Saturday, August 8, 2009
In Dominica where religion and politics collide
By Dr Emanuel Finn
It is a risky and treacherous minefield where and when politics and religion overlap. In recent general elections, the nation witnessed some clergymen and other members of the ecumenical community serving as advisors and strategists of political parties instead of just providing spiritual advice and guidance.
The historic paradigm shift between some clergy members and politics has far reaching consequences. It is a rare church goer in Dominica who does not care about politics, but until recently it was a rare (or not at all) priest or pastor who will dive into the divisive and polarizing world of Dominican politics. This is a question of value and place that outlasts elections.
If this current trend of priests and pastors getting involved in partisan politics continues, people are going to judge them less as preachers of the word of God, men of devotion of a higher calling, spiritual healers and leaders.
Instead, they will lose credibility and will be judged as political stooge, puppets and false prophets and messengers of the bible and the lord. That is a dangerous precedence that the church cannot allow and afford to happen. Instead the church should remain as a beacon of hope for all the people regardless of political affiliation and/or sentiments.
The worst case scenario is if these political parties are tied to scandals and wrong doings (which almost always happens) then invariably, members of the clergy who are deeply associated with them maybe viewed by the public with suspicious eyes. Birds of a feather flock together.
We will need much more than wearing our favourite colours; green, blue or red to lift our country up. We will need more than conventions with Lapo Cabrit and drowning music but real dialogue and respectable debate to move our country forward.
We will need less of politicians shouting from the roof tops with all kinds of pronouncements and hurling insults at opponents and institutions that oppose their positions and platforms. We will real and mature leadership in this modern era. The election season does not have to be a Beelzebub and Lucifer period due to the bitterness that exits among our people during that emotional time.
There are some members of the clergy in Dominica whose writings and preaching has had a profound impact on the population. The teachings of Christ are used as a liberation tool in the struggle against social injustice, human indignity, bad government and governance.
These soldiers of the lord use what can be described as a form of liberation theology to speak and act against injustice and unfairness. These courageous men of the cloth belong to the progressive modern Dominican clergy and are not bought for a few Pounds, Shillings and Pennies.
They are courageous and will not stand idle while their counterparts are using the church as a bully pulpit to support their political parties instead of speaking against issues that the lord does not approve as the bible tells us.
Important issues such as family values and the righteous roles of men in society. Not just taking but asking and encouraging all men to practice and foster their responsible roles in the decaying and disappearing traditional Dominican family unit and structure.
The clergy should demonstrate real leadership on proper conduct of our leaders and constantly reminding them that their actions speak louder than their words and shouts of their supporters. The roles of leaders of our country are not just to talk about God and how great he is all the time but also embracing a Christian value system in letter and spirit.
Unfortunately, the opposite happens as politicians invoke the name of God to rally their bases and use the church to spill their partisan messages and gain votes.
But the noble men of the cloth should live by the example of the late Pope John Paul II. In December 1981, Poland’s feared and ruthless Communist strong man, General Wojciech Jaruzelski declared martial law in the Pontiff’s homeland.
Jaruzelski’s regime applied draconian restrictions on civil liberties and imprisoned and killed thousands of demonstrators and trade union movement members. The Holy Father, who supported trade unions and the freedom of his people, visited his troubled land and spoke about faith, the human spirit and the love. Soon after martial law was lifted in 1983.
The church in Dominica should be the ultimate vanguard and watchdog of the constitutional and human rights and well-being of our people. It should never allow itself to be compromised and or intimated by any government of the day, colourful and overconfident political personalities and misguided political leadership.
It should never remain silent on unjust social inequity issues such as police misconduct, questionable and harsh judicial practices and behaviors. No one can question the wholesomeness of the Christian value system. The ecumenical community has a moral responsibility and has to appeal to the best in Dominica.
It is the moral duty of the clergy not to get caught up with these political dynamics which have dire consequences. However, the Men of God should always be willing to seek out the truth and speak it out loud. These men should use the bully pulpit to speak truth to power.
