How Do You Solve A Problem Like The RH Bill? Part 2


We Christians should be known more for what we are for and not for what we are against. In his“Thoughts on RH Bill” posted on the Facebook page of the International Graduate School of Leadership (IGSL) Alumni, Dr. Jim Whelchel (who used to teach “Christianity and Social Issues” in IGSL and is now serving as Executive Field Assistant to the VP of Campus Crusade for Christ) wrote, “My point is that as Christians we should not be known primarily as people who are against things, but people who are concerned enough that they do something about real problems that real people face.” Though he particularly addressed those who are against the Reproductive Health or RH Bill, I think what he wrote applies to both pro and anti groups. He encouraged believers to engage the issue at hand by really knowing the facts behind it. “[W]hen we… fail to engage in accurate discussion of its actual tenets, we may end up being marginalized in the discussion because we are rejected as religious fanatics who are unable to engage in legitimate dialogue. If we were to address some areas where there is potential flexibility and areas of agreement, we may not lose our voice in the discussion. And we may be seen as valuable contributors rather than irrational religious naysayers.” (Ibid) We should not lose either by default or by being dogmatic. We should dialogue.

The key is not to impose our Biblical morals upon society but to impart it to them through our words and works. In parenting we are taught that, to change the way our children behave, we should change the way they think. It’s the same when it comes to our country. We need a change of heart more than a change of laws (or even lawmakers, though that is an attractive idea given the present crop we have). In her“Battle Over RH Feels Like Proxy Culture War” article, social anthropologist Dr. Melba Padilla Maggay wrote,“If the Church is worried about the moral fallout of this Bill, it can only stem the tide by doing what it does best – commend its values to the conscience of people, believers and unbelievers alike. It should do this, not by thwarting or by using the coercive powers of the state, but by winsomely and cogently setting forth its case before a skeptical public.” (Source: http://inquirer.net) As the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16), we must engage our world. It is our Master’s mandate.

Brethren, ultimately we need transformation, not legislation.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God Knows Judas Not Pay

In the National Geographic Magazine (May 2006 issue), in its cover story, The Judas Gospel , Professor Eliane Pagels of Princeton University claimed that the so-called gospel of Judas “ changes the history of early Christianity. ” Even UP Professor Randy David took notice of the Judas Gospel: “Strictly from a sociological standpoint, I think the discovery of the Gospel of Judas makes Christianity a far more interesting religion than what centuries of metaphysical theology has made of it.” (A Gospel for the Postmodern, Phil. Daily Inquirer, April 16, 2006) That’s why I spoke in our Young Pro Fellowship a few days ago on God Knows Judas Not Pay (A Biblical Response on the Judas Gospel). I believe opportunities like this hype on the Judas Gospel or the Da Vinci Code opens a door for us to share the true Gospel. For those who did not attend last Thursday, let me share briefly why we reject the Judas gospel. I came up with the acronym J-U-D-A-S. J udas was portrayed as a traitor in the Bibl
Read more

“Ubus-ubos Biyaya, Bukas Nakatunganga”

Image
That’s what my mother always told us when we were still kids. (Translation: “You spend everything today, you will have nothing tomorrow.” ) Image source: So, What's New ? Dionie did just that. Last April 2008, he won PHP14,125,032 in the Lotto 6/42 draw. Excitedly, he “lived the life of a millionaire, something he had been longing to experience. He lived in a P4-million house in a posh subdivision, drove around in a sports utility vehicle [which he bought the very same day he claimed his prize] , and gave goodwill money, ranging P1,000 to P 850,000, to relatives and friends. He also gambled daily, womanized, and went on regular drinking sprees.” (Source: Manila Bulletin ) He estimated that he squandered a minimum of P100,000 almost every day. He also lent money even to people he did not really know. “I just gave them and told them not to pay me back.” (Ibid) His bank had to issue him a special card so he can withdraw huge amounts of money quickly from the automated teller m
Read more

“Don’t drink the Kool-Aid!”

Image
Forty years ago, this expression became known as a description of blind obedience.   Source: Los Angeles Times On November 18, 1978, members of Peoples Temple, a cult group in Guyana, drank Kool-Aid drink laced with cyanide to commit a mass suicide “at the behest of their charismatic but paranoid leader, Jim Jones”. [1] According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica , “The death toll exceeded 900, including some 300 age 17 and under, making the incident one of the largest mass deaths in American history. ”  [2]  What made those people submit to such atrocity? According to Stella Morabito, a senior contributor to The Federalist online magazine, Peoples Temple is “Exhibit A… [of]  the dangers of the cult mindset or how vulnerable all people are to cult tactics.”  [3] She pointed out that, Coercive persuasion has immense power to shape and twist the human mind.  …[Jones’] utopian preaching of a humane world in which all lived happily in harmony resonated with the
Read more