A Rationalist on Asia, and Christianity

In Salient (June 13) a few letters criticised 'Just an Asian' and 'Majid' because they suggested some Asian governments encouraged Christianity as part of a policy of repression. 'Just an Asian' and Majid' are correct but they could have added that Christianity has always justified the class nature of society and has promoted sexism.

The Christians have glorified the employer/ worker relationship as a model of man's relationship to God (Mark 13:34. Matt. 18:23, 25:14, Luke 12:42, 17:7) and Paul justifies it in 1 Tim, 6:1 when he says 'Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed". The bible also says "Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle but also to the forward. For this is thankworthy if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. (1 Peter 2:18, 19) and there are other texts on a similar vein.

Scriptural references to women led theologians to debate whether women are human beings at all. For example, this subject was debated at a meeting organised by Luther at Wittenberg in 1591. Luther was the Christian who coined the laying ' A woman's place is in the home'. According to Paul the hierachy of creation from the highest to the lowest is God, man, woman, (1 Cor 11:3) and he says "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence". (1 Tim 2:11). A similar attitude is expressed in 1 Cor 11:5,7,9 and 14: 34,35 and Tit 2:4.

The above texts can be found in recent editions of the bible which means they are still part of Christian doctrine otherwise they would have been 'reinterpreted'. I have used only the Bible as a source of Christian 'teaching' because in one of the letters which criticise 'Just an Asian' and Majid' it says 'The teaching of Christianity comes from the Bible — anything else that is taught in the name of Christianity is not truly Christian teaching and should not be recognised as such".