Failure to act on high moral standards is a gamble that the church cannot afford to take and risk throwing respect and standing as a cornerstone institution. Unfortunately, the church’s credibility could be replaced by laughter, ‘pappy show’ and ridicule.
The church must view itself’ as ‘Gulliver surrounded by Lilliputians’ (politicians) and as a Field Marshal leading the ‘Troops’ (people) in a long, moral and ethical battle of spirituality (not religion), life and living. Members of the clergy must take a hard look at their political behaviors and the degree to which their own conduct and statements undermine public confidence in their truthfulness.
Failure to heed this advice of staying above and beyond the messy political fray means risking their important responsibility and dignified place in society due to the ugly spectacle of mixing politics and religion.
It is a risky and treacherous minefield where and when politics and religion overlap. In recent general elections, the nation witnessed some clergymen and other members of the ecumenical community serving as advisors and strategists of political parties instead of just providing spiritual advice and guidance.
The historic paradigm shift between some clergy members and politics has far reaching consequences. It is a rare church goer in Dominica who does not care about politics, but until recently it was a rare (or not at all) priest or pastor who will dive into the divisive and polarizing world of Dominican politics. This is a question of value and place that outlasts elections.
 Politics and religion freely intersect in Dominica. |
If this current trend of priests and pastors getting involved in partisan politics continues, people are going to judge them less as preachers of the word of God, men of devotion of a higher calling, spiritual healers and leaders.
Instead, they will lose credibility and will be judged as political stooge, puppets and false prophets and messengers of the bible and the lord. That is a dangerous precedence that the church cannot allow and afford to happen. Instead the church should remain as a beacon of hope for all the people regardless of political affiliation and/or sentiments.
The worst case scenario is if these political parties are tied to scandals and wrong doings (which almost always happens) then invariably, members of the clergy who are deeply associated with them maybe viewed by the public with suspicious eyes. Birds of a feather flock together.
We will need much more than wearing our favourite colours; green, blue or red to lift our country up. We will need more than conventions with Lapo Cabrit and drowning music but real dialogue and respectable debate to move our country forward.
We will need less of politicians shouting from the roof tops with all kinds of pronouncements and hurling insults at opponents and institutions that oppose their positions and platforms. We will real and mature leadership in this modern era. The election season does not have to be a Beelzebub and Lucifer period due to the bitterness that exits among our people during that emotional time.
There are some members of the clergy in Dominica whose writings and preaching has had a profound impact on the population. The teachings of Christ are used as a liberation tool in the struggle against social injustice, human indignity, bad government and governance.
These soldiers of the lord use what can be described as a form of liberation theology to speak and act against injustice and unfairness. These courageous men of the cloth belong to the progressive modern Dominican clergy and are not bought for a few Pounds, Shillings and Pennies.
They are courageous and will not stand idle while their counterparts are using the church as a bully pulpit to support their political parties instead of speaking against issues that the lord does not approve as the bible tells us.
Important issues such as family values and the righteous roles of men in society. Not just taking but asking and encouraging all men to practice and foster their responsible roles in the decaying and disappearing traditional Dominican family unit and structure.
The clergy should demonstrate real leadership on proper conduct of our leaders and constantly reminding them that their actions speak louder than their words and shouts of their supporters. The roles of leaders of our country are not just to talk about God and how great he is all the time but also embracing a Christian value system in letter and spirit.
Unfortunately, the opposite happens as politicians invoke the name of God to rally their bases and use the church to spill their partisan messages and gain votes.
But the noble men of the cloth should live by the example of the late Pope John Paul II. In December 1981, Poland’s feared and ruthless Communist strong man, General Wojciech Jaruzelski declared martial law in the Pontiff’s homeland.
Jaruzelski’s regime applied draconian restrictions on civil liberties and imprisoned and killed thousands of demonstrators and trade union movement members. The Holy Father, who supported trade unions and the freedom of his people, visited his troubled land and spoke about faith, the human spirit and the love. Soon after martial law was lifted in 1983.
