The nine-in-one elections and referendums on Saturday — including those in favor of and against same-sex marriage — are almost upon us. This is an important moment, not just in Taiwan’s democratic history, but also for the wider Asian region. That the nation has been able to reach this significant milestone is thanks to the sacrifices of previous generations.
Taiwan is a free and open democratic society. There was no need to go through the referendum process to resolve the same-sex marriage question. With President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) election promise and the Council of Grand Justices’ constitutional interpretation, same-sex marriage could have been smoothly legalized.
Unfortunately, due to Tsai’s timidity and the Democratic Progressive Party’s selfishness, Taiwanese society must endure a divisive referendum process.
Taiwan is a democratic society in which freedom of information is undergoing a process of transitional justice. Christians should not be able to disseminate lies and spread rumors. Does the Bible not teach that God loves all of humanity? How can they believe this, yet spread false information in society?
Their rumormongering has reached such fantastical proportions that one wonders if they could look God in the eyes in the afterlife. They have lost the ability to respect others, and to distinguish between civilized and uncivilized behavior.
These Christians must also be ignorant of history, or they would remember the bleak history of Christian missionaries. In the past, Western Christian missionaries who traveled to the East to evangelize were themselves the target of vicious slander — some were even murdered as churches were burned to the ground. Christians in Japan, South Korea and China have, at one point or another, been the victims of appalling massacres.
The history of Christianity is full of pain and suffering. The Chinese Communist Party continues to persecute Christians. Are some Taiwanese Christians not aware of the many dark periods in Christian history?
While Christian beliefs have gained a respected status in much of contemporary society, many of the faithful have forgotten their difficult past and turned on the LGBTQ community, slandering it. Their arrogant and judgemental posturing is usurping God’s place at the final judgement. Lacking any form of humility, they have shown themselves bereft of even the most basic courtesies.
Taiwan today is a modern society that has undergone three peaceful transitions of power and enjoys open and independent print and broadcast media.
In spite of this progress, some Christians — similar to China’s “50 Cent Army” of Internet users — spread false information on social media, saying such things as: “If we legalize same-sex marriage, threesomes and orgies will become the norm, and bestiality will eventually become legal too.”
It raises the question: What sort of material are these people secretly looking at to fuel their wild imaginations?
If they are so interested in “protecting Christian values,” would their energy not be better spent protesting the actions of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and fighting for the legal rights of Chinese Christians? How can they look on without extending a helping hand as Chinese Christians are persecuted?
This is timid behavior — bullying the weak while cowering before the powerful.
All of Taiwan’s Christian groups should open their eyes to the truth: “Come out” and fight the brave fight for China’s Christians.
Chen Fang-ming is a professor at National Chengchi University’s Graduate Institute of Taiwanese Literature.M
Translated by Edward Jones
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