HOMOSEXUALITY AND RAINFOREST DESTRUCTION

What do homosexuality and the rainforest destruction have in common?

The Pope has declared that the Catholic Church must protect mankind from both. [See “HOMOSEXUALITY IS AS GREAT A THREAT AS RAINFOREST DESTRUCTION, SAYS POPE.” in The Malaysian Insider, 2 Jan 2009

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com.my/index.php/world/14674]

 

The article stated that-

“The Pope — who acquired a reputation as an aggressive, doctrine-enforcing cardinal before he was appointed to the Vatican top job — also defended the Church's right to ‘speak of human nature as man and woman, and ask that this order of creation be respected’.

The Catholic Church teaches that homosexual acts are a sin. It opposes gay marriage and, in October, a leading Vatican official called homosexuality ‘a deviation, an irregularity, a wound’.

This month the Vatican opposed a proposed UN declaration, backed by all 27 European Union states, calling for an end to the practice of criminalising and punishing people for their sexual orientation.

The declaration was seen as an important condemnation of countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality can be punished by death.

A Papal spokesman was later forced to clarify that the Vatican continues to condemn the use of the death penalty for any crime, including any related to homosexuality.

Instead, the Vatican said its opposition to the UN proposal was driven by concern that countries that prohibit gay marriage would somehow be targeted.

The Italian gay rights association Arcigay branded this an ‘excuse’ to distract people from the real intent of criminalising gays.”

 

What does the Bible say?

 

The Bible mentioned homosexuality in only seven passages and each reference is relatively brief. Whenever homosexuality is mentioned in the Bible, it is mentioned negatively. However, neither it is singled out as being worse than other sins such as envy, murder, slander, deceit and malice (see Romans 1: 18-32). See “The Bible and Homosexuality” in Christian Counseling by Gary R. Collins (PhD), 1988).

 

Should we criminalise and punish the homosexuals?

 

Let us examine the reaction of Jesus Christ (see John 8:1-11). The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery (they did not bring the man). They made her stand before the public and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such woman. Now what do you say?” Jesus said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, until only Jesus was left with the woman. Jesus asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

 

Though I am working on it, I am not a person without sin. Are you?

 

Should gay marriage be recognised by law?

 

If the answer is yes, then we should also consider abolishing the law against marriages of prohibited relationships. A  member of the opposition team in the last Human Rights Debate put forward this argument: If we allow gay marriages to be legalised because love is a matter between two persons, what happens if a parent falls in love with his/her biological child? A brother falls in love with his sister or another brother? These people may form a minority group and use similar arguments as presented by the gay rights association. If we deny this minority group their rights but allow gay marriages to be legalised, we are discriminating against them.

 

Jesus loved the sinners although he did not approve of the sins. Likewise, we who seek to follow in his steps should do the same. Therefore, I will give my support to the UN declaration calling for an end to the practice of criminalising and punishing the people for their sexual orientation. It does not mean that I approve of homosexuality or any sexual immorality. I will treat the person with as much respect as I want others to do the same to me. It can be a struggle but I will try. If anyone asks me whether homosexuality is a sin, I am afraid I have to tell the truth.

  

3 DAYS 2 NIGHTS IN A KAREN REFUGEE CAMP

My choice of destination for adventure for the year 2008, contrary to my friends’ speculation, was not inspire by the movie “Rambo IV”. I have my own reasons:-

1. the noble reason: I need some humbling experience so that I will quit complaining and learn to thank God for what I have; and
2. the not-so-noble reason: I have been in my office for too long, I caught myself talking to my computer.

Thus, when I received an invitation to visit a Karen refugee camp situated in our neighbouring Thailand with 4 friends, I accepted it with enthusiasm. We departed from Changi Airport on the 30^th May at 8.50 am and landed at Chiang Mai Airport at about 10.45 am. We were greeted with smiles that never fail to reveal their perfect white teeth. Our guide was a Karen (Thai citizen) named Joseph. The first stop is at the megamall, MACRO, to purchase some food for the people in the camp and bottles of mineral water for our own consumption. We had lunch of sour beef noodles where the stall owner gave the customer liberty to pile as much vegetables into the bowl as the customer fancied.

