think of the Amish, who are considered the most inspiring people of last year for their "incredible Christian forgiveness, charity and love" after a neighbor shot 10 of their little girls in their own schoolhouse. One of the victims offered to be shot first in hopes of saving the other lives; and later, the Amish brought food and comfort to the killer's family before coming together to help each other through their grief. I think also of another beautiful child, five year-old Kai Harriott, hereafter without ability to walk as a victim of street violence, but in a Boston courtroom last April, looked straight at the man who fired the bullet and said, "What you done to me was wrong, but I still forgive (you)." And the remarkable Truth & Reconciliation commission in South Africa, where the cruel perpetrators of apartheit were promised: if you face the families of your victims, in the presence of the community, and tell them what you did, we will forgive you, and punish you no further.
Can we embrace life's contradictions; struggle against things as they are, especially when they are wrong or limiting; and believe in the possibilities of good change? Only in a perfect world are there no contradictions; only in a perfect world do the lion and the lamb lie down together. And the world is not yet perfect.
* * *
Terry C. Muck is the scholar of Buddhist-Christian Studies
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
A test of faith
Tsunami survivors face rebuilding of another kind -- their trust in God
01:00 AM EST on Saturday, January 8, 2005
BY MANYA A. BRACHEAR
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO -- Not only did the tsunami drown southern Asia; it challenged its soul.
When the waves washed over India's coastal villages, thousands of pilgrims to a Marian shrine were
washed away while paying homage and attending Mass. Bodies were scattered and buried in the sand,
and the shrine suddenly became a morgue.
University of Chicago divinity student Kristin Bloomer, who had been studying Indian devotion to
Mary, said she watched as one man shouted: "There is nothing! There is nothing! Where is God? What
is God?" Then he burst into tears, hung his head and wept.
While not all faiths can provide an explanation for why such devastating disasters happen, scholars say
each of the four major religions in the region -- Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity --
possesses a distinct theology that eventually will help people put the calamity in perspective and move
forward in its wake.
But it will take time, they say, for survivors to reclaim their lives and recover their faith.
"It does require spiritual resources that people of all faiths draw upon," said Diana Eck, a professor of
comparative religion and Indian studies at Harvard Divinity School. "What one's faith gives you is the
capacity to respond to a disaster, not necessarily to explain it."
FOR NOW, the immediate need is for food, shelter and protection from disease that threatens to claim
more lives. Bloomer, who has been unearthing bodies from the sand to bury or burn, said by cell phone
that the priests beside her have spent more time digging for the dead than counseling survivors.
Many devotees believe that their response to the catastrophe is a measure of piety.
"Events of this type are supposed to reopen the eyes of a believer," said Kareem Irfan, chairman of the
Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. "Part of the test of life is dealing with suffering,
how you react to suffering and how you help others out."
That inclination to help also exists within Christianity and in the Hindu and Buddhist concepts of
dharma, or community.
"We try to keep our minds stronger to see and try to serve those who survived, those who lost their
families, their relatives," said Ratana Thongkrajai, a Buddhist monk from Thailand with the Wat
Phrasriratanamahadhatu Temple in Chicago. "We try to support them. Sitting and crying and sad, how
Printed from projo.com Page 1 of 3
http://www.projo.com/cgi-bin/bi/gold_print.cgi 1/27/2005
we can support them? We try to give a good thing, to share with them."
"The need of the hour is what's practical," said Matthew Kapstein, a visiting professor who specializes in
Indian Buddhist philosophy at the University of Chicago Divinity School. The cataclysm could be an
opportunity for monasteries to become havens for healing, he said. "That for most people is going to
count for a lot more than any particular theological explanation."
Still, in the face of such devastation, victims are likely to be asking the big question: Why did this
happen?
"Everybody has access to scientific explanations about tectonics," said Wendy Doniger, an expert in
Hindu mythology at the University of Chicago Divinity School. "Why should this be a natural calamity
in your own life? That's what people care about."
AMONG THE MAJOR religions in the affected area, Muslims and Christians are generally able to draw
from the belief that a natural disaster is part of a divine plan beyond human comprehension. Hindus and
Buddhists, meanwhile, do not ascribe it to a divine plan but encourage devotees to let go and accept the
ever-changing state of the universe and role of suffering in the human experience.
But in the Theravada Buddhist tradition most prevalent in Sri Lanka and Thailand, the doctrine of the
eight-fold path -- intended to help people cut off individual suffering -- may do little to treat pain of such
massive proportion.
"The usual kinds of question that humans ask -- 'Why me?' -- is overwhelmed by the question of 'Why
us?"' said Charles Hallisey, a leading scholar of Theravada Buddhism at the University of Wisconsin in
Madison. "I don't think anyone in this situation is going to have a ready answer."
In Hindu theology, the theories for why disasters like the tsunami occur are varied. Some attribute the
destruction to the same deities that control childbirth and fertility, illustrating that those who create also
destroy. Others subscribe to the Hindu concept of honi, the theory that undeserved catastrophes -- when
bad things happen to good people -- is not karma catching up with them, but inexplicable events that just
happen.
"It is a natural event. We cannot do anything about it," said Krishna Rajan, a priest at the Hindu Temple
of Greater Chicago in Lemont. "Hold onto the god and hold onto the feet of the lord. He will give you
the strength to go through what you have to go through."
But some Buddhists do accredit humankind's collective past deeds with destabilizing the universe and
leading to disaster.
"Rather than speaking an answer in a deity out there, the response that is at least counseled in Buddhist
thought is to consider the unsatisfactoriness of the world and our patterns of behavior that have
contributed," Kapstein said.
Hallisey hesitates to assign blame, as people in the region do not need the added grief of feeling
responsible. "It goes beyond what people are normally used to explaining," he said. "That, I think, is part
of the continuing tragedy."
Edmund Chia, a professor of Asian theologies at Catholic Theological Union who has worked in
Malaysia and Thailand, said what is important is "to try to promote life, to assist, reach out and be
Printed from projo.com Page 2 of 3
http://www.projo.com/cgi-bin/bi/gold_print.cgi 1/27/2005
there." That in itself can help put the event in perspective, he said.
"A lot of these natural phenomenon are beyond our finite minds to understand," he said.
SOME EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS believe the great waves are "birth pangs" leading up to the
Rapture, in which Christian believers will be swept up to heaven by Christ before judgment is rendered
on those left behind.
Todd Strandberg, founder of Raptureready.com, a Web site dedicated to documenting the fulfillment of
the Biblical prophecy of the "end times," said the tsunami should cause people to evaluate their lives.
"To have all those people die shows us that we have got the gift of life and a limited time here on earth,"
he said. "I think that's why disasters occur. He wants to remind us that we have a limited time on earth.
And the survivors should take note of that."
Some Muslims also will attribute the disaster to divine plan, experts said. Though it may be difficult,
believers are expected as soon as possible to recognize and submit to the majesty of God without losing
sight of his compassion and mercy.
"Everything comes from God, which, of course, is very difficult to encompass in the face of such a
random catastrophic event when the victims are the weak and the poor," said Marcia Hermansen, a
professor of Islamic studies at Loyola University. "It's not like you blame God or lose your faith. In the
larger scope of things, one is patient and realizes that life is not ultimate."
In India, Bloomer said she feels it is too soon to tell what the disaster's impact will be on individuals'
faith.
"People will have their very human reactions," she said. "That includes getting angry at God or gods
depending on your belief systems.
Staff reporter Trine Tsouderos contributed to this report.
Online at: http://www.projo.com/religion/content/projo_20050108_rifaith8.16e7e2.html
Printed from projo.com Page 3 of 3
http:/
Tsunami survivors face rebuilding of another kind -- their trust in God
01:00 AM EST on Saturday, January 8, 2005
BY MANYA A. BRACHEAR
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO -- Not only did the tsunami drown southern Asia; it challenged its soul.
When the waves washed over India's coastal villages, thousands of pilgrims to a Marian shrine were
washed away while paying homage and attending Mass. Bodies were scattered and buried in the sand,
and the shrine suddenly became a morgue.
University of Chicago divinity student Kristin Bloomer, who had been studying Indian devotion to
Mary, said she watched as one man shouted: "There is nothing! There is nothing! Where is God? What
is God?" Then he burst into tears, hung his head and wept.
While not all faiths can provide an explanation for why such devastating disasters happen, scholars say
each of the four major religions in the region -- Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity --
possesses a distinct theology that eventually will help people put the calamity in perspective and move
forward in its wake.
But it will take time, they say, for survivors to reclaim their lives and recover their faith.
"It does require spiritual resources that people of all faiths draw upon," said Diana Eck, a professor of
comparative religion and Indian studies at Harvard Divinity School. "What one's faith gives you is the
capacity to respond to a disaster, not necessarily to explain it."
FOR NOW, the immediate need is for food, shelter and protection from disease that threatens to claim
more lives. Bloomer, who has been unearthing bodies from the sand to bury or burn, said by cell phone
that the priests beside her have spent more time digging for the dead than counseling survivors.
Many devotees believe that their response to the catastrophe is a measure of piety.
"Events of this type are supposed to reopen the eyes of a believer," said Kareem Irfan, chairman of the
Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. "Part of the test of life is dealing with suffering,
how you react to suffering and how you help others out."
