God's laws

God's Will and State Law: A dangerous mix

This commentary by Lim Yu-Beng in Today newspaper got me thinking.

He makes a couple of points.

One - a state should not impose religious beliefs as law. Sure, but that doesn't recognize the fact that some states are religious by nature, or by their formation, such that their state laws are nothing more than an expression of their religious beliefs.

Even in the most secular countries, religious tenets form part of everyday life and politics. For example, can you imagine a practising Muslim ever being the US President? Or a Christian being voted the Prime Minister of Malaysia? Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking - Malaysia's not secular, but that's another story for another day.

Two - Section 377A is bad law and should be repealed. But he says this from the perspective of of equal protection under the Constitution, i.e. gays ought to receive the same treatment under the law, so Section 377A ought to be repealed because it is an expression of one particular segment of society, i.e. those whose religious beliefs preclude homosexuality as natural behaviour.

He also says this, in concluding his article -

"It is, I hope, the beginnings of mutual forbearance, tolerance and coexistence. That is all the repeal of Section 377A hopes to be. Legal coexistence. Legal existence."

That is plainly untrue and/or delusional, even if the gay community does not yet realise it. The day will come when legal co-existence will no longer be sufficient or satisfactory, and anti-discrimination (specifically anti-gay) laws will be sought. 

There is, and will be, a significant portion of Singapore society that will not accept homosexuality as part of the natural order, and therefore, will always view homosexuality as a sin. That will then necessitate laws against such views, or laws supporting gay rights, in order that society accepts and treats gays equally. 

That is what Lawrence Khong is talking about when he says he is against the "homosexual agenda". We see that today in the form of lobbies for laws to legalize gay marriage etc. in US and Europe. These lobbies have given rise to aggressive and militant behaviour, which some believe is necessary to achieve their ends.

And I think we can all expect that in future, perhaps the near future, such similar lobbies for equal rights and treatment will show up in Singapore, and in similarly vocal, aggressive and militant tones.

I personally feel that any modern society or community of human beings must demonstrate certain indisputable characteristics - tolerance, mutual respect, decency and restraint.

These aren't difficult concepts, but they are often difficult to put into practice.

It's all fine and good to talk about tolerance or mutual respect, but how many people you know joke or make derogatory remarks about gays (and for that matter, other races, religious beliefs, cultural practices, etc). I know I do, often enough that I am embarrassed sometimes for not being a good example to my kids.

I think all we need to do is show a little more tolerance and respect, and most importantly, to be sincere when doing so. That would go a long way towards achieving peace - so that we can all concentrate on being prosperous lah. 


/ac