By Mataeliga Pio Sioa
The blessings are more for those who give. This is the teaching of the Good Book drummed into our faith by church leaders since Christianity landed on our shores.
It is a very simple transaction. You give and you receive more back in return.
Unfortunately it does not always work that way and can end in some unrewarding and unflattering way for the giver.
Our traditional obligation to community service whether it is to give to the village or to the church is a classic. We call it the ‘monotaga.’
But as we now learn your contributions to the community will not reward you with the approval of the village chiefs to stand as a candidate for the general elections.
Yes of course it is not in keeping with our Christian values of giving but what the heck it is politics.
It starts in the village, balloons out into the electoral constituencies and finally that little upside down ‘Wok House’ that runs the political affairs of our sovereign state from the Tiafau Malae.
The church is supposed to be above all that messy, dirty, game of power. It is supposed to draw its strength from the divine authority they rave and rant about from the pulpit.
As we are led to believe this source of all life and strength is from the divine powers that sits on a throne in Heaven – our final destination when we leave this life.
We are basically in this temporary world to mark time for our onward journey to the everlasting.
While we wait we have to prove worthy of Heaven by being good Christians in this world.
Keeping watch of our saintly behaviour is the role of the church. There is a strict pathway of the ‘straight and narrow’ the church makes you walk that will open the Pearly Gates for you to enter.
The church is supposed to be beyond reproach in its duties to the divine in saving the souls of man for the Kingdom of God.
It sits as the guiding light to the fairness and justice of God who is the Truth.
Questions, however, have been asked of the church role since local politics caught the attention, with recent unhappy events of turmoil never before seen since Samoa became independent.
The direct involvement of church leaders in Government politics asks why it has deviated from its perceived role of divine truth they roar into every corner of Samoa.
There are defined boundaries of church and politics in place to separate the roles of religion and the state.
The influence of the church in the April general elections was blatant when the largest denomination in the country decided to take sides.
The question that still remains to be answered is when did the teachings of the church went against the specific instructions from the Lord himself to ‘Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to Jesus what is Jesus?
The FAST Government it helped put into power has just passed new changes in the Electoral Act that encourages more involvement of the church in politics with the religious ‘monotaga.’
The excuse given that it will offer salvation for any individual to stand as an election candidate if shunned by the village council is lame and woeful.
As it has been rightly pointed out by public criticisms it creates room for the church and culture to clash and lash out at each other.
The frictions of the church encroaching into the traditional rule of the village council are the sparking point for conflict according to expressed concern.
HRPP opposition MP Lealailepule made the point that opening the door to religious ‘monotaga’ goes against the true spirit of the act as a traditional obligation to the village community.
The suggested role of the church is to advice as it has always been the accepted practice in a traditional village setting.
When they are seen to take a contradictory path destined to clash with the traditional rule of the village council the concerns are the consequences from the fall out.
Doubts about what the true role of the church or religion have become in the preaching of the Good Word opens up serious anxieties for peace and wellbeing in local communities.
A question asked after the recent political uncertainties the church is equally guilty of contributing is whether it is a divine mystery or does that it sit squarely on the heads of politically ambitious church leaders?
Maybe there is truth afterall in what they say about how the politics of power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely…or words to that effect.
For the church to succumb to the political corruption of power is a betrayal of faith. Where does that stand in the justice of God?
Lets not lose sight of that.
Lord we thank you for the blessings of your peace on us on this day of rest.