That inclination to help also exists within Christianity and in the Hindu and Buddhist concepts of
dharma, or community.
"We try to keep our minds stronger to see and try to serve those who survived, those who lost their
families, their relatives," said Ratana Thongkrajai, a Buddhist monk from Thailand with the Wat
Phrasriratanamahadhatu Temple in Chicago. "We try to support them. Sitting and crying and sad, how
Printed from projo.com Page 1 of 3
http://www.projo.com/cgi-bin/bi/gold_print.cgi 1/27/2005
we can support them? We try to give a good thing, to share with them."
"The need of the hour is what's practical," said Matthew Kapstein, a visiting professor who specializes in
Indian Buddhist philosophy at the University of Chicago Divinity School. The cataclysm could be an
opportunity for monasteries to become havens for healing, he said. "That for most people is going to
count for a lot more than any particular theological explanation."
Still, in the face of such devastation, victims are likely to be asking the big question: Why did this
happen?
"Everybody has access to scientific explanations about tectonics," said Wendy Doniger, an expert in
Hindu mythology at the University of Chicago Divinity School. "Why should this be a natural calamity
in your own life? That's what people care about."
AMONG THE MAJOR religions in the affected area, Muslims and Christians are generally able to draw
from the belief that a natural disaster is part of a divine plan beyond human comprehension. Hindus and
Buddhists, meanwhile, do not ascribe it to a divine plan but encourage devotees to let go and accept the
ever-changing state of the universe and role of suffering in the human experience.
But in the Theravada Buddhist tradition most prevalent in Sri Lanka and Thailand, the doctrine of the
eight-fold path -- intended to help people cut off individual suffering -- may do little to treat pain of such
massive proportion.
"The usual kinds of question that humans ask -- 'Why me?' -- is overwhelmed by the question of 'Why
us?"' said Charles Hallisey, a leading scholar of Theravada Buddhism at the University of Wisconsin in
Madison. "I don't think anyone in this situation is going to have a ready answer."
In Hindu theology, the theories for why disasters like the tsunami occur are varied. Some attribute the
destruction to the same deities that control childbirth and fertility, illustrating that those who create also
destroy. Others subscribe to the Hindu concept of honi, the theory that undeserved catastrophes -- when
bad things happen to good people -- is not karma catching up with them, but inexplicable events that just
happen.
"It is a natural event. We cannot do anything about it," said Krishna Rajan, a priest at the Hindu Temple
of Greater Chicago in Lemont. "Hold onto the god and hold onto the feet of the lord. He will give you
the strength to go through what you have to go through."
But some Buddhists do accredit humankind's collective past deeds with destabilizing the universe and
leading to disaster.
"Rather than speaking an answer in a deity out there, the response that is at least counseled in Buddhist
thought is to consider the unsatisfactoriness of the world and our patterns of behavior that have
contributed," Kapstein said.
Hallisey hesitates to assign blame, as people in the region do not need the added grief of feeling
responsible. "It goes beyond what people are normally used to explaining," he said. "That, I think, is part
of the continuing tragedy."
Edmund Chia, a professor of Asian theologies at Catholic Theological Union who has worked in
Malaysia and Thailand, said what is important is "to try to promote life, to assist, reach out and be
Printed from projo.com Page 2 of 3
http://www.projo.com/cgi-bin/bi/gold_print.cgi 1/27/2005
there." That in itself can help put the event in perspective, he said.
"A lot of these natural phenomenon are beyond our finite minds to understand," he said.
SOME EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS believe the great waves are "birth pangs" leading up to the
Rapture, in which Christian believers will be swept up to heaven by Christ before judgment is rendered
on those left behind.
Todd Strandberg, founder of Raptureready.com, a Web site dedicated to documenting the fulfillment of
the Biblical prophecy of the "end times," said the tsunami should cause people to evaluate their lives.
"To have all those people die shows us that we have got the gift of life and a limited time here on earth,"
he said. "I think that's why disasters occur. He wants to remind us that we have a limited time on earth.
And the survivors should take note of that."
Some Muslims also will attribute the disaster to divine plan, experts said. Though it may be difficult,
believers are expected as soon as possible to recognize and submit to the majesty of God without losing
sight of his compassion and mercy.
"Everything comes from God, which, of course, is very difficult to encompass in the face of such a
random catastrophic event when the victims are the weak and the poor," said Marcia Hermansen, a
professor of Islamic studies at Loyola University. "It's not like you blame God or lose your faith. In the
larger scope of things, one is patient and realizes that life is not ultimate."
In India, Bloomer said she feels it is too soon to tell what the disaster's impact will be on individuals'
faith.
"People will have their very human reactions," she said. "That includes getting angry at God or gods
depending on your belief systems.
Staff reporter Trine Tsouderos contributed to this report.
Online at: http://www.projo.com/religion/content/projo_20050108_rifaith8.16e7e2.html
Printed from projo.com Page 3 of 3
http:/
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Deputy PM Arınç opens Zaman University in Cambodia
Deputy PM Arınç opens Zaman University in Cambodia
Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has opened the first Turkish university in the Far East, in Cambodia, a country with a 14-year history of Turkish education.
“Our purpose is to serve the youth of this country,” said Arınç, who spoke on Sunday at a dinner held at the Nagaworld Hotel in Phnom Penh to celebrate the opening of the university.
“We believe that the valued youth of Cambodia will have access to a very good education at this university, will serve their country to elevate it, and will establish bridges of friendship between Turkey and Cambodia,” Arınç added. Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An thanked Turkish entrepreneurs for their initiatives in the area of education and remarked that two years ago he had asked them for an institution of higher education.
An shared Arınç’s sentiments and said the students will bring Turkey and Cambodia closer together. Zaman University Rector Erkan Polatdemir spoke about the qualities of the university and that it meets world standards in technology. He added that they opened departments at the university in which the language of instruction is English, considering the areas of professional needs in Cambodia.
Among the participants were Cambodia’s Education Minister Im Sethy, Turkey’s Ambassador to Bangkok Oğuz Çelikkol, more than 200 Turkish businesspeople, educators from Zaman International School (ZIS), a private school in Cambodia’s Capitol Phnom Penh founded by Atilla Yusuf Güleker, a former journalist of the Zaman daily.
Ali Kökten, chairman of the board of directors of the university and chairman of ZIS, said that their young students had successfully participated in the International Science Olympiad and returned with several gold medals.
Following the opening speeches, students from the international school sang songs in Turkish as well as in their native language. Opened in 1997, ZIS offers education to children from kindergarten to grade 12. All lessons are taught in English, Turkish and Khmer. The high school, which currently has 900 students enrolled, is housed in a newly built and designed building in Tonle Bassac, Phnom Penh. ZIS is certified by the Cambodian Ministry of Education and is a member of CIS (Council of International Schools).
2011-02-22
Muhabir: Today’s Zaman
Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has opened the first Turkish university in the Far East, in Cambodia, a country with a 14-year history of Turkish education.
“Our purpose is to serve the youth of this country,” said Arınç, who spoke on Sunday at a dinner held at the Nagaworld Hotel in Phnom Penh to celebrate the opening of the university.
“We believe that the valued youth of Cambodia will have access to a very good education at this university, will serve their country to elevate it, and will establish bridges of friendship between Turkey and Cambodia,” Arınç added. Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An thanked Turkish entrepreneurs for their initiatives in the area of education and remarked that two years ago he had asked them for an institution of higher education.
An shared Arınç’s sentiments and said the students will bring Turkey and Cambodia closer together. Zaman University Rector Erkan Polatdemir spoke about the qualities of the university and that it meets world standards in technology. He added that they opened departments at the university in which the language of instruction is English, considering the areas of professional needs in Cambodia.
Among the participants were Cambodia’s Education Minister Im Sethy, Turkey’s Ambassador to Bangkok Oğuz Çelikkol, more than 200 Turkish businesspeople, educators from Zaman International School (ZIS), a private school in Cambodia’s Capitol Phnom Penh founded by Atilla Yusuf Güleker, a former journalist of the Zaman daily.
Ali Kökten, chairman of the board of directors of the university and chairman of ZIS, said that their young students had successfully participated in the International Science Olympiad and returned with several gold medals.
Following the opening speeches, students from the international school sang songs in Turkish as well as in their native language. Opened in 1997, ZIS offers education to children from kindergarten to grade 12. All lessons are taught in English, Turkish and Khmer. The high school, which currently has 900 students enrolled, is housed in a newly built and designed building in Tonle Bassac, Phnom Penh. ZIS is certified by the Cambodian Ministry of Education and is a member of CIS (Council of International Schools).
2011-02-22
Muhabir: Today’s Zaman
Influential New York Times Editorial on Defence of Marriage Act
New York Times Editorial
Mr. Obama Moves Against Bias
Published: February 23, 2011
In a heartening reversal, President Obama has instructed the Justice Department to stop defending the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. That deplorable 1996 law sanctioned blatant discrimination against the spousal rights of married gays and lesbians.
The announcement by Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. struck at the core of the matter, concluding that Congress had violated constitutional due process in a debate rife with “moral disapproval” of gay men and lesbians — “precisely the kind of stereotype-based thinking and animus” banned by the equal protection clause.
