That Religious Studies Website

'The moment of truth has arrived. The Church is divided. We sit in the same Church while outside Christian policemen and soldiers are beating up and killing Christian children or torturing Christian prisoners to death while yet other Christians stand by weakly and plead for peace.'

'The South African state has a theology of its own. Throughout the history of Christianity totalitarian regimes have tried to legitimise an attitude of blind obedience and servility towards the state by using the Bible ('Every person must submit to the supreme authorities (Romans 13:1)). But in the rest of the Bible God does not demand obedience to oppressive rulers. This state theology believes that the government has the God-given right to use violence to enforce its system of law and order. The State's effort to preserve law and order, which should imply the protection of human life, means the very opposite for the majority of people, namely the suppression and destruction of life. The State in its oppression of the people makes use again and again of the name of God. Their god is an idol, a god who is historically on the side of the white settlers, who dispossess black people of their land and who gives most of the land to "his chosen people". It is the god of superior weapons who conquered those who were armed with nothing but spears. It is the god of teargas, rubber bullets, prison cells and death sentences. The government uses Christianity to justify its evil ways and there are churches like the white Dutch Reformed Church who actually subscribe to this blasphemy.'

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