|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 28 December 2003 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Unethical conversions Sel lipi by Gotabhaya Swasthi Shree! Thus says his sacred Majesty, the gracious Great King, glorious Chakravarthi, King of the Kings of Maya, Pihiti and Ruhuna, Mahoora of the Vanniala-aeththo and ruler of all lands from Yapapatuna to Sampanthota: It has come to the attention of the Maha Waasala that the demise of the late lamented Mahanayake of the Jayagrahani monastery in the land of Pahala-Yata has brought the issue of unethical conversions to the centre of people's conversations. It is apparently alleged that mooladhammavaadhi khraisthava dhammadhoothayos give gifts to various people of the true religion and of the main khraisthava sects, in order to convert them to this strange mooladhammavaadhi khraisthava doctrine. There are widespread calls to publish edicts to ban this conversion between religions. This is indeed laudable, but should it be confined merely to religious faith? What about the ideals of those who seek to rule this land? What of the unethical conversion of the korales and aemathis in the audience hall? For it has come to the attention of the Maha Waasala that many of the korales and aemathis are said to change their political faith through unethical conversions by various gifts. Some are persuaded this way or that merely by transporting them by magical dhandumonara to the Lion City, where they may are able to walk through the emporia of that metropolis and shop to their hearts' desire, whereas others merely wish the gift of being able to attend some gathering of wise men in a city in the Parangi countries. Many kotis of kahapanas are said to change hands in this way. Not very long ago, it came to the attention of the Maha Waasala that the gamey aarachchi of a certain large village close to Colomb-thota was facing a rebellion from amongst his own aarachchis about the handing over of certain common land to various gahapathis. Miraculously, it is said, some of these aarachchis became richer by twenty lakhs of kahapanas each in the course of a single night. The recalcitrants had come by this wealth due to the meditation they had done during the night into their folly, and their consequent reconversion back to their original faith - by the time the grey fingers of the dawn reached into the blackness of the night sky. So it appears that this process of unethical political conversion reaches the very grass roots of our system of people's concensus, from the aarachchi in the gamsabhaava right up to the korale and the aemathi in the audience hall. In fact, there are complaints that there is an entire body of these people who migrate from faith to faith, depending on the amount of largesse they are able to obtain from various gahapathis. Their conversions cannot be said to be true ones, because they are apt to change the moment they stop receiving gifts. Some of these unethical conversions are said to be financed by kahapanas flooding in from various Parangi countries, especially Amerikaawa. Political mooladhammavaadhis in these countries collect monies to be sent to convert those whom they believe to be living in ignorance and bowing down before mud and stone instead of before the almighty, the kahapana. Other conversions are financed by local gahapathis. It is the firm belief of the Maha Waasala that it is one's own house that must be cleansed before others. Therefore, be it hereby enacted that no aemathis, manthris, korales, korale aarachchis, gamey aarachchis or aarachchis may change their faith or colouration on receiving donations from gahapathis and, due to the difficulty of enforcing this, shall subsist only on the payment they receive from the State. Swasthi Shree! This rock edict is made on this day of Ravi of the month of Unduwap of the Year of the Saka Era 1930. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
