We must understand that for many religious people, their faith is the ultimate defining reality of their lives. Also, for many religious followers, certain tenets of the faith are sourced from divine revelation. Hence, certain religious beliefs are treated as non-negotiable and non-debatable. The thinking is, “How can mere mortals argue with God?”. As such, any discussion or worst still, questioning of particular religious beliefs, are deemed as humanistic attempts to trifle with the divine or in some cases, outright blasphemy. That being the case, we should always be sensitive, circumspect and respectful when we deal with religious issues.
Having said all that, I believe that when religious discussions are carried out in a civilized, frank and open manner, it is of immense worth. I was a reluctant speaker at an inter faith forum held in a university about a year ago. Reluctant because I always thought that inter faith forums should be left to religious experts. What made me to accept the invitation was when it dawned on me that religion is for everyone, even for an ordinary person like myself. So, I went and we had a very interesting forum. At one point of the forum, the issue of “Is Jesus God?” cropped up. The Muslim speaker and I engaged in a very open discussion on this issue. I took the Christian position that Jesus is God while he took the Muslim position that Jesus was a prophet and was not God. For both Muslims and Christians, this is a very significant issue with many ramifications for our personal faith. Both of us did not dilute our take on this very important issue and spoke our minds freely.
After the forum, the Muslim speaker and I had a very pleasant conversation over nasi briyaini. We chatted, we laughed and we traded name cards for further discussion. He even presented me with a Quran as a gift.
I walked away from that experience realizing that we can all agree to disagree without being disagreeable in the process. Yes, religious issues must be handled with care. But, that doesn’t mean we should never talk about our differences or even ask valid questions about each other’s belief. We must also realize that truth, including religious truth, should and must withstand all amount of scrutiny, questioning and debate. Respecting each other’s faiths do not mean that we can never engage in a discussion over our differences. All that silence does is to promote ignorance, suspicion, misconceptions about each other’s beliefs and a superficial co-existence. True friends talk and discuss things openly.
In a pluralistic society like ours, with so many differing belief systems and worldviews, we must engage with each other in the marketplace of ideas. But, it makes all the difference in the world when we do so as friends and not as strangers or worst still, as enemies. When there is a bond of friendship and a presumption of good faith, our discussions will certainly generate more light than heat. And, I find from personal experience, a good plate of nasi briyani serves as a good lubricant for a warm and friendly discussion.
As for the Bar Council, I believe the Bar Council is merely carrying out its statutory duty to safeguard the freedom of expression and to call for greater democratic space. The Bar Council does not in any manner question the validity of any religious faith or enter a realm outside the scope of its statutory duties. Even on this issue, we can agree to disagree as to what the Bar Council should or should not do.
Nasi briyani anyone? I know a great place in Malacca.
This was written as a thoughtful reflection of the Bar Council’s recent press statement entitled Embrace Diversity and Engagement.