The decision reversed the administration’s untenable position of defending the law’s affront to equal rights even as Mr. Obama made clear his personal opposition. Instead, Mr. Holder said it was no longer possible to advance “hypothetical rationales” in court independent of the bias-steeped record of Congressional enactment.
The act, passed in an election year and signed by President Bill Clinton, arbitrarily denied federal benefits for married couples to married same-sex couples, including Social Security survivor payments and the option to file joint tax returns. It allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages that are legally recognized in other states.
The president’s decision is a major advancement for protecting the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans. It firmly skewers what has been bad law and complements the recent Congressional repeal of the government’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” prejudice suffered by gay men and lesbians serving the nation in the military.
The administration said its revised position was in part because of the fact that current court challenges require a rigorous enforcement standard — “heightened scrutiny” — in the case of protecting minority groups who have suffered a clear history of official discrimination. The courts will still be the ultimate arbiter of the law, but it is vital that the administration dropped its commitment to press wrongheaded defenses. Congress may still pursue its own brief in the courts.
The reversal seems likely to redound into the next election cycle — a fight very much worth having. As a candidate three years ago, Mr. Obama opposed the defense of marriage law but would not endorse same-sex marriage, instead supporting civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. In December, Mr. Obama said his feelings on the subject were “constantly evolving.” Wednesday’s decision raises the hope that they are evolving in the right direction — equal rights for all Americans.
Meanwhile, it is stirring that the president has done the right thing on the marriage law. He has scored Congress’s shabby violation of constitutional rights that supposedly protect all Americans, not just a selected majority in an election year.
Mr. Obama Moves Against Bias
Published: February 23, 2011
In a heartening reversal, President Obama has instructed the Justice Department to stop defending the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. That deplorable 1996 law sanctioned blatant discrimination against the spousal rights of married gays and lesbians.
The announcement by Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. struck at the core of the matter, concluding that Congress had violated constitutional due process in a debate rife with “moral disapproval” of gay men and lesbians — “precisely the kind of stereotype-based thinking and animus” banned by the equal protection clause.
The decision reversed the administration’s untenable position of defending the law’s affront to equal rights even as Mr. Obama made clear his personal opposition. Instead, Mr. Holder said it was no longer possible to advance “hypothetical rationales” in court independent of the bias-steeped record of Congressional enactment.
The act, passed in an election year and signed by President Bill Clinton, arbitrarily denied federal benefits for married couples to married same-sex couples, including Social Security survivor payments and the option to file joint tax returns. It allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages that are legally recognized in other states.
The president’s decision is a major advancement for protecting the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans. It firmly skewers what has been bad law and complements the recent Congressional repeal of the government’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” prejudice suffered by gay men and lesbians serving the nation in the military.
The administration said its revised position was in part because of the fact that current court challenges require a rigorous enforcement standard — “heightened scrutiny” — in the case of protecting minority groups who have suffered a clear history of official discrimination. The courts will still be the ultimate arbiter of the law, but it is vital that the administration dropped its commitment to press wrongheaded defenses. Congress may still pursue its own brief in the courts.
The reversal seems likely to redound into the next election cycle — a fight very much worth having. As a candidate three years ago, Mr. Obama opposed the defense of marriage law but would not endorse same-sex marriage, instead supporting civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. In December, Mr. Obama said his feelings on the subject were “constantly evolving.” Wednesday’s decision raises the hope that they are evolving in the right direction — equal rights for all Americans.
Meanwhile, it is stirring that the president has done the right thing on the marriage law. He has scored Congress’s shabby violation of constitutional rights that supposedly protect all Americans, not just a selected majority in an election year.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Gulen - On Education
Excerpts from F. Gulen's Answers to Questions on Education and Turkish Educational Activities Abroad
Website of Fethullah Gulenh - ttp://www.fethullahgulen.org/
Turkish entrepreneurs from almost all walks of life pioneered in schools, colleges, and universities. Fethullah Gulen only gave advice to these charitable businessmen. To those who said: "We're going to build a mosque in our country," he replied: "I'd like to see a school beside it." In fact, in most places he recommended building a school instead of a mosque.
Fethullah Hodja explains his views of Turkish entrepreneurs' opening schools within Turkey and abroad:
"Due to recent developments in communication, the world resembles a globalized village. Our continued existence, and especially our becoming a country with some say in the existing balance of power, is only possible through alliances with our neighbors and the countries with whom we have much in common.
"Establishing natural alliances and being surrounded by a circle of friends rather than enemies would benefit Turkey. In such a framework, I would support opening schools even in Armenia and Israel, if so permitted.
"As for my relationship with the schools that have been opened, there is a lion in everyone's heart a purpose hidden in one's nature since birth. This purpose can be different for everyone. When I was 12 or 13 years old and studying in Erzurum, I had a book in one hand and a map in the other. I would ask: "My God, how can we become a country whose problems have been considerably solved?"
"I have never even thought of having a house, children, or a car. You can't oppose natural laws: water flows, condenses at 100 degrees, and freezes at zero degrees. If there is such a characteristic in my nature, and if it's not harmful, what could be more natural than for this seed to flourish?
"As one who grew up with the desire and objective to serve my country, and if now this service can be realized through education, my interest in education is as natural as the flow of water, the rising and setting of the sun, and the activity of the world. However, I have no power, capital, or army only an unstoppable love and enthusiasm for service. All I can do is explain this, tell those who will listen, and suggest. Such service to others resembles a 'bazaar of those seeking God's approval.'" [Hulusi Turgut, Yeni Yuzyil, 1/27/98]
Schools
That's just the point I wanted to come to. It is said that every day, schools belonging to you are being opened and that this is a kind of organization. This, too, is making a lot of people think.
Wherever I go I make some suggestions. Without being at all discriminatory, I tell our citizens: "Open university preparatory courses and raise the level of our people." (In a foreign country) I told some people who had come to listen to a teacher from Turkey: "Stay here. Prepare your children for attending a university. Let them study sciences. If the level of general culture and education isn't high enough, open university preparatory courses. Put your means together. A world that is becoming globalized will bring certain things with it. For example, small trades and small business are going to disappear. Build big business enterprises."
But what do you think about the fact that those who open schools are all people close to your views?
I talk with everyone. I am sorry to say that the government doesn't have a special policy on this issue. I met with some fellow citizens regarding this matter. Thus an opportunity was born to end this nightmare. It was understood that private schools are very beneficial. As a result of encouragement, some people who came to perceive the importance of quality began opening private schools. But some thought that they were my followers or sharing my opinions on all subjects. [Ertugrul Ozkok, Hurriyet daily, 1/23-30-95]
Relationships with Education and Media Organizations
You say you are poor. But we know that everywhere in Turkey you have special courses, schools, universities, a daily newspaper, and a television channel.
I have no organic or material connection with any of them. My only worldly possessions are the clothes I wear and my bed sheets. I donated all of my books to a foundation.
OK. How is it that you can do what the government cannot? And for what objective? On top of this, for example, children attending your school in Tiflis aren't even Turkish or Muslim. What's your aim?
The schools are not mine. I'm a poor man with nothing more than the clothes on my back. Behind the institutions you mention are many people and companies from almost all walks of life regardless their worldview, beliefs, and lifestyles. If they wish, they sometimes ask for my advice. [Oral Calislar, Cumhuriyet daily, 8/20-26/95]
Educational Rush to Asia
We hope that our understanding of Islam and Turkish culture will provide for the conditions for a mutual, vital dialogue in the world. I think we're at a fateful point of history. Actually, the expected friendship has developed to a large extent among the students. The indigenous peoples and governments must be pleased with the schools the Turkish entrepreneurs have opened; they must have left a good impression. For example, the Yakutian principal expelled the Turkish teachers from the technical school because of jealousy but later sent a message: "Come back, and you can open any kind of technical school you want under your own management."
However, I don't know whether they opened such a school. Yakutia is far away...
There are different factors. In fact, our people have a spirit of enterprise. But in order to display this, they have to believe. If someone like me even whispers something like a bee's buzzing, the collective conscience can become active immediately.
What I have done is only to encourage people. I believe that the cooperation between Turkey and Central Asia will be beneficial to both parties and also will contribute to regional and global peace. People from diverse walks of life have responded to my call. They really believed. I believed once more in the precious quality of a nation's spirit.
Turkey is a well-established state. Democracy is, at least, in the process of settling down. Instead of dreaming about unity that currently seems impossible with people and countries who look down on us and see themselves as better Muslims than us, I found it more beneficial to turn toward people who have been looked down upon and oppressed for years, even centuries, and who are closer to us in many respects.
Everything takes place in accordance with Destiny. When there's a conjuncture where the apparently necessary means and causes, human free will and decision and Divine Destiny are agreed and united on a thing, surprising and only dreamed-of things can take place.
I have been looking forward to a better world resembling Paradise, where humanity can live in peace and tranquility. Our world is tired of war and clashes. It direly needs mercy, affection, spiritual well-being, and peace more than air and water. I believe that people in every country are ready for such a world. For example, we made an offer to the Greek government: "Don't be afraid of us. Come and open a school in Turkey, send your children here, we'll take care of them and give them scholarship. In return, we'll send you students and open a school in any city you wish."
