NEVER ATTACK PEOPLES’ RELIGiON

                                  

 

When Saulteaux Nation Chief Felix Thomas and Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Vice-Chief David Pratt, Friday, June 11, 2021, asked Catholics to boycott the Sunday Mass they stepped into very dangerous territory.

 

We have learnt through centuries of colonization and suppression the incredible damage that can be done when one group/person uses religion to dominate another. Our ancestors, the conquering peoples throughout history, have trampled over the religious sensibilities of the peoples they conquered. Our European settlers made tremendous mistakes when they dismissed the religions of the peoples who lived in the Americas.

 

When the European settlers tore up the sacred texts and tried to stamp out the prayer gatherings/ceremonies of the established population (included here are all the South and North American religious traditions) they sought to crush a people. As a human being, when you attack my religion you attack my person!

 

Throughout the past ten thousand years the conquering forces destroyed and imposed their religious system on the subjected people.

 

When you seek to diminish the religion of another, you are diminishing a person. We have much to repent about the actions and attitudes of our ancestors. We carry their sins in our history.

 

Religion must not be politicized. We have some strong right-wing Catholics who strongly (they are very shrill) want to deny communion to any Catholic who might support a civic law that allows abortion. It is a blatant error to use religion to exclude people.

 

We live in a very polarised society. People are so divided on very important issues. People are so shrill and angry. They do not listen to the position of the other. In too many instances truth has degenerated into “my” truth. Truth is not above and beyond us. Truth does not challenge the entire society. Truth has become in this divided society what I want to make it to be!

 

In front of the religious knowledge and experience of the First Nations peoples we must be silent and reverent. We must recognize their experience of the divine/ transcendent power in the world. We must respect and listen attentively to their prayers and ceremonies. The experience of the divine is much greater than any one of us.

 

First Nations spirituality must stand in respect before the spirituality of the Buddhist tradition. And all people must bring respect to the dignity and the life-giving powers that the religion of each people gives them. This is a time of great learning and a time of strong repentance for any past attitudes that saw “my position is the only one” and “you are all wrong!”

 

We can locate all kinds of attacks and put-downs within Christianity in the year 2021. We are a long way from being perfect. 

 

Holding all the past mistakes in my hands (or in my memory) I must stand before the religion of another person in respect. The religion of another is always sacred. We need to take off our shoes in the presence of the religion of another human being.

 

A person’s religion states clearly their human dignity and value. When I attack the religion of another or use it for political purposes I am attacking the other person. May I never attack the religious values and practices of anyone who is different from me.