Question for Debate: When does religious views cross the line?
July 9, 2010 2 Comments
I read in DutchNews.nl today an item called “Bible Belt says no to football on Sunday, whatever the occasion” which at first I thought was just “a bit funny” and then started wondering.
As it is not a long item so I will quote it in full, with full acknowledgement and respect to DutchNews.nl.
Friday 09 July 2010
The Netherlands may be on the brink of its first football World Cup title, but in some parts of the Dutch Bible Belt, watching tv on a Sunday is totally forbidden, the Telegraaf points out on Friday.
And Kees van der Staaij, leader of the fundamentalist Protestant party SGP is one of those who will not be following events in South Africa.
‘Absolutely not,’ a spokesman told the Telegraaf. ‘He may watch television occasionally for work but never to relax and absolutely not on Sunday.’
In the village of Urk, which has 20 plus churches for its population of 17,000, three cafes have aroused the ire of religious leaders for deciding to open their doors during the match.
But in the Bible Belt heartland of Staphorst people who actually have a tv will watch quietly at home, a town council spokeswoman said. ‘Someone might run outside with a tooter, but they will go back in again straight away’.
In the village of Elburg the local minister has prayed for Oranje to lose. He has even advised parents to put a filter on their children’s computers so they do not watch such a ‘sinful’ match. © DutchNews.nl
What does this item tell us? For me, many things. I dislike the SGP for many reasons, that they want to ban women from any public office being amongst them. Having said that, the right to religious belief is a fundamental principle that I share with my country and consider that sacred. The question does comes at what point does a faith that control the lives of its followers cross over the line of the rules, standards and morals of the country as a whole. Also when does those followers start impacting on those that disagree with that faith’s standards? History, recent past and even the present has endless examples of what that causes around our now very small planet.
We all know the grave problem of how radical Islamism forces not only other Muslims to follow a certain line, but how it also makes unwarranted and unjustified demands on western societies that these radicals are present in. That radicalism is not only subject of media attention, albeit much real and some often exaggerated, but it is also used and abused by other radicals to fulfill their own ugly agendas. My blog is full of such examples. Nevertheless, if radical Islamists are willing to go that far, what about Christian Fundamentalist groupings like that which the SGP represent – will they go that far if they are able to get away with it?
That is the question that I wish readers to consider. What would happen say if the SGP took the second largest number of voters or the largest? They would demand women not be allowed to take public office, that is a clear agenda platform – even though that would require a constitutional alteration. Would they forbid football on Sundays? Would they force Christian teachings in Government Schools? Would they limit or ban non-Christian schools? Limit the growth, sponsorship and funding of non-Christian organisations that are involved in serious community work?
What is the limit when a community thinks something is sinful and requires actions? My concern is that groups like the SGP will, as a result of economic and social issues, become more radicalized with the extreme members having more influence in policy. That they will grow like the PVV (or perhaps take some of the PVV votes as and when that ugly abomination collapses) and that their numbers will grow to a significant level to create a lobby group with just enough clout to make trouble. What will happen, I fear, is that they will have enough influence to have a say, a hearing of sorts, but because their principles are a “matter of faith” and a “matter of God’s Will in their batle against what they call sin”, that they will feel OBLIGED to take matters into their own hands.
The subject in that item might seem to be about football, but it raises a very interesting question. Though tolerance, human rights and freedom of expression are the normal accepted standards of my country, our history has often shown otherwise. In our more recent past a siginficant enough number of my country along with a number of others, sided with Hitler and embraced even Nazism. Further back it should never be forgotten that the apartheid movement, organized racism and much of European’s ugly history in Africa stemmed directly from the guidence and followers of the Dutch Reformed Church.
What do you think?
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What if these fundamentalists were Muslims?
This would be “they are trying to impose sharia law” rubbish !
That is the “other radicals to fulfill their own ugly agendas” that I mentioned pushing exagerations and generalizations based on a small but noisy group. I came accross both groups the other day just before heading off on holidays near the sportscentrum that I go to. Outside is a community hall that is used often by Turks but somehow the anti-integrationist hard-liners were there, and as usual they picket on the street talking to anyone that maybe Muslim. Though such a small group, these salafis were simply doing a huge favour to the anti-Islam mob and will be incorrectly seen as the representation of Islam to those that do not know better. Inside the sportscentrum after my work-out I had my beer and discussed the upcoming football and there was a group talking about the “other group” outside and the rubbish, pre-conceived notions and exactly what I feared – “there’s the evidence” statements. Lots of “these people”, “those Muslims are” and so on. One rather ignorant lady sitting near them asked if someone had called the police ……… yeah, you get it.
I wrote this item to ponder how far any radical group would go if they met the numbers game, because when religion is the base they all then claim a moral responsibility to “go ahead”.