Our efforts and enterprises are completely for humanity's sake. In a world becoming more and more globalized, we are trying to get to know those who will be our future neighbors a little earlier. Telecommunication and transportation systems are going to make us all like people in the same room.
Social Sciences
When Turkey was knocked out by its adversaries technologically, it was decided to turn all superior minds in this direction so that they would study physics and chemistry and transfer high technology to Turkey as soon as possible. But it seems that some who gave priority to the social sciences also will be among those who will manage the future.
Raising a leader is tied, in part, to respect for free thought. A seed has the strength to sprout in the soil's bosom and grow. If the air is beneficial to growth and if it reaches water, the sapling will grow taller. People are like that. There shouldn't be any pressure. People should be able to express themselves. People, even geniuses, are not directed to their essential capabilities. This system must change. Students should choose what they want to study. Both high school and the university need this flexibility. An untalented, incapable team is controlling this nation's destiny. [Nevval Sevindi, Yeni Yuzyil daily, August, 1997]
Any political aims?
We are all human. Today everyone and every organization is working for some specific goal. I serve other people in a way appropriate to myself within the framework of my beliefs. As stated above, human beings are the most honorable of creatures. Those who want to increase their honor should serve this honorable creature. As regards international relations and humanity, one of the most important factors here is to eliminate factors that separate people, such as egoism, self-interest, and discrimination based on color, race, belief, and ethnicity. When idealized, these can cause conflict and be exploited by big powers. We can uproot these evils with education.
Also, education is the most effective and common tongue for relations with others. We are trying our best to do this; we have no other intention. I would prefer a million times over to gain permanency in this transient life with faith and service to others and to gain eternal happiness, rather than ruling this world, even if it united with others and became a single state.
Excerpts from Charles Nelson’sFethullah Gülen: A Vision of Transcendent Education
True teachers sow the pure seed and preserve it. They occupy themselves with what is good and wholesome, and lead and guide the children through life and whatever events they may encounter. (Gülen, 2004, p. 208)
Thus, teaching is a "sacred" activity, and helping students to develop the capacity to bring about positive change is a teacher's "foremost duty" (Gülen, 1998, 2004). Teachers are responsible for providing knowledge with the wisdom to use it and for providing moral guidance-not by preaching values, but by embodying spirituality and love.
The end of Gülen's educational vision is to raise a "Golden Generation," a generation of ideal universal individuals, individuals who love truth, who integrate spirituality and knowledge, who work to benefit society (Gülen, 1998). Such a person is zul-cenaheyn "one who possesses two wings," exhibiting a "marriage of mind and heart" (Gülen, 1996b), a merging of universal ethical values with science and modern knowledge (Gülen, 2004) that produces "genuinely enlightened people" (Michel, 2003; Gülen, 1996a) who, motivated by love, take action to serve others (Gülen, 2000; Yildirim & Kirmizialtin, 2004).
Gülen-inspired Schools
That vision has led Gülen and his followers in the early 1980's to begin a zealous educational project of building educational institutions all over the world. In Turkey and in other countries, hundreds of schools, along with seven universities, have been founded.
These institutions resemble other schools in terms of curriculum and materials. Laboratory and computer equipment for science and language classes is up-to-date, the quality of education is excellent (Agai, 2003; Balci, 2003; Özdalga, 2000; Yavuz, 2003). Thomas Michel (2003), Secretary for Interreligious Dialogue of the Society of Jesuits and ecumenical secretary of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, reports that the students have outstanding performance in academic competitions in the natural sciences, information sciences, and languages, and he considers them "to be among the most dynamic and worthwhile educational enterprises ... in the world" (p. 70).
These schools also excel in the moral character of their staff and teachers. For instance, the Philippine-Turkish School of Tolerance is in a city where half of the population is Christian and the other half is Muslim. According to Michel (2003), the school provides more than a thousand students more positive ways to interact than the violent example set by military and paramilitary forces. He states that the school lives up to its name, providing a bastion of tolerance in an otherwise religiously polarized area of the Philippines, and that it has excellent relations with Christian institutions in the region.
Another example is the Gülen schools in Albania. Agai (2003) notes that because Albania "formed its national identity in opposition to the Ottoman Empire" (p. 44), it does not want Turkish nationalism or Islam promoted in its schools.
Nevertheless, the schools have gained the approval of the public and the government due to their quality education, focus on science, and universal values.
Interviewing women teachers at several of these schools, Özdalga (2003b) found that they shared certain values: "love (universal love, encompassing the whole of humanity), pietism, humility, self-criticism, societal (not political) activism, and professionalism (teaching)" (p. 63). Another value held by these teachers was that of avoiding conflict and "maintaining peaceful relationships" (p. 69). These values naturally lead to the movement's tolerance and understanding for other traditions and religions, so that rather than lecturing on their values or teaching specifically about Islam, they communicate their values by "being a good example through one's deeds" (Özdalga, 2003a, p. 86).
Transforming character
In both academic and spiritual matters, Gülen (2004) asserts, a "school must be as perfect as possible" (pp. 206-207). Gülen schools excel in academics because the instructors strive for perfection not only in having a command of their subject matter but also in (1) loving and caring for their students and (2) developing their own character as much as, if not more than, their students' character. To transform others' character, one must first transform one's own, and "being a good example" is a crucial component in the transformation process.
Yet, a school should not depend solely upon setting "a good example" for developing character in students. Character development does not differ from other learning. Whether from a cognitivist, sociocultural, or a social constructivist perspective, learning is considered to be a process of actively constructing knowledge and enacting practices (e.g, DeVries & Zan, 2005; Engeström, 1987; Lave & Wenger, 1991; Piaget, 1985; Vygotsky, 1978; von Glasersfeld, 1995). Although much learning, probably most, begins with observation (cf. Bandura, 1977), generally speaking, observation must be followed by action to construct learning (cf. Gülen, 1998, p. 99).
Looking at the activity of the Gülen community, we see that Gülen adherents are not limited to observing the moral example of Fethullah Gülen. Rather, they read, study, discuss, and reflect on his writings, along with Said Nursi's and the Qur'an. Moreover, they act upon what they know, internalizing their knowledge in their deeds, as evidenced by businessmen who found and support the schools and by teachers leaving Turkey for other countries at considerable sacrifice.
The Gülen community's activity embodies the teachings of Fethullah Gülen on learning and transforming character, teachings that stress the need for action governed by reflection and intention.
Action, according to Gülen (1996b), "should be the most indispensable element or feature of our lives" (p. 85). For Gülen, taking action means to be constantly striving to realize one's goals for the service of others, and it is essential for keeping one's identity free from the influence of others.
Action needs to be guided by reflection. Fethullah Gülen (1998) asserts that people need "to review and re-evaluate the established views of man, life and the universe" (Gülen, 1998, p. 8, italics in original). Through reflection, people can establish clear objectives; in fact, they need to do so if they "do not want to become lost in the flood of thoughts" (Gülen, 2000, p. 64). If even "founders and directors of institutions should frequently remind themselves of why the institutions were established, so that their work does not stray from its objective, but remains fruitful" (p. 65), how much more so for students in transforming their character!
The link between intention and action is an important one. Juarrero (1999) posits that actions are "behavioral trajectories constrained top-down by an intention" (p. 151). Behavior-the enactment of meaning, moral values, and beliefs-results from a self-organizing process of a person's history of reciprocal interactions with his/her environment, a process in which interdependencies between intentions and actions, individual and society, are entrained. If intentions are not regulated and are not followed by action, people will follow the thoughts, intentions and actions of others (Gülen, 1998, p. 85). In other words, people conform to their social environment unless they intentionally will to do otherwise.
In the U.S., students' environment includes, along with their school and family, competing examples of corporate greed, political scandals, and wide-spread (often successful) cheating. Economic, social, and peer pressures can easily undermine the effect of moral exemplars. In addition, just as students' prior experience can distort their understanding of moral texts (Narvaez, 2001), so, too, can environmental influences shape their interpretation of moral models. Consequently, students need an education in not only subject knowledge but also moral reflection and intentional action. Along these lines, Fethullah Gülen (2004) writes, "Although knowledge is a value in itself, the purpose of learning is to make knowledge a guide in life and to illuminate the road to human perfection" (p. 206).
To make "knowledge a guide," students must develop their ability to reason morally. In fact, one finding in research is that in an environment of open dialogue, students can develop their ability to reason through moral dilemmas that expose children to contradictions between their moral structures and more developed ones (Kohlberg, 1999).
Stories work well at developing moral reasoning because "they recreate the open, nonlinear dynamics of the real processes they purport to explain" (Juarrero, 2002, p. 241), thus having the potential to challenge readers to reconsider familiar ideas from new perspectives. Not all stories, of course. Stories need to be open ended and invite thoughtful discussion rather than indoctrination.
For now, looking at Gülen adherents again, we see that they engage in self-determined, intentional action guided by a love for humanity. Similarly, we should expect that in the development of character, students, too, must initiate action to integrate into their own identity moral reasoning and the love embodied in their teachers. Moral action embedded in a community of moral people who love humanity is a crucial ingredient in producing a Golden Generation. More consideration needs to be given to methods for incorporating moral reasoning, intentional action, and self-determination into schools, keeping in mind the following:
1. Moral reasoning, reflection, and judgment are necessary to guide intention appropriately, and conversely, action is crucial to entraining intentions.
