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Pas MP receives standing ovation in Shah Alam Catholic Church

Christianity, Ethnic and inter-religious relations, Islam, M'sian politics, Malaysian elections, Universal spiritual values 32 Responses »

Apr 052008

The MP for Shah Alam, Khalid Abdul Samad from Pas, received a standing ovation and thunderous applause from 350 parishioners of the Church of the Divine Merch in Shah Alam. He had offered to meet the parishioners for a dialogue session on 27 March. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support,” he said, adding that he had achieved a majority of 9,314 votes in Shah Alam. “On the part of Pas, we will now be a coalition government. Our policies will be based on consensus. There will be no attempts by any member within Pas to impose any form of law on the general public. We will be fair and just.” We will do as required by the community and what is good for the community, he added. “We will carry out our duties based on good governance, transparency and accountability. I [Read more]

Christian leaders must denounce the US war in Iraq

Christianity, Global justice movement, Iraq, Militarism, United States, Universal spiritual values 18 Responses »

Mar 282008

Christian leaders must denounce the US war in Iraq

Meet Robert Waldrop (left), one of the leading lights of the Catholic Worker movement in the United States. Bob runs the Oscar Romero Catholic Worker House in Oklahoma, US. His powerful words – more than the way he looks – remind me of a biblical Old Testament prophet speaking truth to power! The Catholic Worker movement was founded by the late Dorothy Day, who campaigned in defence of the poor, forsaken, hungry and homeless, and Peter Maurin. On her 75th birthday, Day was described by a Jesuit magazine as the individual who best exemplified “the aspiration and action of the American Catholic community during the past forty years.” In the best traditions of the Catholic Worker movement, Bob has also been vocal in the anti-war movement within the Catholic Church, in line with Pope John Paul II’s opposition to the war in Iraq. He feels that US Catholic Bishops have [Read more]

Why did they put Jesus to death?

Christianity, Militarism, Poverty, Universal spiritual values 16 Responses »

Mar 212008

Good Friday service at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Penang Christians believe Good Friday is the day Jesus was crucified and died for our sins. But that doesn’t answer the question – if he was a good man, even a prophet or claiming to be divine, preaching love, compassion and forgiveness, why did the authorities at that time put him to death – and that too, not any kind of death, but the harshest punishment possible under the Roman Empire: scourged, stripped naked and nailed to a cross in a public space as an example to everyone. Crucifixion was reserved for those who rebelled against the Roman Empire or for slaves who defied their masters. Both were considered a serious threat to public order. Jesus’ passion for the kingdom of God that would raise up the oppressed and the downtrodden inevitably brought him on a collision course with [Read more]

Herald permit: Divide-and-rule rears its ugly head?

Christianity, Democracy, Human rights, Islam, Marginalised groups, Poverty, Universal spiritual values 7 Responses »

Dec 242007

Herald permit: Divide-and-rule rears its ugly head?

Publication permit in doubt: The Herald has provided prominent coverage of recent demonstrations and other human rights issues even as the mainstream media abdicate their responsibility Four years ago, Christian Malaysians were overjoyed when Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi sent Christmas greetings to their various churches and congregations. It was an astute gesture that touched many Christians, and many of them voted in droves for the BN in the 2004 general election. How times have changed. Now, as we observe Christmas 2007, the mood in many churches is decidedly sombre. The Catholic Church has not yet received its new publication permit for its weekly Herald newspaper for the coming year, ostensibly because of its use of the term “Allah” to refer to God in its Malay-language section. As a columnist for The Herald, I am deeply disappointed. The Herald’s use of the term “Allah” is nothing new; it has been using [Read more]

Size does matter: Small is beautiful

Christianity, Democracy, Development issues, Environment, Global justice movement, Neo-liberal economics, Universal spiritual values 1 Response »

Jun 062007

We are told Bigger is Better. Big Airports, Big Bridges, Big Corporations, Big Shopping Malls, Big Dams, Bigger Banks, Bigger Plantation Firms, Bigger Highways (oh, what a nuisance, the oil is running out though) and even Big Agriculture. And we measure our well-being by how much we earn (and consume) – as in Per Capita Income levels – and how much more we can produce (the Gross Domestic Product or economic growth rates). We rarely factor into the equation the damage done to the environment or the loss of scarce natural resources. And everywhere people are working to feed the unquenchable System, which it turn feeds our materialistic and consumerist desires. As a result, many Multinational Corporations today are richer and more powerful than some of the developing countries. We have talked a lot about this Big Neo-Liberal Economic System. It is a system aided and abetted by politicians and [Read more]

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