With reference to the article, 'Church has a social role' (the Star, 26th April 2012)
the good writer and his ilk must be made aware that the inevitable separation
of the church from the state was one of many changes that resulted from
the French Revolution that led to the end of the monarchy which began with
the storming of the Bastille on 14th July, 1789.
Under the new government, the Roman Catholic Church would have much less
power than they had before. In 1790, all special powers accorded to the Church
were cancelled and property taken over by the state.
In other words, the French told the Holy See in no uncertain terms, to go
'take a hike' for the very reasons mentioned in the letter 'Churches misusing
the pulpit' (the Star, April 25th).
Let be known that the Church in Malaysia and elsewhere enjoys tax-free status for the sole purpose of
worship and spiritually-related activities only. Any attempt at areas of politics nullifies
that status. If they have any grievances against the Government of the day, then
they should use the proper channels and not the pulpit to instigate the
unsuspecting congregation.
The frequent vetting of homilies (sermons) delivered by overzealous priests and
pastors is one area the Government could look into to prevent churches from
being turned into political arenas for the selfish ends of the church administration.
The presence of Government Officials at weekly church services to monitor
the content of homilies could serve as a deterrent to activities other than spiritual.
Alternately, the revoking of tax-free status as a last-resort measure could be imposed
for errant church administrators to toe the line.