2. Integrating moral principles into one's character requires intentional actions that are self-determined in an environment of love.
Conclusion
Many have been inspired by Fethullah Gülen to spend their time and wealth to establish schools of excellence. Why? It is not that he teaches something new or different. Rather, in part, I imagine that it is due to a unique confluence of time, place, and context. In part, it is due to Fethullah Gülen himself. His stories, his moral example, and his teachings inspire others to take action, to sacrifice, and to serve humanity rather than themselves. From Gülen (2000), we read:
Preferring the sacred cause over all worldly and animal desires; being steadfast in truth, once it has been discovered, to the degree that you sacrifice all mundane attachments for its sake; enduring all hardships so that future generations will be happy; seeking happiness, not in material or even spiritual pleasures, but in the happiness and well-being of others; never seeking to obtain any posts or positions; and preferring oneself to others in taking on work but preferring others to oneself in receiving wages-these are the essentials of this sacred way of serving the truth. (p. 84)
Such a call to sacrifice inspires educators to strive to perfect their own character and to love their students, a combination that can transform students into living lives worth living.
Even so, findings in educational research and Fethullah Gülen's teachings on intention and action suggest that while Gülen educators practice the most important role of being exemplars of love and knowledge, they can further the reach of their modeling by engaging students in moral reasoning and action that is self-determined. It is through the interaction of a school's environment of sacrificial love and the students' autonomous practice of moral reasoning and intentional action that Gülen's transcendent vision of raising a Golden Generation may come to pass in the U.S.
Website of Fethullah Gulenh - ttp://www.fethullahgulen.org/
Turkish entrepreneurs from almost all walks of life pioneered in schools, colleges, and universities. Fethullah Gulen only gave advice to these charitable businessmen. To those who said: "We're going to build a mosque in our country," he replied: "I'd like to see a school beside it." In fact, in most places he recommended building a school instead of a mosque.
Fethullah Hodja explains his views of Turkish entrepreneurs' opening schools within Turkey and abroad:
"Due to recent developments in communication, the world resembles a globalized village. Our continued existence, and especially our becoming a country with some say in the existing balance of power, is only possible through alliances with our neighbors and the countries with whom we have much in common.
"Establishing natural alliances and being surrounded by a circle of friends rather than enemies would benefit Turkey. In such a framework, I would support opening schools even in Armenia and Israel, if so permitted.
"As for my relationship with the schools that have been opened, there is a lion in everyone's heart a purpose hidden in one's nature since birth. This purpose can be different for everyone. When I was 12 or 13 years old and studying in Erzurum, I had a book in one hand and a map in the other. I would ask: "My God, how can we become a country whose problems have been considerably solved?"
"I have never even thought of having a house, children, or a car. You can't oppose natural laws: water flows, condenses at 100 degrees, and freezes at zero degrees. If there is such a characteristic in my nature, and if it's not harmful, what could be more natural than for this seed to flourish?
"As one who grew up with the desire and objective to serve my country, and if now this service can be realized through education, my interest in education is as natural as the flow of water, the rising and setting of the sun, and the activity of the world. However, I have no power, capital, or army only an unstoppable love and enthusiasm for service. All I can do is explain this, tell those who will listen, and suggest. Such service to others resembles a 'bazaar of those seeking God's approval.'" [Hulusi Turgut, Yeni Yuzyil, 1/27/98]
Schools
That's just the point I wanted to come to. It is said that every day, schools belonging to you are being opened and that this is a kind of organization. This, too, is making a lot of people think.
Wherever I go I make some suggestions. Without being at all discriminatory, I tell our citizens: "Open university preparatory courses and raise the level of our people." (In a foreign country) I told some people who had come to listen to a teacher from Turkey: "Stay here. Prepare your children for attending a university. Let them study sciences. If the level of general culture and education isn't high enough, open university preparatory courses. Put your means together. A world that is becoming globalized will bring certain things with it. For example, small trades and small business are going to disappear. Build big business enterprises."
But what do you think about the fact that those who open schools are all people close to your views?
I talk with everyone. I am sorry to say that the government doesn't have a special policy on this issue. I met with some fellow citizens regarding this matter. Thus an opportunity was born to end this nightmare. It was understood that private schools are very beneficial. As a result of encouragement, some people who came to perceive the importance of quality began opening private schools. But some thought that they were my followers or sharing my opinions on all subjects. [Ertugrul Ozkok, Hurriyet daily, 1/23-30-95]
Relationships with Education and Media Organizations
You say you are poor. But we know that everywhere in Turkey you have special courses, schools, universities, a daily newspaper, and a television channel.
I have no organic or material connection with any of them. My only worldly possessions are the clothes I wear and my bed sheets. I donated all of my books to a foundation.
OK. How is it that you can do what the government cannot? And for what objective? On top of this, for example, children attending your school in Tiflis aren't even Turkish or Muslim. What's your aim?
The schools are not mine. I'm a poor man with nothing more than the clothes on my back. Behind the institutions you mention are many people and companies from almost all walks of life regardless their worldview, beliefs, and lifestyles. If they wish, they sometimes ask for my advice. [Oral Calislar, Cumhuriyet daily, 8/20-26/95]
Educational Rush to Asia
We hope that our understanding of Islam and Turkish culture will provide for the conditions for a mutual, vital dialogue in the world. I think we're at a fateful point of history. Actually, the expected friendship has developed to a large extent among the students. The indigenous peoples and governments must be pleased with the schools the Turkish entrepreneurs have opened; they must have left a good impression. For example, the Yakutian principal expelled the Turkish teachers from the technical school because of jealousy but later sent a message: "Come back, and you can open any kind of technical school you want under your own management."
However, I don't know whether they opened such a school. Yakutia is far away...
There are different factors. In fact, our people have a spirit of enterprise. But in order to display this, they have to believe. If someone like me even whispers something like a bee's buzzing, the collective conscience can become active immediately.
What I have done is only to encourage people. I believe that the cooperation between Turkey and Central Asia will be beneficial to both parties and also will contribute to regional and global peace. People from diverse walks of life have responded to my call. They really believed. I believed once more in the precious quality of a nation's spirit.
Turkey is a well-established state. Democracy is, at least, in the process of settling down. Instead of dreaming about unity that currently seems impossible with people and countries who look down on us and see themselves as better Muslims than us, I found it more beneficial to turn toward people who have been looked down upon and oppressed for years, even centuries, and who are closer to us in many respects.
Everything takes place in accordance with Destiny. When there's a conjuncture where the apparently necessary means and causes, human free will and decision and Divine Destiny are agreed and united on a thing, surprising and only dreamed-of things can take place.
I have been looking forward to a better world resembling Paradise, where humanity can live in peace and tranquility. Our world is tired of war and clashes. It direly needs mercy, affection, spiritual well-being, and peace more than air and water. I believe that people in every country are ready for such a world. For example, we made an offer to the Greek government: "Don't be afraid of us. Come and open a school in Turkey, send your children here, we'll take care of them and give them scholarship. In return, we'll send you students and open a school in any city you wish."
Our efforts and enterprises are completely for humanity's sake. In a world becoming more and more globalized, we are trying to get to know those who will be our future neighbors a little earlier. Telecommunication and transportation systems are going to make us all like people in the same room.
Social Sciences
When Turkey was knocked out by its adversaries technologically, it was decided to turn all superior minds in this direction so that they would study physics and chemistry and transfer high technology to Turkey as soon as possible. But it seems that some who gave priority to the social sciences also will be among those who will manage the future.
Raising a leader is tied, in part, to respect for free thought. A seed has the strength to sprout in the soil's bosom and grow. If the air is beneficial to growth and if it reaches water, the sapling will grow taller. People are like that. There shouldn't be any pressure. People should be able to express themselves. People, even geniuses, are not directed to their essential capabilities. This system must change. Students should choose what they want to study. Both high school and the university need this flexibility. An untalented, incapable team is controlling this nation's destiny. [Nevval Sevindi, Yeni Yuzyil daily, August, 1997]
Any political aims?
We are all human. Today everyone and every organization is working for some specific goal. I serve other people in a way appropriate to myself within the framework of my beliefs. As stated above, human beings are the most honorable of creatures. Those who want to increase their honor should serve this honorable creature. As regards international relations and humanity, one of the most important factors here is to eliminate factors that separate people, such as egoism, self-interest, and discrimination based on color, race, belief, and ethnicity. When idealized, these can cause conflict and be exploited by big powers. We can uproot these evils with education.
Also, education is the most effective and common tongue for relations with others. We are trying our best to do this; we have no other intention. I would prefer a million times over to gain permanency in this transient life with faith and service to others and to gain eternal happiness, rather than ruling this world, even if it united with others and became a single state.
Excerpts from Charles Nelson’sFethullah Gülen: A Vision of Transcendent Education
True teachers sow the pure seed and preserve it. They occupy themselves with what is good and wholesome, and lead and guide the children through life and whatever events they may encounter. (Gülen, 2004, p. 208)
Thus, teaching is a "sacred" activity, and helping students to develop the capacity to bring about positive change is a teacher's "foremost duty" (Gülen, 1998, 2004). Teachers are responsible for providing knowledge with the wisdom to use it and for providing moral guidance-not by preaching values, but by embodying spirituality and love.
