[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he conspicuous headlines in our local dialies that a certain Watchman Team of one religious denomination had demanded for a number of amendments in that infamous NLTP Act instantly drew flak everywhere from many a laymen, encompassing nominal christians of my kind, even on social media. The said team, in its memorandum of ‘Demands’ to the CM, had asked for “a more ‘stringent’ NLTP Act” including setting up of special courts (super ones!), confiscation and freezing of bank accounts, properties, etc. and, the icing on their list of specialised demands, “death penalty for certain offences.”
Time and again, media houses have been forced, as always, to bear the brunt whenever people lash out resentments (never of joy!), particularly on this dubious NLTP Act which was pushed into our political arena by the church way back in the late eighties. To speak the mind out, the simplest yet the most neglected and compromised truth is that consumption of alcohol is genuinely personal. Nothing more, nothing less. It is only one’s conscientious moral obligation in rapport with one’s physical and spiritual health that decisions are and will always be taken by an individual.To cut short, there are questions still in need of precise answers ever since the church’s first foray into the murky ‘Prohibition’ world, bullying and driving a political government to enact and implement a law with debatable strategy when it indeed, was a deemed religious office. It is awkwardly amusing that the church could become the cynosure of all eyes and wanton gossip because of its otherwise myopic conduct with Prohibition Act which was entirely political in nature. The church could have, instead, gone for a spiritual war-footing to arrest alcoholism as empowered biblically rather than waylay the general affairs of the people or the government altogether. It would definitely be much wiser for the church to present innovative ideas and suggestions hand-garnered from her spiritually-fit flock to the government as and when requested by the latter, but not otherwise with unsolicited impressions.
Honest, a look at the history of liquor prohibition drama by the church in Nagaland depicts a rather sorry-scene; going all out with all possible means even fasting unto death (of which i am not sure if it is biblically vindicated) just to corner the state government for installation of a somewhat religious doctrine into a political law, and in addition, to implement it in letter and spirit are some noteworthy incidents. And now, besides a number of other harsh or so-to-say unchristian indications cited earlier, the church has taken to another level of extremism with its suggestion for the government to even consider “death penalty for certain cases.”
With all humility if i be allowed, the role of the church need serious contemplation and debates but with The Good Book readily available on our desks for quick references. It only speaks about Love - to love one another let alone one’s enemy till eternity, never vice-versa. May the church be set to contain, nurture and feed her members spiritually thereby morally strenthening them against mortal eventualities!
(Note: The writer, a Baptist, humbly apologise for the indecent approach to this issue and accepts total responsibility if the sentiment of readers have been hurt from this personal opinion. Reach him at thejayalietsu@gmail.com or www.facebook.com/thejangukhoyalietsu
Thejangukho Yalietsu, Medziphema Town
