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| Sunday, 21 December 2003 |
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Please forward your comments to the
Editor, Sunday Observer. E-mail: [email protected] Snail mail : Sunday Observer, 35, D.R.Wijewardana Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Telephone : 94 11 2429239 / 2331181 Fax : 94 11 2429230 Faith, Ven. Soma and the need for sanity The Catholic Bishops' Conference has been compelled by recent events to issue a categorical denial that the Catholic Church has any hand in the alleged conversions that some fundamentalist sects are engaged in at the moment. The problem is that these activities of the fundamentalist sects are identified with the broad Catholic Church and all are tarred with the same brush. Religious fundamentalism is itself a problem thrown up by the kind of post-capitalist and post-modernist society which we inhabit. Those who have a more traditional view of religion think that these religions have drifted away from their orthodox roots and so have to be rehabilitated. Hence the rise of Christian sects which seek a modern ideological role for the Church such as the charismatic movement or the more esoteric movements of the same Church which go in for song and dance as a supplement to their faith. In Buddhism itself, the faith of the majority, such sentiments have also not been unheard of. Because of the orthodox nature of the Sangha hierarchy at its apex levels and their conservatism there has been a growing radical, populist movement among both the Sangha and the laity which parallels in some degree the so-called fundamentalist approaches among the Catholic or Christian churches. Such movements have sought to take Buddhism away from its old ossified roots in directions such as 'bodhi poojas' and a more popular mode of preaching. This is why it is more than unfortunate that the untimely and greatly lamented death of the Ven. Gangodawila Soma should have created an unhappy situation where indirectly some religious groups should have been named as the cause of his death. Even before Ven. Soma's body was brought to Sri Lanka for a full medical examination various statements were made of a doubtful nature and now after three respected medical specialists have given their verdict there are still inflammatory posters coming up on city walls. This obviously is no proper way to respect the Ven. Soma. Whether one agreed with him or not he was a forthright monk who spoke his mind out. He did not prevaricate or take up ambiguous positions. His cause will not be served by seeking to arouse partisan feelings or indulging in doubtful rhetoric. If during the last days of his life he was concerned about the forced conversion of Buddhists to other religions let us bear in mind both the statement of the Catholic Bishops' Conference as well as the fact that if such insidious forces are at work in our society that might be because of the socio-economic realities which make it easier for such forces to work their designs. |
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