The end of Gülen's educational vision is to raise a "Golden Generation," a generation of ideal universal individuals, individuals who love truth, who integrate spirituality and knowledge, who work to benefit society (Gülen, 1998). Such a person is zul-cenaheyn "one who possesses two wings," exhibiting a "marriage of mind and heart" (Gülen, 1996b), a merging of universal ethical values with science and modern knowledge (Gülen, 2004) that produces "genuinely enlightened people" (Michel, 2003; Gülen, 1996a) who, motivated by love, take action to serve others (Gülen, 2000; Yildirim & Kirmizialtin, 2004).
Gülen-inspired Schools
That vision has led Gülen and his followers in the early 1980's to begin a zealous educational project of building educational institutions all over the world. In Turkey and in other countries, hundreds of schools, along with seven universities, have been founded.
These institutions resemble other schools in terms of curriculum and materials. Laboratory and computer equipment for science and language classes is up-to-date, the quality of education is excellent (Agai, 2003; Balci, 2003; Özdalga, 2000; Yavuz, 2003). Thomas Michel (2003), Secretary for Interreligious Dialogue of the Society of Jesuits and ecumenical secretary of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, reports that the students have outstanding performance in academic competitions in the natural sciences, information sciences, and languages, and he considers them "to be among the most dynamic and worthwhile educational enterprises ... in the world" (p. 70).
These schools also excel in the moral character of their staff and teachers. For instance, the Philippine-Turkish School of Tolerance is in a city where half of the population is Christian and the other half is Muslim. According to Michel (2003), the school provides more than a thousand students more positive ways to interact than the violent example set by military and paramilitary forces. He states that the school lives up to its name, providing a bastion of tolerance in an otherwise religiously polarized area of the Philippines, and that it has excellent relations with Christian institutions in the region.
Another example is the Gülen schools in Albania. Agai (2003) notes that because Albania "formed its national identity in opposition to the Ottoman Empire" (p. 44), it does not want Turkish nationalism or Islam promoted in its schools.
Nevertheless, the schools have gained the approval of the public and the government due to their quality education, focus on science, and universal values.
Interviewing women teachers at several of these schools, Özdalga (2003b) found that they shared certain values: "love (universal love, encompassing the whole of humanity), pietism, humility, self-criticism, societal (not political) activism, and professionalism (teaching)" (p. 63). Another value held by these teachers was that of avoiding conflict and "maintaining peaceful relationships" (p. 69). These values naturally lead to the movement's tolerance and understanding for other traditions and religions, so that rather than lecturing on their values or teaching specifically about Islam, they communicate their values by "being a good example through one's deeds" (Özdalga, 2003a, p. 86).
Transforming character
In both academic and spiritual matters, Gülen (2004) asserts, a "school must be as perfect as possible" (pp. 206-207). Gülen schools excel in academics because the instructors strive for perfection not only in having a command of their subject matter but also in (1) loving and caring for their students and (2) developing their own character as much as, if not more than, their students' character. To transform others' character, one must first transform one's own, and "being a good example" is a crucial component in the transformation process.
Yet, a school should not depend solely upon setting "a good example" for developing character in students. Character development does not differ from other learning. Whether from a cognitivist, sociocultural, or a social constructivist perspective, learning is considered to be a process of actively constructing knowledge and enacting practices (e.g, DeVries & Zan, 2005; Engeström, 1987; Lave & Wenger, 1991; Piaget, 1985; Vygotsky, 1978; von Glasersfeld, 1995). Although much learning, probably most, begins with observation (cf. Bandura, 1977), generally speaking, observation must be followed by action to construct learning (cf. Gülen, 1998, p. 99).
Looking at the activity of the Gülen community, we see that Gülen adherents are not limited to observing the moral example of Fethullah Gülen. Rather, they read, study, discuss, and reflect on his writings, along with Said Nursi's and the Qur'an. Moreover, they act upon what they know, internalizing their knowledge in their deeds, as evidenced by businessmen who found and support the schools and by teachers leaving Turkey for other countries at considerable sacrifice.
The Gülen community's activity embodies the teachings of Fethullah Gülen on learning and transforming character, teachings that stress the need for action governed by reflection and intention.
Action, according to Gülen (1996b), "should be the most indispensable element or feature of our lives" (p. 85). For Gülen, taking action means to be constantly striving to realize one's goals for the service of others, and it is essential for keeping one's identity free from the influence of others.
Action needs to be guided by reflection. Fethullah Gülen (1998) asserts that people need "to review and re-evaluate the established views of man, life and the universe" (Gülen, 1998, p. 8, italics in original). Through reflection, people can establish clear objectives; in fact, they need to do so if they "do not want to become lost in the flood of thoughts" (Gülen, 2000, p. 64). If even "founders and directors of institutions should frequently remind themselves of why the institutions were established, so that their work does not stray from its objective, but remains fruitful" (p. 65), how much more so for students in transforming their character!
The link between intention and action is an important one. Juarrero (1999) posits that actions are "behavioral trajectories constrained top-down by an intention" (p. 151). Behavior-the enactment of meaning, moral values, and beliefs-results from a self-organizing process of a person's history of reciprocal interactions with his/her environment, a process in which interdependencies between intentions and actions, individual and society, are entrained. If intentions are not regulated and are not followed by action, people will follow the thoughts, intentions and actions of others (Gülen, 1998, p. 85). In other words, people conform to their social environment unless they intentionally will to do otherwise.
In the U.S., students' environment includes, along with their school and family, competing examples of corporate greed, political scandals, and wide-spread (often successful) cheating. Economic, social, and peer pressures can easily undermine the effect of moral exemplars. In addition, just as students' prior experience can distort their understanding of moral texts (Narvaez, 2001), so, too, can environmental influences shape their interpretation of moral models. Consequently, students need an education in not only subject knowledge but also moral reflection and intentional action. Along these lines, Fethullah Gülen (2004) writes, "Although knowledge is a value in itself, the purpose of learning is to make knowledge a guide in life and to illuminate the road to human perfection" (p. 206).
To make "knowledge a guide," students must develop their ability to reason morally. In fact, one finding in research is that in an environment of open dialogue, students can develop their ability to reason through moral dilemmas that expose children to contradictions between their moral structures and more developed ones (Kohlberg, 1999).
Stories work well at developing moral reasoning because "they recreate the open, nonlinear dynamics of the real processes they purport to explain" (Juarrero, 2002, p. 241), thus having the potential to challenge readers to reconsider familiar ideas from new perspectives. Not all stories, of course. Stories need to be open ended and invite thoughtful discussion rather than indoctrination.
For now, looking at Gülen adherents again, we see that they engage in self-determined, intentional action guided by a love for humanity. Similarly, we should expect that in the development of character, students, too, must initiate action to integrate into their own identity moral reasoning and the love embodied in their teachers. Moral action embedded in a community of moral people who love humanity is a crucial ingredient in producing a Golden Generation. More consideration needs to be given to methods for incorporating moral reasoning, intentional action, and self-determination into schools, keeping in mind the following:
1. Moral reasoning, reflection, and judgment are necessary to guide intention appropriately, and conversely, action is crucial to entraining intentions.
2. Integrating moral principles into one's character requires intentional actions that are self-determined in an environment of love.
Conclusion
Many have been inspired by Fethullah Gülen to spend their time and wealth to establish schools of excellence. Why? It is not that he teaches something new or different. Rather, in part, I imagine that it is due to a unique confluence of time, place, and context. In part, it is due to Fethullah Gülen himself. His stories, his moral example, and his teachings inspire others to take action, to sacrifice, and to serve humanity rather than themselves. From Gülen (2000), we read:
Preferring the sacred cause over all worldly and animal desires; being steadfast in truth, once it has been discovered, to the degree that you sacrifice all mundane attachments for its sake; enduring all hardships so that future generations will be happy; seeking happiness, not in material or even spiritual pleasures, but in the happiness and well-being of others; never seeking to obtain any posts or positions; and preferring oneself to others in taking on work but preferring others to oneself in receiving wages-these are the essentials of this sacred way of serving the truth. (p. 84)
Such a call to sacrifice inspires educators to strive to perfect their own character and to love their students, a combination that can transform students into living lives worth living.
Even so, findings in educational research and Fethullah Gülen's teachings on intention and action suggest that while Gülen educators practice the most important role of being exemplars of love and knowledge, they can further the reach of their modeling by engaging students in moral reasoning and action that is self-determined. It is through the interaction of a school's environment of sacrificial love and the students' autonomous practice of moral reasoning and intentional action that Gülen's transcendent vision of raising a Golden Generation may come to pass in the U.S.
Zaman University
Zaman University was officially opened in Phnom Penh on February 21. 2011 by the Deputy Prime Ministers of Cambodia and Turkey signalling the significance of this event. This educational development was encouraged by the government of Cambodia and responded by the Turkish Muslim community who are inspired and guided by the Gulen movement. They have established educational institutions in Eastern Europe, Asia and even in the United States. These schools promote high standards of education in science and technology, inter-faith relations and moral and spiritual value regardless of race & religion, sex & gender preference as their contribution to the 21st century in this pluralistic world.