The church in Dominica should be the ultimate vanguard and watchdog of the constitutional and human rights and well-being of our people. It should never allow itself to be compromised and or intimated by any government of the day, colourful and overconfident political personalities and misguided political leadership.
It should never remain silent on unjust social inequity issues such as police misconduct, questionable and harsh judicial practices and behaviors. No one can question the wholesomeness of the Christian value system. The ecumenical community has a moral responsibility and has to appeal to the best in Dominica.
It is the moral duty of the clergy not to get caught up with these political dynamics which have dire consequences. However, the Men of God should always be willing to seek out the truth and speak it out loud. These men should use the bully pulpit to speak truth to power.
Failure to act on high moral standards is a gamble that the church cannot afford to take and risk throwing respect and standing as a cornerstone institution. Unfortunately, the church’s credibility could be replaced by laughter, ‘pappy show’ and ridicule.
The church must view itself’ as ‘Gulliver surrounded by Lilliputians’ (politicians) and as a Field Marshal leading the ‘Troops’ (people) in a long, moral and ethical battle of spirituality (not religion), life and living. Members of the clergy must take a hard look at their political behaviors and the degree to which their own conduct and statements undermine public confidence in their truthfulness.
Failure to heed this advice of staying above and beyond the messy political fray means risking their important responsibility and dignified place in society due to the ugly spectacle of mixing politics and religion.
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// posted by TheDominican.net @ 12:03 PM
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Dr. Finn:
Good article, however, when you are referring to the Lord Jesus Christ I suggest you capitalize the word Lord.
Thanks and God Bless You.
Good article, however, when you are referring to the Lord Jesus Christ I suggest you capitalize the word Lord.
Thanks and God Bless You.
# posted by 
: August 10, 2009 9:15 AM
: August 10, 2009 9:15 AM
Dr Finn,
i take issue with your basic premise of seperation of the church from peoples political lives as being a pre-requisite for the continuance of the church's role as a neutral institution. I also take issue with the phrase "PROGRESSIVE MODERN DAY CLERGY"
Here's why!
the church in dominica has gone through a metamorphosis wherein initially what you had was primarily Catholic - Anglican (Methodist).which essentially had no local priests, thus in essence occupying the position of an outsider - when viewed in terms of a native dominican context. Fast forward a few hundred years and you now have a canvas of churches - more importantly, you have a changing face across the theological spectrum - wherein native dominicans have now become an integral part of the power structure and decision making bureucracy of the church.......which means that issues now affect pastors/priests/lay-people in a more involved dynamic.as a result the collusion of these two entities (POLITICS & RELIGION) no longer can exist as mutually exclusive entities......and this is not necessarily a bad thing.......what makes it a bad thing is when you judge the CHURCH on an analysis of one or two corrupt individuals who present themselves as pastors, etc but whose actions seem to show principles that are demeaning of their religious pedigree......well Dr Finn, it not politics that has brought about that crack in their armour...politics has just highlighted it because of the polarizing nature of politics.......what is more fundamental is the fact that corrupt men exist both politically and religiously....in fact that is the nature of man.......its a a choice....remember! good or evil.
Your analysis gives the appearance that involvement by religious officials in a NON-NEUTRAL manner is EVIL......instead you advocate your elitist construct about a chosen few who just theologize from a distance but never get personally involved ""PROGRESSIVE MODERN DAY CLERGY" as what is GOOD vs what is evil.........you see...and herein lies my problem with your analysis.
Dr Finn, the inactive participation of the church in dominican politics for all these years is one of the fundamental reasons why we are at this dismal crossroads in dominica today....the church has been so stuck in its preaching of an ideal that it has become irrelevant in peoples "REAL LIVES" And so what i'd rather advocate is for the church to get involved not just on issues of abortion, but as you rightly point out on issues of police brutality..on issues of the lack of a governemnt policy for addressing dominicas' poor.......and the even the church itself - especially the roman catholic church needs to start leading by example and start redistributing some of its material possessions towards the service of more local charities and institutions irregardless of their religious affiliations.......in essence the church itself needsa to start addressing its own biases and corruption for it is only then these religious leaders will fully be able to leverage this bully pulpit that is theology to shine dominica to a less corrupted way of public life.