We travelled in a chartered van for about 6 hours to reach a small town named Mae Sariang situated on top of a mountain terrain. We spent a night in a simple chalet. The people were soft-spoken and polite. I was mesmerised by the serenity of the place. In a moment of haste, I filled my lungs with the clear mountain air that I felt dizzy. The next morning at sunrise, we continued our journey to the Mae Ra Moo Refugee Camp (MRM). We had to switch the vehicle to a 4WD as the road will be rougher than the previous day. Indeed, the ascending and descending ride along the mountains and valleys was most detrimental to the 5 travellers who were so used to the smooth PLUS highway in Malaysia.

However, the scenery compensated for whatever regrets we had in this journey. It was in the midst of the monsoon season. The mountains and valleys were shrouded with mists despite the shining sun. Flowers were blooming. The rivers winding along the valleys added to the serenity. A perfect break from the hustle and bustle of the city. A perfect place to exercise one’s skill in using the latest model of digital photo camera.

We reached MRM in the late afternoon. It was in a valley surrounded by a wall of mountains with a river running through. We have to bypass a Thai army security checkpoint at the entrance. All communications via the mobile phone were unavailable at this point. Neither was there any telephone line nor electricity supply. We were simply cut off from the rest of the world.

The Chairperson of the Karen Women Organisation (KWO), Madam Es So, and a few representatives gave us a warm welcome. They were generous to provide us with the best accommodation in the KWO building. Though the walls were made of bamboos and the roof were leaves as were all the other houses, it was the only building that has concrete floor, tap water supply and an electricity generator. We were taken on a short tour around the centre of MRM.

This camp consisted of about 16,000 Karen refugees that had escaped from the Military Junta of Myanmar. I noticed that there were more children and youths than the adult population. My initial assumption: this was the natural consequence when men and women who were used to labour were confined in an area with no electricity and earning a living was forbidden. I was wrong. I should have been aware of the long existed tension between the Military Junta and the Karens.[1] The Karens have always desire to have the land where they were the majority formed into a "state" within Myanmar similar to what the Shan, Kachin and Chin tribes had been given. In order to preserve their claim to the land, the older Karens will not leave the country despite the Junta’s atrocities. However, the Karens were determined that the younger generations should be in safe hands and given proper education. Such were the Karens’ determination that their children and youths could travel through the thick, dangerous, leeches and malaria infested jungle to reach the refugee camps in Thailand. I was in awe and at the same time shuddered upon listening to account after account of their plights.

The Salween River that runs along the border of Myanmar and Thailand is narrow at certain locations. I wondered whether some of the bullets may “stray” into these areas. Watchtowers with guards were stationed all over the place. I was unable to see them but at night I could hear the sounds they made by tapping on bamboo sticks to communicate to each other. The 2 nights in MRM were the longest nights in my life as my mind were unable to rest properly and my ears were listening for any sign of attack from wild animals or the Junta.

As refugees, the Karens were dependant on aids. The UNHCR, KWO and ZOA were the main contributors. They had buildings for gatherings and trainings. The Karens were given basic food at monthly rations. Education was provided but only at basic levels such as the Karen Language, English Language and Mathematics. Although it was evident that the NGOs had done a good job, it was also obvious to us that none of their representatives had remained in this camp to take care of the administration. Hence, there was no increment to the funds to counter the rising costs of food and fuel. The ration for each family had decreased drastically. Therefore, food was not wasted. There was no need for refrigerator because there was nothing to keep and no leftovers. No snakes, lizards or rodents could be seen crawling around the camp. I was afraid to ask in case I might get response like this, “Oh yes, we have these creatures. Since you are our special guests, we have served to you in one of the meals. You seem to be enjoying them very much.”

As a Malaysian, I wanted to give a good impression to the Karens. I tried to master the phrase “Thank you” in the Karen language and applied it to all the good Samaritans as soon as I stepped into the camp. I was surprised initially that the response I received from them was the same cold stare. To my embarrassment, I was told politely by a good Samaritan at the end of my stay, that I have been telling all the good Samaritans that they were “fools”. You see, the difference between “Thank you” and “You fool!” in the Karen language was merely… a twist of the tongue.

Time shot past when I was experiencing both excitement and fear in MRM. We had to leave on the 2^nd June. The Camp Commander personally joined us for breakfast. After breakfast, with heavy hearts, we bade farewell to the Karens. For a reason I still do not understand, the journey back to Chiang Mai seemed shorter. Maybe I was not paying attention to the scenery. As a Malaysian, I have my rights in this country. As a refugee, a Karen has no such rights in the camp...

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[1] For easy reference, please log on to the Wikipedia free encyclopedia website.