Business people in Turkey voluntary contributed to support this noble endeavour. For this occasion 60 businessmen flew in from Turkey to participate in the Opening Ceremony.
I was part of the delegation of friends of the Turkish Cultural Centre in Singapore. Dr Erkan Polatdemir who had earned his doctorate degree from National University of Singapore resigned from this teaching position at Republic Polytechnic to serve as the first President of the university.
Zaman International High School began in 1997 and moved to their city location in 2005. It prepares students for the Cambridge O and A levels. It seeks to instil internationalism and open inquiry and foster social interaction with mutual respect and cooperation. The enrolment today is 650.
Zaman International Primary School was established in 2007 and offers education in English and Khmer and Khmer culture. It has an enrolment of 550 students.
The Gala Dinner was held on the eve of the Opening Ceremony where 700 guests were present in the Grand Ballroom. This was well attended by the local civic and political leaders in the country. The function was held in Nagaworld, the finest integrated resort hotel in the country, which also houses the Casino where people walked freely in throughout the day and night to gamble on the rows of slot machines and numerous gaming tables.
Here is demonstrated for me the titanic battle between the forces of evil and good. Zaman University is committed to the formation of leaders of the country in inculcating the principles of honesty, integrity, goodness, love, and service. They are to teach care & compassion, peace & harmony. This great effort is contradicted glaringly by the evils that gambling encouraged. Will good prevail over evil in this struggle? What kind of human community are we structuring?
Recent history has shown the starkest evil in the genocide regime of Pol Pot about thirty years ago. This is a sad commentary of the country brought down literally to ground zero. I was personally involved in the relief and rehabilitation efforts by the world-wide Christian community. Our Christian humanitarian team was allowed to enter the city even before the citizens were allowed to return after they were evacuated and sent to the countryside. They found five girls in the entire population then who speak English to serve as our interpreters and one of them later became the wife of the Ambassador to Singapore. We were among the earliest visitors to the killing fields and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.
Cambodia history of the 12th century showed the fall of the Hindu Kingdom and the takeover by the Buddhist rulers. What can Angkor Wat the eighth ancient wonder of the world say to us today? The temple and capital city was erected by King Suryavarman II and dedicated to Vishnu in early 12th century. In the 14th century the temple was converted to Theravada Buddhism. It is the largest religious structure in the world. Now these ancient ruins of their religious leaders lie silent. Some could never be restored fully again. They become monuments of the past and museums of the active faith which they represented. What is the nature of their faith in the uncertain future that lies ahead? Will brute force prevail economically and politically once again.
Hope springs eternal and Zaman University will light a candle in the darkness. The children of the leadership of the county are already enrolled in this obviously prestigious university of 100 students. They will enter into this place of learning with the best that is available for them in the form of the dedication of the teachers and sponsors. Zaman University caters to the demand for quality higher education and to train graduates to develop in the right direction in the development of their country. The motto is “Leading Your Way.”
This event was a rather sobering one for me. I saw how they fought in overcoming the colonial influence and how they sacrificed against the Pol Pot genocide regime. What does the modernization process mean for their country in the wide disparity prevailing between the new rich and the continuing poor. I bought in the Night Market an original acrylic painting of a house on stilt on the Mekong River. The painter was painting at his stall. It costs me five US dollars and that was what I paid for a cup of coffee at the Coffee Shop in the five star Nagaworld Hotel!
I congratulate the Turkish people of the Gulen movement for their commitment to bring to a poor Asian country quality education and wish them success in pointing abd leading the way to a brighter future for Cambodia and her people.
Business people in Turkey voluntary contributed to support this noble endeavour. For this occasion 60 businessmen flew in from Turkey to participate in the Opening Ceremony.
I was part of the delegation of friends of the Turkish Cultural Centre in Singapore. Dr Erkan Polatdemir who had earned his doctorate degree from National University of Singapore resigned from this teaching position at Republic Polytechnic to serve as the first President of the university.
Zaman International High School began in 1997 and moved to their city location in 2005. It prepares students for the Cambridge O and A levels. It seeks to instil internationalism and open inquiry and foster social interaction with mutual respect and cooperation. The enrolment today is 650.
Zaman International Primary School was established in 2007 and offers education in English and Khmer and Khmer culture. It has an enrolment of 550 students.
The Gala Dinner was held on the eve of the Opening Ceremony where 700 guests were present in the Grand Ballroom. This was well attended by the local civic and political leaders in the country. The function was held in Nagaworld, the finest integrated resort hotel in the country, which also houses the Casino where people walked freely in throughout the day and night to gamble on the rows of slot machines and numerous gaming tables.
Here is demonstrated for me the titanic battle between the forces of evil and good. Zaman University is committed to the formation of leaders of the country in inculcating the principles of honesty, integrity, goodness, love, and service. They are to teach care & compassion, peace & harmony. This great effort is contradicted glaringly by the evils that gambling encouraged. Will good prevail over evil in this struggle? What kind of human community are we structuring?
Recent history has shown the starkest evil in the genocide regime of Pol Pot about thirty years ago. This is a sad commentary of the country brought down literally to ground zero. I was personally involved in the relief and rehabilitation efforts by the world-wide Christian community. Our Christian humanitarian team was allowed to enter the city even before the citizens were allowed to return after they were evacuated and sent to the countryside. They found five girls in the entire population then who speak English to serve as our interpreters and one of them later became the wife of the Ambassador to Singapore. We were among the earliest visitors to the killing fields and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.
Cambodia history of the 12th century showed the fall of the Hindu Kingdom and the takeover by the Buddhist rulers. What can Angkor Wat the eighth ancient wonder of the world say to us today? The temple and capital city was erected by King Suryavarman II and dedicated to Vishnu in early 12th century. In the 14th century the temple was converted to Theravada Buddhism. It is the largest religious structure in the world. Now these ancient ruins of their religious leaders lie silent. Some could never be restored fully again. They become monuments of the past and museums of the active faith which they represented. What is the nature of their faith in the uncertain future that lies ahead? Will brute force prevail economically and politically once again.
Hope springs eternal and Zaman University will light a candle in the darkness. The children of the leadership of the county are already enrolled in this obviously prestigious university of 100 students. They will enter into this place of learning with the best that is available for them in the form of the dedication of the teachers and sponsors. Zaman University caters to the demand for quality higher education and to train graduates to develop in the right direction in the development of their country. The motto is “Leading Your Way.”
This event was a rather sobering one for me. I saw how they fought in overcoming the colonial influence and how they sacrificed against the Pol Pot genocide regime. What does the modernization process mean for their country in the wide disparity prevailing between the new rich and the continuing poor. I bought in the Night Market an original acrylic painting of a house on stilt on the Mekong River. The painter was painting at his stall. It costs me five US dollars and that was what I paid for a cup of coffee at the Coffee Shop in the five star Nagaworld Hotel!
I congratulate the Turkish people of the Gulen movement for their commitment to bring to a poor Asian country quality education and wish them success in pointing abd leading the way to a brighter future for Cambodia and her people.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Living Out My Faith
Living Out My Faith -
Jo and Gabriel were interested in the way people of faith live out their faith. They hosted a pleasant dinner meeting in their home to explore this concern with around twenty friends who accepted their invitation. As a starter, I was commissioned to narrate for half an hour my personal observations.
This provided the challenge to relate my faith to my life. What were the seminal influences that I could identify in the development of my faith and the ways to live it out?
I was not born into a Christian home for my parents were followers of the traditional Chinese religions with the emphasis on religious rituals without too much understanding of doctrines. In my formative years I saw primarily the living out of their faith.
I experienced the protection and security in my childhood. This came through the love of my mother in nurturing me and responding to my needs. I recall that my father was the disciplinarian and I was reminded of the rules that govern my behaviour. It was necessary to know the rules and to follow them. There was nothing strictly religious in content but guidelines and examples to help me to become a well-behaved and well-mannered person in a Confucian culture.
My father learnt the language of the British colonial government. He became an Interpreter in the law courts and served the government in different towns. The family was living with people of other races as neighbours, Malays and Indians. I was exposed to other cultures. I grew up in Kampar and received some Christian influence in the local Methodist school. The rented terrace house which is still standing had the town mosque and a Chinese temple at the end of Jalan Ampang, a side road off the main trunk road that runs through the town going north and south.
During World War II and the Japanese Occupution of Malaya, tragedy struck which led to my being crippled and coupled with the untimely death of my father when I was fifteen. I was forced to reflect upon my difficult uncertain future. My widowed homemaker mother was abruptly loaded with the responsibility for my welfare as well as that of my younger brother and two sisters. Two older sisters were married at that time. It was not an easy burden and I knew it was my responsibility to lift that heavy burden as soon as possible.
I received love and kindness from family and friends in my early formative years and in the time of personal crisis I received care and concern from Christian friends. Sensing my indebtedness of kind people around me I was aware that I need to repay the kindness shown. They reflected their religious faith. The inter-relationships between faith and life were demonstrated to me in a personal way. In my deepest need I experienced the greatest compassion.