I believe that's what the christ doctrine illuminates......so as long as the church does not live up to its obligations - not of neutrality in national issues- like politics, but on the pulpit of right & wrong....it doesn't matter if its against the party in power or against the opposition........the church needs to get more involved because it the righteous thing to do...... after all ---the church seems to be the only place where BLUE & RED mixes these days..........what a sad state my country has become..........i do hope theirs another E.O Leblanc in my country's future.
At the end,,despite my criticism i do applaud you for writing on the issues.
i take issue with your basic premise of seperation of the church from peoples political lives as being a pre-requisite for the continuance of the church's role as a neutral institution. I also take issue with the phrase "PROGRESSIVE MODERN DAY CLERGY"
Here's why!
the church in dominica has gone through a metamorphosis wherein initially what you had was primarily Catholic - Anglican (Methodist).which essentially had no local priests, thus in essence occupying the position of an outsider - when viewed in terms of a native dominican context. Fast forward a few hundred years and you now have a canvas of churches - more importantly, you have a changing face across the theological spectrum - wherein native dominicans have now become an integral part of the power structure and decision making bureucracy of the church.......which means that issues now affect pastors/priests/lay-people in a more involved dynamic.as a result the collusion of these two entities (POLITICS & RELIGION) no longer can exist as mutually exclusive entities......and this is not necessarily a bad thing.......what makes it a bad thing is when you judge the CHURCH on an analysis of one or two corrupt individuals who present themselves as pastors, etc but whose actions seem to show principles that are demeaning of their religious pedigree......well Dr Finn, it not politics that has brought about that crack in their armour...politics has just highlighted it because of the polarizing nature of politics.......what is more fundamental is the fact that corrupt men exist both politically and religiously....in fact that is the nature of man.......its a a choice....remember! good or evil.
Your analysis gives the appearance that involvement by religious officials in a NON-NEUTRAL manner is EVIL......instead you advocate your elitist construct about a chosen few who just theologize from a distance but never get personally involved ""PROGRESSIVE MODERN DAY CLERGY" as what is GOOD vs what is evil.........you see...and herein lies my problem with your analysis.
Dr Finn, the inactive participation of the church in dominican politics for all these years is one of the fundamental reasons why we are at this dismal crossroads in dominica today....the church has been so stuck in its preaching of an ideal that it has become irrelevant in peoples "REAL LIVES" And so what i'd rather advocate is for the church to get involved not just on issues of abortion, but as you rightly point out on issues of police brutality..on issues of the lack of a governemnt policy for addressing dominicas' poor.......and the even the church itself - especially the roman catholic church needs to start leading by example and start redistributing some of its material possessions towards the service of more local charities and institutions irregardless of their religious affiliations.......in essence the church itself needsa to start addressing its own biases and corruption for it is only then these religious leaders will fully be able to leverage this bully pulpit that is theology to shine dominica to a less corrupted way of public life.
I believe that's what the christ doctrine illuminates......so as long as the church does not live up to its obligations - not of neutrality in national issues- like politics, but on the pulpit of right & wrong....it doesn't matter if its against the party in power or against the opposition........the church needs to get more involved because it the righteous thing to do...... after all ---the church seems to be the only place where BLUE & RED mixes these days..........what a sad state my country has become..........i do hope theirs another E.O Leblanc in my country's future.
At the end,,despite my criticism i do applaud you for writing on the issues.
# posted by : August 12, 2009 5:05 PM
: August 12, 2009 5:05 PM
I do agree with you that the church should get involved in politics but not as we know it in Dominica. In other words, if you are advocating for more church and politics then I hope you are also advocating that a new course of action and paradigm be embraced. In so doing, the church will have to define who and what it is. To continue to do the same thing as to support usually the government in power is to continue to be an accomplice. So is it a question of leadership for the church or the fact that politics is an integral part of daily life in Dominica and the church cannot escape it? So if that is so, then this is a delimia for the church, one if not the strongest institution on the island. How does it escape that?