This process guided me throughout my life. Faith made visible in life. Life brought clarity to faith. It is a continuous interaction between action and reflection, faith and works. In the process of living and reflecting I drew my inspiration from Christian friends and pastors.
The one sermon that stands out in my mind in my youth is the one from the Rev Ralph Kesselring who was my missionary pastor and Principal in Ipoh. Strangely enough his daughter Ann a few years ago discovered the text of the sermon with written notations and sent it to me. It was strange but it was to me a serendipitous moment. It was the message of Amos on social justice. Away from the religious festivals, silence the noisy solemn assemblies and let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
I was drawn to the other prophet Micah who posed the question as to what the Lord requires from me – but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.
My spiritual journey with God must necessarily be through deeds of kindness and works of justice.
When I finally decided to choose my career as a Pastor, I was privileged to secure my preparation in Boston University School of Theology in the United States. It was that seminary and its social ethicist Walter Muelder and systematic theologian Harold DeWolf who taught Martin Luther King in his doctoral programme and mentored him in his Civil Rights struggle and supported him to live out his faith. I was privileged to sit under the feet of these scholars who set the direction in my own spiritual journey in my Christian ministry
It was a call not to just ensure me that I am on the road to enter heaven but on a mission to love God through loving my neighbour in this world. It was a call not just to settle my doctrinal faith but to live out my faith at each moment in my life. My faith is always action-oriented. It is a continuing process of expressing my faith in life and enriching my faith through my involvement.
What then are some of the contours of my religious faith that I confess? God is always a mystery to mortal human beings who are limited and we cannot fully define the nature of God. Suffice to acknowledge God as the Creative One who brought all things into existence and has breathed life in us and around us. What then is the meaning and purpose of this one life of mine? It is to participate in the same creative task of God in the creation groaning in travail and in the process of fulfillment.
Faith is not just worshiping and praying and praising God. It is not petitioning to God to intervene directly to heal broken lives and restore this fractured world. Faith is not appealing to God to bless us with prosperity, health and success. Faith is to believe in God who has created and continues in the creative work and loves us. It is to express our God-given freedom to decide to live a life of discipleship – following Christ who taught us to love God with all our heart and mind and strength and to love our neighbour as ourselves.
Living out my Christian faith is to engage pragmatically in service to those who are in need and especially to the marginalized, oppressed, rejected and despised around us. This is why I had to live out my faith and my life in participating in programmes of service and justice to the poor materially and spiritually, gays and lesbians, and the Other – those who are of a different sex, religion or social status.
Some of the specific missions and ministries that I was engaged in was in the human rights and peace-making efforts through the Christian Conference of Asia in the martial law period in the Philippines, Korea, Indonesia. It was also in the task of relief and rehabilitation in the Indochina countries and developing relationships with the Christian churches as they surfaced from the days of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. It is in the pastoral ministry to the gays and lesbians as they come out from their closets. It is in the fellowship of the Inter Religious Organization promoting peace and harmony. It is in the work of reconciliation between the Sinhalese and Tamils at the conclusion of their civil war. It is in the support of humanitarian assistance to the poor and the needy. These are the ways that I continue to try to live out my faith.
In principle it is involvement in the work of transformation of life. It is to effect changes and paradigmn shifts and bring about the reign of God in personal lives and systemic structures.
In principle I am compelled to acknowledge differences and affirm diversity in life. It is to move from toleration of differences to respect differences and to celebrate differences. It is to interact with the Other and to be open to learn from one another. It is to install justice in my relationships and establish righteousness in my live. This is my attempt in living out my faith in my daily walk with God. By so doing, I strive to play my part to restore the rainbow of hope in God’s Creation.
- Yap Kim Hao
Jo and Gabriel were interested in the way people of faith live out their faith. They hosted a pleasant dinner meeting in their home to explore this concern with around twenty friends who accepted their invitation. As a starter, I was commissioned to narrate for half an hour my personal observations.
This provided the challenge to relate my faith to my life. What were the seminal influences that I could identify in the development of my faith and the ways to live it out?
I was not born into a Christian home for my parents were followers of the traditional Chinese religions with the emphasis on religious rituals without too much understanding of doctrines. In my formative years I saw primarily the living out of their faith.
I experienced the protection and security in my childhood. This came through the love of my mother in nurturing me and responding to my needs. I recall that my father was the disciplinarian and I was reminded of the rules that govern my behaviour. It was necessary to know the rules and to follow them. There was nothing strictly religious in content but guidelines and examples to help me to become a well-behaved and well-mannered person in a Confucian culture.
My father learnt the language of the British colonial government. He became an Interpreter in the law courts and served the government in different towns. The family was living with people of other races as neighbours, Malays and Indians. I was exposed to other cultures. I grew up in Kampar and received some Christian influence in the local Methodist school. The rented terrace house which is still standing had the town mosque and a Chinese temple at the end of Jalan Ampang, a side road off the main trunk road that runs through the town going north and south.
During World War II and the Japanese Occupution of Malaya, tragedy struck which led to my being crippled and coupled with the untimely death of my father when I was fifteen. I was forced to reflect upon my difficult uncertain future. My widowed homemaker mother was abruptly loaded with the responsibility for my welfare as well as that of my younger brother and two sisters. Two older sisters were married at that time. It was not an easy burden and I knew it was my responsibility to lift that heavy burden as soon as possible.
I received love and kindness from family and friends in my early formative years and in the time of personal crisis I received care and concern from Christian friends. Sensing my indebtedness of kind people around me I was aware that I need to repay the kindness shown. They reflected their religious faith. The inter-relationships between faith and life were demonstrated to me in a personal way. In my deepest need I experienced the greatest compassion.
This process guided me throughout my life. Faith made visible in life. Life brought clarity to faith. It is a continuous interaction between action and reflection, faith and works. In the process of living and reflecting I drew my inspiration from Christian friends and pastors.
The one sermon that stands out in my mind in my youth is the one from the Rev Ralph Kesselring who was my missionary pastor and Principal in Ipoh. Strangely enough his daughter Ann a few years ago discovered the text of the sermon with written notations and sent it to me. It was strange but it was to me a serendipitous moment. It was the message of Amos on social justice. Away from the religious festivals, silence the noisy solemn assemblies and let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
I was drawn to the other prophet Micah who posed the question as to what the Lord requires from me – but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.
My spiritual journey with God must necessarily be through deeds of kindness and works of justice.
When I finally decided to choose my career as a Pastor, I was privileged to secure my preparation in Boston University School of Theology in the United States. It was that seminary and its social ethicist Walter Muelder and systematic theologian Harold DeWolf who taught Martin Luther King in his doctoral programme and mentored him in his Civil Rights struggle and supported him to live out his faith. I was privileged to sit under the feet of these scholars who set the direction in my own spiritual journey in my Christian ministry
It was a call not to just ensure me that I am on the road to enter heaven but on a mission to love God through loving my neighbour in this world. It was a call not just to settle my doctrinal faith but to live out my faith at each moment in my life. My faith is always action-oriented. It is a continuing process of expressing my faith in life and enriching my faith through my involvement.
What then are some of the contours of my religious faith that I confess? God is always a mystery to mortal human beings who are limited and we cannot fully define the nature of God. Suffice to acknowledge God as the Creative One who brought all things into existence and has breathed life in us and around us. What then is the meaning and purpose of this one life of mine? It is to participate in the same creative task of God in the creation groaning in travail and in the process of fulfillment.
Faith is not just worshiping and praying and praising God. It is not petitioning to God to intervene directly to heal broken lives and restore this fractured world. Faith is not appealing to God to bless us with prosperity, health and success. Faith is to believe in God who has created and continues in the creative work and loves us. It is to express our God-given freedom to decide to live a life of discipleship – following Christ who taught us to love God with all our heart and mind and strength and to love our neighbour as ourselves.
Living out my Christian faith is to engage pragmatically in service to those who are in need and especially to the marginalized, oppressed, rejected and despised around us. This is why I had to live out my faith and my life in participating in programmes of service and justice to the poor materially and spiritually, gays and lesbians, and the Other – those who are of a different sex, religion or social status.
Some of the specific missions and ministries that I was engaged in was in the human rights and peace-making efforts through the Christian Conference of Asia in the martial law period in the Philippines, Korea, Indonesia. It was also in the task of relief and rehabilitation in the Indochina countries and developing relationships with the Christian churches as they surfaced from the days of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. It is in the pastoral ministry to the gays and lesbians as they come out from their closets. It is in the fellowship of the Inter Religious Organization promoting peace and harmony. It is in the work of reconciliation between the Sinhalese and Tamils at the conclusion of their civil war. It is in the support of humanitarian assistance to the poor and the needy. These are the ways that I continue to try to live out my faith.
In principle it is involvement in the work of transformation of life. It is to effect changes and paradigmn shifts and bring about the reign of God in personal lives and systemic structures.
In principle I am compelled to acknowledge differences and affirm diversity in life. It is to move from toleration of differences to respect differences and to celebrate differences. It is to interact with the Other and to be open to learn from one another. It is to install justice in my relationships and establish righteousness in my live. This is my attempt in living out my faith in my daily walk with God. By so doing, I strive to play my part to restore the rainbow of hope in God’s Creation.
- Yap Kim Hao
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