I wish there could be debates about the rightful roles of the church in our society during this election. Maybe I am asking for too much and I am a bit of a dreamer. I think this would vote very well for all the church goers and politicians—they will get a chance to talk to each other because they would be in the house of the lord or at least being questioned by a messenger of the lord. That would be a win for all of us—then you can call the election next day or next week or next month because we would have made some progress. I suppose that is what real elections are all about. Until then partner the church’s role in politics in Dominica is dubious at best. I think it ought to do better. That is a sad commentary .Don’t you think so?
Thanks
E. Finn
I wish there could be debates about the rightful roles of the church in our society during this election. Maybe I am asking for too much and I am a bit of a dreamer. I think this would vote very well for all the church goers and politicians—they will get a chance to talk to each other because they would be in the house of the lord or at least being questioned by a messenger of the lord. That would be a win for all of us—then you can call the election next day or next week or next month because we would have made some progress. I suppose that is what real elections are all about. Until then partner the church’s role in politics in Dominica is dubious at best. I think it ought to do better. That is a sad commentary .Don’t you think so?
Thanks
E. Finn
# posted by : August 13, 2009 12:42 AM
: August 13, 2009 12:42 AM
yes I do.........however, as i said before the church to a large extent has been part of the status quo.and so by consequence its silence is not equal to neutrality .the Roman atholic Church..for instance has been a bastion of support to the original freedom party when it was still the only party of the Mulatto -Upper-Class......of course that has changed some since The Labor Party under PM Skerrit has become the party of the Upper-Class......with its policies that have done nothing for dominica's poor and small businesses while on the other hand it has solidified the Mulatto Class-hold on the country's economic lifeline (commerce)..while presenting itself as the poor mans party..the sad thing is the poor are to hungry and dumb to even realize that the labor party is no longer the poor mans party.
So the church has been part and parcel of the problem.......in fact other than the original Father Jolly, who wrote regularly on social agendas from a theological pulpit there is no other religious figure in our recent history who stood head and shoulders above the fray......so Dr Finn......i know your analysis stems from this present lot of jokers (PASTORS) who've been ascending the political ladder....however, i think to start from that point is somewhat reactionary and missing a critical opportunity to challenge the most potent institution in dominica to live up to its christ agenda.in a MORE CHRIST-LIKE MANNER.....Politics & Religion.its not their INTERSECTION that's the problem.....it is the inactive and distant role that the church has enshrined itself upon within the nations fabric..........i fact i hope the church leaders are reading our discourse..because i tell you if they don't change this idealistic concept of theology within peoples lives.they will soon become A-NOT-SO-POTENT-INSTITUTION....
once again thanks for a conversation that doesn't involve the usual diatribes that seem to inhabit every conversation that involves politics. "DOMINICA STYLE"
So the church has been part and parcel of the problem.......in fact other than the original Father Jolly, who wrote regularly on social agendas from a theological pulpit there is no other religious figure in our recent history who stood head and shoulders above the fray......so Dr Finn......i know your analysis stems from this present lot of jokers (PASTORS) who've been ascending the political ladder....however, i think to start from that point is somewhat reactionary and missing a critical opportunity to challenge the most potent institution in dominica to live up to its christ agenda.in a MORE CHRIST-LIKE MANNER.....Politics & Religion.its not their INTERSECTION that's the problem.....it is the inactive and distant role that the church has enshrined itself upon within the nations fabric..........i fact i hope the church leaders are reading our discourse..because i tell you if they don't change this idealistic concept of theology within peoples lives.they will soon become A-NOT-SO-POTENT-INSTITUTION....
once again thanks for a conversation that doesn't involve the usual diatribes that seem to inhabit every conversation that involves politics. "DOMINICA STYLE"
# posted by : August 15, 2009 12:23 PM
: August 15, 2009 12:23 PM Links to this post:
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